Earl Cox - Israel Always

And the Winner is … the Muslim Brotherhood!

2011-07-31T15:36:00.000-04:00

By Earl Cox

All the dissent and uprisings in the Muslim Middle East recently have certainly made startling news and unprecedented history but, at this point, it seems that they have generated great drama and hope but no real change.

While it appeared that the people of the streets were demonstrating for democracy and freedom, so far the power structures remain largely intact. The people succeeded in ousting their authoritarian dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, but the results produced thus far are only promises of new elections at some future date.

When, and if, elections do take place in Egypt, it is likely that the old tyrant will simply be replaced with a new tyrant ― and the new tyrant will likely be the Muslim Brotherhood. This means the people will continue to be subjected to the oppressive Muslim law code known as Sharia Law.

Therefore, we have to ask, will the long suppressed Muslim people truly gain greater freedoms and be governed by democratic governments? So far, it does not appear that anything has changed for the better, but if the Muslim Brotherhood takes over the reins, all will likely return to the status quo or even get worse.

It all started in Tunisia, where the dissidents were successful in ousting their dictatorial Muslim leader, Al-Abidine Ben Ali. In Egypt, also, the revolutionaries succeeded in causing Hosni Mubarak to quit after his strict 30-year rule. But again, things have not really changed, with the military now running the show. While elections have been promised, what does that presage?

In my opinion, elections do not stand much chance of being fair in any Muslim country ― and especially not in Egypt where the hard-line Muslim Brotherhood is thought to be the dominant political power and probable winner. So, what greater freedoms have the revolutionaries gained?

In Yemen, in Bahrain, and in Libya, the Muslim leadership looks shaky. Demonstrations have been serious and widespread. But those leaders are fighting hard to stay in power, and they have not yet fallen. The suppressed peoples in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria have also taken to the streets in protest, making the anti-Muslim rule uprisings amazingly widespread, but there are still no governmental changes in these countries.

So who are the winners? From my perspective, it is certainly not the people but, rather, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Like all freedom-loving people, I would love to see Western-style democracy sweep over these dissatisfied Middle Eastern Muslim countries, but I am not holding my breath. Based on past history, Islam and democracy cannot co-exist, since basic Muslim laws do not allow freedom of opinion, speech or religion.

While we cannot yet emphatically state that the Muslim Brotherhood is the only winner produced by the “Arab Spring,” we know for certain that both Israel and the United States are the losers. Already, Egypt has broken its treaty with Israel by opening the channel for ships to freely enter Gaza delivering weapons into the hands of Hamas. These terrorists will use the weapons against the people living in southern Israel.

Muslim leaders have already begun to question why they are fighting each other rather than focusing their efforts on their common enemies, namely, Israel and the Jewish people. With the Muslim Brotherhood in charge, Hamas and Hezbollah will be emboldened to perpetrate additional terror against Israel and her people.

The United States is also a loser. Oil prices from the Middle East have jumped substantially since the uprisings began. This has had a significant impact on the American economy in many ways. In fact, we have even coined a new word which highlights one area severely impacted by rising gasoline prices. Instead of summer vacations, people are now planning “staycations” to save money.

Muslim Arabs have generally viewed the U.S. as the protector of certain corrupt Muslim autocrats on one hand and as the savior of their hated enemy, Israel, on the other. In fact, the U.S. bombing of Libya is being interpreted by many as an act of warfare against the people of Libya rather than as warfare against Moammar Khaddafi and his corrupt and cruel regime.

Many believe that the revolutionary fever raging throughout the Middle East will dwindle and fade because of the military opposition and the economic consequences of being in a state of turmoil. Others, however, believe that the revolutions will continue and eventually wipe out all the dictatorial dynasties in their path.

But will the people win in the end? I don’t believe so. Rather, the dictators will be replaced with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is hell-bent on destroying Israel and America.

Palestinian Leaders Always Whining and Complaining

2010-12-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

With all the attention supposedly now focused on negotiations and “peace talks” between the Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs, why is most of the attention going to the ending of Israel’s self-imposed 10-month construction freeze in the so-called West Bank and East Jerusalem? It seems to me that there are many more important issues for the Palestinian Arabs to be concerned about, such as recognizing Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, putting an end to all the devastating Arab terrorism and to all their preaching and teaching hatred of the Jewish people, as well as working to establish a viable and democratic Palestinian government.

Why are there no efforts or developments regarding these most important issues? Perhaps the Palestinian leadership is too preoccupied with whining and complaining about the Israelis building new residences on land in towns and villages rightfully belonging to Israel.

Everyone in the world should know and understand the obvious reason. The sad truth is that most of the world does not want to allow the Jewish people to maintain possession and control of their own land — land that was promised to the Jewish people by the biblical prophets from Abraham to Zechariah as “an everlasting possession.”

This land was prescribed as “a homeland for the Jews” by the League of Nations and by the British Mandate of the 1920s. This land was legitimately possessed by the Jewish people with miraculous victories in warfare in 1948 and 1967 against enemy armies that sought to destroy and annihilate them. From every perspective — biblical, historical and military — the land of Israel from the Jordan to the Mediterranean is Jewish land.

So, how can the leaders of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and other obviously pro-Arab nations rationalize that half of that land belongs to the Arabs? How can they be so naïve (or deceived)? Or, using other words, how can they be so biased? How can they be so ignorant? However, the main focus now is not on the past, but on the present — on the resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations or so-called “peace talks.”

But we have to ask the same questions: “How can anyone in the world believe that the Palestinian Arabs deserve to have their own separate state on Israelis land? And, furthermore, how can anyone believe that the Palestinians even want their own state on half of the present Israeli land given the fact that they have made such little progress in building their own economic base, establishing a functioning government, building and maintaining their own infrastructure, and establishing a functioning civil society?”

To believe the Palestinians truly want their own state, living peacefully side by side with Israel, people would have to ignore everything that the Palestinians have done (or left undone) since they signed the Oslo Accords back in 1993. They agreed in writing to stop their terrorism, to disarm and dismantle their militant terrorist groups, and to work to build a viable economy and a functioning democratic government in the territory they were occupying.

Everyone has to know that they have made absolutely no effort even to begin to fulfill any of those promises. They proceeded to sign four subsequent peace agreements, only to continue to fail to fulfill any of the terms of their signed agreements. So who can trust someone who continually lies to you? Who can believe that the Palestinians will ever change their spots? Who can believe they will ever want a Palestinian state on half of Israel’s land, co-existing peacefully with the Jewish people?

In addition, how is it that all these world leaders not only ignore that the Palestinians have not done what they promised, but also ignore what the present Palestinian leadership is saying? Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has stated over and over again that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state under any circumstances. He has said repeatedly that he will not be satisfied without being given East Jerusalem to become the capital of a Palestinian state. He has continually declared that he wants millions of so-called “Arab refugees” to return to live not only in the Palestinian state but in the Israeli state also.

Furthermore, how can all these world leaders ignore the glaring truth that Abbas has chosen to reject all previous peace proposals put forth by Israeli governments, including the dramatic proposals from former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that were more generous than current Prime Minister Netanyahu will ever offer? And how can they overlook how Abbas has frittered away the entire 10 months of Netanyahu’s construction freeze with flimsy excuses in order to stay away from the negotiating table? How can anyone believe that Abbas is a leader with his heart set on peace?

We should add that Netanyahu has made it abundantly clear that he does not intend to reiterate previous offers made to the Palestinians by his predecessors. He has stated firmly that he will never relinquish East Jerusalem to have a divided city, nor will he ever relinquish the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. And first and foremost, he will not seriously proceed with negotiations until the Palestinians agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state — clearly the first step in any peace agreement. It’s so basic and elementary that it seems almost idiotic to have to spell it out on paper.
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The 9-11 Emergency Wakeup Call – Are we Hitting the Snooze Button?

2010-10-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

For just over 42 years, Americans have dialed 9-1-1 to summon police, fire and emergency medical services. Ironically, Muslim jihadists created a great new national emergency in the U.S. on that very date (9/11), nine years ago. They notified all Americans, in no uncertain terms, that radical Muslim terrorists were on a quest to take down the mighty United States.

On 9/11, they commandeered four commercial airplanes and crashed two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, America’s primary financial symbol, killing thousands of innocent civilians in the process. Another one hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers heroically attacked the hijackers.

Altogether, the number of innocent Americans killed was more than 3,000. The Muslim terrorists created an indelible emergency that Americans will never forget. Yet many people who know absolutely nothing about the teachings of the Koran claim that Islam, when practiced in complete adherence, is a peaceful religion. 9/11 proves otherwise.

Now, while we have still not fully recovered from that worst single-day loss of civilian lives in American history, a Muslim imam wants to construct a 13-story Islamic mosque and community center close to Ground Zero, the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York City. What is dismaying (and, perhaps, a warning to the world) is the near-total insensitivity of those Muslims toward the families of the 9/11 victims, as well as other Americans who oppose the construction of the mosque in that area. They have announced that they want to call it the Cordoba Mosque, named for the Muslim conquest

of Spain. At that time, the Muslims built a giant mosque over the site of a Christian church in Cordoba to celebrate their conquest and demonstrate the superiority of Islam over Christianity. Do they have the same purpose in mind for this new mosque — to celebrate Muslim superiority?

They claim that the mosque and community center will help heal the wounds opened by the terrorist atrocity, yet something is strange about their thinking and their values. Does it not also tell us something when the Islamic cleric in charge of the project charges that America created the conditions that provoked the 9/11 attacks? Furthermore, he endorses Islamic sharia law that greatly suppresses individual liberties, shamefully discriminates against women, and savagely punishes transgressors. That sounds like a grossly traitorous attitude toward our country and our way of life, yet somehow he enjoys favor with President Barack Obama and with the Jewish mayor of New York City.

It seems incomprehensible that these officials are okay with the idea of the construction of the proposed 13-story mosque so close to Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center towers stood. Of course, our American president has made overtures to Muslim royalty, given apologetic speeches to Muslim leaders, and castigated our Israeli allies for building on their own real estate. But how can he now ignore the desperate calls of the 9/11 victims’ families and friends, and approve the erection of such an offensive mosque near Ground Zero?

Interestingly, the same kind of Muslim arrogance and insensitivity has been demonstrated in Israel, where Muslims have built mosques right next to sacred Jewish and Christian sites, obviously to provoke. There is now a mosque right next to Golgotha Hill, which Christian pilgrims from around the world visit as possibly the sacred place where Yeshua was crucified. At regular intervals, the loud, amplified Muslim prayer calls effectively disturb the Christian visitors (by design). The Muslims also built a mosque right on top of the graves of the revered Jewish patriarchs in Hebron. And recently, they tried hard, albeit unsuccessfully, to build a new mosque right next to the revered Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Of course, there are already a few hundred mosques in New York City, and some 20,000 mosques in religiously tolerant America as a whole. But there are absolutely no Jewish synagogues or Christian churches in Saudi Arabia and most other Arab-Muslim countries. Wouldn’t turnabout be fair play? Jews and Christians should be demanding to build a synagogue and a church right next to the Al Haj Center in Mecca. Obviously, nobody really needs another mosque in New York City. It is only designed to add insult to injury.

All this is simply a clear reflection of the intent of these insensitive Muslims, who are so drastically hostile toward Jewish and Christian “infidels” and have orders in their supposedly holy guidebook, the Koran, to either convert or annihilate us. That includes our countries, Israel and the United States, who are considered to be “The Great and Small Satans.” We don’t believe that anti-God, Islamic-originated storms will cease any time soon.

So, do we continue to hit the snooze button again and again or do we wake up and take seriously the threat that radical Islam poses to our American (and Christian and Jewish) way of life here is America and in all democratic countries around the world? Even IF the majority of Muslims were peace loving people practicing a peaceful religion as many claim, the fact remains that the radicals are presently in control of the Islamic faith. They are the ones being heard. They are the ones making the threats and carrying out acts of terror against innocent people around the world.

So, where are the majority of “peace-loving” Muslims? Why aren’t their voices being heard condemning acts of terror and calling attention to the insensitivity of those who want to throw salt in an open wound by building a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center? In America we once had a “silent majority.” Their strength was made known in the voting booth. So-called peaceful followers of Islam claim to make up the majority of the Muslim population but what good is it to be counted among the majority of anything if you are powerless?

It is high time for the “peace-loving Muslims” to use their voices, their power and their strength to promote that which is right and good and considerate over that which is hateful and evil and destructive. Anything short of an all out, united and world wide condemnation of the actions of radical Muslims is the same as cowardly condoning those who commit despicable acts of terror. There is no middle ground and no straddling the fence. IF there really are any peace loving Muslims, they, too, will fall victim to the radicals. Islam is rising. Beware!

Bible prophecy on target.

2010-09-06T18:32:00.000-04:00

How close are we to the end of time as we know it? According to Bible prophecy, we could be very close. Actually, the Bible does not say that the world itself will end, but that this “time” or “age” will end and a new time or age will begin.

So we need to ask: what has happened in the last two years to contribute to this “end times” progression? Well, the election of the current American President focused on “change.” But it appears that both the old and the new administrations are following the same route to attempt to fix the problem of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict—that is, to force a two-state solution.

The pursuit continues, in spite of the clear reality that for 60-plus years this highly heralded two-state solution has run into insurmountable obstacles. It has not worked and will not work until the Muslim Arabs accept Israel as a sovereign state and recognize her right to exist. The Muslim Arab mindset of hatred for the Jewish people goes back some 4,000 years to the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael.

But Bible prophecy tells us that one day this hatred is going to erupt in an attempt, through war, to destroy the Jewish nation and people. This event seems to be more and more imminent.

The world community has failed to acknowledge the biblical significance of the State of Israel. The fulfillment of biblical prophecy about the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland and the rebirth of the ancient nation of Israel virtually launched the “end times.” Nor do world leaders seem to understand that their policies in regard to present-day Israel have accelerated the end-times events that the Bible describes.

The leaders of the world’s nations don’t even realize that we are living in a most important time in prophetic history. Ironically, even most Christians and Jews, who base their religious beliefs on the Bible, don’t really comprehend Bible prophecies either. Most Christians and Jews don’t seem to understand the biblical significance of the nation of Israel—or of the Middle East, Russia, Iran, the European Union and other nations of the world. Most of the priests, reverends and rabbis believe that the biblical end-times prophecies are allegorical, not literal.

The Vatican and the World Council of Churches have joined the international political community in calling on Israel’s Jewish people to leave and give away to the Palestinians part of the land that God gave to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as an everlasting possession. This view, of course, is in direct opposition to God’s divine policy as revealed in the Bible—unless, of course, the majority of the Palestinians are of Jewish descent as discussed in a recent (fall 2009) Jerusalem Post Christian Edition magazine article.

The international Quartet, made up of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and the Russian Federation, are willing to sacrifice the best interests of the nation of Israel for the sake of peace. But they should know that serving up Israel sacrificially would not bring peace to Israel or the rest of the Middle East. The “land for peace” efforts previously tried have only brought more violence and disorder because of the unabated mindset of Muslim Arab hatred for the Jews.

True to form, much of the United Nations continually raises its fist against Israel. The demand is always on the table for Israel to commit to the formation of a Palestinian state as soon as possible and freeze all Jewish settlement construction. The world in general seems so completely biased that it ignores the Palestinians’ failure to make any substantive efforts to implement what they promised in signing the Roadmap agreement several years ago.

The first step in the agreement was for the Palestinians to halt all their terrorist activities against Israel and for their leaders to disarm and dismantle all the terrorist groups. Not only has this first step not been taken but neither has anything else been implemented which the Palestinians have promised to accomplish. Yet President Obama, Hillary Clinton and U.N. leaders want Israel to give the Palestinians a state anyway, even though they have broken their word and have not yet created the stable infrastructure necessary to warrant the creation of a state.

All this global pressure on Israel has only led to increased animosity toward Israel from other nations in the Middle East, most prominently Iran. The whole world knows that the leader of Iran has incessantly declared his intention “to wipe Israel off the face of the map.”

Interestingly, Bible prophecy describes this very Middle East scenario and places it in the framework of the “end times.” The prophet Ezekiel clearly declared that in the end times, Persia (today’s Iran) would form a military coalition with Russia and several other Arab-Muslim nations, with the intent of annihilating the Jewish nation. This Iranian-Russian alliance is already in place and, with Iran boasting of its nuclear weapons development, a nuclear attack on Israel is, in my opinion, likely.

The Bible calls this scenario the Gog-Magog War. However, the prophecy goes on to declare that the God of Israel will intervene—and this will begin with the coming of the promised Jewish Messiah. Remember, nothing is as sure as the promises of God in the Scriptures. Armed with these facts, would you agree that Bible prophecy is on target?

Distortion and Deception Consistent Tools Against Israel

2010-08-18T16:41:00.000-04:00

Flotilla fight still festering? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The world’s nations and their media won’t let it lie. Now, weeks after after the Turkish flotilla’s attempt to break up Israel’s blockade of ships bound for Gaza, the world media are still condemning Israel for killing nine so-called “peace activists” on board a ship supposedly bringing “humanitarian aid.”

It seems to be no problem to the world that these media accounts are a purposeful distortion of reality. When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, it seems easy for the world to believe a lie. Distortion and deception are consistent tools and, sadly, effective tools, in the hands of the international media who always seem to champion the Palestinian cause. Not surprisingly, the world media again rushed to their biased judgment about the Gaza flotilla fight — blaming Israel but saying nothing about the hostile actions of the Turkish terrorists.

Here is an interesting sampling of world reactions. The New York Times wrote, “There can be no excuse for the way that Israel completely mishandled the flotilla incident.” South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel “to show our strongest condemnation of the attack.”

China’s Foreign Ministry declared, “We were shocked by the Israeli attack, which led to severe casualties, and we condemn it.” The Swedish Port Workers Union said, “Our workers will now refuse to handle Israeli goods and ships.”

Amnesty International stated: "It begs credibility that the level of lethal force used by Israeli troops could have been justified. It appears to have been out of all proportion to any threat posed." Apparently, the Israel naval inspectors should have allowed themselves to be beaten to death, rather than defend themselves.

Obviously, the Turkish flotilla was a pre-planned fight. The group of six ships were headed to Gaza to supposedly bring humanitarian aid” to relieve the effects of the blockade imposed by Israel on the Hamas-led population of 1.5 million Palestinian Arabs. The Turks certainly knew that Israeli naval inspectors have been boarding ships bound for Gaza for four years now, inspecting them for military weapons and equipment before letting them dock and unload other cargo. In this case, the naval forces inspected five of the six ships in the flotilla with no trouble. But when they boarded the sixth ship, they were assaulted by a group of some 60 armed Turkish terrorists. The battle resulted in nine terrorists killed. Twelve Israelis were wounded, several of them seriously.

Video released later by both Israeli and Turkish sources showed the Turkish activists wearing protective gear and carrying clubs and knives to confront the naval forces who came aboard the ship. When the Israelis came on deck, they were attacked and severely beaten. The terrorists snatched the guns from many of them and attacked them with their knives. The photos showed some bleeding Israelis being taken by a mob into the belly of the ship. So the Israeli troops opened fire on the terrorists to free their captive comrades.

The international media accounts of the conflict brought widespread condemnation of Israel, as already indicated. Of course, those harmed Israel’s already-battered image around the world. And wasn’t that the obvious intent?

Israelis do not want conflict with their neighbors. They simply want to live in freedom, peace, and security, just like people from other free and civilized nations. But this Gaza flotilla fiasco painfully illustrates once again that Israel is held to a strange and different standard by the nations of the world — a number of them obviously anti-Semitic. We ask: What would the United States do, or what would any other nation do, if they faced such terrorist attacks? Frankly, I don’t think any nation would act any differently if it was faced with the same kinds of threats.

I want to remind everyone that it is because of G-d, and not the Gentile nations of the world, that the Jewish people have returned to their ancient homeland and that their biblical nation has been re-established. It is also because of G-d that Israel has continued to exist and thrive for 62 years now, despite the numerous efforts by enemy neighbors and others to destroy the Jewish nation and people. God Himself has said in the Bible that this tiny little piece of the earth’s vast land belongs to the Jewish people “forever.”

But the nations do not pay attention to what the Bible says about Israel. To them, Israel is simply the big trouble maker in the Middle East, and the great obstacle to peace. According to all reason and truth, the world has it backward when they paint anti-Israel terrorists as peace activists and Israeli troops as murderers.

In the weekly radio news broadcast I co-host called “Front Page Jerusalem,” we will continue to tell the story of Israel from a biblical perspective, seeking to tell the truth and expose the lies and deceit of Israel’s enemies.

Netanyahu Draws Strength from the Bible

2010-07-25T20:26:00.002-04:00

Interviewer Larry King put the question to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on CNN last week: “You live in the center of a hostile world. Are you ever able to relax?” To which the Prime Minister replied: “Yes, Sir, I am. Every Saturday on our Sabbath, I have a day off. So every Saturday, I take an hour and a half to read the Bible. I draw enormous strength as well as relaxation from this quiet time.” He added that sometimes he spends this time with his 15-year-old son, who incidentally won the national Bible knowledge contest in Israel this year.

As Christians, we are greatly encouraged by this admission. It is great to know that the Prime Minister of Israel faithfully spends time in the Bible, since we believe it is vitally important to understand Israel — past, present and future. The divine influence of the God of Israel is the key to the history of the Jewish people and their nation, Israel. And some credit has to go to Dad, also, for his son’s exceptional knowledge of the Scriptures.

Netanyahu was the featured guest on the “Larry King Live” TV show, which is seen all across America on CNN. King started off with the question, “Why can’t you and the Palestinian Arabs get together?” The Prime Minister answered, “The basic problem is their failure to recognize our Jewish state.” He continued, “I am prepared to make peace with the Palestinians as we did with Egypt and with Jordan. I am prepared to have a demilitarized Palestinian state existing next to Israel. And I am prepared to meet with the Palestinians without any pre-conditions.”

King added, “So you do favor having a Palestinian state?” Netanyahu answered, “Yes, but not a state that will keep firing rockets and missiles into our land. It will have to be a de-militarized, peaceful state. And of course, they will have to recognize our state.”

When asked if he would sit down and negotiate with Hamas, Netanyahu replied: “I will sit down with anyone who will recognize our state. As you know, Hamas has refused to do that. They are true terrorists who even terrorize their own people in Gaza.” He added, “I want the world to look at what we have done in the past few years to help the Palestinians in the West Bank. We have helped them in so many ways economically that their economy is now thriving.”

Of course, interviewer King brought up the recent Turkish flotilla episode, after which most of the world media blamed Israel for the deaths of nine Turkish attackers. The Prime Minister explained that Israel has been checking ships off the Gaza coast for military cargo for a long time now and has never before had any incidents like this one. There were six ships in this group, he related, and they had no trouble with the first five. Only the sixth ship caused trouble. There was a special group of 50 to 60 militants on that ship who viciously attacked the Israeli Coast Guard men when they boarded to check for weapons cargo. “Our men had to defend themselves,” Netanyahu explained. “What would you expect them to do?”

King mentioned that incidents such as the flotilla attack harm Israel’s image around the world — and that has to be troublesome to Israel. Netanyahu stressed that there is a big difference between the world’s perceptions and reality, saying, “Israel has suffered oppression ever since its independence, and we have never had one day of real peace, yet the world continues to see us as oppressors.” He then added, “But we are a people of peace. We have always wanted peace with our neighbors, and we still do. The truth is, they do not seem to want peace with us.”

Next came King’s questions about Iran. He asked, “How much do you fear Iran’s intentions to destroy you?” The Prime Minister replied, “We have learned from history to take seriously their calls to destroy the Jewish State.

King continued, “Would you attack Iran?” Netanyahu answered, “We will always reserve the right to defend ourselves. We will always keep all options on the table.” He went on to say, “Iran is the greatest threat to humanity today. It is important to the whole world that we do not have the most dangerous weapons in the world fall into the hands of the most dangerous people in the world.... We cannot trust Iran to be peaceful.”

King asked Netanyahu his age, to which he replied, “60.” King then asked, “In your lifetime, do you think you will see peace in the Middle East?” The Prime Minister answered: “I will say yes, with conviction. Not in all of the Middle East, but I think we will have peace with the Palestinians.” He stressed, “It will take a lot of courage. We are ready now, and we hope that the Palestinians will soon also respond with the same courage.”

Israel’s Roller Coaster Decade

2010-03-10T20:46:00.001-05:00

The International Jerusalem Post (English edition) recently published a most interesting review of Israel’s ups and downs in the recently ended decade. Author Liat Collins did a great job with this significant historical review.

She started by saying: “It was not a real good decade in Israel. It was actually a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.” She went on to say that all the Arab terror attacks tended to bring the Israeli people together, but that the withdrawal of all the Jewish people from Gaza tended to pull the nation apart. Her review definitely mentioned more downs than ups, and more lows than highs, sad to say.

In the vein of Collins’ article, I feel it would be appropriate to review what our Christian-based organization, Israel Always, has done over the last decade to try to fulfill our purpose of blessing and helping Israel. We rode the roller coaster with the Israeli people, but we also feel that we have been faithful to our task.

After having the privilege of serving as a senior communications officer for four United States presidents in the White House in Washington, D.C., I felt that God wanted me to use my retirement years and all my resources to bless and help Israel. Our first effort was to put up several large billboard messages in Israel to let the Israeli people know that many Christians in America respect and support them in their chronic conflict with their Arab-Muslim neighbors. This got us off to a good start, and helped us to meet many appreciative Israeli citizens and leaders.

Our next major effort was to begin producing and broadcasting a weekly radio program called “Front Page Jerusalem.” We wanted to communicate to America and the rest of the world the truth from the Israeli perspective and to try to counteract the pro-Arab bias that most of the international news media project in their reports from Israel. We were able to enlist more than 100 radio stations across America to broadcast this weekly one-hour program, as well as to get it on the Internet for an expanded worldwide audience. “Front Page Jerusalem” is produced in Jerusalem, and it has been going strong every week now for six years. It is reaching hundreds of thousands of people across America and around the world.

Israeli leaders have cooperated with us wonderfully to help get the Israeli perspective out to the world. Each week, some busy official serves as our special guest on the program. His interview is then followed by a panel discussion by other top Israeli media spokesmen, often including Jerusalem Post editor David Horowitz.

Author Collins mentioned the hundreds of rockets and missiles that have been launched into Israel by Hamas from Gaza, “where Jewish communities once grew flowers, fruit and vegetables.” Our concern for the innocent and defenseless Israelis under such inhumane attacks led us to raise money to provide some 50 portable concrete bomb shelters, which were place in strategic locations in Israeli territory near the Gaza border. These locations included schools, bus stops, shopping centers, and other places where people gather. We don’t know exactly how many lives these shelters have saved or protected from serious injury, but it’s many.

American evangelical Christian leaders have long promoted the biblical injunction to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” We have always encouraged such prayer support in all our meetings in America and in our media communications. Then, in 2005, we reinforced this support by organizing a Christian “Prayer Warriors” team to pray for Israel at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. We had a Christian presence at the Wall, praying along with the Jewish people, for eight hours every day, seven days a week, for the entire year. All of the team members who participated in this special prayer vigil felt that it was a privilege and an honor to help support Israel before God in this way.

When Hezbollah launched its warfare against Israel, we were able to take a team of Christians up to the northern Israeli territory to pray for the military and for the affected people there. We also made a few visits to Hadassah Hospital to pray for former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

We were delighted when MK and Rabbi Yuri Shtern organized the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. It was great to hear him express his appreciation for the numerous Christian organizations and people who are working faithfully in Israel every day to help the Israeli people in numerous ways. We were sorry when he passed away, but we hope that this good spirit of trust and cooperation will continue unimpeded.

As Christians who are not citizens of Israel, we have been careful not to express any criticism of the Israeli government and its elected officials. But we have been keenly concerned about the developments in the so-called “peace process.” We understand how deeply all Israelis want to live in peace with their Arab neighbors. But beginning with the Oslo Accords back in 1993, and continuing through four more Palestinian signed peace agreements, it has been disappointingly obvious that most of the Palestinian leaders still do not want peace with Israel. They do not want to give up their animosity and terrorism, and they do not want an independent Palestinian state peacefully co-existing side-by-side with the Jewish state.

As evangelical Christians who honor and believe the Bible, including the Torah and the Tanach, along with the Brit Ha’dosha, we affirm the writings of the biblical prophets who declared that all the land of Israel was given by God to the Jewish people as “an everlasting possession.” That translates into the view that none of the land of Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) should be handed over to the Arabs for them to have a separate Arab state there.

We did nothing to oppose the Israeli governments when they were offering to give most of that land to the Arabs. However, we have to admit that we are pleased to see the new prime minister standing strongly in support of God’s biblical mandate and refusing to surrender this land.

There is one more personal word I would like to add. I would like to publicly express my great gratitude to Mrs. Ariella Doran, the owner of the Jerusalem Gold Hotel in downtown Jerusalem. She has been such a gracious hostess and a generous friend to so many Christian groups and individuals during their visits to Israel. She gave special treatment to our “Wall Warriors” prayer groups, and she has provided much unselfish service to my wife and me during our many extended stays.

We pray that our God will continue to bless her abundantly for her special service to Him and to His people.
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Obama’s Nobel Surprise Award

2009-10-22T09:16:00.001-04:00

Yes, the world was certainly surprised when they heard that United States President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The predominant world reaction was, “What for?” Most commentators felt that the prize is premature, because Obama has not actually accomplished anything yet to bring about peace anywhere.

A better word than “surprised” for us Christian supporters of Israel would be “stunned.” We gasped in disbelief. My first reaction was to ask, “Has the world gone mad?” And my second question was, “What does this mean for Israel?”

I consider this award to be a devastating blow to the state of Israel in her battle to protect Israelis from an Iranian nuclear attack. It seems to be a ruse to silence Obama from supporting an Israeli attack against Iran and the terrorist Ahmadinejad regime. How can the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize support such an attack and possible war? Of course, we already know that Obama would never support such an attack anyway, because it would be action against a Muslim state. The award provides strong support for Obama’s biased Muslim appeasement efforts.

But that isn’t all. The Nobel Peace Prize could also serve to trigger a devastating domino effect in favor of the world’s effort to eliminate Israel and to destroy the West. The next crippling step could be for OPEC to change from the U.S. dollar to the euro as the monetary standard for purchasing oil. If this happens, it will send the U.S. into a tailspin toward bankruptcy. Then China could possibly step up to demand payment of America’s debt. And when America cannot pay, the U.S. and the world economy could be in serious danger of collapse.

Actually, the Obama award generated mixed reactions from national leaders all over the world, with many shaking their heads. The Nobel committee virtually admitted that the award was not for Obama’s peace making accomplishments but, rather, for his goals—which include forging a Middle East peace, ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and halting climate change. Whatever happened to awards for deeds?

Many commentators, especially conservatives, shrugged that the Nobel Prize was simply an expression of the leftist ideology of the Nobel people, just like that of the people of the United Nations. Others declared that the award was “a kick in the leg” of former President George W. Bush, who the leftists detest because of his war against terrorism, the war in Iraq and his opposition to global warming.

Jewish American columnist Charles Krauthammer declared, “The award is a farce! They've gone overboard, over the top!” He asked, “Where has Obama brought peace?” And he added, “We need to bring the Nobel Peace committee to be on ‘Saturday Night Live,’” a popular TV comedy program.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh also could not believe Obama was lauded in such a way, when “he is intent on destroying his own country as a superpower.” He added, “How now can he send more troops to Afghanistan?”

Conservative media also drew attention to the fact that the Nobel decision was made way back in February, when Obama had been in office only two or three weeks. Certainly, he had not accomplished anything by then.

The Nobel people indicated that Obama had pushed for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But what effect has he had on either side? Virtually no progress has been made deserving of any award. And of course, everyone interpreted his Muslim appeasement statements in his Cairo address last summer to be strong confirmation of his pro-Arab and pro-Muslim bias.

Many are also still asking why the supposedly peace-promoting Obama said nothing to support the masses in Iran recently when they demonstrated against the fraudulent election of the Muslim tyrant Ahmadinejad. And why hasn’t this peace-promoting president ever condemned this same Muslim tyrant for the many declarations of his plans “to wipe Israel off the face of the map?”

At the same time, why has Obama so often and so strongly railed against the relatively minor issue of continued construction of Jewish homes in the so-called “settlements” in Judea and Samaria? And how can he continually pressure Israel to freely give the Palestinian Arabs land for their own state when the Arabs have deliberately defied every so-called peace agreement they have made with Israel over the past 16 years?

Never before in history has there been a greater need for prayer for the peace of Israel by those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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Palestinian Infighting Takes Focus off Arab Rogue Countries

2009-09-14T14:36:00.001-04:00

On a daily basis, we read in newspapers and on the Web about deadly clashes between Hamas and Fatah in the Palestinian territories. Part of the peace process requires that these two opposing groups somehow put their differences aside and form a unified government. Why aren’t the neighboring Arab countries stepping up to the plate and putting real pressure on the Palestinians to move in this direction?

For a number of reasons, unfortunately, it is to their advantage to keep the Palestinians stirred up and hostile. With world attention focused on the fighting taking place between Hamas and Fatah, less attention is being paid to what is actually going on in other Arab countries. Iran and Syria are two cases in point. We know that terrorists smuggle weapons into the Palestinian territories by way of Syria. And we know that Iran has a very questionable nuclear development program underway. Both of these rogue countries want to keep world attention focused in other directions; so instead of working toward promoting peace, they often throw more fuel on the fire between Hamas, Fatah and Israel.

The finger is always pointed toward Israel as the culprit behind all of the Palestinians’ woes. But without a heartfelt desire to achieve peace by all parties involved, there will never be lasting peace in the region. Israel is constantly forced to defend itself in one way or another—often in the arena of public opinion—and when it bows to public pressure, it is never a good outcome for Israel. The Palestinians are demanding the right of return for third-generation refugees and that Israel halt all settlement growth as part of the peace process. This, they say, is non-negotiable. Meanwhile, Israel is saying, “No way.”

I hope and pray that Israel stands firm. To people who don’t understand the ramifications of allowing Palestinian refugees to return to Gaza and the West Bank, Israel’s stance sounds rather harsh. But it’s not harsh. It’s simply a matter of self-preservation.
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Who Says Israel Belongs to the Jews?

2009-07-10T08:04:00.001-04:00

Many Christians certainly do not believe it is their business to try to advise the government of Israel what to do. However, most do believe it is within their realm of responsibility to draw attention to what the Holy Scriptures, the Torah and the Tenach, have to say about matters that are important to the nation and people of Israel today.

In this regard, I want to draw attention to the special Covenant, which the God of Israel made with Abraham, the father of the Israeli nation and people, some 4,000 years ago. And God called it "an everlasting covenant," which means that it must still be in effect today.

In the Torah book of Genesis, chapter 17 and verses 7 and 8, God Himself spoke to Abraham and told him: "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

The devastating Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict today is primarily about land, this very same land of Canaan that God mentioned in His covenant with Abraham. And this conflict cannot be fully understood, much less resolved, without a clear understanding of this ancient, but everlasting covenant between God and Abraham's seed.

Former Member of the Knesset and former Tourism Minister Benny Elon has published a book that strongly stresses this important truth. It's relevant title is, "God's Covenant with Israel." He emphasizes that the Biblical land boundaries that God specified in His covenant with Abraham are the best solution to the Israeli-Arab land dispute today.

Elon relates that he resides today in the modern, flourishing city of Beth El, one of several modern cities in Judea and Samaria that were also ancient cities of Israel. These cities magnify the rightful ownership of Israel's historic heartland by the Jewish people of today. He believes it is his God-given right as a Jew to live in Beth El, even though many consider it to be located in Arab territory.

The former MK also finds it hard to believe that many of today's Israeli leaders do not consider God's ancient, everlasting covenant to be significant today. "Unfortunately," he writes, "many Jews in Israel do not study the Bible and have only a vague idea about their connection to the land, let alone the covenants." He adds, "I want to remind the citizens and leaders of Israel of our God-given right and responsibility to this land."

Elon proceeds to conclude that the creation of a Palestinian Arab state on the land of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza is not God's plan, since it violates God's covenant with the children of Israel. He also stresses that violation of this covenant will put at risk the very existence of Israel as a Jewish state.

With all this in his mind and heart, Elon goes on to the next step in his reasoning process. Since all the ancient land of Canaan, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, belongs to the Jewish people, the Palestinian Arab people and the Palestinian state belong on the other side of the Jordan. He calls this plan, "The Right Road to Peace."

All other peace plans have failed, Elon writes, because they have ignored God's Covenant. Any plan based on the division of the land is doomed to failure, he stressed. The miraculous return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland and the re-birth of their ancient nation, is the most significant event in the modern history of the Middle East, he adds. And it serves to confirm that God's everlasting covenant with the Jewish people has not expired.

Elon acknowledges that establishing the Palestinian Arab state on the other side of the Jordan would not be easy. However, he considers that the present state of Jordan is in reality a Palestinian state already. At the end of World War I, the League of Nations gave Britain a mandate over Palestine, which included the lands of both sides of the Jordan, to build there "a National Home for the Jewish People." But in 1922 Britain gave the eastern two-thirds to the Hashemite Arabs, who established a Palestinian Arab state on that land long before the Jewish state was re-established.

The influx of Arabs moving from Israel to Jordan would have to blend with the present Jordanian population and live under their government. It is recorded history that the government of Jordan expelled the Palestine Liberation Organization under Yasser Arafat some 25 years ago, and even now they do not allow the so-called Palestinian Arabs to live in Jordan or become citizens even though most of the Israeli Arabs are from the same Arab stock as most of the Jordanian Arabs. However, Elon feels that strong pressure from the United States and the international community could help open the Jordanian gates.

Elon also proposes that Israel, the United States, and the international community will also have "to put forth a concerted aid effort for the long-term development of Jordan, to rehabilitate its economy, and to enable them to absorb the influx of additional Arab citizens within their borders."

He says it will take something like the post-World War II American Marshall Plan to make the Jordanian consolidation plan work. It will take an enormous amount of financial, technological, and educational aid to create a viable enlarged Palestinian state. But he adds that the international community should be willing to do it to bring about this long sought solution and peace. He also thinks that a program of such extensive aid "would most likely be welcomed in Amman."

Such a plan also would include the dissolution of the present Palestinian Authority, whom Elon primarily blames for the present scope of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dissolving the Palestinian Authority would uproot the terrorism infrastructure, he says, and put an end to the present incitement and violence.

However, Elon does not mention that this plan would put an end to the Arab hatred and animosity toward the Jewish people. And even though he outlines this plan as the best one yet designed, he does not go so far as to express confidence that it will someday be enacted.

Is Netanyahu Strong Enough?

2009-07-09T17:09:00.001-04:00

It is no surprise that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government has already come under strong international pressure to abandon its opposition to the "two-state solution," and hand over a so-called Palestinian State to the Arabs. Netanyahu's stand has already put him on a collision course with the Obama administration, as well as with the United Nations and the European Union.

We conservative Christians agree with Netanyahu's concerns that a Palestinian state would impose a serious threat to Israel's security, that the Palestinians have yet to show any desire to fulfill the promises they made in several peace agreements, and that they are fighting internally with each other and are in no condition to maintain a viable state.

The US, the UN, and the EU, with some cooperation from the Israeli left, have succeeded in labeling the Israeli Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria as "the West Bank," and in identifying it as "occupied Palestinian territory." These world powers obviously ignore that all of Judea and Samaria are part of the land area that the God of Israel promised to the Jewish people as "an everlasting possession." And they do not seem to understand, therefore, that the Arabs are the illegal occupiers of Jewish land, not the other way around.

While many analysts are expressing doubt that Netanyahu will be able to handle the pressures from the world powers that he has inherited, we Christians will be praying and pulling for him to be strong and stand his ground. After all, shouldn't it be obvious to these world powers that anyone would have to be blind or incredibly biased to believe that this "two-state solution" will guarantee peace? Where have they been looking for the past 60 years?

Meanwhile, it was overlooked by most of the press that Prime Minister Netanyahu quoted from the Bible in his inaugural address. He recited from Psalm 131: "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too wonderful for me."

It was special to hear the new Israeli leader echo the ancient King David in looking up to the God of Israel for some Divine assistance. We would like to see the new prime minister and his entire government maintain such a practice, and we believe God would respond positively. Then Netanyahu stated in his address, "It is not with the elation of the victorious that I stand before you today, but rather with the feeling of heavy responsibility."

He added: "I ask for your trust in a time of global crises, the likes of which have not been seen in years. Our nation faces two enormous challenges, an economic challenge and a security challenge."

We note that Netanyahu's new government platform calls for strengthening security, advancing the peace process, safeguarding the Jewish character of the state, and allowing freedom of worship to all religions. It adds that the government will work to confront the financial crisis, to create jobs, to fight poverty, and to bring prosperity. Until recently there was no mention by Prime Minister Netanyahu of agreeing to a "two-state solution."

Hopefully, the new Israeli leader will be strong enough to withstand all the international pressure by standing his ground insisting the Palestinians fulfill their part of any agreement. I believe he moved in this direction knowing that the Palestinians will never fulfill their obligations under any agreement made with Israel and thus there will never be a Palestinian state. Netanyahu knows Muslims will never recognize Israel as a nation and thus Israel will never have to surrender its real estate to a people bent on its destruction.
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Obama Shows His True Colors

2009-06-04T13:10:00.002-04:00

I’m sad and even ashamed to say it, but U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama, in his first 100 days in office, has clearly and unmistakably shown the world — and Israel — his true colors. And they are not pro-Israel.

Let’s start with his bow to the Arab-Muslim Saudi Arabian King Abdullah when they met recently at the G20 summit in London. Almost every American and Israeli, especially conservative and evangelical Christians, took this as a serious insult.

How could the leader of the world’s greatest democratic, Judeo-Christian nation bow to the leader of the world’s leading Muslim dictatorship? And then, how could he demean himself by denying that he bowed, when the video coverage we all saw made it clear that he had? Would he bow before the Jewish president or prime minister of Israel? Don’t bet on it!

A few days later in Istanbul, Turkey, Obama sent another diplomatic punch Israel’s way by endorsing the 2002 Saudi Arabian plan as the Arab idea of peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. (Never mind the five so-called peace agreements that the Palestinian leadership previously agreed to, signed and then promptly violated.)

The Saudi Plan dictates that Israel should give the Arabs all of Judea, Samaria, Gaza, Golan, East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount for virtually nothing in return. The plan also demands that Israel welcome more than 1 million so-called Arab “refugees” into the Jewish state with full citizenship rights. (“Refugee status” has now become hereditary for the first time in human history.)

Is it any wonder that the Saudi plan has had no acceptance in Israel? Yet Obama fully endorsed it.

Before he left on that trip to Europe, Obama held a press conference in Washington, D.C., during which he was asked if it might be hard for him to work with new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He confirmed that the ascendancy of Netanyahu would “greatly impede peace efforts” and added that he would simply “have to be more persistent than his predecessors" in pressing for a Palestinian state.

Since then, Obama has sent a special representative, former Sen. George Mitchell, to Israel to face Netanyahu with the demand to make way for a Palestinian state immediately, if not sooner.

Likud partner, MK Gilad Erdan, expressed the feelings of the entire Israeli government and nation, I believe, when he responded, “Israel does not take orders from President Obama!” He added, “In voting for Netanyahu, Israel has decided not to become the 51st U.S. state.”

When IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi made a trip to the U.S. recently to share fresh intelligence about Iran’s nuclear facilities, he was snubbed by the Obama Administration in a most humiliating way. He wasn’t allowed to see the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense or even his own counterparts, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was only allowed to meet with a lower-level assistant to the national security advisor. He had to cut his visit several days short, and commented, “They don’t want to even talk about Iran, only about the [idea of a] Palestinian state.”

The Obama Administration also denied a visitor’s visa to the U.S. for Dr. Uzi Arad, who is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new national security advisor. Incredibly, U.S. officials stated that Arad “is suspected of being an intelligence risk.” As a result, Arad was prevented from fulfilling his mission of discussing top security issues with American officials. One has to wonder how deep and wide the negativity of the Obama Administration is toward the new Israeli government.

But that wasn’t enough: Obama followed up these serious diplomatic snubs by declaring a shift in U.S. policy toward Iran. He announced that he would drop the previous U.S. insistence that Iran cease development of nuclear facilities — and that he would opt for face-to-face talks and negotiations instead. This, of course, is a complete reversal of the policies of previous U.S. administrations and a strong slap in the face to Israel.

Obama does not seem to take seriously the Iranians’ threat to “wipe Israel off the face of the map.” He doesn’t seem to understand that nuclear bombs in the hands of the belligerent and apocalyptic Iranians would be a certain existential threat to the nation and people of Israel.

Add to all this Obama’s skirting the U.S. Congress and signing a presidential order to give $900 million to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, supposedly for the purpose of rebuilding the infrastructure that the Israelis damaged during the recent defensive action. Never mind that the Palestinians have squandered millions of dollars in aid from many sources to build up their military capabilities rather than spend the money to improve the lives and living conditions of their beleaguered people. The U.S. taxpayers are just expected to “pay up, and shut up.”

To top it all off, Obama added a special gift of $20 million to provide for several thousand Palestinian Arabs to leave Gaza and resettle in the United States. That includes free transoceanic passage and free help in setting up homes and finding jobs. Apparently, unlike Dr. Arad — a Fulbright Scholar and Princeton University Ph.D. — none of the Palestinians are considered to be “risks,” even though they elected the terrorists who’ve fired hundreds of rockets into Israel and have vowed to destroy it.

Who can determine a sane rationalization for such an action as this? Doesn't it look strangely like rewarding terrorism? What are Israelis supposed to think about such a senseless move?

I know what we evangelical Christians think about it — along with all the other recent Obama statements, decisions and actions. It’s obvious he’s showing his true pro-Arab, pro-Moslem, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli colors — loud and clear. And while we’re at it … anti-Christian, also.

Palestinians... the Next Generation

2009-04-25T20:41:00.001-04:00

In the past year the Western world has gotten a glimpse into the content of children’s television programs being aired on Palestinian television and we have been shocked and appalled at what we have seen. Each day Palestinian children are stuffed full of hate by a counterfeit Mickey Mouse who calls on children to hate Jews and to kill them wherever they are found.

Palestinian children’s storybooks as well as text books are filled with the same anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-Western venomous propaganda. Before it is too late we must consider the implications of this brainwashing and ask ourselves a very tough question, “What sort of adults will these children become who have been fed a steady diet of hate?”

Civilized people of the world are shocked by the radical, fanatical behavior of many in the Palestinian territories. If we are shocked now, what can we expect from the next generation who will have absolutely no knowledge of the concepts of freedom and democracy? The civilized world will soon be faced with an entire generation with whom it will be impossible to establish peace and order.

Israel will have no peace partner but instead will have as it closest neighbor a society of angry, radical savages. At their core will be the belief that it is normal, acceptable and even honorable to strap explosives around children sending them into crowded areas where non-Muslims gather for the purpose of killing as many non-Muslims as possible all to please Allah. All who love freedom and democracy must ban together now with one voice and demand that an end be put to the brainwashing of Palestinian children or risk sharing this world with an entire generation who place no value on their own lives and even less on the lives of those who are non-Muslim.

If we fail to act now against this menace, we will live to regret our silence just as we in the Christian community regret our deafening silence when the Holocaust was taking place right before the eyes of the world. Conversely, an entire generation of young Israelis is growing up to believe it is normal to run for shelter when they hear a siren and are becoming accustomed to bombs raining down on their homes, schools and playgrounds. Talk about post traumatic stress disorder!

We hear nothing of the psychological damage the Palestinians are inflicting on the Israelis. We hear of the deaths but rarely do we hear about those who have been permanently crippled and maimed and never do we hear about the psychological impact of having to live under the constant threat of terror. Soon there will be no hope of reaching a solution to the Israeli / Palestinian problem by using diplomatic means.

With this said, what will be our future options? The problem is not going away. The Palestinian people are not going to have a sudden collective epiphany whereby they will be miraculously infused with understanding that in order to have peace they must be willing to give peace. The Israeli people are not strapping bombs around their innocent youth and sending them into crowded cities in search of Muslims to destroy yet there are almost daily attempts by Palestinians to blow up Jews. So, back to the question of future options.

In the southern eastern part of the United States there is an ugly blood sport which has been reported by the media. It is called dog fighting and it is illegal. This is a backwoods bloody sport conducted by the vilest of humans. When these people are caught, they are fined and sent to jail. However, because their fighting dogs have been fed nothing but a steady diet of savage torment, they are considered to have no possible redeeming value and are destroyed. Retraining is not an option. So, if peace is to be achieved by diplomatic means, we must not allow the radical, fanatical Palestinians to continue eroding and warping the psyche of Palestinian youth.

The world must demand change NOW.
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Formula for Disaster

2009-04-12T18:09:00.002-04:00

I am an American Christian. I love my country and I also love Israel. I embrace the principles upon which America’s founding fathers established our democratic system of government and I fully embrace Judeo-Christians values.

This past November the American people elected a new president. Everyone was looking for ‘change, change and more change.’ I was one of them but the change I was looking for was a thread of hope that someone seeking the Office of President of the United States would openly declare support for Israel recognizing that this tiny democracy is America’s only friend and ally in the Middle East and right now we need all the friends we can get. Sadly, I cannot say that I found what I was looking for – hoping for.

Senator McCain said, “America needs a new direction.” Senator Obama, who is now President Obama, said America needs “fundamental change.” Does America need change? Absolutely but change solely for the sake of change is not necessarily good or right. What seems to be lacking in America is a clear understanding of where the new administration wants this “change” to take this nation. Do the American people want their country and their traditional Judeo-Christians to be “changed” or redefined?

New plans and new ideas require a careful weighing of the pros and the cons. This is essential in any successful business plan and it should also be the core process upon which the American government implements and manages itself on the micro and macro levels. A shotgun approach to problem solving is not an acceptable technique yet it seems to be the only plan in place for addressing the current financial crisis in America and the current political situation in the Middle East. Americans must remember that what happens in America is not confined to American shores. The ripple effects or, as is the case with the current economic crisis, the full force of the mighty tsunami, impacts the entire world. The same is true with the situation in the Middle East. What happens in that part of the world eventually impacts us all. “Change” eventually affects everything from the price of oil to the price of freedom.

As a super power, America has a responsibility to the world to act carefully and responsibly. America’s leaders must have a clearly defined and solid platform from which to launch any change in America and any plan for peace for Israel and the Middle East. Change simply for the sake of change is risky business if America wants to hold fast to the Bible based values articulated by America’s founding fathers in their charter documents; part of which guarantee Americans the benefit of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

In the beginning, America possessed a common, solid foundation upon which its societal norms and practices were based and they date back thousands of years to teachings found in ancient Hebrew texts. At one time America proclaimed to be “one nation under God” as stated in the Pledge of Allegiance and “in God we trusted” as stated on America’s dollar bills. From where did this idea of a country and a people centered on the worship of God come from? It came from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures but America is changing; moving away from those fundamental values which were the glue of our society and no one is saying a word. It is the same in Israel. While there is much “religion” in America just as in Israel, where are the hearts of the people? Have we grown cold? Have we turned away from God in favor of man’s ideas and manmade institutions and doctrines?

At one time the American people placed a premium upon individual as well as corporate honesty, integrity, truthfulness and hard work. America’s educational system taught students to study hard and learn well in order to secure independent and successful futures not only for their personal benefit but in order to be contributing members to society as a whole. Somewhere along the way America began to go astray. America’s vision as a nation has become blurred. It seems there is no longer a common thread uniting American society. That great “melting pot” quit blending and instead began to separate and solidify into polarizing elements. This, too, is happening in Israel with Muslims, many of whom hold Israeli citizenship, unwilling to blend with Israeli society but wanting rather to replace God’s people with Allah’s henchmen.

Did this happen overnight? No. Like a lobster being boiled alive which has no idea it is about to die, America’s decline has been gradual and is now partially manifesting itself in the current economic crisis. Greed and a “me first” attitude have slowly chipped away at America’s foundational values of fairness, honesty and personal integrity. No longer is a person’s word their bond. No longer is a handshake as binding as a signature on a contract and no longer is a good reputation valued above the possession of glitter the world has to offer. The true measure of a person’s (or a nation’s) character is not what is done when people are watching but rather what is done when no one is looking. What does this say for so many of America’s (and Israel’s) elected officials and those corporate CEOs “managing” Wall Street’s financial markets?

America now has a new president and Israel now seems to have a new prime minister. Change is taking place around the world and not just in terms of new leadership. Islam is rising at a phenomenal rate threatening to unravel the very fabric of every nation and country which has traditionally held fast to faith in God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel has been living for decades with radical Muslims threatening her destruction and the rise of Islam chipping away at Jewish culture and adding to the rising tide of anti-Semitism.

If America continues to stray from the basic, fundamental, Judeo-Christian values upon which she was established, the rise of Islam will soon be apparent in every neighborhood in America and when this happens the fundamental freedoms that Americans enjoy will be changed forever and American support for Israel will dwindle to zero. Israel is on the front lines in the world’s war of terror and America owes this tiny nation nothing less than our full support not only because God says we should but because it is the right thing for all who love freedom and democracy. Strength is the only card recognized when dealing with Arabs at the peace table.

If America allows Muslims to gain strong footholds in America as they have done in Europe and elsewhere, we will soon be experiencing what Israel has been fighting for decades. America, too, will soon be on the front lines in the war on terror. U.K. leadership has actually held serious discussion about incorporating Sharia law along side British law. This same consideration may be just around the corner for America if she fails to support Israel and put an end to radical Islam before it is too late. Do we want shopping on the internet for the latest fashion statement to mean looking for the latest shade of black for a new Burka? Speak out now or forever hold your peace.
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Surviving A Kassam Bomb Blast

2009-04-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

It’s unlikely that an American can relate, even in his or her imagination, to what life is like in Israel for those who live under a constant threat from enemies who also happen to be their neighbors. The stress of never knowing if, or when, you or a member of your family might be blown to bits by a suicide bomber or a Kassam rocket blast would drive most of us in the Western world insane. This intense stress is engraved on the faces of young and old alike who live in an environment where surviving until the next sunrise is viewed as a miracle.

The people of Israel — especially those living in southern Israel — know all too well the dreaded sound of the red alert siren. That warning, which has occurred over 8,000 times since the Gaza disengagement in 2005, sends people running in a panic and calling out, “It’s another Kassam! It’s another Kassam!” From toddlerhood onward, the people of southern Israel know that when they hear the red alert warning blaring over their public address systems, they have only about 20 seconds, at best, to reach a safe shelter.

When the bomb finally hits the ground and explodes, its deadly contents and the shrapnel from the bomb itself, spew in every direction tearing through steel vehicles and concrete walls and ripping through flesh and bone like a warm knife through butter. The case-hardened steel nails often packed inside of these bombs are more likely than not coated in rat poison. Therefore, if the impact from the shrapnel doesn’t kill, the rat poison will enter the bloodstream of its victims and finish off the job, horribly and painfully.

The physical, emotional and psychological trauma inflicted upon those who must live under the daily threat of Kassam rockets raining down at any moment, has ravaged the people of southern Israel. There’s an entire generation of Israeli children growing up believing it’s normal to hear a siren and run for shelter. These innocent children are living without the sense of safety and security so essential to normal development and this is manifesting itself in a number of ways, one of which is an epidemic of children who stutter and who are completely withdrawn — fearful of attachment.Back in May 2006 when I accepted the challenge to promote Operation Life Shield, an organization that provides portable bomb shelters to besieged towns in Israel, I never imagined I would be one of the beneficiaries of the safety these shelters provide. A total of 50 bomb shelters have been placed in southern Israel to date, and they’ve saved my life more than once. In particular, the most recent occasion stands out.

On January 12, 2009 while in Sderot leading my Israel Always humanitarian team from America, the dreaded red alert siren began blaring its warning of an incoming Kassam rocket launched by Hamas from Gaza. At the time, the team and I were setting up a camera and other equipment to film a TV news report. I called to my cameraman to leave the camera behind and let it roll as we ran for the bomb shelter. We made it just a second or two before the blast.

My technician and I then exited the shelter, not realizing that another rocket was right on the heels of the first. When it exploded, the heat and percussion literally knocked us off our feet and slammed us into the shelter walls, knocking the wind out of me. I was sure I had broken a rib or punctured a lung, but fortunately I was only badly bruised in my upper chest and one of my lungs. Had the bomb landed only a few feet closer, my cameraman and I would have been badly injured—possibly even killed.

About 20 minutes later, I was with others looking at the site where the first blast had occurred. While examining it, another alarm sounded — and once again, everyone ran with all their might. This time, there was no shelter within quick reach, and that knowledge was terrifying. Knowing I had only about 20 seconds before impact, I started a mental countdown. With no safe place in sight, I took shelter in the entrance of a building—curling into a fetal position and praying for a positive outcome. After the blast, I was told by local residents that had the rocket landed close to the building in which I and others were huddled, the bomb blast would have shredded us — and the building — like confetti.For nearly 10 years I’ve been writing, broadcasting and giving speeches about the atrocities inflicted against Israel by radical Muslim terrorists. I’ve always felt as though I was doing a fairly good job of expressing the true feelings of the victims in Israel who had experienced suicide bombings and Kassam and Katusha rocket attacks. But now that I’ve personally experienced this horror, I know that no words can adequately describe the unrelenting trauma and pain the people of Israel have been suffering as a result of the barbaric acts of radical Islamic terrorists who are determined to wipe Israel and the Jews off the face of the earth. These terrorists are continually scheming and devising ways and methods to unleash violence upon Israel — and Israel has been facing this terror with little help from the rest of the world. Believing she must appease world leaders who have established rules of conduct for her which are much more stringent than for other nations of the world, tiny Israel somehow manages to prevail against her enemies even when she’s outnumbered and outgunned — even when those enemies have the backing of much larger countries and come at her as a collective force.

Israel has contributed vastly to the world through innumerable technological advancements in agriculture, medicine, science and the arts to name only a few. Nonetheless, the world at large continues to hate Israel — and this hatred is spreading like cancer throughout the Middle East. Radical leaders of countries such as Iran openly threaten Israel. I’m even concerned that Israel may need to steel herself for the possibility that her historic friend and ally — the United States of America — may not always be there for her.

It’s essential that Israel take the bull by the horns in defense of her people and do what’s necessary to protect her citizens from terrorist aggression just as we here in the United States would do if we were under attack from one of our neighboring countries. In my humble opinion, it’s long past time for Israel to once and for all eliminate all the Hamas leaders. Doing half the job and then pulling back only allows them to regroup and replenish their weapons.

Hopefully, the next prime minister of Israel will have what it takes to stand strong against Israel's enemies ... perhaps even to give Iran a little gift of its own: an Iranian sky filled with Israeli fighter jets knocking the legs out from under Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, no matter how hidden they are from the eyes of the world.

Israel’s war on terrorism can be won only with an unequivocal commitment to finish the job.
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