Of Peace and Boycotts

Making headlines this week, at least in the Israeli papers and websites, was the statement Secretary of State John Kerry made this past weekend at the Munich Security Conference.  In a speech before the conference Kerry said, regarding the status of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, "Today's status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained.  It's not sustainable.  It's illusionary.  You see for Israel there's an increasing de-legitimization campaign that has been building up.  There are talks of boycotts and other kinds of things.  Are we all going to be better with all of that?" 

This threat of boycotting of Israel struck a raw nerve within Israeli leadership.  Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, speaking at Arutz Sheva's 11th annual Jerusalem Conference on Monday, said, "Currently threats are still heard against citizens of Israel and they try to terrorize us.  When we hear John Kerry and the American State Department, we think they are wrong in their analysis of what's happening in the Middle East.  It would be expected from someone who's supposed to be a fair and objective intermediary to also tell the Palestinian side about the price they will have to pay over their stubborn refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to their own nation state.  Where's the Palestinian price on all the continued incitement against Israel's existence?"

Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his opening remarks to his cabinet, said, "Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust.  Moreover, they will not achieve their goal.  First, they cause the Palestinians to adhere to their intransigent positions and thus push peace further away.  Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel's citizens.  For both of these reasons, threats to boycott the State of Israel will not achieve their goal."

Just this morning I read that a group of Rabbis sent a letter to Secretary of State Kerry.  Portions of their letter read, "Your incessant efforts to expropriate integral parts of our Holy Land and hand them over to Abbas's terrorist gang, amount to a declaration of war against the Creator and Ruler of the universe.  For G-d awarded the entire Land of Israel to our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in order that they bequeath it, as an everlasting inheritance, to their descendants, the Jewish people, until the end of all time."  (Might I add, sadly, that many Christians in America today do not believe that God's promises to Abraham concerning a particular piece of land have any merits today.  But if that promise that God made to Abraham is abrogated, then, friends, are there other promises God made that will be nullified as well?)

The immediate response on the part of the United States State Department has been to state categorically that John Kerry is "staunchly opposed" to any boycott against Israel.  His spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, stated, "We are absolutely opposed, we have been opposed to any attempts at boycotts - boycotting Israel." 

Now, just to make this all the more complicated, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has suggested that NATO would be left in charge of the future Palestinian state instead of an army.  And this NATO force would be predominately led by American soldiers, being there for an indefinite amount of time.  They would provide for all the security at the borders.  And just what will this new state of Palestine look like?  According to leaked reports of the Kerry proposal to both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the borders would be drawn along the lines established with the armistice in 1949 and East Jerusalem would become the capital city of the Palestinian state.  Concerning the present settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) 75 to 80 % of the Jewish residents would remain in their homes as a result of land swaps.  Yet, Abbas continues to states that he will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state and has strongly declared that there will be no Jews living in a Palestinian state.  As one recalls the history of the relationships  between Israel and the Palestinians, going back to the days of Yassar Arafat, the onus has always been upon Israel to be the ones who give; the Palestinians are always the ones who take.  And yet the one thing that Israel has asked in all negotiations - whether under the leadership of Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, or Benjamin Netanyahu - is that the Palestinians recognize Israel as being a Jewish state.  This has been a request that has been continually refused. 

Expect tensions to increase as we get closer to the self-imposed deadline of April for some type of finalized peace negotiations.  The world's leaders and media have already cast all blame for any failed attempt at the feet of Israel.  Look for increased pressure to be placed upon Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by John Kerry and others of the Obama Administration to capitulate to the wishes of Abbas and the Palestinians.  I believe that in spite of Kerry's denials that he would recommend a boycott of Israel, he will continue using that as threat hanging over Israel's heads.  I simply cannot imagine the pressure being put upon Israel's leaders today.  I may not always agree with their decisions, but I am called upon to pray for them.  I am reminded of the words from the pen of the Psalmist David, perhaps as he walked around that city he claimed as his capital: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.  For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you.'  For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity." (Psalm 122:6-8).

Friends, will you join with me in "praying for the peace of Jerusalem."  I believe that when we pray such a prayer, we are then really looking forward with hope to the return of Israel's Messiah, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  When He returns, there will be real peace in Jerusalem.  Praise the Lord.