Nadene Goldfoot
In today's political Middle East world, the Palestinians are busy proclaiming ownership of all of Israel by saying that from the 67 borders all belongs to them, and include Jerusalem in their claim to ownership.
After fighting with these Arabs who came into the Jewish territory looking for work ever since about 1880, sometimes way after Mark Twain's visit February 1, 1867 trip to the Holy Land and Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has calmly let us know that after the bloody fighting before and after 1948 and which still goes on in southern Israel, enough time has gone by in coming to a peaceful decision. 1967 was a turning point when all the Arab nations ganged up on Israel and attacked, and who won the onslaught? Israel did. In that win, we gained, without originally attacking or planning to, East Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinians have wanted East Jerusalem as their capital of their future Palestine. That would never have worked. It's bad enough they are right in Gaza shooting constantly at southern Israel daily. Israel removed its Jewish population from there in the name of peace, and Gaza turned out to be a piece of land they could shoot at us from. East Jerusalem would have meant the same thing, no doubt. Lately the Palestinians have come out to say that they intend to take all of Israel, so we might as well call it quits on the chance that they are for peaceful negotiations. Israel is now 64 years old. It's been a good 45 years since the 67 War. The Palestinians have only become greedier and far more dangerous than ever. Israel has 1.4 million Arabs that are citizens. Many of them are living right in East Jerusalem.
Since then, Jerusalem is again a whole city where all can visit freely without reprisals. Netanyahu has seen a need for building projects there and approved 800 new homes in the southern neighborhood of Gilo. Nir Barkat, mayor of Jerusalem, looks forward to more people living there with lower rent prices. I imagine these will be in the form of sky high apartment buildings like what I lived in in Safed. Most all of Israel's residential quarters are in apartment building because it's a teeny tiny state. There are 300,000 Arabs living in 19 Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Arabs in Israel come from the Bedouins, Druze and Christians as well as others.
Netanyahu told his cabinet that Jerusalem is our capital and Israel is not imposing any restrictions on building in it. The European Union has criticized Israel for not waiting for another 64 years before building a thing on their own property, I suppose. They forget, probably never read about the fact that it was King David of Israel who was responsible for building the city up in the first place. David had captured it in 1010 BCE when it became the capital of a united Israel. Just read in Samuel II, 5: 6-8: I chron. 11: 4-6. David had dealt leniently with the Jebusites, but established himself in the city, adding the fortress of Zion and also a "House of Heroes" for his guard. He constructed a tomb inside the city for himself and his family. He also had the Ark of the Covenant kept there and made Jerusalem the religious center of Israel, and it was also the capital of his empire that reached from the Red Sea to the Euphrates.
His son Solomon also added to its treasury. After the Assyrians and then the Babylonians had had their way with Judea and Israel, Jerusalem finally fell to the Romans in 70 CE. We've waited quite patiently to return. After being accepted into the world's nations on May 14, 1948, we're still proving our rights. A recent report by 3 Israeli legal judges headed by former High Court Justice Edmund Levy, concluded that Jews have a legal right to live in all of the land restored to the country in the Six-Day War in 1967. It said the term "occupied territory" is wrong. We're not "occupiers."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that "Jerusalem is not a settlement!" After over 3,000 years of existence, our modern world diplomats were actually referring to it as such. Israel has now set a "red line" that strikes the capital from any negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. I am ecstatic! It's about time! The EU is plotzing and I imagine the USA is as well, but Israel has been knocked about too much as it is. It's been the nice guy for so long and no one appreciates it. Today's Israel is but a crumb of the original size of the Holy Land, yet there are those trying to take away our legalized UN signed crumb!
Resource: Arutz Sheva: Netanyahu Rejects EU: No Limits on Building in Jerusalem by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=288660
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain-
http://jcpa.org/article/what-do-the-arabs-of-east-jerusalem-really-want/
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia on Jerusalem
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/252438
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel
In today's political Middle East world, the Palestinians are busy proclaiming ownership of all of Israel by saying that from the 67 borders all belongs to them, and include Jerusalem in their claim to ownership.
After fighting with these Arabs who came into the Jewish territory looking for work ever since about 1880, sometimes way after Mark Twain's visit February 1, 1867 trip to the Holy Land and Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has calmly let us know that after the bloody fighting before and after 1948 and which still goes on in southern Israel, enough time has gone by in coming to a peaceful decision. 1967 was a turning point when all the Arab nations ganged up on Israel and attacked, and who won the onslaught? Israel did. In that win, we gained, without originally attacking or planning to, East Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinians have wanted East Jerusalem as their capital of their future Palestine. That would never have worked. It's bad enough they are right in Gaza shooting constantly at southern Israel daily. Israel removed its Jewish population from there in the name of peace, and Gaza turned out to be a piece of land they could shoot at us from. East Jerusalem would have meant the same thing, no doubt. Lately the Palestinians have come out to say that they intend to take all of Israel, so we might as well call it quits on the chance that they are for peaceful negotiations. Israel is now 64 years old. It's been a good 45 years since the 67 War. The Palestinians have only become greedier and far more dangerous than ever. Israel has 1.4 million Arabs that are citizens. Many of them are living right in East Jerusalem.
Since then, Jerusalem is again a whole city where all can visit freely without reprisals. Netanyahu has seen a need for building projects there and approved 800 new homes in the southern neighborhood of Gilo. Nir Barkat, mayor of Jerusalem, looks forward to more people living there with lower rent prices. I imagine these will be in the form of sky high apartment buildings like what I lived in in Safed. Most all of Israel's residential quarters are in apartment building because it's a teeny tiny state. There are 300,000 Arabs living in 19 Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. Arabs in Israel come from the Bedouins, Druze and Christians as well as others.
Netanyahu told his cabinet that Jerusalem is our capital and Israel is not imposing any restrictions on building in it. The European Union has criticized Israel for not waiting for another 64 years before building a thing on their own property, I suppose. They forget, probably never read about the fact that it was King David of Israel who was responsible for building the city up in the first place. David had captured it in 1010 BCE when it became the capital of a united Israel. Just read in Samuel II, 5: 6-8: I chron. 11: 4-6. David had dealt leniently with the Jebusites, but established himself in the city, adding the fortress of Zion and also a "House of Heroes" for his guard. He constructed a tomb inside the city for himself and his family. He also had the Ark of the Covenant kept there and made Jerusalem the religious center of Israel, and it was also the capital of his empire that reached from the Red Sea to the Euphrates.
His son Solomon also added to its treasury. After the Assyrians and then the Babylonians had had their way with Judea and Israel, Jerusalem finally fell to the Romans in 70 CE. We've waited quite patiently to return. After being accepted into the world's nations on May 14, 1948, we're still proving our rights. A recent report by 3 Israeli legal judges headed by former High Court Justice Edmund Levy, concluded that Jews have a legal right to live in all of the land restored to the country in the Six-Day War in 1967. It said the term "occupied territory" is wrong. We're not "occupiers."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that "Jerusalem is not a settlement!" After over 3,000 years of existence, our modern world diplomats were actually referring to it as such. Israel has now set a "red line" that strikes the capital from any negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. I am ecstatic! It's about time! The EU is plotzing and I imagine the USA is as well, but Israel has been knocked about too much as it is. It's been the nice guy for so long and no one appreciates it. Today's Israel is but a crumb of the original size of the Holy Land, yet there are those trying to take away our legalized UN signed crumb!
Resource: Arutz Sheva: Netanyahu Rejects EU: No Limits on Building in Jerusalem by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=288660
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain-
http://jcpa.org/article/what-do-the-arabs-of-east-jerusalem-really-want/
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia on Jerusalem
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/252438
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel
All I can say is "It's about time." Does this mean that all Palestinians living in Jerusalem are now considered Isaelies?
ReplyDeleteGeorge