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Facts About Israel's History - Part 4
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John Henry
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Mar 25, 2005 22:02 PST
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40 Significant Facts About Israel's History
By Clarence H. Wagner, Jr.
PART FOUR
Fact #31
Currently, the Palestinians define "Palestine" as the region west of the
Jordan River, that land comprised of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
However, according to the PLO Covenant, Palestine was defined as all of the
land of Israel and Jordan.
The Arabs claim that Israel has usurped "all of Palestine," leaving the
Palestinian people with nothing. This is simply not the case. Transjordan's
independence, becoming Jordan in 1946, did force an artificial redefinition
of "Palestine" to include only that area west of the Jordan River, thus
restricting it to 20% of the original Palestine. What the 1947 UN partition
did was to further partition the remaining 20% portion into yet another
Arab state and a Jewish state. This, however, did not change the fact that
Jordan is still part of historical Palestine, with over 70% of its
population being Palestinian Arab. (Jordan's King Abdullah II is Saudi
Arabian (father) and British (mother), his great-grandfather having been
given this territory by the British after WWI of 80% of Palestine and
called the Emir of Jordan under British protection.)
With Jordan ignoring the UN partition and annexing the West Bank in 1949
(also known as Judea and Samaria), Palestinian Arabs under the Jordanian
umbrella controlled 82.5% of the Palestine Mandate originally given to the
Jews in 1917, while the Jewish State held a bare 17.5%.
Even today, Jordan is still a Palestinian Arab state in territory and by
population, on 80% of the original Palestine of the British Mandate. A
portion of the land apportioned by God to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and
Manasseh is also in Jordan, east of the Jordan River.
Despite what the Palestinians say, Israel did not usurp all of Palestine,
nor are the Arabs left without a Palestinian state. All of Jordan is
Palestine too. The current Peace Process, from Oslo to the Wye River
agreements, is seeking to find a nation for the Palestinians. However, only
Israel is expected to give anything into this new state under the auspices
of the Palestinians.
Jordan is giving nothing to the Palestinians. In fact, in Israel's peace
treaty with Jordan, that country took land from Israel. Now, the Syrians
are claiming the Golan Heights, which is home to 18,000 Israelis. This
small region of 400 sq. miles (1035 sq. km.) also provides 1/3 of Israel's
water supply, and production from its bountiful agriculture and innovative
light industry.
The use of the term "Palestine" and "Palestinian," in association with the
Arab population of the region, is a late phenomenon. It developed in the
1970s to give identity to a people who were a collection of Arab immigrants
who came to the region in the past 100 years to find work, once the Jews
started to arrive and improve the economy.
The noted Arab leader, Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, told the Peel Commission
(1936): "There is no such country [as Palestine]! Palestine is a term the
Zionists invented! There is no Palestine in the Bible. Palestine is alien
to us; it is the Zionists who introduced it."
The Jerusalem Post newspaper, founded in 1932, was called the Palestine
Post and the Jews of the region were called Palestinians.
In 1946, Princeton professor, Philip Hitti, a distinguished Arab historian
testifying before the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, stated, "There
is no such thing as Palestine in (Arab) history, absolutely not." He also
opposed using the word Palestine on maps, because it was "associated in the
mind of the average American, and perhaps the Englishman too, with the Jews."
The application of the term "Palestinian" to the Arab inhabitants of
Palestine to the exclusion of Jews began to evolve in the early 1960s as
the Arabs were trying to create a unified identity. However, neither the
1967 UN Security Council Resolution 242, nor the 1973 Resolution 338,
mentioned Palestinians at all. It was only in the mid-seventies that the
term first started being exploited by the PLO.
Fact #32
The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in May 1964 by the Arab
League, having been promoted by Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. He
saw it as a means to advance Egypt's goals of uniting the Arab world under
Egyptian rule, by rallying the Arab states under the banner of destroying
Israel. Since 1969 Yasser Arafat, the co-founder of the Fatah faction, has
headed up the PLO.
The PLO Covenant called for the destruction of Israel as well as Jordan,
taking all of British Mandate Palestine as a Palestinian State. The
Palestinian Authority has administered land and people in the West Bank and
Gaza since they were turned over by Israel as part of the Peace Process.
Arafat has lived in Gaza since 1994.
To the right is the emblem of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Though the PLO/PA claims that it recognizes Israel's right to exist and
wants to found a state only in Gaza and the West Bank, its official
stationery betrays its true goals. The stationery, bearing its official
emblem, shows all the land west of the Jordan River including all of
Israel. These aims were part of the original charter and the organization's
infamous Phased Program to gain the territory piece by piece until a
pan-Arab war could be sparked for the final takeover of all of Israel.
Remember that the PLO was founded before the 1967 Six Day War when Israel
won the West Bank and Gaza from Jordanian and Egyptian sovereignty.
Therefore, Arafat's claims to want only this small portion of his greater
vision of all of Israel and Jordan rings hollow. The Arabs had this land
before 1967 and still the organization was founded with its true aims of
conquering all of Israel for Islam and the Arab world.
A final note on Palestine: Palestine was never a sovereign state (Arab or
Jewish) that was somehow eclipsed in war, and thus needs to be reinstated
back into the family of nations. What the Palestinian Arabs are asking for
would be the creation of a completely new national entity that has never
before existed. Palestine was a regional name imposed on the area by the
Roman Emperor, Hadrian, who came to quell the Second Jewish Revolt in AD 135.
Fact #33
Before the 1967 Six Day War, Israel was constantly bombarded by artillery
fire from Syria on the Golan Heights, and from terrorist raids from Syria,
Egypt and Jordan. There were massive military build-ups by the neighboring
Arab states, especially Egypt. Egypt moved massive numbers of troops and
equipment to the Israel-Egypt border in the Sinai, and ordered out the UN
Peacekeeping Forces deployed there since the 1956 war with Egypt over the
blockade of the Suez Canal. Egypt reimposed the blockade of the Straits of
Tiran in the Red Sea, effectively blocking Israeli shipping trade from the
east via Eilat, and made a military alliance with Jordan.
At this point, Israel invoked its inherent right of self-defense and
launched a pre-emptive strike on Egypt, destroying her air force before it
left the ground. There were counter-attacks from Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
At the end of the Six Day War, the previous ceasefire lines were replaced
by new ones, with the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), Gaza, the Sinai
peninsula, and the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
Fact #34
In 1973 on Yom Kippur (October 6), the Syrians and Egyptians coordinated a
surprise attack against Israel. Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish
calendar. It is a 25-hour period of total fasting from food and water,
while praying at the synagogue to ask God to forgive one's sins. On this
day, there is no work, no vehicles are on the roads, there is no television
or radio, and no equipment operates.
The Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal, while the Syrian troops penetrated
the Golan Heights. This lightning attack could have been fatal to Israel.
However, God truly intervened. On the Golan Heights, Avigdor Kalahani, the
commander of the tank corps, and one other tank managed to hold off the
Syrian army until reinforcements could help.
During the next three weeks, the Israel Defense Forces turned the tide of
battle and repulsed the attackers, crossing the Suez Canal into Egypt and
advancing to within 20 miles (32 km) of the Syrian capital, Damascus. On
October 22, the war was over.
In November, 1977, the cycle of constant Arab rejections of Israel's
appeals for peace was broken with the visit of Egypt's President Anwar
Sadat to Jerusalem. An accord was negotiated at Camp David in the USA in
September 1978, and a formal peace treaty was signed on the lawn of the
White House on March 26, 1979. This made Egypt the first Arab country to
accept Israel's hand in peace extended since 1948.
Fact #35
In 1980, a special law was enacted by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament,
re-affirming that united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem has
been the capital of no other nation or people in history except the Jewish
people. Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia declared a jihad (a holy war) "to
protect the Holy City against Zionist aggression."
In reaction to this declaration, foreign embassies in the city, including
the US Embassy, moved to Tel Aviv. However, in 1990 the US Congress
affirmed the need to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which
was ignored by successive US presidents. So, on November 8, 1995, the US
Congress recognized united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in the
Jerusalem Embassy Act (public law 104-45), and demanded that the US Embassy
be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The US Senate unanimously voted for
this move; however, Bill Clinton has stopped the US embassy move from
occurring. Once the US embassy moves, however, most other countries will
follow suit.
Currently, US citizens born in Jerusalem have no country ascribed to their
place of birth. It only says, "Jerusalem" on their birth certificates, not
"Jerusalem, Israel." The State Department needs to change their policy on
this issue to comply with Congress. Both US presidential candidates are now
calling for a move of the Embassy building to Jerusalem.
Fact #36
For over a decade after the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) had
been forced out of Jordan by King Hussein in 1970, Israel underwent
repeated shelling and terror attacks from PLO bases in Lebanon. The PLO had
all but taken over parts of Lebanon, and their actions killed and wounded
thousands of Israeli civilians who never knew when another attack was coming.
In June 1982, Israel launched the "Operation Peace for Galilee" campaign to
rout the PLO out of Lebanon and bring peace and safety to her citizens.
In the first days of the war, approximately 100 Israeli US-made jets faced
off over Lebanon's Beka'a Valley with an equal number of Syrian,
Russian-made MiGs. Israel also faced Syrian ground-to-air SAM missiles,
which had taken a heavy toll on Israeli planes in 1973. At the end of one
day, the Israel Air Force shot down 90 of the Syrian MiGs, while not one
Israeli jet was lost. An Israeli government minister commented at the time
that this had to be a miracle of God in the face of such odds. "Surely," he
said, "Israel should have lost one plane due to mechanical or human failure."
The operation achieved its objective within a few weeks, but a weak
Lebanese central government kept Israeli troops there until 1985.
In December 1987, a Palestinian uprising called the Intifada erupted and
swept throughout the Palestinian communities of the West Bank and Gaza.
What had been a relatively benign relationship since 1967 between Israel
and the Palestinians in the territories, became a near war. Death and
injuries on both sides were high, with great distress filling the hearts of
Israelis and Palestinians alike. The Intifada continued for six years,
until the current Peace Process began with the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Fact #37
In 1989, the Iron Curtain began to fall and Jews began to be liberated from
the lands of the north - the provinces of the former Soviet Union where
they had been prevented from emigrating to Israel for decades. Since that
time, over one million new immigrants have arrived in Israel, including
nearly 20,000 Ethiopian Jews from the lands of the south. Together, they
fulfill Isaiah 43:5,6.
Meanwhile, in 1991, the Gulf War, which was initiated to restore
sovereignty to Kuwait after it was invaded by Iraq, also affected Israel.
While Israel was completely out of this war, 39 Scud missiles were fired
upon Israel by Saddam Hussein's forces. He had hoped to draw Israel into
the war because of his great hatred of her, but also to split up the Allied
coalition that not only had American and European forces, but participants
from numerous Moslem Arab countries who have no ties with Israel.
During these dark days and weeks, fearing chemical and biological weapons,
Israel prayed Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my
refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' ... He will cover you
with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror
of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks
in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday" (Ps. 91:1-2, 4-6).
No chemical or biological weapons were used against Israel. Eleven thousand
apartments were destroyed, but only one person died as a direct result of
the destruction.
Truly, Israel was protected under the wings of the Lord, in whose shadow
she dwells.
Fact #38
In 1992, the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin began negotiations with the
Palestine Liberation Organization (the PLO) in an effort to make peace for
Israel with the Palestinians and other Arab nations. Only Egypt had signed
a peace treaty with Israel in March 1979. Rabin and Arafat concluded an
initial agreement in 1993, called the Oslo Accords, which was the first of
many accords in the quest for peace in the region. To date, Israel has
turned over all major centers in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and
Gaza, while the Palestinians have done little to fulfill their side of the
agreements.
In a violation of the Oslo Accords, Yasser Arafat has declared over and
over again his intentions to unilaterally declare a sovereign Palestinian
State with Jerusalem as its capital. He says he will raise the Palestinian
flag on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and on the tops of the
mosques and churches. In January 2000, Arafat declared, "This year is the
year for declaring an independent Palestinian State...It is a fundamental
thing that this year is the year of the State." Israel has already made
united Jerusalem its undivided capital and will not compromise on this.
Therefore, if Yasser persists in pursuing his declared plan, then a
conflict and even war is inevitable.
In 1994, Israel signed a peace treaty with King Hussein of Jordan. This has
proved to be the warmest of the treaties, thus far. Considerable trade,
tourism and other bilateral initiatives have prospered both countries.
Today, "off and on" negotiations continue between Israel and Syria to
hopefully secure a real peace with Syria and with Lebanon which is
controlled by Syria. The Syrian border has been quiet since 1973, but there
are no relations between the countries and only a "ceasefire" exists.
Fact #39
Israel today is a modern-day miracle that has emerged because of hard work
on the part of the Jewish people and God's prophetic blessing.
The only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel boasts a vibrant
electoral system with dozens of political parties representing a variety of
political views, from conservative to liberal Arab, secular to
ultra-Orthodox Jewish.
Israel boasts an educational system that has given her citizens the highest
literacy rate in the world; a medical system that provides guaranteed
health care for all citizens and is sought after even by her enemies who
arrive via neutral countries for treatment; a welfare system that provides
goods and services to all in need - Jew and Arab alike; an agricultural
system that changed a barren, deforested land of desert and swamp into a
lush and prosperous region that has made Israel one of the world's food
exporting nations; an army which is a defense force that has been evaluated
as the fourth most efficient army in the world.
Its main industries are still tourism and agriculture. However, high
technology is now the largest revenue industry, creating everything from
new computer designs and development of hardware and software, to advanced
medical and agricultural technology. Israel has now surpassed the US's
Silicon Valley for high tech development.
The influx of immigrants into Israel from over 100 nations has given her a
research and development (R&D) edge, since each nation has a different way
of looking at a problem. With R&D teams made up of scientists and
researchers from such varied locales as the former Soviet Union, the USA,
India, S. America, S. Africa, and Europe, all working on a problem,
innovative products are being brought to the market almost daily.
Israel is known as an innovative nation. Just tell an Israeli something
can't be done, and he will figure out how to do it.
Fact #40
God is in control and His Word will be fulfilled regarding Israel, the
Jewish people, His Church and the anticipated soon arrival of Messiah. As
in the days of the Old Testament, even when it looks like all hope is lost
and Israel will be vanquished, God has made a way, and showed forth His glory.
It is said of the Lord, "He that keeps Israel will not slumber nor sleep"
(Ps. 121:4). Let us be participants with God in this prophetic move. Let us
pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem. Only God's peace will be a
lasting peace.
Let us also give gifts to help those returning to Zion and bless the
restoration of the land of Israel. Let us volunteer our time, if we are able.
And let us travel to Zion ourselves to see what God is doing TODAY! In this
series, we have covered the entirety of Israel's history from the days of
Abraham to date. I hope this information has helped you to realize the
importance of this land to God and His Covenant people, the Jewish people.
While other religions, including Christianity, place significance to this
land, it is because of the covenants God made with His People Israel so
many thousands of years ago. He is faithful to fulfill His promises
recorded in His Word, the Bible.
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