The United States is up to its old tricks again when it comes to dealing with its only true ally in the Middle East: Israel. Last Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Secretary of State Clinton in New York. At the top of the discussion list was the status, or should I say non-status, of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As I have shared with you in previous blogs, the 10-month moratorium on Israeli building in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank, as the world calls it) was allowed to expire on September 26. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas followed through on his demands that unless the building freeze was re-instituted, there would be no more negotiations. So, there have been no more negotiations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in early October that he would return to the negotiating table with Chairman Abbas if the Palestinians would declare that Israel would be a Jewish State. You would have thought that he asked for the Dead Sea to becoming living. Of course the Arab world would never acknowledge that Israel is a Jewish State. That would have consequences that would be detrimental to their plans to eventually destroy Israel, if not from without, then from within.
Last Thursday Secretary Clinton made the following offer to the Israeli Prime Minister: In return for extending the building freeze in Judea and Samaria another 90 days, the United States would provide Israel with 20 jet fighters, as well as an automatic veto of any anti-Israel resolution or demand in the United Nations. On the surface this looks like a win-win for Israel. The 90 day building moratorium cannot be renewed and Israel gets needed fighter planes as well as the promise of United States support in the United Nations.
But, as Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau stated to the IsraelNationalNews.com reporters, "All the American promises share a similar characteristic - they lack specifics, and are not carried out if they are found to be damaging to American interests." He goes on to state, "You see that the Americans are demanding that we come to a full agreement with the PA in order for the benefits to kick in. You only get the benefits in the event of a final-status agreement - only when everything is over." Furthermore Minister Landau was concerned that America's veto interest in the United Nations on behalf of Israel was now something that could be negotiated.
It is also interesting to note that the Palestinians are not happy with this newest American proposal since the 90-day building freeze does not include those areas around Jerusalem that the Palestinians claim as belonging to them. So, the likelihood of their coming to the negotiating table seems rather remote at best.
As of today, November 17, the Israeli Knesset has not voted on accepting this newest American proposal. Prime Minister Netanyahu is leaning in the direction of accepting it; a near majority of the members of the Knesset are opposed. Could this topple the Netanyahu coalition government? Quite possibly.
We need to be in prayer for the leadership within Israel. These are critically important days. We are instructed in Psalm 122 to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." May God soon sent the Prince of Peace.
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