Israel and Palestinians Q. Do you support Israel in the war against Palestinians? It seems it is the fundamentalists from the “right” who are always in support of Israel. Furthermore, shouldn’t we take into consideration that Palestinians had their homeland taken? Wouldn’t you be angry if Muslims came and took over the Applegate Valley and made you live in…say, Gold Hill? And many Palestinians living in the region are quite poor compared to the Jews. Their “rights” are still impinged on. Also, many Palestinians are also restricted by emigration laws to live in other Arab countries. I understand Israel is very small. But, it is very fertile land, compared to the land that surrounds it.Answer: Good questions – and ones that we get frequently! Why do you assume we are from the fundamentalist or Christian “right?” Do you think it’s the job of this website to support one party over another? Here’s a quick “tip:” Jesus didn’t revere the moral “right” (Pharisees) of his day, and neither do we. Let’s start with your last comment and work up. A wasteland Desert Israel was a wasteland – a complete desert devoid of farmland, crops and trees prior to the Jews returning to the land in 1948. It was so awful that people joked about it as recently as Mark Twain – who had choice words about the holy land.  Filled with Fruits and FlowersHowever, there was an amazing bible prophecy about Israel in the “days to come” (after Israel once again became a nation). Isaiah 27:6 says, “In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, And they will fill the whole world with fruit.” After the Nazi Holocaust when Jews were permitted to return to their homeland, the land became extremely fertile and productive. Today, Israel is the third largest exporter of flowers and fruit in the entire world! Jews worked hard to restore Land to Fertility Jewish survivors worked hard to make the soil fertile and develop the land. They planted trees everywhere, and they developed drip irrigation (something we use even in Southern Oregon, too). A satellite photo shows green land up to the borders around Israel. The rest is still desert.  Palestinian LandsIn contrast, look at what has happened wherever the Palestinians live? For instance, the area of Gaza became a mess once the Israeli government kicked their own people out and let the Palestinians take over this area. Gaza had contained greenhouses, fields and crops, and beautiful homes, synagogues, schools and churches. Within just a few months, Palestinians turned it into a garbage dump! Sadly, they were far more interested in making sure Jews didn’t own anything worthwhile rather than improving their own living conditions. This has been the case over and over again. This should help explain to you why Palestinians are restricted by emigration laws from living in other Arab countries! They have often behaved in ways destructive to their own best interests. They are not interested in developing tolerance, compassion or any Judeo Christian values, of course. Furthermore, keeping them “stuck” where they are is good press for the surrounding Arab nations – a sad fact. Kill the Infidels Palestinians are poor because they focus upon training their children to hate Jews, Christians and YOU – Americans! This is their education and reason for living – not to become economically independent or self-sufficient. Their schools brainwash children through imitation Mickey Mouse characters, for example, to become killers and suicide bombers. The propaganda is relentless. “Kill the Jews on Saturday. Then kill the Christians on Sunday. Shove Israel into the sea. Destroy the Great Satan America.” (This motto includes liberals, gays, atheists, and people like you as well as other religious groups as well – we need to face this reality). U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom We suggest that our readers look over the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom for more information along these lines. You will find a report at www.uscirf.gov. The address is: 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 790, Washington, DC 20002. A Common Myth It is a myth that Palestinians “had their homeland taken.” Jews were provably in this land from 2000-1800 B.C.! I say “provably” because archaeologists have uncovered tangible evidence of Jewish roots in Israel and surrounding territories clear back to the days of the Patriarchs in the book of Genesis and onward. This includes such finds as artifacts from Jericho, and just recently, Nehemiah’s wall – an astounding find. Palestine Roots The word “Palestine,” by the way, comes from the word “Philistine” (like David’s fight with the Philistine giant, Goliath). It was a derogatory term placed on residents by the Romans around 90 A.D. when they destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Oil Interests Unfortunately, we are all victims of a terribly biased media. Exploration into this subject will reveal that the majority of media interests are Arab owned or backed. (Remember the dictum: “Follow the money”). Follow the money and you will find the sources of many news stories. Reasoning with Terrorists? As a result, most of the world’s citizens are taught “revisionist” history from Arab owned and backed media groups. Modern news sources have even trained people to believe that terrorist groups, such as Hamas or Fatah, are legitimate populations and governments that we must cooperate with – something unheard of just one decade ago.  Start with Valid Ancient HistoriansTherefore, we encourage readers to find the best historians’ opinions and writings about ancient history before coming to the conclusion that “Israel occupies Palestinian land.” Many major universities have good ancient historians on staff. Just stay away from “popular” writers who appear to have an agenda. Parallel World Sometimes we feel like we are living in a strange parallel world. We have been to Israel and Egypt and saw the effects of bombings and treatment of both Israelis and Palestinians, firsthand. For instance, consider the insanity of news reports that the Palestinians blew-up this or that restaurant, school, market, etc., killing hundreds of Jews including women and children, and then blaming the Jews for the violence! (This is akin to the worst schizophrenic mother who brainwashes her children with terrible twists and distortions). Violence in response to Bombings While it’s true that the Israeli government also kills Palestinians it is almost always in response to terrorist attacks against Jewish families, and the Palestinians killed are very few in number. But, we do not support the government of Israel nor all of its policies. Their government is corrupt – as much as any government. No Rights to Exist? We do, however, support Israel’s right to exist as a nation. The Palestinian Authority insists that Israel has no right to exist. They do not even include Israel on their maps! Consider the following stunning prophecy from Psalm 83 – written centuries before Christ: “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation. Let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” (Ps. 83:4). Doesn’t this sound like an exact quote in the newspaper made by the current Iranian (Persian) dictator? A good comparison is to recognize that Jews are not permitted to live in Saudi Arabia and most other Arab states. Yet, in Israel, Palestinians are allowed to work and live, vote and even have their own political parties in the Israeli government. This is unheard of in Arab or Moslem states. 11 Israels fit in Oregon Please understand that Israel is a country that at its widest point is about the distance from Grants Pass to Medford, Oregon. You can fit eleven Israel countries in the State of Oregon. Furthermore, there are only 5 million Jews in Israel and only about 15 million Jews in the entire world. So try to think of Israel about the physical size of the Rogue Valley and the Arab world about the size of the United States – and you will begin to get the picture. (I’m not exaggerating). 1″ in a Football Field One historian compares it to 1 square inch in a football field – that’s how ridiculously small and insignificant Israel is within the Arab world. This is one of many reasons why God expresses anger and future judgment against those “whom they have scattered among the nations and have divided up My land” (Joel 3:2). God will destroy all nations who divide up Israel and hurt His people. Frankly, that includes the United States, too. Note that the book of Joel from which I quoted above was written in 835 B.C.! Such dates as these were proved when archaeologists found and dated the Old Testament among the Dead Sea Scrolls found in the Qumran caves in Israel in 1947. (Nostrodamus and Edgar Cayce don’t hold a candle to this sort of specificity)! “Fundamentalists” or “Christian Right” Please be careful about labeling church groups as “fundamentalists” or the Christian “right.” We know many true Christians who are not! The Arab backed news media has done a good job equating this with fundamentalist Islamic extremists. Here is why this must change: The Christian “right,” or “fundamentalists” believe they must forgive those who persecute them, love their enemies, do good to those who persecute them, “turn the other cheek,” and so forth.  Islamic “fundamentalist” extremists, on the other hand, believe Jews, Christians, and American infidels must die by the sword. There is no equating these two groups!Ancients through whom Bible and Messiah Came The so called “fundamentalists” or the Christian “right” support Israel because of what the bible says about Israel and those world nations who will turn against Israel, what the bible says about the relentless persecution of Jews, and what Scriptures tell about the end times on our planet. It isn’t that the “right” favors Jews over other ethnic groups. In fact, many of the extreme “right” (i.e. rednecks or “skinheads”) in this country hate the Jews! Supporting a Biblical View Rather, we support the Biblical view of Israel, that it is through the Jews that the Messiah came and through whom the Scriptures were written and preserved so carefully and thoroughly. We honor and respect that. This has nothing to do with the Christian “right” or any political party. Zechariah the Prophet Consider this: The book of Zechariah was written in about 500 B.C. It says, “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it” (Zech. 12:3). Understand that this prophecy includes the United States, too. Also, an awesome verse in the same chapter says, “they will look on Me whom they have pierced – and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son…” (Zech. 12:10). Make a mental note that the mechanics of Roman crucifixion were not even invented until centuries later!  A God who lives Outside of Space and TimeYes, Jews and Christians support the biblical nation of Israel. And we will try to warn all who will listen that they are defying the supreme God of the Universe who exists outside of our space-time dimensions when He tells us what will happen to those who destroy His people, the Jews, and His holy real estate, Israel. For it is written, “Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57:15, ESV). God alone says, “Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen (Isa. 44:7). |
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