First, you need to know that I am a Christian. I believe in God as creator of the universe and all things both known and unknown. I believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe the man we call Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, was born of a virgin in the land of Israel over 2000 years ago. I believe he lived a perfectly sinless life as a Jew, was crucified and rose again.
Because I believe this with every fiber of my being, I have no hesitation in saying that I support the nation of Israel. I have no qualifications in that statement. I believe in the nation of Israel, and I will support the land of my Lord as long as God gives me breath.
Is it any wonder that it seems to some that God is no longer blessing America? Could the reason be because America no longer supports Israel?
In His blessing to Abram, God said, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2, 3 KJV)
This blessing was given as Abram was told by God to leave his present homeland of Haran and depart to a land that God would show him. That land was Israel. I want to be blessed. I want my nation to be blessed. Therefore, I WILL bless Israel and I encourage my nation to bless Israel as well.
Jerusalem, as the capital city of Israel, should house the embassies of the other nations including the United States. Did you know there is a statement of US Policy directing that this be done? Public Law 104-45, 104th Congress, 1995:
- Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected.
- Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel; and
- The US Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.
Since this law was enacted, all US Presidents have exercised a loophole in the law by using the “6 Month Presidential Waiver” that was granted in the law. This must stop! There are currently two bills in Congress, S. 2737 and H.R. 3412.
The Senate Bill ( S. 2737) is co-sponsored by Sam Brownback (R-KS), James Inhofe (R-OK), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), David Vitter, (R-LA), and Jim Bunning (R-KY).
Co-sponsors of the House Bill ( H.R. 3412) are Dan Burton (R-IN), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Tim Holden (D-PA), Steve Israel (D-NY), Mark Kirk, (R-IL), Michael McMahon (D-NY), and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS).
Both bills have been referred to the respective committees for action and there they sit. We must encourage all the members from the Senate who serve on the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate and the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House encouraging all members to sign on as co-sponsors and see these bills through to passage.
You can help by joining in the action alert published by the Israel Unity Coalition Organization.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu spoke before AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) on March 22, 2010. In that speech, he said,
The connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel cannot be denied. The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied. The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today. Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital.
The United States has no business trying to tell Israel where it can build homes for its people. Recently, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Obama. I have heard news reports indicating that the meeting was tense. No wonder. If Obama is trying to run Israel the same way he is running the US – straight into the ground – the Prime Minister is right to stand up to Obama.
Joel Rosenberg published an article on UCI’s Daily News page. I have added a portion of it here.
The Obama administration has been applying intense and unprecedented pressure on the Netanyahu government to make huge unilateral concessions to the Palestinians even before direct peace talks begin. One advisor who has been briefed on the talks told me: “President Obama is insisting that Israel sign a document that specifies Israel’s commitment to a peace deal with the Palestinians that will be based on 1967 lines. This means no building in Jerusalem, and a time table to address other core issues, like the ‘right of return.’” The source, one that I trust a great deal, also noted that President Obama spoke by phone in the last 24 hours with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to make sure each of them are on board with pressuring the Israelis to make such unprecedented unilateral concessions. The White House apparently wants the document to become the blueprint for final status negotiations, even though the Palestinians refuse even to come to the table and sit down face-to-face with Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu.
[…]
The good news: Netanyahu had a very good week. He looked strong and principled. He was gracious and diplomatic. And he stood his ground. He did not cave into the intense pressure from the White House and State Department. He refused to divide Jerusalem. In a masterful AIPAC speech, he calmly and clearly explained why Israel would never give up the right to build homes in her capital. He sent the U.S. and the world a straightforward and sobering message that if they don’t move quickly and decisively to stop Iran from getting the Bomb, then Israel will do it herself. He didn’t threaten. He didn’t swagger. He simply stated the facts, in their historic context, and nobody does it better than Netanyahu. What’s more, he did all this with Defense Minister Ehud Barak standing in solidarity at his side, which was important because it sent the White House — and his critics back in Israel, and enemies back in Iran — the message that the Israeli government is united. No small thing. Barak came to Camp David with Yasser Arafat in 2000 willing carve up Jerusalem and give away the West Bank. God bless Netanyahu for opposing this approach in principle, and for having and (thus far, at least) maintaining Barak’s support in the process.
Zola Levitt wrote a song several years ago that fits so perfectly with this topic. I tried to find the music to post here for you. Since I couldn’t find it online and since I’m not smart enough to know how to get it from the cassette tape to my computer, you’ll just have to settle for some of the words to the song. From the tape “Next Year in Jerusalem”:
Father, my heart is in Israel.
Father with Israel I’ll stand.
Count up the faithful of Israel and add just one more to the land.
Father, You’ve chosen Your people,
Father, You’ve chosen Your land.
When all of the souls to the Kingdom come,
Then Father with Israel I’ll stand.
This is a stance we must take if our nation’s greatness and the blessings of God are to be realized here again.
Zola used to end all his programs with this admonition from Scripture, “Sha’a’lu Shalom Yerushalayim.” That is my prayer today.
Marie A Cole - Thoughts and Opinions 