The Window to Middle East Peace

The Oslo Accords were formed out of the concept that there is this great wall in the Middle East which divides the Arab world from the Israeli Jewish world. This mythical wall has a window which if the two sides can open it and reach out to those on the other side in friendship and brotherhood then the wall will come tumbling down and peace will break out throughout the entire area. It really is a beautiful concept and makes for a lovely fairy tale. The reality of the situation is nowhere near as simple and in there is the problem. Both sides know what needs to be accomplished but neither side seemingly can bridge the gap and connect with the other. It is in a desire to facilitate a meeting and mutuality that great efforts have been extended with little to nothing to show for such monumental efforts. There have been many both great and small who have expended great efforts to open this window of peace but thus far to no avail. Perhaps the efforts have failed and never could have succeeded no matter how well-crafted or how well-intentioned. Perhaps with some searching and seeing things as they truly are a real reason can be found and then the world can move forward in an honest effort an actually produce some tangible results.

 

The first thing that must be accomplished is a real, honest and truthful accounting of exactly the situation which is being faced. Everybody will most definitely agree that the wall separating the Arab and Jewish worlds in the Middle East is real, formidable and unbreachable and that the sole hope is to pass through the “window of peace” in order to bring the two worlds into some agreement and mutual allowance. So much effort and so many additions, facilitating aids, adjustable ramps and various other inventions have been added to the window all in the name of making it easier to open and thus establish a lasting, solid peace. There have been so many additions and adjustments that nobody has even seen the actual window in over a decade. Yet, in order to make the window more readily accessible the entire efforts of the world have been brought to bear yet the window appears to have gotten lost in the efforts. I seriously doubt anybody has seen the window in a very long time and it is very likely that the actual window has slipped from everybody’s memory. Maybe it would be best to go back to the beginning and recall the original window and reassess our efforts.

 

What everybody appears to forget is that though the wall is very real and we can see it clearly, that little window that is buried under all of the failed efforts has remained unseen and concealed for quite a while. The problem is the window was never real but rather was a painting placed on the wall. The window was simply a figment of hope that we painted onto the unbreachable wall in order to give us hope that peace was attainable. The problem is that even the picture of the window in the wall was only painted on one side of the wall. Which side is unimportant because once we remember that the window was an ephemeral idea and not real, both sides will claim that buried under all the accumulated debris of efforts to reach through the window, the painting of a window is on their side. We cannot allow an argument to begin about which side of the wall contains the original painted window that was an idea, a hope as that will result in adding more failed efforts, blames, excuses and other clutter and will accomplish nothing.

 

The best efforts going forward is to admit that there really never was a real window and the wall is just as solid and impenetrable today as it was just over two decades ago. We need to remember that the Oslo Accords were not designed to allow the two sides to reach to each other through an existing window; they were the first step towards building that window which would eventually allow the two sides to reach through to the other. The Oslo accords were a design to put together the blueprint and design of a simple window and gather the tools and people in order to build that window. We never even got started on the plans to design the window when it was decided to skip over that part and go directly to the reaching through each to the other and for a lasting peace. We have gotten exactly the results one would expect of attempting to reach out through a thick and sturdy wall where we believe there is a window but all that is really there is a few pencil sketchings which were to be the basic plans for that window. The result is a great number of bruised hands which were thrust at a nonexistent window and met the bricks of a very solid wall. Until the world wakes up to the fact that there is not yet a window in that wall separating the Arab and Jewish worlds of the Middle East and returns to the initial steps and actually take the time and effort to build a real window, the world will continue to bash their hands and even a few clenched fists into that so solid wall without any real results. We must first clear away the debris, draw up the designs and then build the window, and then we can try to reach through. All things in their proper time and proper order is the only way to get this accomplished. Step one is taking the necessary steps to install a window before we attempt to reach through to those on the other side.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Truth About Jews, Israel, and Intentions on the World

There are more than enough rumors, slanders, myths and misconceptions about the Jewish people and their desired relations with the world. Though I am not the most learned of people on this subject, I will still try and give it a shot as best as I am able. The concepts that Jews have designs on ruling the entire world are false. We Jews have a desire to live on the lands which G0d promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and as described to Moses and Joshua which is best described as the lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea with an additional small area east of the Jordan River. If one searches the Internet for “Map of Biblical Israel and the Twelve Tribes” one will easily find the actual lands the Jewish nation carved out and took possession as was promised to them. The Jews have no desire to rule over the world or any of the peoples residing there. We are instructed by G0d and His Torah to serve Him and to live our lives as an example of righteousness, something many of us have plenty of work to do in order to even begin to fulfill that quest. The Jewish people presumably have six-hundred-thirteen commandments which we are to keep and live our lives by. Of these there is a group of basic laws which serve as the starting point which are known as the Ten Commandments and yes, they were originally written in stone and those two stone tablets still exist and can be found in the Ark of the Covenant. Of course finding the Ark of the Covenant has proven to be a bit of a challenge but in theory there is an easy way to find it, allow the building of the third Temple. For those who wish to find a list of these laws, may I suggest reading Torah, starting with Deuteronomy would be the most direct path to finding most of the Commandments but the remainder of Torah, The first five books of the Old Testament, (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) is necessary to have a fullness of a definition.

But all this does not define what the Jewish people desire or expect of the rest of the world. The first thing that must be made clear is the Jews do not desire to make the rest of the world to adopt Judaism or to convert to Judaism. The Jews do not wish, demand or expect for the rest of the world to follow the six-hundred-thirteen Commandments as that is the responsibility and burden which the Jews are required to attempt. That does not mean that the Jewish people or Torah does not define a basic set of laws which non-Jews are expected to follow in order for them to lead moral and righteous lives. The requirements of non-Jews which G0d expects of them, and as such also the sole expectations of others from a Jewish standpoint, are known as the Seven Laws of Noah or the Noahic Code (a simple search will lead to numerous sites defining and commenting on these seven laws for all mankind). The only other request the Jewish people hope to receive from the world is to be allowed to live in the lands defined by our Covenant with the L0rd our G0d and work towards the betterment of mankind and all things created by G0d. The Jewish people have no problems with other people who wish to live in our lands as long as they respect the entirety of Jewish Law and are willing to live amongst us in peace. Torah commands that we treat the stranger as we ourselves would wish to be treated and to respect them and be courteous and exemplary hosts. As far as the interactions prescribed for the Jewish people, we are commanded to be a light unto the nations and to live in our lands in such a manner of righteousness that people will come and ask to be taught the laws and will wish to emulate our examples. As said previously, we will need to work on this as there is an enormous room for improvement before the Jews will be able to even make a start on our designated role which we are instructed to follow under the guidelines and commandments written in Torah.

There are two concepts; two sets of words which best describe the role the Jews are supposed to strive to attain. One is the aforementioned of “Be a light unto the nations”, and the other is, “Tikkun Olam” which best translates as “repair the world.” These two expectations are very much intertwined as each are their own path to making the world a better and more holy place and establishing the Kingdom of G0d here on the Earth or wherever mankind will eventually transport their civilizations. By the Jewish people being a holy people and a nation of priests, their sole purpose is to lead lives that are exemplary and worthy of standing as a high standard that reveals the best of humankind. For striving to live to such a standard, the Jewish people will be granted grace from G0d which will result in the lands providing for them and meeting their requirements. In many prayers this is often described by terminology which claims that should the Jewish people live such lives the rains will fall in their season and there will be abundance throughout the lands. As a form of priestly class the Jewish people are also required to instruct those who desire to learn Torah though we are not expected to seek converts or perform other evangelical actions. The vast numbers of commandments placed upon the Jewish people are completely internal and not actions or requirements to which we are to hold others. The sole affect the Jewish people are to have concerning the non-Jewish people is to be an exemplary peoples serving G0d and enacting his will in such a manner as to be the inspiration for the people as a whole and we are to perform this miraculous task while inhabiting a relatively small patch of land at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. No world conquest, no evil plots, no grand desires and no deceits. The Jewish people are to live simple lives of righteousness where performing deeds of mercy and hope are enough to complete their covenant and thus earn the rights to remain in the lands chosen by G0d in which they are to live. Where the description makes it all sound so easy, the reality is far more difficult as it requires removing our imperfections and constantly striving to walk in the L0rd’s path and committing our lives to G0d’s plans. All of what the Jews are to be and everything required of the Jews is found within Torah. That is much of the reason why many Jewish people treasure those individuals who dedicate their lives to the study, interpretation and teaching of Torah thus granting these seekers of knowledge and truth deferments from such banalities as military service as their service of Torah is simply another of the Israeli defense mechanisms, one whose attributes and contributions are impossible for most who are not learned in Torah to understand or even to discern and recognize. So, the next time you run into somebody proposing that the Jews are taking over the world, kindly please correct them and help put that evil slander to rest permanently. Shalom.

Beyond the Cusp

Is There a Window for Israeli Palestinian Peace?

The so-called “Window for Peace” between the Israelis and the Palestinians not only has closed but has been walled over with brick and mortar from the very start. This was done at the Arab Summit Conference in Khartoum, Sudan from August 29 to September 1, 1967. This was where the Arab countries jointly sealed shut the window for peace with Israel when they issued what has become known as the three no’s: 1) NO peace with Israel. 2) NO recognition of Israel. 3) NO negotiations with Israel. This was a hard and solemn pledge which was presumed to stand for all time. When Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, he broke the cardinal rules of the three no’s. For this crime Egypt was expelled from the Arab League and he was subsequently assassinated on October 6, 1981 by a soldier from the Egyptian military. It has been suspected that the Muslim Brotherhood with the support of a select group from the Egyptian military plotted the assassination. There were also a number of assassination attempts against Jordanian King Hussein after he made peace with Israel with the treaty signing on October 26, 1994. But this begs the question; what exactly has been this entire PLO and subsequent Palestinian Authority negotiations and preconditions and everything else making up the Israeli Palestinian peace process and the Oslo Accords if not something that breaks the three no’s vows?

Unfortunately, for those who rely on the Western mainstream media for their news, it appears that they are unable to translate anything spoken in Arabic. If one wishes to see the other side of Middle East Arab leaders such as Mahmoud Abbas, Salam Fayyad, Mahmoud Zahar, Khaled Mashal and the late Yasser Arafat among others tell their people in Arabic, it is necessary to research these people at Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) and Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Once you have witnessed their words translated into English you will realize that the words they speak in English are diametrically opposed to their words spoken in Arabic. That leaves you to decide which one is their use of Taqiyya, which one is lying in order to make gains for Islam or the Muslim people. Keep in mind that there are a number of Fatwa declaring Israel to be an illegal entity which Islam is destined and required to wipe from existence. When viewing their spoken truths in Arabic, one will realize that Mahmoud Abbas is no different from Yasser Arafat except that Abbas replaced Arafat’s fatigues and gun strapped to the belt for a coat and tie simply to give a Western appearance thus making his words more acceptable. He gave up the terrorist clothes for the terrorist ends. Another observation realized when viewing translations of these people’s Arabic speeches is they have absolutely no desire to be given their own country; they desire the destruction of Israel, or at least of Israel as a Jewish State. Their given reason to make an agreement with Israel is that it is but the first step towards the objective of complete destruction of the Zionist Entity. Even Mahmoud Abbas has stated that any peace treaty signed with the Jews does not signal the end of the resistance of the occupation, signal words for terror attacks and violence against Israelis.

Despite the fact that almost everybody commenting on the Peace Process knows that the Palestinians do not desire peace and are simply pretending to negotiate in order to make promises in exchange for funds, they still insist on making comments about a window of opportunity for peace as if such actually exists. The Palestinian Authority receives more aid per capita than any other country or group of people, and that is without even including Gaza and the Hamas faction of the Palestinians. Of all the refugee populations that exist in the world, only the Palestinian refugees have an organization which is solely responsible for their care. The name of this organization is UNRWA which somehow stands for “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”. This organization even has a unique definition as for who qualifies as a refugee and this definition is designed to allow refugee status to be handed down one generation to the next in perpetuity. Because of this unprecedented twisting of the definition of a refugee, the number of Palestinians denoted as refugees has swelled from under 800,000 to over 4,500,000 and still counting. It is a well-known truth in the political circles of the world that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority have never amended their charter in order to be in compliance with the initial conditions under the Oslo Accords. They have met on at least three occasions; when they had Western or United Nations observers present, the Palestinian Leadership Council has voted to form a committee to either amend or rewrite the charter to bring it in compliance with their promises under the Oslo Accords. Letters have been sent on two occasions stating the charter had been adjusted, despite no committee ever having suggested any changes and no vote ever taken to ratify such changes, once to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and once to United States President William Clinton. But what are a few lies, a little Taqiyya, between friends.

Yet, as happened once again this week, there are calls from many varied sources for Israel to make concessions or withhold from building beyond the Green Line as these things are necessary in order to make peace before the window of opportunity closes. The same window that was walled over by the Arab meeting in Khartoum and the issuing of the three no’s listed above. Many political leaders tie any peace that is made between the Palestinians and the Israelis as the first step towards forming a lasting peace with Israel having universally recognized borders. Perhaps these Pollyannish politicians should look into the stand of the other nations who were present at the Khartoum conference and ask if they would ever recognize Israel as a Jewish State. Ask Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and numerous others who still refuse to acknowledge the existence of Israel. There is not now nor ever has been nor ever will be an open window of opportunity for peace between the Muslim World and Israel. The truth on the window of peace between Israel and any of the nations and peoples surrounding her in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly some of Europe as well as things are going, will someday in the future open once again, and it will be after the Israelis have utterly destroyed the combined armies of her enemies or once Israel is a smoking ruin and her neighbors are dancing on top her ruins. As horrible as that may sound, it likely is the actual truth which nobody wants to speak despite knowing deep in their hearts that it likely will not end any other way.

Beyond the Cusp