Let Israel live
By
Israel like some other nations, was harshly treated by the iron hands of the Roman Empire in 70 AD). when Roman soldiers destroyed Jerusalem and its historic temple. But before this occurrence, Israel had existed as a nation for over two thousand years in Palestine (C. 2000 B.C. — 70 A.D.). The Roman government attacked Israel purely for political hegemony; the homeland of the Jews was never in dispute. Right from 70 AD. up to 324 A.D. when the rule of Rome terminated in Palestine, most surviving Jews had gone into diaspora. By 638 AD, the Arabs took control of Jerusalem and built what they called "Dome of the Rock" on the sacred site of the Temple mount between 688 - 691 AD. The Arab Muslims were overwhelmed by the Crusaders in 1099 A.D. The Crusaders were in control of Jerusalem until 1291 AD. when the Tartars, Mongols, and Turkish tribes displaced them. The Mameluke Sultans of Egypt appeared again, but were driven away by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 A.D. From 1511-AD, the Turks maintained a steady rule of Palestine for a long period of four hundred years, (1517— 1917). When Britain won the First World War in 1917, it took over control of Palestine from the Turks, and by the Laesione Agreement of 1923, Turkey surrendered all rights in Palestine to Britain. At that time, there were no Arab nations in Palestine.
Britain had the right and power to implement the Balfour Declaration she made in November 1917 to establish a homeland for the Jewish people who have been in diaspora since 70 AD). Britain's Balfour Declaration was influenced by fame of winning the World War I, which was made possible by Dr. Chaim Weizmann's valuable discoveries in Chemistry. Dr Weizmann was a Jew. The declaration was approved and supported by the Allies Conference Of April 24, 1920, and later by the League of Nations in July 1922. Britain could have allocated to Israel a homeland following their Biblical boundaries, which could have prevented the holocaust, but Britain chickened out from that noble declaration and instead implemented that which she did not declare. She went ahead and transferred a huge area of 37,737 square miles from her Mandate of Palestine of 48,626 square miles with only a signature of Winston Churchill to the Arabs in 1921.
In a Pan-Arab Conference held In Cairo in 1938, the Arab-nations unanimously pledge to prevent a Jewish state in Palestine. In 1939, Britain released MacDonald White paper, which dumped the Balfour Declaration of 1917 into the dustbin and subjugated the hope of the Jewish people ever having a homeland to the consent of the Arab nations. A ray of hope however, opened up for Israel, when the United Nations after the World War II voted 33 to 13 in favour of homeland for the Jewish people on November 29, 1947. They were given 7,847 square miles, 16.1 per cent of the British Mandate of Palestine, a much larger portion of 37,737 square miles, constituting 77.6 per cent having earlier being given to the Arabs by Britain. Not minding the fact that the Arabs had got over three quarters of the British mandate of Palestine, they still mobilised for war and invaded Israel a day after Britain pulled out of Palestine in 1948.
Since 1948, Arab nations have fought four wars of genocide against Israel. The burning question is, if Arab nations with over two hundred million people and formidable united army had wiped out Israel from the face of the earth, would not the United Nations hove accepted a second holocaust? Now that their pledge has become impossible to accomplish , the United Nations have no other choice than to recognise Jerusalem the capital of Israel. The fact remains that the Arab nations triggered the Middle-East crisis when they pledged not to allow a Jewish state in Palestine. They also will decide to end the crisis by agreeing to co-exist with Israel in Palestine.
The main root of the crisis in the Middle-East is not Palestinian autonomy, not West Bank, not Golan Heights, not Gaza Strip. According to the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem is the real hurt of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Rabat Conference of Arab nations of 1974 confirms this fact. On the other hand, the stability of Israel as a nation and Jerusalem its. capital are paramount to Christians all over the world, because all Christians expect fulfilment of their faith in the soon coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ to Israel. But if Arabs are allowed to destroy Israel, which nation will the Messiah return to?
Which nation on earth will agree to give away its capital and still be a nation? Or which country will not fight for their right to live? The United Nations in its human rights tell us that everyone has a right to life, and that no one has a right to intentionally prevent another one from living. The United Nations therefore, should tell Arab nations in clear terms to let Israel live. The pledge by the Arab nations to allow a Jewish state in Palestine, let alone co-existing with it, is already spreading disaster and if not rescinded will bring doom.
The call by the Arab nations to establish a United Nations force of military and police to protect Palestinians is unnecessary and at best a ploy by Arabs to serve their interest. The Arab nations have all it takes (land and money), to solve Palestinians problems very well if they want to do so. Arab nations have a vast landmass of over 5 million square miles with only 41 people to a square mile, Israel on the other hand has only 7,847 square miles and 571 people to a square mile. The total of Israel's land including the 1967 annexation of 1.3 per cent East Jerusalem, 4,7 per cent West Bank, and 0.3 per cent Gaza Strip is just 22.4 per cent of Jordan's huge land of 37,737 square miles. Even if Israel gives half of its total land to the Palestinians, the greatest up-rising (intifada) will still be there because what the Arab nations want in order to be appeased is. Israel itself and not land.
October 2001