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ARE ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS "POISONING" THE PEACE PROCESS?

 

By Cathy Sherman
October 21, 2014
NewsWithViews.com

On October 1, the White House made a grave error in condemning yet another attempt by Israel to do normal things in the land. The Israeli government was ready to start accepting bids for building a new neighborhood in Jerusalem, for which basic bureaucratic groundwork of two years was finally complete. Immediately after the announcement was made, the US administration started issuing its kneejerk condemnation and threats against its one remaining Middle Eastern “ally”.

The use of the word “settlement” was interesting, as within a few paragraphs, two totally different usages could be skewed different ways. Of course, when I read the breaking story, I heard, between the lines, that those of us Jews living where I live are now poison. We “settlers” are the problem – we’re poisoning the peace process. Last week Obama supposedly admitted that IS has shown that it’s not Israel’s failure to make a suicidal deal with Hamas that is causing all the havoc in the Middle East, but now he’s back to his favorite rant.

Not just one, but both lackeys for the president, Josh Earnest and Jan Psaki, issued condemnations. The concern from both the White House and State Department is that building homes in Jerusalem will prevent the Israelis and Hamas from making a peace settlement. The proposed extortion - oops peace settlement - would theoretically stipulate that if Israel gives Hamas a third or more of its prime land for yet another terrorist Arab state, Hamas promises not to kill Israelis. The threats concern warnings of additional condemnation from the EU, UN and other international non-friends of Israel.

The EU threatened Israel with vague warnings about the future development of relations with Europe, an amazing threat since this relationship has pretty much been on the skids for years, as Muslims gradually increase influence in Europe. The only part of the relationship that is still helpful to Israel is the trade aspect. Already there is talk from Israeli leadership about the need to go elsewhere for trading partners, so this threat could be nullified quite quickly by Israel’s developing relationships with India and China.

All-in-all, it seems “settlement” is a problematic word. For the Israelis, such a settlement with Hamas would result in suicide, death to Israel. What use is a promise not to kill Israelis from Hamas, a terrorist organization totally existing only to destroy the Jewish state? On the other hand, Hamas does not really want a state, but is using this created illusion as an excuse. Why after so many years and so many media discussions of the Hamas Charter, does Obama keep beating this dead horse? Is it not the PA’s unity with Hamas that should have “poisoned” the atmosphere of “peacemaking”, rather than a few houses going up in Jerusalem?

If we want to talk about poisoning the peace process, we could bring up the refusals of several PA governments to accept deals which would give them their state. We could bring up the constant threat of terror attacks against Israelis all over Israel, not just in the disputed territories. Certainly the unity with Hamas poisons any discussions of peace. We could bring up the incessant lies which re-write the history of Israel on the part of Muslims, going back hundreds of years. Just one example was in the news recently, as Muslims celebrated a holiday recalling the binding of Isaac by Abraham.

Though Islam was born centuries after Israel’s history was documented in the Bible, somehow they now claim it was Ishmael – not Isaac - that Abraham was willing to slaughter on Mt. Moriah. Surely such lies and efforts to re-write history should be labeled “poison”, rather than a few homes. Speaking of the Temple Mount: Why doesn’t the desecration brought on by constant Muslim rioting on the holiest of Jewish sites not poison the talks?

Maybe this brouhaha will make more sense in light of the facts on the ground. Here is the all-important background on the neighborhood, called Givat HaMatos (Airplane Hill in English):

1. The area in question is a neighborhood, not a settlement.
2. Though across the Green Line, the neighborhood is within the city limits of Jerusalem.
3. Over a third of the 2600+ homes are planned for Arabs!!!
4. In past discussions of “two states”, this land was to stay with Jerusalem and Israel in the unlikely event there ever was a settlement.

The White House seems to think that settlements in Israel poison the atmosphere of “trust” between Israel and Hamas. There was trust between Israel and Hamas? When was this Ms Psaki? The US administration goes from strange to stranger in their comments.

The greatest irony here is that this new neighborhood seemingly could be a demonstration of peace between Jews and Arabs, as it includes housing for both groups. It is situated between a Jewish neighborhood and an Arab neighborhood.

It is ironic that the Jews are willing to share their neighborhoods with Arabs, but Arabs insist that anywhere in which their rule is sovereign, no Jews will be allowed. So, a basic issue here, though not really addressed by the media, is that it’s okay for Arabs to forbid Jews to live in their towns and neighborhoods in what has for thousands of years been a Jewish land, but Jews have to give land to Arabs which they will never again be allowed to enter.

Many Arab towns in Judea and Samaria are now off-limits to Jews. For example, in order to visit Joseph’s Tomb, located in Shechem (re-named Nablus by Arabs), Jews have to arrange in advance what time they will come (always during the middle of the night for safety reasons) and have to have an IDF protective force accompany them. At virtually all of the Arab village entrances along the Jordan Valley Highway, Israel has posted warning signs telling “Israeli citizens” to keep out, as the towns are dangerous for them. Yet such discrimination with the accompanying threats of violence on the part of the Arab Palestinians don’t poison chances for peace?

At any rate, yes, settlement is a grave danger to Jews. If a settlement is reached with Hamas, Jews will be signing their death warrants. Settlements like Maale Adumim, however, give life to Jews, as they demonstrate how rooted we are to Israel and Jerusalem. Indeed, settlers are the solution. (Note: Though Maale Adumim began as a settlement, it now boasts about 37,000 citizens and is considered a city.)

There’s an added issue subsumed within this issue. It remains a mystery why an integrated neighborhood of both Jews and Arabs, which will link a Jewish and Arab neighborhood, should arouse the ire of the US leadership. What is the possible basis for this, when Islamic State is threatening the lives of millions of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Kurds and other minorities across the Middle East? One possibility is that this is another distraction being used by the administration to cover up its inability to deal with real threats. Undoubtedly, the safety of the US is not threatened by a few hundred houses going up in Israel; the threats from IS and other new enemies of the US, the Ebola problem and illegal immigration deserve real attention from the administration and State Department.

Another theory which looks to be gaining credibility with this latest condemnation of Israel is that the US wants to isolate the Jewish state even further. The Obama administration has harped on the settlement program and made it an issue for the Muslims, as they’ve gleefully picked it up. While past administrations pushed the two-state fallacy, they refrained from picking on Jewish settlers. Though most Americans have indicated their support for Israel in any conflict with other Middle East nations, the president, through his personal hatred, does not reflect that. Therefore, the Obamedia also doesn’t reveal that. Israelis have to search out the reports that indicate the support of most Americans, as the Mainstream Media seems to want to bury such news.

The question as to why the US president uses any pretext to condemn Israel, an ally, while passing up many opportunities to demonize Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization, is fundamental. Possibly Obama is jealous of Israel and the Jewish success in technological innovations, or maybe it’s a sense that Israel and Netanyahu represent the truth of God and the Bible. After all, Bibi has been documented quoting scripture to the UN at least five times. He has also given Obama a portion of the Bible as a gift. It likely isn’t a coincidence that so many meetings requiring the attendance of Israeli leadership are scheduled for Sabbath and even holidays like Yom Kippur.

Even if not done on purpose, a more tolerant and respectful international community might schedule on any other day but Sabbath and holidays. Not much of respect is expected from the anti-Semitic international community, but since Obama calls himself “Christian”, more such consideration could be expected. Moreover, since it’s unlikely that crucial international meetings would be scheduled on a Muslim holy day, the same respect should be extended to Jews.

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As an American in Israel, the condemnations from America hit doubly hard: one, because the US is my mother country, and two, because Israel has done much good for the world and in no way deserves such condemnation. The shock of a US which appears to support a terrorist organization whose goal is to kill me is wearing off, but the pain felt on behalf of all decent Americans is not. It’s not lost on Israelis that those who curse Israel are cursed, while those who bless are in turn blessed.

Likewise, other Biblical promises from Torah and Prophets assure Israel that no matter how bleak things may look in one moment, in the next moment they could be completely turned around. We’re also aware that most of the world, in one scenario, will come against Israel in the last days. But this is a warning, and as in Nineveh, if the warnings are heeded, we might reach Redemption and the coming of the Messiah, without going through all the traumas contained in the warnings.

In a future article, I hope to write about winds of change, or at the moment, breezes of change, that indicate the hoped-for season is almost upon us.

� 2014 Cathy Sherman - All Rights Reserved

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Cathy Sherman is a freelance writer with a major interest in natural health. She wrote many articles on healthy living. An interest in the fascinating subject of water inspired her to write her recently published children’s book, Drew Drop and the Water Cycle.

After moving to Israel, she realized the need to clarify some of the incorrect and misunderstood narratives surrounding Israel and its conflict with Arab neighbors.

E-Mail: shermaneutics2@yahoo.com


 

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As an American in Israel, the condemnations from America hit doubly hard: one, because the US is my mother country, and two, because Israel has done much good for the world and in no way deserves such condemnation.