Oct 29, 2010

Who Leases Their Birthright?

Stan GoodenoughBy Stan Goodenough
Jerusalem Watchman

“I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession;” (Genesis 17:8)

You almost have to hand it to those jokers down in Foggy Bottom. All the while they protest and maintain that they are “honest brokers,” “impartial” who want to do what is “best for both sides.”

At the same time, they repeatedly, earnestly insist that: “Israel has no better friend than the United States” – Joe Biden. “We are Israel’s best friend and ally ” – Barack Obama.

And if Israel balks, questioning the administration in Washington DC, the president says: “Israelis are suspicious of me because my middle name is Hussein.”

Let’s get rid of the smoke and mirrors.

When it comes to the Jewish State of Israel on the one side, and the Islamic Arab Middle East and Western world on the other, there is only one game in town: “We gotta get our hands on their land.”

What we discovered when we woke up Friday morning and smelled the news print, is if they can’t beat it out of Israel; if they can’t squeeze it out of Israel; if they can’t scare it out of Israel, they’ll go ahead and try to wrangle it out of Israel in a round about way.

Ha’aretz quoted the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat as reporting that “Palestinian sources confirmed that the two sides discussed an option wherein Israel may lease lands in East Jerusalem from the Palestinians in exchange for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel would lease the territories from the Palestinian state for a period of 40 to 99 years.”

The lands in question include parts of Jerusalem the pro-Arab media and politicians call “East Jerusalem.”

The initiative is reportedly an American one, which means we need to STOP RIGHT HERE and ask ourselves two questions:

  1. What does it mean if Israel leases the land from the Palestinian Arabs?
  2. Why is AMERICA floating this idea?
The answer to both is one and the same. It means that the land belongs to the Palestinian Arabs. And it means that America – as in the men and women elected to govern that nation – believes this too.

It’s a set trap for Israel. If the Netanyahu government rejected this outright, it would give the other side more ammunition for its charge that the Israelis are not interested in making peace. If Israel agrees to the idea of leasing the land, it would be irreversibly acknowledging that ownership of it is not the Jews’.

One thing is – thankfully – sure: The Israelis are not fools. But politicians can be pushed into a corner if they don’t watch out.

Someone – perhaps Tzipi Hotoveli MK – must stand up and tell Obama and the rest of the world that the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem is not to give and not to sell and not to get.

It’s been more than given; more than bought; more than paid for.

This Land, and this city, belong to the Lord. He has given it to the Jews, forever. And that’s a period.


Related Links
Report: U.S. proposes Israel lease lands from Palestinians under future deal - Ha’aretz
'Israel may lease east Jerusalem from a Palestinian State' - Jerusalem Post
Abbas, Netanyahu still in standoff over settlements, peace talks - CNN
Islamic Jihad slams peace talks at mass Gaza rally - AFP
Israel, US discuss land lease from Palestinians - YnetNews