Do Palestinians Have the Right to Exist Sovereignly?

The time has come — the time has come to re-launch negotiations without preconditions that address the permanent status issues: security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem. And the goal is clear: Two states living side by side in peace and security — a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people. (Applause.)

As we pursue this goal, we will also pursue peace between Israel and Lebanon, Israel and Syria, and a broader peace between Israel and its many neighbors. In pursuit of that goal, we will develop regional initiatives with multilateral participation, alongside bilateral negotiations.

To break the old patterns, to break the cycle of insecurity and despair, all of us must say publicly what we would acknowledge in private.

The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians. (Applause.) And — and nations within this body do the Palestinians no favors when they choose vitriolic attacks against Israel over constructive willingness to recognize Israel’s legitimacy and its right to exist in peace and security. (Applause.)

Tonight we begin our 4th year of Christians and Jews working together in defense of Israel and in defense of our liberty and Judeo-Christian values here in America. Under the capable leadership of May Long, CJUI has accomplished a lot in four years, and our membership and contacts have grown very fast.

We are often asked: “What is so unique about Christians and Jews United for Israel?” Let’s put it this way. There are many Jewish organizations supporting Israel, and there are also many Christian organizations extending support to Israel. However, CJUI is very unique, in that from its very inception, both Jews and Christians worked together to build it. Here in New England, I am aware of only one other organization like this, and that is CJUI’s sister organization in NH, the VISION NH group!! How many Jewish organizations do you know of whose incoming president is a Christian minister? Or how many Christian organizations do you know of, in our days, that were started by Jewish members of a local synagogue? Now I had to insert, “in our days”, because after all, the whole of biblical Christianity was started 2000 years ago by a group of Jews in Israel. This all brings us to our common roots - as we can see how CJUI is uniquely positioned to positively impact both our Jewish and Christian communities. We unite to support Israel as the national homeland for Jewish people and to protect our freedoms against anti-Semitic and anti-Christian bigotries, lies, and acts of terrorism.

But, you may be asking, how do our faith and convictions line up with today’s reality of politics and diplomacies, specifically in regards to the Land of Israel as a national homeland for the Jews? We hear constant demands made by Arab states, Islamic terror groups, European statesmen, the UN, and, even by some of our own US presidents and Congressional leaders, against Israel’s rights to grow their own Jewish settlements. The Obama administration went so far as to state that the West Bank and the Southeast portion of Jerusalem are territories “occupied” by Israel, and that all the “illegal” development of Jewish settlements therein must be immediately stopped. Also, earlier this month, the Fatah leaders meeting in Bethlehem demanded that Israel withdraw to the 1949 armistice lines and to accept the “return” of millions of foreign-born, hostile Arabs. Saudi Arabia demanded in 2002 that Israel return, to the Arab Palestinians, all the land back to the line of pre-1967-Six-Day War. That would include the Old City in Jerusalem as well as several residential neighborhoods of Jerusalem, home to over 300,000 Jews! This Saudi 2002 initiative has been supported by many Arab leaders. Unfortunately, it seems that the Obama Administration is also in favor of this initiative.

The question we need to ask is: What legal rights do the Palestinians really have to demand that the land be “returned” to them in order that they may “re-establish” their own nationhood? As we believe firmly in God’s promise for the Jews for the Land, we know there must be a sound and justifiable answer to these demands.

To address this question regarding the matter of “returning the land” back to the Palestinians, we need to turn to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which sets forth conventional law accepted by today’s global communities in resolving inter-national territorial conflicts. In other words, any pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian claims must abide by terms of this Convention. While some Pro-Palestinian groups may falsely insist that the Fourth Geneva Convention requires Israel to return the “occupied territories” back to the Arab Palestinians, and that all the Jewish settlements there are “illegal”, we know that these claims are false and irrelevant. Here is why: The 4th Geneva Convention provides territorial rights to existing or pre-existing nations. This is what the Convention terms “High Contracting Parties” or any sovereign states capable of signing and executing international treaties.(*) But the fact is that Arab Palestine as a nation over the contested “occupied” territories never once existed. Simply stated, how can Israel return the “occupied territories” back to an Arab Palestinian nation, when such a nation never existed nor ever had any independent international standing?

Let us use Japan as an example again. In 1945, when the USA invaded Japan and took full control, Japan became an occupied territory of America. Four years later, after the USA helped Japan set-up a new constitution and working government systems, the territory was given back to a “new” Japan. That’s how an international convention would work. Japan was a sovereign nation, defeated, and was once again re-established as a reconstructed nation. But, this would not apply to Arab Palestinians who never had a sovereign nation. On the other hand, the Jewish rights to Israel were established since the time of King David 3000 years ago, if not earlier biblical periods, when Israel existed as a sovereign nation. When the Romans expelled the Jews, their ownership of the Land did not get nullified. Subsequently, this area (now called Israel) had been occupied by many empires, the last of which was the Ottoman Turks. Throughout those centuries, there never once existed any independent Arab Palestinian nation in the land. When the Turks were defeated in WWI, the British promised the Jewish Zionists that they could establish a “national home” in this Land. This was known as the Palestine Mandate.

On Nov 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 181 that called for the establishment of “Independent Arab and Jewish states”. You might say that this was the very first attempt at creating a “Two-State Solution,” dividing up the Land into two portions: one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. The Jews immediately formed their own national government body, and then declared its independence on May 14, 1948. However, the Arabs in Judea and Samaria made no attempt to create any independent state of their own. By their own action, Arab Palestinians abrogated their rights to statehood. In 1950, Jordan filled the vacuum and annexed the entire West Bank. But, in 1988, King Hussein of Jordan unilaterally renounced all claims to the West Bank, releasing legal ownership to Israel. So, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel has no obligation to “return the occupied territories” to either Arab Palestine, which never existed as a nation, or to Jordan, which officially renounced its claim to the territories in 1988. Let’s face it, even Chairman Arafat who led the PLO and Palestinian Authority wasn’t born in the Land nor a resident of the Land. He was born in Egypt.

The above matter of legal ownership notwithstanding, many continue to insist that the only way for Israel to attain peace is through a negotiated peace settlement with Arab Palestinians. My question is: With whom? Which Palestinian group? Which Palestinian leader? We all know that a truly lasting peace requires two parties each respecting the other party’s rights to liberty, freedom and security. With Hamas and Fatah, we have absolutely no possibility of ever achieving lasting peace! Their mode of governance diametrically opposes our understanding of democracy and justice that we enjoy in Israel and America.

Let me again turn to a Bible verse. From the Book of Hosea, Chapter 2, verse 19. We read: “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion.” This passage speaks of a marriage between Our Lord and His people. We are to be united as one. And in our union, we are to be like Him, both individually and as a nation. What He laid out here in this verse is the foundation of our core Judeo-Christian values, as it describes who our God is:1) He is One who upholds JUSTICE, 2) RIGHTEOUSNESS and 3) COMPASSION. And likewise, both America and Israel uphold these foundational Judeo-Christian values of Justice, righteousness and compassion.

Our US Constitution and the court system insure JUSTICE for ALL citizens regardless of one’s gender, race, national origin, or faith. And likewise, justice is meted out to all citizens in Israel. We could never say the same about all the Arab nations in the Middle East, regarding their treatment of women, non-Muslims (Jews and Christians), and other minorities. Under Hamas and Fatah, there exist no legal protection for any opposing or minority persons. One can easily be found dead at any time for being a suspected “friend or spy of Israel”.

Next, RIGHTEOUSNESS. There are things in the sight of God that are absolutely right and moral, one of which is the valuing every human LIFE. In America and Israel, we do everything possible to protect and save every innocent life. Can we say the same about Hamas or Fatah? No, never. They honor suicide bombers as their heroes. How about a daughter, like 17 year old Rifka Bary from Ohio, who abandoned her Muslim faith, was beaten by her father and then ran away in fear of being killed by him in what he would justify as an ‘honor killing’? For them, life is cheap and some lives are cheaper than others.

And finally, MERCY, COMPASSION, and KINDNESS. America is a nation of big heart. We give charitable gifts to the poor among us and to the oppressed around the world. Israel is the same. When a natural disaster strikes at some remote corners of the world, Israeli rescue teams are one of the first, if not the first, to be there helping the injured and afflicted. When one is sick in Israel, he or she is never denied medical care or put at the end of the line because he is not a Jew or that he is part of the “enemy’s camp”. There are no preferential treatments of one race, nationality, or faith over others in the Israeli hospitals. Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Arab, experienced this phenomenon, leading her later to become an ardent supporter of Israel.

Justice, righteousness, and mercy - these are our core Judeo-Christian values that bind America and Israel together, and set us apart from Arab nations and Islamic terrorists of the world. As to Hamas, Fatah, or Hezbollah? None of their leaders uphold these good and peaceful values. In reality, they are nothing more than “a refugee-camp-turned-death-camp” dictators, for their slogans are always the same: “Death to Israel”, Death to America”, and to their own shame, “Death to their own people!!” No Palestinian leaders today uphold JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS and MERCY as their core values. Instead, they lie, they terrorize, they destroy, and they murder. Their unruly government system will never sustain peace with Israel, let alone any peace within its own borders. Their continual fighting amongst themselves only proves my point.

In summary, I believe we need to carefully evaluate our own core values and principles, and compare them against that of Islamic terrorists. There are no moral or legal equivalencies. We must

(1) take a firm stand in support of Israel’s right to a national homeland,

(2) emphasize that Israel is the only democratic nation in the Middle East worthy of our true partnership,

(3) denounce all the false claims made by Hamas, Hezbollah and other Islamic terror groups that they “want peace with Israel”. (No, they have only one goal, i.e., to wipe Israel off the map)

(4) denounce Arab states’ support of Islamic terrorists, acts of violence, and their on-going human rights violations against Jews, Christians, women, and their own Arab nationals whom they accuse as “spies of Israel”, and

(5) be cautious of any “Land for Peace” negotiations with today’s Palestinian leaders, none of whom is worthy of our partnership. To be our partner of peace, they must recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation, stop the shelling of Israel, stop suicide bombers, and stop terrorizing their own people. They must be ready to institute law and order for their own people, execute justice for all, and denounce any and all forms of human rights violations against women and against non-Muslims. Then and only then should Israel be ready to proceed to a negotiation table.