NEW MOON REPORT
The following is the New
Moon Report for the Hebrew month Ethanim (Tishri) compiled by Nehemia Gordon.
“On September 28, 2000 the
New Moon was seen by 3 observers looking from the lookout point on top of Mt.
Hezekiah (Har Hizkiyahu) which is a 20 minute drive north-west of Eilat, near Mt. Uziyahu. The moon was seen by Magdi Shamuel, Yudah
Cohen, and Yosi Gaber. There were
clouds on the horizon and the moon kept moving in and out of the clouds. Magdi was the first observer to see the moon
at 18:45 and it only remained visible for a short time. Immediately after sighting the moon with the
naked eye, Magdi confirmed the observation through binoculars. Yudah Cohen saw the New Moon a few minutes
later with the naked eye and he was able to track it for a few minutes. A few minutes later Magdi saw the moon again
with the naked eye. At 19:02 Yosi Gaber
sighted the moon and it remained visible for a short time. Sunset was observed at 18:26. Seven other observers present were
unsuccessful at sighting the moon.
Observers reported from various
other locations throughout Israel that the moon was not visible due to heavy
cloud coverage."
The New Moon was not witnessed from,
or even near Jerusalem in the above report as it was done during the Temple period. The area that the observations were made
from is about 80 miles southwest of Jerusalem in the wilderness area of the
Negev. I therefore contend that the new
month did not start until the evening of September 29 (whether it was Ethanim
1, or Elul 1, as my good friend and colleague Michael Rood asserts). Since September 28 was the 29th
day of the previous Hebrew month, and the New Moon was not observed from
Jerusalem because of cloud cover, the 30th day of the month would
automatically be added, which started at sundown on September 28th.
The first day of the new month started on the next evening.
Of course, it would have
been a bit perilous to be out moon gazing near the Temple Mount on September 28 and 29 in the
midst of the “Palestinian Rage.”
OCTOBER METEOR SHOWERS
The following article is from the
October online edition of Astronomy.
Catch a falling star – “Early in the month the
Draconid meteors, linked to Comet Giacobini-Zinner, are active. The shower only erupts around the years of
the comet’s closest passages.
Giacobini-Zinner reached perihelion in November 1998, and during the
previous month a mini-storm produced the equivalent of 700 meteors an hour over
a period of a few minutes. This kind of
activity is highly unlikely, but it is worth watching the skies around October
8 for any unusual activity. The radiant
in Draco is high above the horizon during the early evening. If that cluster of meteoroids is still
hanging around, Earth reaches the same point in its orbit as the 1998 event at
approximately 9:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday night, October 7.
[The
constellation Draco (the dragon) will still be well seen throughout the
evenings and early mornings on October 7, and 8, as portraying the casting down
of the dragon – see the September 2000 issue of Biblical Astronomy. This
scenario along with the meteors – falling stars – brings to mind Revelation
12:3,4].
“One of the most famous displays of
the year is the Orionid meteor shower – one of the two annual showers linked to
Haley’s Comet. At the peak of activity
on October 21, the radiant lies in the raised club of Orion and rises before
midnight. Rates are better after
midnight, but the bright glow from a rising last quarter moon will blot out all
but the brightest meteors. Meteors from
this shower are very fast, at about 35 miles per second, and roughly half of
them leave persistent trains. Rates can
reach up to 15 to 20 per hour – but expect less than this due to moonlight.”
The following is from E.W.
Bullinger’s The Witness of the Stars (1893)
concerning the constellation Orion.
ORION (The Coming Prince)
Light
breaking forth in the Redeemer
This picture is to show that the coming one is no mere animal, but a
man: a mighty, triumphant, glorious prince.
[see the picture of Orion on the front cover of A Voice Crying in the Heavens].
He is so pictured in the ancient
Denderah Zodiac, where we see a man coming forth pointing to the three bright
stars (Rigel, Bellatrix, and Betelguez) as his. His name is given as Ha-ga-t, which means this is
he who triumphs. The hieroglyphic
characters below read Oar. Orion was anciently spelt Oarion, from the Hebrew root, which
means light. So that Orion means coming forth as light. The
ancient Akkadian was Ur-ana, the light of
heaven.
Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations, and when he
comes to the meridian he is accompanied by several adjacent constellations of
great splendour. There is then above
the horizon the most glorious view of the celestial bodies that the starry
firmament affords; and this magnificent view is visible to all the habitable
world, because the equinoctial line (or solstitial colure) passes nearly
through the middle of Orion.
ARATUS thus sings of him:
“Eastward,
beyond the region of the Bull,
Stands
great Orion. And who, when the night is
clear,
Beholds him gleaming bright, shall cast his eyes in vain
To find a Sign more glorious in all heaven.”
The constellation is mentioned by name, as
being perfectly well known both by name and appearance, in the time of Job; and
as being an object of familiar knowledge at that early period of the world’s
history. See Job 9:9; 38:31, and Amos
5:8 (The Hebrew Chesil, which means a strong one, a hero, or giant).
It contains 78 stars, two being of the 1st magnitude, four
of the 2nd, four of the 3rd, sixteen of the 4th,
etc…
Thus beautifully is set forth the
brilliancy and glory of that Light
which shall break forth when the moment comes for it to be said, Arise, shine,
for thy light is come.”
The picture presents us with “the
Light of the world.” His left foot is
significantly placed upon the head of the enemy. He is girded with a glorious girdle, studded with three brilliant
stars; and upon this girdle is hung a sharp sword. Its handle proves that this mighty Prince is come forth in a new
in a new character. He is again proved
to be “the Lamb that was slain,” for the hilt of this sword is in the form of
the head and body of a lamb. In his
right hand he lifts on high his mighty club; while in his left he holds forth
the token of his victory – the head and skin of the “roaring lion.” We ask in wonder, “Who is this?” (Jer. 30:21 and Matt. 21:10) and the names of the
stars give us the answer.
The brightest, a (in the right shoulder), is
named Betelgeuz, which means the coming (Mal. 3:2) of the branch.
The next, b (in the left foot), is named
Rigel, or Rigol, which means the foot
that crusheth. The foot is lifted
up, and placed immediately over the head of the enemy, as though in the very
act of crushing it. Thus, the name of
the star bespeaks the act.
The next star, c (in the left shoulder), is
called Bellatrix, which means quickly coming, or swiftly destroying.
The name of the fourth star, d (one
of the three in the belt), carries us back to the old, old story, that this
glorious One was once humbled; that His heel was once bruised. Its name is Al Nitak, the wounded one. [The
star z (in
the belt) is called Mintaka, dividing, as
a sacrifice]. Similarly the star k (in
the right leg) is called Saiph, bruised, which is the very word used in
Gen. 3:15, thus connecting Orion with the primeval prophecy. Like Ophiuchus, he has on leg bruised; with the other , he is crushing the enemy under foot.
This is betokened by other stars, not identified,
named Al Rai, who bruises, who breaks (as
in Cephus); and Thabit (Hebrew), treading on.
Other (Arabic) names relate to His Person: Al Giauza, the branch; Al Gebor, the mighty;
Al Mirzam, the ruler; Al Nagjed, the prince; Niphla (Chaldee), the mighty; Nux (Hebrew), the strong.
Some names relate to His coming, as Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, as above; Heka (Chaldee),
coming; and Meissa (Hebrew), coming
forth.
Such is the cumulative testimony of Orion’s stars,
which, day after day, and night after night, show forth this knowledge. That testimony was afterwards written in the
Book. The Prince of Glory, who was once
wounded for the sins of His redeemed, is about to rise up and shine forth for
their deliverance. Their redemption
draweth nigh; for –
“The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man,
He shall stir up jealously like a man of war;
He shall cry, yea, roar;
He shall prevail against His enemies,
I have [He says]
long time holden my peace;
I have been still, and refrained myself:
Now, will I cry like a travailing woman;
I will destroy and devour at once.”
(Isa. 42:13, 14)
Then it will be said to His people (and the setting
of the prophecy in its beautiful introverted structure shows us the beauty and
glory of the truth it reveals):
a } Arise,
b } Shine;
for thy light is come,
c } And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee
d } For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
d }
And gross darkness the people;
c } But the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory
shall be seen upon thee
b } And the Gentiles shall come to thy light ,
a } And kings to the brightness
of thy rising. (Isa. 40:1-3)
________________________________________________________
Note
that –
In
a and a we have the rising of Israel;
In
b and b, the light that is come upon her
In
c and c, the glory of the Lord; and
In
d and d, the darkness of the world.
__________________________________________________
This
is “the glory of God” which the heavens constantly declare (Ps. 19:1). They tell of that blessed time when the
whole earth shall be filled with His glory (Num. 14:21; Isa. 11:9); when “the
glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isa.
40:5) as all see now the beauty of Orion’s glory.
But
side by side with the glory which the coming Light of the world shall bring for
His people, there is “that wicked,” whom the LORD “shall destroy with the
brightness of His coming…”
MORE ON
BETHULAH, CLOTHED WITH THE SUN AND THE MOON UNDER HER FEET
I have had more that a few inquiries over the last
month on how often the celestial sign of the woman clothed with the sun and the
moon under her feet occurs. On the
average, this sign occurs at about 4 times (once every year) over a 5 year
period. However, this sign is mostly
seen at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, the month following
Ethanim (Tishri).
Two thousand years ago, this sign was almost always
seen at the beginning of the month Ethanim.
Because of the precessional movement of the Earth, it is now seen most
of the time a month later. The only
time that this sign occurs in the month of Ethanim in our current epoch, is
when Ethanim 1 falls in late September (from about September 27) to early
October (about October 7). Ethanim 1
falls on these dates about every 3 to 5 years.
But the moon also has to be in a proper position relative to the
ecliptic for this sign to be seen, especially from Jerusalem. This occurs on the average of once every 8
to 10 years. Though there are times
when this occurs twice in over a 3-year period.
Checking all such occurrences over the past century,
I found that this sign has occurred at the beginning of Ethanim on pertinent
dates in Israel’s history. This sign
occurred in 1940, 1948, 1967, and 1973.
In all cases, Israel (Jacob) was either being heavily persecuted (World
War II), or fighting for it’s existence. The devil set out to completely destroy or
devour Israel, but God delivered Jacob out of the snare in every instance.
When this sign occurred on September 30, 2000 the
nation of Israel was again under much affliction. There is a high probability that the current situation will escalate into a full-blown
war with the Arab world or even the whole world. This indeed may be the prelude to, or beginning of, the “Great
Tribulation.”
SHARON
SPEEKS OF VISIT TO TEMPLE MOUNT
October 1 – Likud leader Ariel Sharon said yesterday
that: “I regret the casualties on both
sides. At the same time, it is
inconceivable that every time that the Palestinians’ demands are not met they
launch violent activity. It is not my
visit that ignited the fire, rather the PA incitement that has been going on
for some time now, and especially the almost inconceivable incitement by
Israeli Arab MK’s, who for some reason joined our visit – I don’t know who
invited them. Suppose I want to visit
Haifa or ‘Akko, do I have to ask for permission of some sort of Palestinian entity
for this? Jerusalem in its entirety is
under full Israeli sovereignty, including the Temple Mount.
Not only the Palestinians are sensitive about the
Temple Mount. This is the most
sensitive and sacred site for the Jewish nation. I heard the prime minister say that every Jew in Israel can visit
every place in the country. Let’s
assume for a moment that Ahmad al-Tibi, or any other MK, would have wanted to
visit the Temple Mount, or any other place.
Does he have to ask the permission of any authority for the visit? He can visit anywhere he wants to. He is an Israeli citizen just as I am, and
in Israel it is acceptable that every citizen can visit anywhere he wants to. If he wants to visit Yad Vashem [Holocaust
Memorial] does he have to ask anybody’s permission? No, he doesn’t.”
I am entitled to visit everywhere. I have visited the Temple Mount in the past
together with two guards. The
Palestinian security forces were involved in what happened in the Temple Mount
events, because they were present there and participated in the events. Most of the incitement came from the
direction of the Arab MK’s. This is
simply an amazing thing and a cause for grave concern, and steps must be
taken.”
AND WHAT ARE
CHILDREN DOING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE
The following is an article by David Bedein from
Israel Resource News Agency.
“During my first year in Israel, 30 years ago, Golda
Meir was the Prime Minister. I remember
the affection that I had for her. After all, her American accent was thicker
than mine. Yet there was another reason
for that affection. Golda had a way of
saying things about Israel’s predicament on the international scene that no one else seemed capable of conveying. I cannot forge the only time that I ever met
Golda in person. She held a meeting
with students at the WZO conference in 1972.
She told us that she was filled with hope that our generation would be
one that would live in peace and reconciliation with our Arab neighbors. Golda then coined a phrase that would
reverberate in Zionist circles for years to come. Responding to a question about whether she had any regrets and
second thoughts as a Zionist, Golda shed what seemed to be a genuine tear, hesitated for a moment, and then said,
in a soft, choking voice, that…
“We
can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”
How appropriate Golda’s comment would have been this
week, when pictures of a dying 12 year old Arab boy flashed on TV screens
around the world.
When the boy’s mother was asked on Palestinian TV
what he was doing there, she matter-of-factly mentioned that he had gone there
with his friends to “fight the Jews.”
After all, that is what he was trained to do in the
new school system of the Palestine National Authority Ministry of Education.
When you read the fifth grade Arabic language primer
that is being taught in PA schools, a ten year old Palestinian Arab pupil is
treated to a special sixteen page section of the primer that details the
command for every Palestinian Arab child to engage in a Jihad to wipe the Jews
out of Palestine, out of all of Palestine.
In case the child did not get the message from the words in the book,
the final page of the primer shows the final Arab military assault on Palestine. And the primer explains that a child who
dies in the fight to liberate Palestine will become a “Shahada,” a martyr, and
enter into the world to come.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on a front
page feature on August 3, 2000, Arafat had delegated
more than 25,000 children to spend the summer in special military training
camps where children from ages 8 to 16 were trained in the art of guerilla
warfare, with the aim of engaging thousands of Palestinian Arab youth in a
Jihad to liberate Jerusalem. These
children were taught how to make firebombs, lay ambushes while practicing the
killing of Israeli civilians and soldiers alike.
At their summer camp, these children were also taught
the role that Palestinian Arab children had played in the glories of recent
Palestinian history – the role that the RPG kids had played in fighting Israeli
troops in Lebanon in the early 1980’s, when the PLO had made it a point to
distribute small, lethal weapons for Palestinian Arab youngsters to fire at
Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers at short range.
The technique was simple. A few seemingly innocent Arab children would stand in the way of
Israeli troops, seeming to pose no threat.
And then they would fire deadly RPG missiles at point blank range.
Palestinian children also learned about the role that
they played during the Intifada in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when the PLO relegated Palestinian
children with the role of “strategic stone-throwers.”
As Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab described in
his seminal piece in the Journal of Palestinian Studies in February, 1988,
Palestinian children in each age category were given a different
role to play in stone-throwing. Kuttab
matter-of-factly described the public relations effect that the PLO would gain
from children casualties that would result from the riots.
So
there you have it. If more Arab
children die in riots, 250 news agencies from around the world will film the
death of Arab children. And PLO
crocodile tears at the UN will be matched by crocodile tears of the human
rights organizations the world over, and Jews the world over will express
regret and condemnation of the Jews.
Golda’s
admonition would have been more appropriate for the real anger that should be
expressed when the PLO dispatches children to die in the line of
fire:
“We
can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”
A note of interest:
the UN has passed six unanimous resolutions that forbid the use of children
as combatants
in war.
ANTI-SEMETIC ATTACKS AROUND THE WORLD
The following is an Israel Wire news release on
October 10.
TASHKENT – Torah scrolls in a Tashkent synagogue were
burned on Monday, Yom Kippur, as a result of an arson attack, Israel Radio
reported. There were no reports of
injuries.
NEW YORK CITY – The Adath Israel Synagogue in
Riverdale, NYC, was attacked by firebombs on Yom Kippur. The incendiary devices were hurled through
the glass doors of the house of worship during services. There were no reports of injuries. Police are taking the attack very seriously
in light of the increase of attacks aimed at Jews and synagogues since the Arab
violence erupted in Israel almost two weeks ago. Investigators indicated the bottles were not filled with gasoline
and NYC police are now working to determine the exact nature of the substance
used in the attack. Police believe the
bottles may have contained drinking alcohol.
Congregation Tomchei Torah in Flatbush, on Ocean
Avenue in Brooklyn, was targeted by vandals on Yom Kippur who drew a swastika
on the building.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – Temple Ohev Sholom’s
school and daily sanctuary were destroyed in an arson attack which left the
three-story structure in ruins. The
attack occurred at 4:00 am on Yom Kippur.
The main synagogue survived the attack which took place on the holiest
day on the Jewish calendar.
FRANCE – Numerous synagogues were targeted in Yom
Kippur firebombing attacks. There are no reports of injuries.
Since the recent outbreak of violence in Israel, I
have received hundreds of e-mails, mostly updates on various incidents
occurring in Israel. Much of this was
not aired or printed in the American media.
I guess it would have made the Palestinian’s look bad. I do not have the space in this newsletter
to include all of these events – it would take a book. Most of the American media seems focused or
slanted toward the Palestinian side. I
lost count over the past week or so of how many times I heard the phrase
“mostly Palestinian” after the various networks gave the casualty reports. It wasn’t necessarily the wording, but how
they said it, that was disturbing to me.
There was slight mention of Jewish casualties, but they did not spend
much time reporting them. Most of the
focus was on the Palestinian casualties, and how the Israeli’s were using
excessive force. The following article
is about how the New York Times went a bit overboard in slanting a story 
to further the Palestinian cause in the eyes of the
world.
IF HE’S
BEATEN, HE MUST BE PALESTINIAN
This past Saturday. The New York Times and many
other papers published a picture - supplied by the Associated Press of an angry Israili policeman
and a badly-beaten and bloodied man, with the caption, An Israeli Policeman and a Palestinian on the Temple Mount.
Dr. Aaron Grossman of Chicago, Ill. sent the following letter to the
Times. “Regarding your picture on page A5 (Sep. 30) of the Israeli
soldier and the Palestinian on the Temple Mount – that Palestinian is actually my son, Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish
student from Chicago. He, and two of his friends, were pulled from their taxicab while traveling in
Jerusalem, by a mob of Palestinian Arabs and were severely beaten and stabbed. That
picture could not have been taken on the Temple Mount because there are no gas
stations on the Temple Mount and certainly none with Hebrew lettering, like the
one clearly seen behind the Israeli soldier attempting to protect my son from
the mob.”
Tuvia Grossman was on his way to
the Western Wall on Friday afternoon, and has been hospitalized ever since with
head injuries and a stab wound. He told
Arutz-7 today, “I was in a taxi on the way to
the Kotel [Western Wall] and we got stoned… [They took me out of the car and
beat me and] I gave a scream, and for a second they let go of me, and I said
Shma Yisrael, because I thought it was over… After they let go of me, I ran –
even though I had a knife in my leg.
G-d gave me the strength to run and I was able to make it up the hill
where there were soldiers by the gas station and they took care of me. But I was being beaten for around 5 to 6
minutes with a rock on the top of my head, and I was stabbed in the back of my
leg and kicked and punched all over my body.” [When I saw the mis-captioned AP
picture] I was extremely, extremely upset.
People see a picture of a youth and they think that it’s a Palestinian
being beaten by Israelis, it changes their world view and makes them think that
it’s the Israeilis beating up the Arabs.
I was extremely upset. It was
totally the opposite. That policeman
was yelling at the Arabs to back off, and was protecting me from them – so to
change it around and to say that he was beating me, that’s just a total distortion, and the world
must be notified about how this is not true – the Jews are the ones suffering at the hands
of the Arabs.” The Times published a correction
today, in which it identified Tuvia Grossman as “an American student in Israel”
– not as a Jew who was beaten by Arabs.
The “correction” also noted that “Mr. Grossman was wounded in
“Jerusalem’s Old City” – although in fact it occurred in a Arab-populated
neighborhood of Jerusalem, not in the Old City. An Associated Press spokesman told Arutz-7 that it was looking
into the matter. AN
AMERICAN-BORN RABBI WAS FOUND SHOT TO DEATH IN A CAVE IN THE WEST BANK Rabbi Hillel Lieberman The following is from a
Washington Post press release on October 8, 2000. JERUSALEM – “Israeli soldiers
found the body of Rabbi Hillel Lieberman, a Jewish settler missing since
Saturday, in a cave near a west bank highway today. Jewish leaders in New York said
the 37-year old rabbi was the father of six and had immigrated to Israel 14
years ago. A statement issued by the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said Lieberman
left home on foot Saturday and was headed for Joseph’s Tomb, ransacked earlier by
Palestinians. The statement said Lieberman had
hoped to save some of the Torah scrolls housed in the tomb. Hillel Lieberman’s father is
Zevulan Lieberman, a prominent rabbi in Brooklyn, N.Y. Malcum Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of
the conference, who knows members of the family, said they had recently
discovered they were “second or third” cousins to Democratic vice presidential
candidate Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. A spokesman for the Lieberman
campaign said: “He may be a distant relative, but [the candidate] doesn’t
personally know him.” The following related story is
from an Associated Press release on October 9, 2000. “An American-born Jewish
settler found dead in the West Bank apparently had been on his way to a Jewish
shrine being
ransacked by Palestinians
when he was seized and killed by Palestinian militants, Israeli police said
Monday. The body of Hillel Lieberman
was discovered Sunday in a cave near the Palestinian village of Beit Furik,
about six miles from Joseph’s Tomb, an Israeli army outpost and Jewish seminary
in the Palestinian-controlled town Nablus.
Israel had withdrawn Saturday from the enclave, a site of daily gun
battles for the past week…. Hillel Lieberman, a father of
six, immigrated to Israel 14 years ago, the organization said. Lieberman lived in the Jewish West Bank
settlement of Elon Morech, near Nablus, and Israeli police said that for the
past seven or eight years, he had been a Torah teacher at the Joseph’s Tomb
seminary where about 30 students studied during the day. The leader of the Joseph’s Tomb
seminary, Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, has ruled that handing over territory to the
Palestinians violates Jewish law. Before dawn Saturday, Israeli
troops withdrew from the heavily fortified enclave in hopes of reducing friction
with the Palestinians. Palestinian
police had assured Israel that they would guard the shrine. However, within hours of the Israeli
withdrawal, dozens of Palestinians stormed the compound, set fire to the domed
tomb and tore up Jewish prayer books. Police spokesman Rafi Yafe,
citing residents of Elon Moreh, said that Lieberman, after learning of the
evacuation of Joseph’s Tomb, headed to Nablus enclave. “Somewhere along the way, he was taken by
Palestinians,” Yafe said. Lieberman was beaten and shot
five times, Yafe said. An autopsy was
being performed. The Web site of the Israeli
Daily Haaretz said Lieberman had left Elon Moreh for Nablus at about 8 a.m.
Saturday, after learning that the compound was being trashed by Palestinians. The Conference of Presidents
organizations said Lieberman was trying to save Torah scrolls at Joseph’s Tomb. “The scene of the attack on the
tomb was reminiscent of Kristallnacht in 1938 and the destruction of all the
Jewish synagogues and institutions in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1947,” the
organization said in a statement. The Israeli army said Monday
that all sacred articles, including the Torah scroll, had been removed from
Joseph’s Tomb as part of the Israeli withdrawal, although it acknowledged that
some Jewish study books were left behind.” ISRAEL SHOULD PREPARE FOR ARMAGEDDON Don Feder, Townhall, October 9, 2000 – “Israel should prepare for
Armageddon. It’s time to end the
insanity – not with the violence that swept Israel last week (and which will
continue as long as Yasser Arafat wills it) but a peace process that is leading
inevitably, inexorably to the annihilation of the Jewish state. The only hope for Israel’s
survival lies in a complete separation of Jews and Arabs – including the Arabs
who reside in pre-1967 Israel. The
rioting and murders are a natural manifestation of Palestinian
nationalism. The Palestinians are
dedicated to realizing the dreams of their forbears – driving the Jews into the
sea. Each concession serves as a
springboard for the next round of demands.
Whatever territory they receive will serve as a staging area for the
next war. Remarkably, even some on the
Israeli left are beginning to get it.
Writing in the New York Times last Wednesday, Avraham Burg, the Labor
Party speaker of the Knesset, confessed:
“We who advocated peace are facing an enormous crisis of
confidence. The events of the last
couple of days make us ask ourselves:
Do we really understand what is going on?” Of course, the hopelessly
delusional still believe last week’s slaughter was provoked by Likud leader
Ariel Sharon visiting the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Moslems. This ignores the fact that
Arafat has been planning the present offensive for months. This year alone, 25,000
Palestinian kids were sent to paramilitary summer camps, where they learned
stuff like how to
kill Jews. A 14-year-old recruit
explained, “We are undergoing military training
in order to defend our motherland Palestine, chase out the settlers and return
Jerusalem to us.” And those are the
short-term goals. Indoctrination precedes weapons
practice. Palestinian textbooks equate
Zionism with Nazism. A sixth-grade
primer muses, “Perhaps Allah brought the Jews to this land so they would all be
destroyed here.” On Palestinian
television, Islamic preachers regularly exhort the faithful to “kill the Jews”
and expunge the “Zionist entity.” The latest uprising commenced
with coldly calculated murders, like the Israeli officer on patrol with a
Palestinian policeman, who was shot and killed by his “partner.” Tanzim, the militia of Arafat’s Fatah
faction, was deployed with automatic weapons. Israel’s Arab citizens have
joined the jihad. In a nation of 6.3
million, 1.1 million Israeli Arabs constitute a fifth column as deadly as the
Palestinians in the territories (1.6 million).
Last week, motorists and Israeli cops were fired on by Israeli-Arab
gunmen in towns south of Haifa. Arab
members of the Knesset led howling mobs.
“Break the hands of the police,” shouted MK Ahmed Tibi. When former Interior Minister
Natan Sharansky tried to speak at an Arab village in Galilee on Israeli
independence day last May, he was met by hundreds of stone-throwing
demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting, “With our spirit and blood
shall Palestine be redeemed.” Arab
parliamentarians demand the “dejudaization of Israel.” The situation is desperate, but
as yet not hopeless. Thanks to the
Clinton administration’s pressure and the naivete of the Israeli left, Zion has
already lost the high ground of the West Bank.
In places, its strategic depth has been cut to 15 miles. Just weeks ago, Prime Minister Ehud Barak
was considering offering Arafat sovereignty over parts of East Jerusalem –
giving Arab terrorists an ideal base for infiltrating the rest of Israel’s
capital. The peace
process must be abandoned, for it ends in the peace of the grave. I would tell Arafat the following: What you
now control is all you’re getting – not because you have any right to it, but
because trying to dislodge you would cost too many lives. But you’re not getting another grain of sand
or an inch of Jerusalem. The only business we have left with you is to
arrange an exchange of populations. We
will take the 200,000 Jewish settlers living on the West Bank, and you will
take the Arabs living in what’s left of Israel. Once the transfer is complete, we will build the highest,
strongest wall ever conceived between us.
We have no more illusions. We
know that when you think you’re strong enough, you’ll come after us. With God’s help, we’ll be ready for you.” I disagree with most of the last two
paragraphs. God gave the land to Israel
and instructed them not to give it away.
All of that area of land, including Gaza and the West Bank is part of
the inheritance that God gave to the people of Israel. And it will be theirs (the faithful
remnant). Ezekiel
25:15-17 (NIV) – This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took
revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to
destroy Judah, therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to
stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites
and destroy those remaining along the coast.
I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my
wrath. Then they will know that I am
the LORD, when I take vengeance on them. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 