May 20, 2009

Israel Alone

By Nathan Jones

With the May 18, 2009, Netanyahu-Obama meeting behind them, Jews around the world have begun to realize that they are now very much alone.

That's not to say that Israel doesn't have sympathy from countries like Germany and the Czech Republic. They even have two-faced "friends" like Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia who say they are looking out for Israel's peace. But, since Israel became a nation again in 1948, it has had at least one true, friend with teeth in the United States. After the presidential meeting, it would appear that friends have parted ways.

Where past U.S. administrations stood by Israel while trying to appease Israel's hostile Arab neighbors, the Obama administration has made it clear it will stand by Israel's hostile Arab neighbors while trying to appease Israel.

Not only in words, but in action has the Obama administration stated where the United States now stands. Author Daniel Gordis summarized recent White House actions in his Jerusalem Post article "In Perspective: For the sake of clarity, a thought experiment" (Tuesday, May 19, 2009).

"At AIPAC's recent Policy Conference, Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. John Kerry made it clear that for the US to support Israel on Iran, Israel must settle the Palestinian problem once and for all. It has been widely reported that Rahm Emanuel, in an off-the-record session, said precisely the same thing. After decades of tacit agreement that the US would remain silent about Israel's nuclear capability, a State Department official publicly suggested that Israel sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as if, on the eve of Iran's going nuclear and with Pakistani weapons in danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban, Israel's nuclear arsenal is the world's most serious concern."

The Israel Today Tuesday, May 19, 2009, article titled "Netanyahu holds fast against patronizing Obama" reports on the discordant tone in the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama. "The White House talks were expected to be tense, as both leaders came in with divergent views regarding the creation of a Palestinian state, how to deal with the Iran nuclear crisis, and the linkage between the two issues... Political spin doctors in both Washington and Jerusalem immediately went to work painting the meeting as a relaxed and friendly encounter, though the substance of what the two leaders told the press bespoke a far different reality beneath the surface."

While "Netanyahu maintained his refusal to publicly endorse the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state," Obama told "reporters that his government will push hard for the birth of 'Palestine,' urging Netanyahu to grasp hold of this 'historic opportunity.'" The discussion over the Palestinians between the two left Netanyahu, according to Israel Today, "patronized."

Pres. Obama then went on to strong-arm Israel to create a Palestinian state or get no help from the U.S. on dealing with Iran's President Ahmadinejad mad desire to build a nuclear weapon to "wipe Israel off the map." Obama said, "To the extent that we can make peace with the Palestinians — between the Palestinians and the Israelis — then I actually think it strengthens our hand in the international community in dealing with the potential Iranian threat."

Obama concluded by making his intention known to push more Arab nations to directly join Israeli-Arab peace talks. Those are the same Arabs that wish Israel to pull back into an indefensible pre-1967 position. "The president indicated that he will unveil a new regional peace initiative when he visits Cairo next month."

Gordis sums up Pres. Obama's rhetoric like this: "A new message is afloat — Israel is the problem, and the US has had enough."

And so, Israel stands alone. The United States has now joined sides with Israel's enemies in their desire to see Israel give up half their land, land no larger than the size of the state of New Jersey.

Are Israel's Enemies Correct?

Since the whole world, even liberal members of Israel's own Knesset, see the birth of a Palestinian nation as the answer to peace in the Middle East, maybe Israel is wrong in not ceding half their land. Is Pres. Obama now leading the U.S. under an actually correct view of what should be done?

Gordis sums how the world views Israel. "Israel is the root of evil in the Middle East. It's the cause of checkpoints, of roadblocks, of a big ugly wall that runs along a border no one has agreed to. The Palestinians are desperate, and in the massive imbalance of power, they have no chance and no hope. Israel is the nuclear bully in a region that, were it not for Israel's existence, would no longer be on the front page. To achieve peace in the Middle East, Israel just needs to be subdued. Break Israel's intransigence, and we'll finally see progress."

Gordis puts this world view to the test. "Imagine that Israelis decide that by Jerusalem Day, this coming week, they want a deal. So we take down the security fence. We remove the checkpoints. We open all the roads, and Gaza's sea and air routes. We agree publicly to return to something closely approximating the pre-1967 borders, and we accede to the demands that parts of Jerusalem be internationally governed, or even put under Palestinian control." He then asks, "Does this end the conflict?"

The answer: "Of course it doesn't!" And, the reason for this answer: "The Hamas Charter calls not only for the destruction of Israel, but for Islamic war on Jews everywhere. (Why do we consistently refuse to believe that Hamas means what it says?) What would change? The noose would tighten. The rockets would be fired from a shorter distance and the demand for the return of refugees (thus ending the Jewishness of the state) would persist. As was the case when Israel left Lebanon in May 2000 or Gaza in the summer of 2005, Israel's enemies would smell a weakened, bloodied state and would prepare for the next stage of their war."

Gordis proposes a different strategy for the world to focus on.

"Imagine that the Palestinians decide that they have tired of the conflict, or their electorate begins its long-overdue rebellion and insists on a settlement. So the Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah, demand everything Israel's agreed to above — an end to roadblocks and the wall, an opening of Gaza, a bridge or a tunnel between Gaza and the West Bank and a return to the 1967 borders. Let's say that they even insist on Palestinian control of east Jerusalem.

But they also recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. They agree to an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities and violence... and insist that any other outstanding issues be negotiated and resolved with the U.S. and the Quartet as intermediaries. And they require Israelis to vote within a month, no longer, on whether to accept the deal... In a matter of weeks, three quarters of a century of bloodshed and suffering would come to an end."

Gordis concludes that the world does not have a solution, because "It's never been up to us [Israel], and it's always been up to them [Palestinians]." The hostile Muslim world will never, ever, ever agree to recognize Israel as a state or even their right to exist. No matter how much Israel gave up, nothing short of total national suicide would appease Hamas and the Muslim world. And sadly, that would be the only action that would appease the rest of the world as well.

The world wants Israel as a nation to cease to exist. And, so too regrettably, does the United States, though we many not consciously know our nation desires Israel's demise.

God's Take

God through the prophet Zechariah in chapter 12 verse 2-3 prophesies that Israel will stand alone in the world, a prophecy finding fulfillment today. God said, "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling."

Many nations will try to uproot Israel from their land and will fail. Eventually, all the nations of the world will come against Israel. "Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves." But, as Zechariah 12:9 states, "On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem."

The United States has now sided with the enemies of God. Prophetically, we have instead sealed our own nation's demise.

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