You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:
In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:
1) The current situation with the Israel / Palestinian peace process
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinians will submit a request later this month for the UN Security Council to recognize a PLO state based upon 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital while asking the Security Council to set a timeline for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines. Abbas said that if the Palestinians can secure 9 of the votes needed 15 votes needed for the proposal to be voted upon by all UN Security Council members that they would proceed with the statehood bid.
Wassel Yusef, a senior Palestinian official, said that the Palestinians will do so because “The US administration is pushing to resume bilateral negotiations, even while it’s clear that these have failed throughout the last few years.”
In a meeting with US Secretary of State, John Kerry, in the United States, chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, pleaded for the US to recognize a PLO state at the UN Security Council. He said, “Urgent steps from the international community to protect the two-state solution are needed, therefore, we urge the US administration to support our bid to the UN Security Council in order to establish the borders of a Palestinian state.”
In response, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated to Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat that the U.S. was opposed “to unilateral steps by either party that attempt to prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations.” Nothing has yet been formally presented at the United Nations, she said “so this is a preliminary discussion. And obviously having a back-and-forth and hearing from them is part of the reason to have a meeting.” Urging the UN Security Council to call for an end to the Israeli occupation “contradicts their stated goal of a two-state solution and having their own state, an aspiration we support,” Psaki added.
However, Israeli cabinet members are warning that US President Barack Obama threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US may opt not to oppose future hostile UN Security Council votes, unless Israel accedes to American policy demands. Quoting Israel ministerial level sources, diplomatic correspondent, Ariel Kahana, said, “Netanyahu told colleagues in recent days … that his office’s understanding of the issue and the government’s take on it is that the Americans will not cast a veto against a resolution that reaches the Security Council.” The information was shared at a session of the Jewish Home political party leaders by Jewish Home political party leader, Naftali Bennett. The threat, at least as leaked, implies that the United States is prepared to abandon Israel in the dock of the world body, a step that could further destabilize relations between the two allies to an unprecedented degree, Kahana said.
Kahana spoke of a recent article in The Atlantic by Jeffery Goldberg – who is commonly seen as reflecting the US administration’s views towards Israel – referencing the US pressure, but from the American point of view: Citing what he called “red-hot” anger by the Obama administration “over Israel’s settlement policies,” and his view that “the Netanyahu government openly expresses contempt for Obama’s understanding of the Middle East,” Goldberg warned that “Profound changes in the relationship may be coming.”
“This is a precedent and a very dangerous step,” Kahana cautioned about the American threat, and said it was the most chilling thing he’d heard uttered in decades of Israel-US relations. “Beyond the abandonment of Israel, it also flies in the face of previous agreements with the Americans, including vis a vis the Egyptian peace deal in which the US would hold the line against such maneuvers,” Kahana noted. “The point is that one can’t trust anything the US says anymore, if the information is accurate,” according to Kahana. “If the US is able to betray Israel like this – what do other allies and foes think?” Kahana wondered aloud.
Former Italian foreign minister, Federica Mogherini, became the the new foreign policy chief of the EU on November 1. Upon doing so, she made a visit with Israel and the Palestinians. Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with her saying that Israel opposes unilateral moves by the Palestinians at the UN Security Council and the recognition of EU member states to recognize a PLO state as Sweden did recently. Netanyahu told Mogherini that it was totally “irresponsible” for European nations to do such a thing. “To accord, as some European countries have to a Palestinian state without demanding an equal recognition on their part to the nation-state of the Jewish people is irresponsible,” Netanyahu said. Furthermore, “To give recognition to a Palestinian state that doesn’t either recognize the Jewish state or agree to security arrangements that are necessary for its security and survival is also irresponsible. Therefore, I hope that Europe will respond in a more balanced and more responsible manner” Netanyahu said.
Mogherini, however, was not swayed by Netanyahu’s words. “Jerusalem is not just a city, it’s not just a beautiful city, not just a capital, it is a potential capital of two states. It’s also a special place for plenty of people in the world, it’s a holy city, so I think that Jerusalem could show to the rest of the world that co-existing is possible, and this is I think the challenge for all of us, to show that Jerusalem can be shared. We are asking all in this moment, not in three months, not in six months not in one year, all in this moment to restart a political process that can reach for the two-state solution,” she said. “We see that there might be a political will to resume the talks and to especially make sure that these talks bring results. The settlements are an obstacle to the two-states solution, are illegal, and so the European Union is considering this as its position. The world “cannot afford” another war in Gaza and we need to see the creation of a “Palestinian state.” “We need a Palestinian state — that is the ultimate goal and this is the position of all the European Union,” she said.
On Jerusalem, Netanyahu told Mogherini that “Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and as such is not a settlement. The neighborhoods in which Jews live and in which we are building have existed for almost fifty years, under all Israeli governments. Everyone knows that in any peace settlement, they will remain part of Israel.” On the issue of settlements, Netanyahu said he reject the “outlandish claim that the root of the ongoing conflict is this or that settlement. The issue is not land, but rather our very existence and the refusal to recognize Israel with any borders.” On the issue of the Temple Mount, Netanyahu assured Mogherini that Israel is working to restore calm in Jerusalem and is committed to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, in which the Al-Aksa Mosque compound is controlled by the Islamic Wakf. Muslims have the sole right to pray there, but Jews and Christians can visit. We stand behind the status quo arrangements that have been there for many years. We will not allow them to be changed either by action or by legislation. We’ve been very clear about that,” Netanyahu said.
Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman chastised for its hyper-focus on Israeli building over in the West Bank and East Jerusalem while it ignored the violence that raged in other countries in the region. “Every day hundreds of people are killed and slaughtered around Israel. We are facing many challenges, more than all of the EU together,” he said. Europe, he said, “is disregarding this reality. We are trying to survive in a very difficult reality and instead of supporting Israel, you blame Israel every day,” Liberman said. A reporter asked Liberman if Israel planned to change its policies in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in light of European frustration over its settlement activity.
European officials and diplomats, the reporter said, “are coming to give you advice. What they hope is that Israel through this friendly advice would change its policies.” Liberman reacted to the question with anger, explaining that such European advice was “hypocritical.” Europe is not offering the same type of “advice” to Pakistan and India, even though a comprehensive peace is needed there, Liberman said. In light of the complex situation in the region, with violence in Iraq, Syria, Yemin and Libya he expected Europe to be more “sensitive” to Israel’s “security concerns,” Liberman said. Israel is the only country, in a tumultuous region, where control reigns, in spite of constant friction and tension with the Palestinians, Liberman said.
“Your [Europe’s] approach to Israel is exactly like the approach of Europe to Czechoslovakia in 1938,” said Liberman as he quoted an often used example of Europe failure to protect that former country from Nazi Germany. Israel, he said, is the only democratic country in the Middle East. “Every day you are coming with new pressure. It is a mistake. It is hypocritical. In the end of the day it will be counterproductive,” Liberman said. European support of Palestinian unilateral moves and or imposed solutions to the peace process, was particularly harmful, Liberman said.
He charged that Sweden’s decision last week to recognize Palestine as a state outside of a negotiated peace agreement, the first Western European country to do so, was a “cynical” step to exploit an international situation for its own domestic purposes. “This position will not advance peace, it will only distance a peaceful resolution and might even undermine all our efforts to achieve a strategic breakthrough in our relations with the Palestinians,” he said. The Swedish government, he charged, took that step to appease the Muslim community in its country, which is “25 times larger than the Jewish one.” It is also part of Sweden’s drive to receive the necessary support among UN nations, particularly the 57 Islamic states, to become a member state of the Security Council in the future, Liberman said.
The Swedish government, he said, had not told Israel of its decision to recognize a PLO state even though they promised to alert Israel in advance. “With this understanding in mind, it was very, very disappointing and surprising to hear of Sweden’s recent decision,” Liberman said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of dragging the region into a religious war and vowed that the Palestinians would never agree to Jewish prayer on the Muslim-controlled Temple Mount. “Israel’s leaders are making a huge mistake if they think they can now establish facts on the ground and divide prayer times at the al-Aqsa Mosque as they did at the Cave of the Patriarchs,” he said. “By doing these things they are leading the region and the world into a devastating religious war.”
Speaking after weeks of clashes between Israeli security forces and Arab residents of East Jerusalem, as well as a series of terror attacks in Jerusalem, Abbas also repeated the Palestinian pledge to make East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state.”The Muslim and Christian world will never accept Israeli claims that Jerusalem is theirs,” he said. “Jerusalem is our capital and we will never give this up; Jerusalem that was occupied in 1967 is our Jerusalem. We will safeguard and protect our holy places.”
As Arab rioting continues in East Jerusalem, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef urged Jews to stop attempting to enter the flashpoint Temple Mount, claiming that doing so was a religious offense. “We need to stop this, only then will the people of Israel’s blood not be spilt” the rabbi said. He stressed that going to the Temple Mount was a religious offensive punishable by death, adding that “it’s inconceivable that b-rate rabbis will argue with the Israelis most prominent and prestigious rabbis of Israel. It’s unthinkable that fourth-rate rabbis would argue with the great Torah scholars of Israel,” he said of those who permit Jews to visit the Temple Mount. Rabbi Yosef was referring to various Orthodox Jewish national religious rabbis who say that Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount is permitted. The mainstream ultra-Orthodox rabbinic opinion is that according to the rulings of the rabbis, Jews may not visit the Temple Mount because the holiness of the site requires a ritual purification process that is not available in present times. However, the rabbis of the Orthodox Jewish national-religious community argue that it is possible to visit areas of the Temple Mount which do not require this level of ritual purity.
The ultra-Orthodox chief rabbi’s comments angered Temple Mount activist groups, which are almost entirely from the national-religious community, as well various Israeli Knesset members from the Jewish Home political party. Jewish Home party leader, Naftali Bennett, criticized Rabbi Yosef for implying that Jewish visitation to the site was responsible for the recent terror attacks in Jerusalem. “No, honorable chief rabbi,” wrote Bennett on his Facebook page would say this just because Arabs terrorists are murdering Jews. Israel Knesset member from the Jewish Home political party, Avraham Wortzman, said that Rabbi Yosef’s comments “express the essence of the exile mentality which the Jewish people suffered from throughout history, in which the victim is always at fault.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayu and his Likud political party central committee chairman, Danny Danon, agreed that the Likud primaries for the next election will be held on January 6. At a central committee meeting, Netanyahu spoke on various political issues facing Israel. Regarding the peace process, Netanyahu said, “I will never stop protecting Israel’s security and no international pressure will change that. Some say the way to deal with verbal and physical attacks is to give up and retreat. They have a formula: If you didn’t evacuate [settlements], you didn’t do anything,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu rebuked those calling on him to take greater risks in peace negotiations with the Palestinians. “People want us to give up on our security, on everything. They call for me to take initiative. What’s the initiative they want, to jump off a cliff?” he asked. “Jumping toward the unknown can be destructive. People will applaud and compliment you for a few weeks or months, and then Israeli citizens will have to enter bomb shelters. We won’t go back to that.”
The prime minister spoke about issues facing the country. He echoed earlier statements about Iran – that he won’t let it reach the nuclear threshold and that Israel has the right to defend itself if the world powers reach a bad deal. He also spoke of rioting by Israeli Arabs and said that all citizens have to follow the law and that citizenship will be revoked from terrorists, as well as of the Palestinian Authority, adding its President Mahmoud Abbas encourages terrorism.
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel can only rely on itself: “For thousands of years… we could only pray to God. Now we are a strong nation with a strong army and determination to defend ourselves and our state. There is only one power that can protect us and that is ourselves, united and strong.” Then he turned to his party’s base, saying “the nation wants a strong Likud because only Likud can ensure a strong Israel. We are Likud, and no one else can lead the State of Israel,” he stated. The Likud leader called his party “alive and kicking,” and said it is one of the few parties to remain democratic and hold respectful internal debate.
An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles are as follows:
1) Abbas: PA will ask UNSC for Israeli withdrawal from West Bank
2) Palestinians to submit UN resolution ‘this month’
3) Erekat asks Kerry to support Palestinian bid at UN
4) Washington Reiterates its Objection to PA’s UN Resolution
5) Obama Threatened Netanyahu With Dropping UNSC Veto Against Anti-Israel Moves
6) EU’s incoming foreign minister visits Israel
7) Top EU diplomat calls for Jerusalem to be shared capital
8) European unilateral recognition of Palestinian state irresponsible, Netanyahu tells EU’s Mogherini
9) ‘Israel faces more challenges than all of the EU put together,’ Liberman says
10) Abbas: Israel dragging region into regional war
11) Riots in Jerusalem as Chief Rabbi urges Jews not to enter Temple Mount
12) Netanyahu turns Right at Likud central committee meeting
From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).
We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).
Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l