Chance (22 Oct 2023)
"Israel Is Being Blamed, Is the U.S. Doing Some Arm Twisting? and Is a Two-State Possible?"


 
Hello John and Doves,
 
People are blaming Israel for this Hamas attack from university organizations to various governments.
 
"More than 30 Harvard University organizations are holding Israel "entirely responsible" for Hamas' mass slaughter.....the Israeli government has forced Palestinians to live in an "open-air prison for over two decades"...they "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence."...
  
Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry said, "The Kingdom recalls its repeated warnings of the dangers of the explosion of the situations as a result of the continued occupations, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, and the repeating of systematic provocation against its sanctities."
Saudi Arabia blames Israel for ‘unprecedented’ Hamas terror attack
 
Many countries, including the U.S., have said that Israel "has a right to defend herself."  I take that to mean: Israel can defend herself when she is being attacked.  That's all.  That's it.  You can't go after anyone, you can't be pro-active and try to prevent any future attacks.  You can only defend yourself as the attack is happening.
US says Israel has a right to defend itself; UN envoy 'deeply concerned' by violence | The Times of Israel
 
Anything more than that is revenge and not proportional to the original attack, which was with motorcycles and pick up trucks.  Responding with Fighter jets and tanks is just 'way over the top'.  Trying yet again, to tie the hands of Israel.  And turn public open against Israel's right to clear out Gaza of Hamas.
 
Arm-twisting by the U.S.?
 
Defense Secretary Austin and SOS Blinken went to Israel to show U.S. support and solidarity. Austin spoke with Netanyahu and told him "As the president said, we have your back."  Blinken also met with Netanyah and then took off on a Middle East tour - meeting with Qatar's foreign minister (Hamas headquarters are in Qatar), the King of Jordan, and Palestinian President Abbas.  King Abdullah gave Blinken warnings about moving the Palestinians or causing the crisis to spillover into neighboring countries or exacerbating the refugee issue.  Blinken also went to Bahrain and then to Saudi Arabia.  Then on to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt this coming weekend.
Blinken and Austin bolster US support for Israel as potential ground offensive in Gaza looms | AP News
 
Both Austin and Blinken are pro-two state solution.
 
(If Blinken's meetings are anything like his meeting in Alaska with the Chinese - it's the Arab countries that are doing the talking and telling Blinken what the U.S. is going to do.  These countries want a two-state solution.  Period.)
 
Senators Schumer (D-NY), Kelly (D-Ariz), Romney (R-Utah), Cassidy (R-La), Rosen (D-Nev) are all in Israel now - "discussing a military assistance package with top-ranking Israeli officials to aid the country amid war with Hamas."  This is a bipartisan trip "meant to show the United States' unwavering support for Israel." 
U.S. senators visiting Israel take shelter amid rocket fire
 
Everyone of these senators is pro-the two state solution. 
 
And now Biden is suppose to go to Israel on Wednesday, 10/18, invited by Netanyahu.
Biden to visit Israel Wednesday in show of support after Hamas attack
 
"The Biden administration remains committed to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine."  He went on to say that Israel has a "right to defend themselves" and "they will get the security they need to do so."
John Kirby: Biden still committed to two-state solution amid Israel-Hamas war
 
Wonder how many "carrots' they are dangling in front of Netanyahu/Israel - it's "peace and security" for land or it's bigger war.  
 
Is a two-state possible?
 
This is an interesting article on cnn.com written by Jason Greenblatt (former White House Middle East Envoy in the Trump Administration)  "Opinion:  This is why the two-state solution is dead."  October 10, 2023
 
"Israelis attending a music festival murdered in cold blood.  Reports of women striped naked and paraded by fighters in Gaza, toddlers kidnapped alongside Holocaust survivors, homes burst into by terrorists hunting down Jews.  Naked bodies, mutilated bodies, dead bodies.  Jubilant shouts of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") over the carnage.  Two-state solution."
 
"Which of these terms doesn't belong?  The last one, with its supposed vision of a peaceful Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.  I spent nearly three years at the Trump White House attempting to reach a peace deal between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors.  But I always understood that among the many reasons it was unachievable then and unlikely to be in the foreseeable future...Even if we had come up with a solution that was acceptable to the parties, though, there are still too many Palestinians who were intent on massacring Jews and destroying the Jewish state of Israel.  That desire was on full display in Saturday's unprecedented, devastating attack."
 
"Unless and until Palestinians of good will and their leaders fully and unequivocally condemn and repudiate this hatred and the glorification of the slaughter of Jews, Palestinians will not achieve any of their aspirations because Israel cannot, and should not, compromise on the security of its citizens.  No country should."
 
"Many of the would-be peacemakers I spoke to during my time in the White House ignored the deep-seated hatred in this subset of the Palestinian population intent on ruining any chance for peace.  They told me that as long as the Palestinians were given a fully autonomous state of their own, this would all go away, or they pretended away this hatred in the first place.  After the events of the last few days, I think they finally have to accept the truth."
 
"Indeed, the focus of the world must be to support Israel in its quest to punish those who perpetrated these dastardly acts and to work to prevent attacks like this in the future.  Any human being who values life must condemn these acts unequivocally, with no more equivalence....and that fault for the unfortunate casualties that will inevitably occur among innocent Palestinians lies with Hamas.  War is a terrible thing.  But it's not Israel that asked for this war."
Opinion: This is why the two-state solution is dead | CNN

 And so many people taking sides in this Israel vs Palestinian conflict are woefully ignorant of history.  There is a lot of "history" between Jews and Palestinians/Arabs - and it's full of wars.
 
Here's just a bit of the history - 
 
Immediately after Israel was declared a nation in 1948, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq invaded.  Jordan attacked Jerusalem and shut off the water to the city - the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem fell to the Muslims - the Jews had to flee to the Israeli controlled side.  At the end of this war, Israel had captured Galilee, and sections of the coast.  The U.N. brokered the cease fire and Israel kept the lands she conquered.
 
After the war Jerusalem was divided by armistice lines between Israel and Jordan in 1948.  Western Jerusalem (the new half) came to be under Jewish control and the Eastern half with the Old City/Jewish Quarter went to Jordanian control. 
 
The Jordanians had a commitment in the cease fire agreement to allow Jews to visit Jewish holy sites like the Western Wall and the Mount of Olives cemetery.  And to protect these sites for the Jews.
 
Instead, the Jordanians kicked the remaining Jews out of Jerusalem, desecrated Jewish cemeteries and Jewish historic burial sites and barred Jews from the Western Wall.
 
In 1967 Israel was attacked by Egypt, Syria and Jordan.  In this war, Israel took the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan - they liberated the Old City/Jewish Quarter which had been mostly destroyed by the Jordanians (only 1 synagogue of 35 remained and the rest of the Jewish Quarter was trashed with dung heaps, carcasses, garbage, etc. and the Mount of Olives Jewish graveyard was destroyed, tombstones broken and used to pave Jordanian army camps and a hotel and paved roads were built on part of it and hundreds of Torah scrolls and holy books were burned) -  and they took Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip.  
 
Even though Israel took back East Jerusalem, they eventually made an agreement with Jordan - allowing them (the Waqf) to maintain custodianship/management of the Temple Mount yet giving Israel sovereignty over the Temple Mount. That's why Israel can shut down the Temple Mount in times of violence on the Mount.  Yet, Jews can only pray there at certain times/days.
 
In 1979 Israel signed a peace deal with Egypt - 'recognition and peace' in exchange for the Sinai. 
 
Guess this helped start this whole mess of 'give us land if you want peace'. 
 
Just like today - a two-state solution - if Israel wants "peace and security" she must relinquish land back to pre-1967 borders and give up East Jerusalem with the ancient Jewish quarter and the Western Wall - all they have access to now.
 
These lands gave Israel protection from these Arab countries - a buffer.  Golda Meir sad "the pre-1967 borders were so dangerous that it "would be treasonable" for an Israeli leader to accept them".  Menachem Begin called it "national suicide for Israel".
 
And this is what the U.N., E.U., Russia, the Arab League, Jordan, Egypt, the U.S. want Israel to do - go back to pre-67 borders and give up East Jerusalem.  Blinken is getting his marching orders from the Arabs, the U.N., the E.U., Biden, etc.  And the U.S. is what Israel is relying on for help with Iran and Hezbollah.  Israel believes they can not take on a two-front war alone.
 
No supposed Christian nation is recognizing Israel's right to this land.  They are too afraid of loosing Arab "friends" and starting a Holy War.  Well - it's coming....Israel should not rely on the U.S. for help - if the U.S. gets directly involved in this war and other Western nations - I can't see this as the Gog Magog War. 
 
Just a couple of thoughts:
 
If Biden et al can't convince Netanyahu to sign agreements for a two-state solution in exchange for help with Hezbollah and Iran or no war with Palestians/Arabs - Netanyahu flat outright refuses - then I can see this moving along into that war.  The U.S. will back out and Israel will fight alone (God helps Israel.)
 
If Biden et al convinces Netanyahu to sign agreements for a two-state solution - then the immediate war is averted. Then I can see this as "peace and security then sudden destruction".  The players in the Gog Magog War will not sit still long.   This will be "national suicide".  Won't be long the Gog Magog war would start.
 
The Muslims really want Israel gone.  The Hamas preamble and charter states that, the PLO Charter states that.  And they refuse to remove the destruction of Israel - 'from the river to the sea" out of their charters.  I hope Israel NEVER signs an agreement for a two-state solution.
 
You can't make peace with people who want you dead.
 
It's not "peace and security" it's sudden destruction.  It's a trap.
 
"For when they shall say, "Peace and security", then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." 1 Thess 5:3
 
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
 
Maranatha!
 
Chance