The United States has historically been one of Israel’s closest partners. America was the first to recognize the Israeli nation in 1948, and American funds and weapons have helped keep Israel secure ever since. American leadership has generally portrayed Israel as the only democracy and stable ally in the region. But things are different now.
The Obama administration seems to want the creation of an Arab Palestinian state between Israel and Jordan as fast as possible. I can’t speak for Israelis, but I assume their position on the subject could be summarized as:
1 – We know the creation of an Arab Palestinian nation is inevitable, BUT:
2 – Their leaders (and general population) need to stop talking about destroying us first. They have to acknowledge the Jewish people’s right to a homeland – to Israel’s right to exist. A new Palestinian state has to have finalized borders everyone truly accepts as final; it can’t just be a first step towards the next inevitable war and the next Arab attempt to eradicate Israel.
3 – We (Israelis) are not giving up our capital city of Jerusalem, which has been our capital for 3,000 years, and dividing it so that the capital of a hostile Palestinian state that still speaks of driving us into the sea has its capital right inside our capital city.
These are just my assumptions and may not reflect Israeli thinking, but I assume they do.
The fact that the nation of Jordan was and still is the Arab Palestinian nation is not even brought up. But I think it is relevant for Americans to know that when the British divided Palestine prior to 1948, they gave the small western portion to the Jews and gave the majority on both sides of the Jordan River to the Arabs, who called the Arab section of Palestine Trans-Jordan. Even today, after losing the land west of the Jordan River in wars with Israel, 70% of Jordan’s population identifies itself as “Palestinian.” No one in what was once called the West Bank or what is today called “Palestine” (the only remaining part of a much larger area – Israel and Trans-Jordan – once all of it was called Palestine) claimed the need for an independent Palestinian nation there between 1948 and 1967 because Israel was the Jewish Palestinian nation and the entire nation of Trans-Jordan was the Arab Palestinian nation.
While I don’t dispute that the Arab population now may feel wronged or disenfranchised or abused, or that they want to be free of Israeli Jewish control where they live, or that they have the right to self-determination – Jordan was their people’s nation and Jordan lost that land after declaring war on Israel in 1967. The concept of a nation or distinct people separate from Jordan did not exist prior to Jordan’s defeat and territorial losses in 1967. I think examples like Puerto Rico being accepted as a territory of the United States, or Kaliningrad being accepted as part of Russia show that we do acknowledge territorial changes as a result of starting and losing wars.
If all of Latin America looked back to the Gadsden Purchase as an illegal land grab in which southern Arizona was stolen from a defeated Mexico unfairly, and the residents of Tucson wanted an independent “Gadsdenstine” nation of their own, would Americans be eager to give up the land and allow ethnic Mexicans to create their own new nation? If all of Latin America referred to Texas as the “Occupied North Bank Territory” (the land north of the Rio Grande had once been Mexican) and two million citizens of Mexican heritage there rallied for the liberation of an independent “Grandestine” because their allegedly distinct “Grandestinian” people was oppressed and needed their own homeland – what would Americans think about giving up part or all of Texas?
If contractors building homes in the suburbs of Austin or Houston or San Antonio were being called war criminals by several dozen nations for building and expanding “illegal settlements” in “Occupied Grandestine,” how would Americans feel? How would they feel if the last war with Mexico was not six generations ago, but six weeks ago? If everyone in America knew someone who had been killed by Grandestinians and/or Mexicans? Throw in some “Death to America!” rallies from Buenos Aires to Mexico City… or right into “Grandestine”/Texas… and would most Americans be willing to have the border relocated – or would they just want to bomb those calling for an independent “Grandestine”?
What would Americans think about intense international pressure, threats, and economic sanctions to give up “Occupied Grandestine”? If China and many other nations refused to trade with America until we stop “occupying” “Grandestine”?
I don’t dislike Mexicans, Texans, Palestinians, or Israelis. I have visited these areas and have been treated well by the good people living in all the regions I just mentioned.
I’m not suggesting this analogy comparing Texas to Palestine is the right point of view in regard to the Middle East. But it is one of many arguable points of view.
And what of the Palestinian point of view? Do they just want independence with borders established through reasonable compromise? What percentage of Arab Muslims in what may soon be an independent Palestinian nation really want to see Israel destroyed? Is it 95% or 5%? I believe that most people in most nations are just good, normal people who want enough freedom and prosperity to have a decent life. I believe that for the most part, they just want to be left alone. But am I wrong? I grew up in America, during decades of peace and prosperity. I was not suffering. I was not starving. There were no soldiers on the streets. I didn’t know anyone who was killed in hostilities. Perhaps I am unrealistic to assume that a similar mindset could exist where poverty and bloodshed is the norm. I don’t know what percentage of the population of an independent Palestine would be happy with independence and what portion would seek war with Israel. For that reason alone, as an outsider with nothing to lose in the negotiations, I should at least make myself extremely well informed if I am going to arrogantly stick my nose into other nations’ business and demand terms for a negotiated settlement of anything.
But arrogant interference is what the Obama/Kerry team has been doing. Months ago, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s called John Kerry “obsessive” and “messianic” in his stubborn pursuit of certain American goals for a peace treaty. Yaalon said: “Secretary of State John Kerry – who came here very determined, and operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and a messianic feeling […made sure that] throughout the recent months, there is no negotiation between us and the Palestinians – but rather, between us and the Americans. The only thing that can ‘save’ us is that John Kerry will get a Nobel peace prize and leave us alone…. The American security plan that was presented to us is not worth the paper it was written on.”
A few days ago, [October 2014] Yaalon was in the United States. Vice President Joe Biden would not meet with him. John Kerry would not meet with him. National Security Advisor Susan Rice would not meet with him. Israel understands the snub in retaliation for earlier comments. But the tension remains. Israeli Finance Minister Lapid said US-Israeli relations are in a crisis. “White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday he couldn’t talk about meetings that didn’t occur. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she didn’t have anything to say on internal discussions about meetings.” (See more in a full article on this diplomatic snub here)
As an author of Bible prophecy books, I cannot look at negotiations with Israel without thinking of prophecy. I would expect the most powerful nation in the end times (which I think we have entered) to enforce a seven year covenant between the Jews and their neighbors (remember Obama’s “Covenant of Peoples” tour to Israel?) and then turn on Israel, eventually breaking the agreement when 3.5 years remain. I also assume that President Obama favors the Palestinian Arabs in these disputes, which may explain why at least some Israelis view Obama and Kerry as having taken over the Palestinian side of the negotiations. I also wonder if Obama hopes to see Israel allow Palestinian statehood in exchange for the Islamic world allowing Israel to rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem. Such secret terms could explain Yaalon’s messianic comments.
So I assume that relations between Israel and the US have only just started to deteriorate, and that they will soon get as bad as the Bible describes, with prophecy about to unfold before our eyes.
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