Following the cease-fires, the United Nations admitted Israel as a member on May 11, 1949. Later that year, Israel moved its capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Liberty, one can appreciate the Arabs being upset that part of their territory was taken from them. However, to claim they are “Palestinians” and their “Home Land” is being stolen from them is not quite accurate. There is no “Palestinian” people, culture or language. They are Arabs who migrated to the area. Palestine is just a derivative of Philistine, which the Romans renamed Israel out of spite of the Jews. Likewise, the Arabs are in no way related to or associated with the Philistines. However, they are relatives of the Arabs that control the rest of the Middle East. While one can also argue that the Israelites were not original to the area either, there is sufficient evidence that Israel is their native land and they have deep, long ties to it.
Despite these facts, to this day Arabs not only refuse to acknowledge Israel as a state or Jerusalem as its capital, they continue to attack Israel with bombs and rockets while accusing Israel as the aggressor. Time and time again Palestine’s attacks on Israel are ignored while Israel is excoriated for their defensive actions.
It is important to note that Palestinians were also given their own state in 1948, yet they rejected it. On no less than five occasions, Israel has come to the negotiating table, willing to forfeit land for peace, only to be told “no” every single time from the leader of Palestine. Jerusalem makes up 0.1% of the lands in the Middle East, yet the United Nations continually sides with the Arab leaders who cry because they only have 99.9% of the land. The U.N. chooses to bow to appease the Arabs at the peril of Jewish lives. All Israel wants to do is remain free and stay sovereign. Yet the U.N. blocks those actions every step of the way, even after it was they who voted to give Israel a Jewish state.
What the world refuses to see, Liberty, is this has nothing to do with land. It has everything to do with faith. While the Jews wait for their Messiah’s first coming, Christians anticipate His second. However, Muslims believe they must bring about their savior, the 12th Imam. To accomplish this, they believe they must wash Israel with the blood of Jews. It is imperative they destroy Israel so their leader can emerge and rule the world. Many dismiss this analysis because they don’t accept the 12th Imam as real. But it doesn’t matter if we believe it. The Muslims do. It is why Iran is working so diligently with other Arab nations right now to surround Israel. They are preparing for an all out bloodbath while the rest of the world argues that if Israel would just give up some of its land, everything would be alright and peace would be achieved.
At the time of the rise of the Zionist movement, Rev. Charles Spurgeon brought many to Christ in England. Wanting to share the Gospel and eternal life with all, he desired to convert Jews as well. Yet he also believed they should be returned to the Promised Land, regardless of their conversion, if for no other reason than as an act of love for fellow human beings. (see Prince of Preachers) In a sense, that is the mindset Republican President Donald Trump had last December when he stated the United States would move its embassy to Jerusalem. As a result, other countries followed suit. Today, the 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel, Trump personally opened the new embassy, finally acknowledging an ally the United States grossly neglected during the previous administration. Even so, news media from across the globe stormed the border, watching as Palestinians bombarded Israel and its border guards, only starting their cameras when Israel responded.
As Christians, Liberty, we should continue to pray for Israel as well as the rest of the world. Satan loves hatred and war and he has numerous followers. We can’t force others to believe in God and Christ, but we can pray that earthly tolerance wins until Christ brings eternal peace.
That’s my 2 cents.
Love,
Mom
May 14, 2018
Dear Liberty,
Many believe that the United Nations granted the Jews land in Ancient Israel, known as Palestine, as a result of the Holocaust during World War II. While Adolph Hitler’s massacre of 6 million Jews played a part, he was only one of many dictators slaughtering Jews. In fact, the movement began decades before Hitler opened his first gas chamber. (see Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil?)
As we read in the Old Testament, God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. Over 400 years after Jacob (otherwise known as Israel) and his sons left for Egypt due to a famine, God returned the Israelites to the Promised Land. As sin and paganism infested the people, the twelve tribes of Israel split into two kingdoms. The Southern Kingdom included Judah and Benjamin and called itself Judah. The remaining ten tribes composed the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Around 722 B.C., Assyria attacked and conquered Israel. The tribes in the Northern Kingdom were broken up, spread out across the Assyrian Empire, and basically integrated into the surrounding pagan cultures, therefore becoming the “Lost Tribes of Israel”. Those remaining in the Southern Kingdom of Judah continued on. Their religion became known as Judaism, earning them the name Jews.
About 150 years later, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquered Judah, destroyed the temple, and carried off the higher class of Jews. However, they left a remnant of peasants in the land. Just over 400 years before Christ, Nehemiah returned to Judah with a portion of the refugees to rebuild Solomon’s temple.
The Roman Empire absorbed the Land of Israel as a province in 40 B.C., renaming it Iudaea Province, or Judea. While the relationship between the Romans and the Jews was somewhat amicable, the Romans crushed the Jews following a revolt. In 70 A.D. the temple, as well as all of Jerusalem, was completely raised. (see Fiddler On The Roof) Hundreds of thousands of Jews were either killed or sold into slavery, yet they continued on. Another Jewish revolt occurred in 132 A.D. and lasted three years. Once again, the Romans decimated the Jews. Yet this time, not only did they level Jerusalem, they renamed it “Aelia Capitolina”. As a further insult, they renamed the land of Judea after one of the Jews harshest enemies, the Philistines, or “Peleshet” in Hebrew. The Biblical name of the area would be Philistia, however, it became known as “Palastina” to the Greeks and Romans.
Under Emperor Constantine, the Roman Empire began to adopt Christianity, which spread throughout the region. Christians soon became the dominant religion in Ancient Israel, building two major churches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. That changed in the 7th century as Muslim Arabs conquered and migrated into the territory they call “Falastin”. (see Family Feud) The Crusades began to defend against the Muslim attacks and to regain Christian churches lost to the Muslims. (see A Crusade For The Truth) Unfortunately, Jews also fell prey to Christian crusaders.
Eventually, the Turkish Ottoman Empire overtook the Middle East, remaining in power until after World War I. When the Ottoman Turks seized Constantinople on May 29, 1493, ending the Byzantine Empire, both Christianity and Judaism became targets for slavery and massacre. (see Red Sunday) Arabs, as well as Islam, spread throughout the region, including the Israeli territory now called Palestine. As a result, many Jews fled, but there always remained a remnant. While there were times of peace and tolerance between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, it did not last long.
Over the next several centuries, Christianity and Judaism fell victim to Muslim and atheist persecution. (see COEXIST) Yet, Christians usually had some place to escape to, especially once America became available. (see Thanks Be To God and Jamestown: A City Upon A Hill) Following the Reformation, Christianity again spread throughout Europe as it did in the first few centuries. However, Jews often found no refuge, especially in Muslim areas, though in many territories they were the only tolerated non-Christian religion allowed.
As the world approached the 20th century, a Zionist movement began in hopes to find a land where the Jews could feel safe. Starting in 1882, Jews experienced several migration waves back to the Holy Land, now called Palestine, and Jerusalem. Due to this influx, Jews found themselves in the majority in Jerusalem by 1890. However, the rest of the country remained predominantly Muslim and Christian Arabs. This migration was furthered by Der Judenstaat, or The Jewish State, published in 1896 by Theodor Herzl, which supported forming a Jewish state to escape the expanding anti-Semitism throughout Europe. Zionists organized with the goal of establishing “a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law.” As a result, European and Russian Jews continued to flood into Palestine, settling Ahuzat Bayit, known today as Tel Aviv, as the first exclusive Hebrew-speaking city.
Following World War I and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine fell under a British Mandate, which gave Britain oversight of the territory. (see The Ottoman Empire Strikes Back) As tensions rose between the Arabs and the Israelis, Britain’s decision to grant Jews a national home in Palestine was blessed by the League of Nations. (see One World Disorder) Therefore, in 1923, Jews had a place to call home, however, it was still under British rule.
As the Nazi Party, as well as other fascist regimes, rose to power, they reduced Jews to second-class citizens, denying them basic rights and freedoms. (see Holocaust: Then And Now and Diary Of A Young Girl) Jewish refugees tried to find asylum in countries still friendly to them, but they were largely rejected. Even Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt refused a Jewish refugee ship in 1939. (see Voyage Of The Damned) Therefore, Jews fled to Israel in record numbers forcing Britain to close Palestine’s borders. However, illegal migration continued as Jews literally ran for their lives from not just Europe, but Russia, Hungry, Poland and other anti-Semitic countries, though most did not succeed. Nevertheless, Jews made up a third of the Palestinian population by the end of World War II.
Before the guns were cold, the Jewish Resistance Movement initiated a guerrilla war against Britain to win independence. In efforts to find a solution to the Palestine problem, the British government requested a special committee be formed to examine the situation. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), created on May 15, 1947, produced a report suggesting the creation of "an independent Arab State, an independent Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem”. They suggested Palestine/Ancient Israel be split between the Arabs and the Jews, each with their own territory. With a few modifications to the proposal, the General Assembly adopted the resolution on November 29, 1947, with British forces exiting Palestine on May 14, 1948. Later that day the Jewish People’s Council declared their independent Jewish state as the State of Israel.
THE STATE OF ISRAEL
Both United States President Harry S. Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin immediately recognized the new State of Israel. (see Communism's Rise) Just as quickly, The Arab League went to war against the brand new country. Despite their new independence and formation of a new government, Israel not only defeated the Arab nations, they gained more territory. Armistices were eventually signed with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, however Iraq refused to do so.
