I want you to know that I am not Jewish or Israeli. I do not have a home in Israel. I am an American Christian who, for the last fourteen years, has worked closely with Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria. I am not anti-Trump. My hope in expressing my views is only to help and not hurt a legitimate “peace process.”
There has been a lot of press here in Israel concerning what President Trump has referred to as the “Ultimate Deal” or the “Deal of the Century.” These are the terms the President has used to describe the current U.S. peace initiative between Israel and the Arabs. Many here in Israel are now waiting for this “deal,” which we were told would come out after the mid-term elections.
Most in the Israel-loving community have been excited by the President’s pro-Israel stance and the thought of a Trump version of a “peace plan” has many believing that the “king” of deal-making could actually pull it off. After all, look at the work he has already done in building a foundation for a workable plan to finally be established.
Jerusalem has been finally taken off the table.
The pro-Israel community was and still is exuberant over the embassy move to Jerusalem. There have been many comments by the President that this alone is reason enough to finally seal the deal. Some may not know that there was another deal reported by the Jerusalem Post that suggested Israel give up four communities in East Jerusalem in order to establish the Palestinian capital alongside the Israeli capital.
Because of this extraordinary move by the President, we have been introduced to the term “painful concession.”
How should we define painful concession?
First of all, the President’s use of the phrase “painful concession” has been reported many times in articles and even spoken about in several videos. The phrase has also been used by Jason Greenblatt and Jared Kushner, as well. Just last week in London, Jason Greenblatt again made the statement that Israel will have to compromise. Listen carefully to the President’s speech at a rally in West Virginia.
You need to know that a “painful concession” will not mean that communities in Judea and Samaria will lose trash pick-up. Painful concession can only mean one thing – a withdrawal from certain communities located in the “West Bank” or Judea and Samaria. The idea would likely look, on some level, like the model proposed by Haaretz back in August of this year.
So the phrase “painful concession,” in the “ultimate deal,” would likely look something like this:
If there are 400 thousand plus Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, then withdrawing and destroying 20 to 10 thousand homes in established Jewish communities would seemingly be a great deal. After all, if these homes represent 20 to 40 thousand Israelis, then 360 to 380 thousand Israelis would be able to keep their current homes and life would go on happily ever after.
Critical: God must be part of any “Peace” initiative.
In the likely plan above, let’s look at the communities that would likely be targeted for destruction. First of all, as we saw in the Haaretz model, the communities would need to be close to Arab populated areas to enable a larger area for the new Palestinian state. Nearly all of these communities have one big issue – they are areas of major religious importance to Jews, as well as to Bible-believing Christians who are not into replacement theology.
So why would this be a problem? The Israelis gave up their rights to their Holy Temple Mount immediately after it was given to them in the Six Day War in 1967, for the sake of “middle east peace.” Why would they not be willing to do the same thing regarding other holy sites?
First, I would ask anyone reading this to raise your hand if you believe Israel’s victory in six days over Syria, Jordan, and Egypt – each many times bigger and militarily stronger – was a miracle. Again, raise your hand if you believe it was a miracle from God. If you raised your hand twice as I did, then you will better understand the rest of this article.
To begin with, there are many Jews and Christians who believe it was a mistake to give up the Temple Mount after General Motta Gur spoke the legendary words, “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” Again, did God give it just for it to be handed back? For whatever reason, it was returned on some level to Jordanian control. Along with the concessions made over the Temple Mount, the Sinai peninsula and Gaza were also eventually given up.
After the Six Day War, Judea and Samaria – along with the Golan Heights – were looked at as significantly important to the security of Israel. Obviously, giving those who hate you the high ground overlooking your most populated areas would not make any sense. But many Jews began re-settling the Mountains of Israel because they heard the call to return and build the ancient ruins, as the prophets had dreamed. ( Isaiah 61:4, Jeremiah 31:4, Ezekiel 28:25,26 )
They came back to places like Elon Moreh, where the Covenant was spoken in Genesis 12:7 by God to Abraham, “This Land is the Land I will give to your descendants.” They returned to Mount Gerizim (the Mount of Blessing), where the Israelites made an eternal covenant with the Land of Israel in Joshua 8:30-35. They returned to Hebron, where Abraham purchased the burial place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of our faith. ( Genesis 23 ).
When these brave Jews returned, they were (and are still today) determined not to ever leave again. The prophet Amos speaks the Lord’s Words when He says, “ I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” ( Amos 9:15 )
The “God” part of the “peace” initiative is critical. Ignoring it will not make it go away.
The 10 thousand or 20 to 40 thousand Israelis who will be asked to make the painful concession will be joined by hundreds of thousands more, who will stand with their brothers and sisters because they believe God’s Word and Promises are irrevocable. It will not be like Gaza . This will likely initiate a civil war in Israel that will compromise its very existence.
I am not trying to be contentious or to make trouble for the president. The Jews are not holding this position because of anything that I say or write. I would sincerely like to see President Trump go down in history as a real friend of Israel. Again, I am challenging all non-replacement, Bible-believing Christians to stand with the Jews who are standing on the Promises. Historically we as Christians have failed to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters in their greatest time of need. Will there be another shameful footnote this early in the twenty-first century?
No president has understood the value of the Evangelical community like Donald Trump. We have another opportunity to do the right thing. Will we stand with the Jews to help President Trump see the horrible reality of any “two-state solution” or any plan that will uproot even one Jew from the Promised Land.
I know there are those who are saying, even before the plan comes out – “It will fail.” This is exactly what was said right up to the moment we saw the tragedy of Jews being hauled out of their homes in Gaza. I sincerely believe the president wants to make a decision in the best interest of Israel and the Jewish people. It is likely that neither he nor his advisors know what you know.
If you are a Christian who sincerely stands with Israel, let’s take our position as watchmen ( Jeremiah 31:6 ) and say, unlike we did in 1938,“Not on our watch.”
