Netanyahu continues to be provocative where the world's expectations
are concerned. The Palestinians not only called it a declaration of
war, but a "racist" and religious program, when the Israeli Cabinet
approved a plan to expand Jerusalem beyond its current municipal
borders to strengthen it's hold on the a "united
and eternal capital."
Prime Minister Netanyahu is also working feverishly on unifying
Israel against his foes. In a recent cabinet meeting, he interrupted
his Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak during a briefing the latter
was giving the ministers. He had not met with him face to face for six months.
Amnon apparently ventured into an assessment of Palestinian sentiment
about the stalled peace process.
Netanyahu told him he was on diplomatic territory. We happen to catch a
meeting on C-Span 6.6.98 where Netanyahu was asking for support at
the Embassy of Israel for a restructured agreement. He
stated that Israel would strip itself of it's defense
if it agreed to the peace process. He claimed that someone else
made the agreements and Israel was not consulted and that it
is a dangerous, difficult peace agreement without credibility, built
on lie upon lie. The question is "Jerusalem." He stated that Israel
is a strong, courageous nation and that they have to stick together
because Arafat is recruiting the whole Arab world against
Israel. The
vote was 43 to 42 for Netanyahu. He seems to be gaining ground,
although he has many foes.
Jerusalem is apparently under a special international
regime looking at the U.N. Resolution 303(IV) of 9 which was established
in December of 1949. Jerusalem be designated a "corpus separatum"
(without prejudice to the fundamental principles of the international regime)
and placed under a permanent special international regime and shall
be administered by the UN. (http://www. un.org/Depts
/dpa/ qpal/ p_jruslm.htm) . In the article on "Vatican"
we have the pope wanting to take over Jerusalem and offers to pay
the cost. One wonders if Netanyahu knows this resolution. May 1999
marks the end of the five-year transitional period of self-rule
stipulated in the Oslo Accords. It is believed Arafat will declare
statehood. Without enforcement of the peace process, he will be free
to ignore what was decided upon, which will be worse for Israel.
Today (7.8.98) the Tampa Tribune affirmed that Arafat reached his goal with
the U.N. in getting "observer status" in the General
Assembly. The Arab-sponsored resolution, which passed
124-4, gives Palestinians a nonvoting seat in the 185-member assembly.
No other entity has nonvoting status. It is a huge step toward
the imminent declaration of statehood. In Washington, White House press
secretary Mike McCurry called the resolution "misbegotten"
and said it was "detrimental to the effort to help these parties
bridge their differences." Netanyahu said it was in clear violation
of the Oslo accords in trying to predetermine their international status.
The ball is in Netanyahu's court to get the process going again
and restructure it to everyone's consent. Netanyahu did not gain a
good standing with the European Union in spite of Prime Minister of
Germany, Helmut Kohl's reassurances that they would do everything in their
power to assist Israel. Israel is playing hardball with
the European Union over threatened sanctions against
goods produced by Israeli factories in the territories. The
Jerusalem Report, June 8, 98 p.56 stated that Netanyahu has
done everything he can to infuriate Clinton. Worse, he has forgotten
that while Congress and Bill Safire are important, so is the
president (speaking of Clinton).
Netanyahu wants to keep the Jewish population in Jerusalem at 70% and seeks
to boost investments but President Clinton assailed him for considering
the plan. Tensions between Christians (30%) minority in
Bethlehem and Muslim majority are growing, and Palestinian
officials fear a negative impact on celebrations planned
the year 2000, when the PA hopes to attract millions of tourists.
The PA tried to force Christian families and institutions to remove
large crosses they have erected on their roofs in recent weeks,
a gesture honoring Jesus ahead of the millennium.
Representatives of 50 Christian evangelical groups have agreed to make an
unprecedented joint statement promising not to carry out missionary
activity in Israel. As a result Israeli legislature
Nissim Zvili said Monday he would drop his sponsorship
of an anti-proselytizing bill that has drawn protests
from Christians around the world. Netanyahu's goal now is to
avert the danger of a total collapse of the Oslo Accords
on May 4, 1999, efforts will be directed toward drafting
a new declaration of principles that would sketch out the configuration
of a permanent settlement according to a new timetable, and
without getting bogged down in details.
A young man who recently had this to say about Israel.
"One reason Israel lives on the edge is its size. The edge, the
frontier, is everywhere because the country is so incomprehensibly
small. You go to Mount Scopus in Jerusalem and if you look eastward
toward the West Bank, you are struck immediately by a range of mountains
looking you right in the eye no more than 25 miles away. They are
in Jordan - a good 10 miles into Jordan. Your eyes have just traversed
the West Bank, which is 15 miles at that point. You
are looking not at the Palestinian state soon to be created
next to Israel, but over it to a second Arab country
lying beyond it all at the distance of an American
suburb. Indeed the topographical adjectives used seem faintly ridiculous
to Americans. Mount Scopus, like the Mount of Olives and just
about every other "mount" here, is no mountain. It is a hill.
The Jordan river is no river. For almost its entire length it is something
between a creek and a stream. This comes as a shock to many Christian
pilgrims who, when they think of rivers, think of the Mississippi or the
Hudson. And the Sea of Galilee is no sea. For all of its biblical
grandeur, it is no more than a small lake 14 miles long and 8 miles wide."
(Charles Krauthammer)
Israel: "For, lo, I will make thee small among
the heathen {Gentiles}, [and] despised among men." (Jeremiah 49:15) Remember David's rock which killed the
giant Goliath. "And both these kings' hearts [shall be] to do mischief,
and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet
the end [shall be] at the time appointed." (Daniel
11:27) "And such as do wickedly against
the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but
the people that do know their God shall be
strong, and do [exploits]." (Daniel 11:32)
"Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: [and] because
I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. (Amos 4:12) "For, lo, he that formeth the mountains,
and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what [is] his
thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high
places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, [is] his name."
(Amos 4:13)
"Israel [is] a scattered sheep; the lions have driven [him] away: first
the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon hath broken his bones."
(Jeremiah 50:17) "And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the
heathen, whither
they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into
their own land:" (Ezekiel 37:21)
King David reassures Israel: "The LORD hath been mindful of us:
he will bless [us]; he will bless the house of Israel; he will
bless the house of Aaron." (Psalms 115:12)
"Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD [there
is] mercy, and with him [is] plenteous redemption." (Psalms
130:7)
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that
good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the
house of Judah." (Jeremiah 33:14) "The sons
also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and
all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the
soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 60:14)