Israel often has a bad press - but what is the truth; and what does God say?
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. Ps 241
Almighty God chose to give it to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not to Ishmael.
The Lord appeared to Abraham and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." Gen 127
This promise was repeated in Gen 1518 giving specific boundaries.
Furthermore the gift was given in perpetuity.
The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien,
I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;
and I will be their God. Gen 178
Has God ever changed his mind with regard to Israel?
Does the New Testament give any hint that the Jews lost any claim to all the land of Israel?
No. Quite the reverse.
I ask then: did God reject his people? By no means ...
Again I ask: did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! ...
For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Rom 111, 11, 29
It is true that Israel fell and rebelled against God. It is sadly true that the current Israeli people and leadership are far from perfect. The same could be said of us. But God's purpose in this section of Romans (9-11) is to warn about Gentile arrogance and to reveal his desire to have mercy on all, including the Jews, who remain his chosen people.
Let us examine some history and refute the many false claims
In 135 AD Rome renamed Judea as Palestine, which was Roman for Philistine. This took place after the Jewish Bar Kochba rebellion, when Rome enslaved and expelled many Jews and wanted to give maximum insult to the Jews. So the name 'Palestine' was given to an area of land, not to an indigenous people, as only Jews lived there then. Thus it was a very clever ploy by Arafat to adopt the name Palestinians for the Arabs he led to try to give them credibility - in 1964! Up to 1948 the land was inhabited by Jewish Palestinians and Arab Palestinians. After 1948 the Jewish Palestinians called themselves Israelis.
There has never been a Palestinian nation; so how can Israel 'occupy' Palestinian land?
In the days of Jesus all the land of Judea and Samaria belonged to the Jews. Rome killed many of the Jews in the rebellions of AD 70 and 135. The supposedly Christian emperor Constantine began the systematic persecution of the Jews which has continued for almost 2000 years, especially during the Crusades and the Holocaust. At various times nearly all the nations of Europe expelled all Jews, including England. But Jews and Arabs continued to live in Judea under different foreign rulers. The Ottoman Turks controlled Judea from 1517-1917 and continued to call it Palestine. In 1900 there were more Jews than Arabs living there. The Turks were defeated in WWI and the land was made part of the British Mandate. Under the Balfour Declaration 80% was given to the Arabs and became Transjordan, exclusively for the Arabs. Britain made the remaining 20% a 'homeland for the Jews' (from which Arabs were not to be excluded). In 1948 when the Arabs attacked the new UN approved country of Israel, much of Judea and Samaria was captured and 'occupied' by Jordan; and no one complained or called it 'occupied territory'! In 1967 Syria, Egypt and Jordan again attacked Israel and were defeated. But this time Jordan lost all the area to the west of the Jordan river it had gained in 1948. Under international law if an aggressor (Jordan) attacks and loses territory it then legally belongs to the defender (Israel) if they are victorious. In 1967 the Lord Almighty enabled Israel to defeat the combined attack of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 6 days. They thus became the rightful legal possessors of Judea and Samaria.
In the last 3000 years Jerusalem has only ever been the capital of Israel. It has changed hands 21 times since the days of Jesus, but was never made the capital of any other nation.
Can you name any Palestinian leaders before Arafat? You can't? Not surprising because there were none. Arafat only started calling the Arabs Palestinians in 1964. Before that there was never a Palestinian flag or government. And incidently, Arafat was born and brought up in Egypt.
In Dec 1995 when Arafat was given control of Bethlehem, he proclaimed, “Jesus was a Palestinian, Jesus was a Palestinian.” Not so! As usual, Arafat lied. When Jesus was crucified Pilate wrote, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
Why are the Arabs so filled with hatred?
Why do they work tirelessly to extinguish Israel?
Islam divides the world into two camps, Dar-al-Salaam meaning "House of Peace" where Allah rules and Dar-al-Harb, "House of War" where the people are not in submission to Allah and Islam - especially the Jews (and Christians). From the beginning Muslims have used the sword to gain adherents. First they took all N.Africa and Spain but were defeated in central France in 732. After the Crusades they tried again and were defeated near Vienna in 1683. Thankfully on both occasions God saved Europe and Christianity.
Today the Arabs have oil-power and are making a third attempt to rule the world. Muslims are the protagonists in 30 of the current 38 world conflicts! But most of all they hate Israel as the one 'Infidel' nation that stubbornly remains in the very centre of the Middle East - an insult to Allah. This is the heart of the conflict and their endless hatred.
Why is there such suffering, death and destruction?
Israeli Arabs have lived peacefully in Israel for over 50 years. They are currently represented by 9 Members of the Knesset (Israel's Parliament). They have enjoyed a higher standard of living than in any other Arab country. After the 1st Gulf War in 1991, a 'peace process' was begun. Arafat has kept none of the agreements he signed, though Israel made more and more concessions. In 2000 PM Barak even offered Arafat 98% of Gaza, Judea and Samaria, their own independent state, half Jerusalem for their capital and the Temple Mount above ground level. To Clinton's dismay, Arafat turned it down and almost immediately ignited the planned armed intifada. It became clear to Israel and even to President Bush that Arafat had no interest in peace, only Israel's destruction - by any means. He has embezzled over £2 billion and obviously cares nothing for his people.
Following various raids on illegal Palestinian buildings in 2002, Israel obtained written evidence that Arafat was a liar who financed and encouraged terrorism - using much of the £20 million that he was given by the EU each month.) If Arafat had stopped his war there would have been peace. If Israel had stopped their countermeasures they would die! The goal of Arafat, and now Abbas and all the other various terrorist factions remains unchanged - the total destruction of the Jewish nation.
What of the future? Is there any hope of peace?
In one word, No!
God's word to Daniel was that war will continue to the end. Dan 926b
And the Lord Almighty is the only one who knows what the future holds. Furthermore he instructed Zechariah to warn the nations that at the end they would all band together and attack the Jews in Jerusalem. But when they did so he said, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling ... On that day when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable
rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. ... I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it ... Then the
Lord will go out and fight against those nations. Zech 122,3 142,3
This will be fulfilled at the end of the Tribulation when the Beast and his False Prophet described in Rev 13 attack Jerusalem. See Rev
1911-21
Is there any hope?
Yes !!
Zechariah also saw the day when they (the Jews) will look on me, the one whom they had pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns
for an only son. ... On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. On that day I will banish idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more, declares the Lord Almighty. Zech 1210 131, 2
God's vital rescue plan for man remains the same in every generation and nation,
for Jew and Gentile and Muslim - "Christ crucified".
There is no other way.
