The Race Begins

 

We now have a second entry in the move your embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Race. It was assumed that the United States would win this race potentially as its only entrant. Then we heard about the information that the Czech Republic might be joining the race and now Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has announced his baton’s intent to join the race. Then there is the other race where Turkey has been joined by Malaysia in announcing intent to build their embassy to the State of Palestine in Eastern Jerusalem. So, now we have two races claiming the same city for opposing entities which may result in a very confused pair of announcements all pretending that they are deciding some great question in history. The interpretive nature of this versus the literal legal perspective offers a rare but insightful view of the world today and the divides which rule us just as much as with whom we believe we are friends.

 

The equation is simple, move your embassy to western side of Jerusalem and you support Israel and everything the Jewish State stands for or move your embassy to eastern Jerusalem and support a Palestinian State simply because of spiteful feelings that Judaism is supposed to be dead and Islam supreme or simply you hate Israel as well as likely Jews who are religious or all Jews just over principles. Simple stated, Western Jerusalem, favor the Jewish State, Eastern Jerusalem, favor the eradication of Israel and possibly the Jews, leave your embassy in Tel Aviv, favor timidity and refuse to take any stand just in case it proves to be costly in the end. Those are the choices facing those with embassies. Those without embassies are most likely strongly anti-Israel and the Jews, so if you even play in this game, your vote will favor the Palestinian Arab side and the destruction of Israel; so you will place your initial embassy in Eastern Jerusalem voting against history, though you will see this as your affirmation that Israel is an illegal entity and that there need be another Arab state simply so there cannot be any Jewish existence anywhere on Earth. We could call this “Embassy-gate, the Battle of the Embassy Placements.” Pictured below are typical images of the Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in support of their respective sides. What is never revealed in the media coverage, outside of a few Israeli sites, is that the pro-Palestinian side is more in favor of the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of Israeli Jews than they favor any Palestinian nation being formed. Even the PLO stated quite proudly before the June 1967 Six Day War, when their target was unequivocally Israel and all of Israel as occupied Palestine as Jordan still controlled the areas of Judea and Samaria they renamed West Bank, to rid these locations of their Jewish identity and historical realities, made very clear that once they had destroyed Israel and cleansed the lands of any Jewish presence, they were going to turn the land over to Jordanian rule as they had absolutely no desire for governing any nation, their speciality was destruction and terrorism.

 

Pro Israel Demonstrators and Pro Palestinian Demonstrators

 

The reality becomes even more stark as to the legality of each side in this Embassy-gate, the Battle of the Embassy Placements as we get into the specifics for making good on each side’s threats and promises. The very first item up for consideration is the purchasing of the grounds upon which your embassy, consulate, or other structure you desire to build. Purchasing land in Western Jerusalem follows the same rules as much of the developed world, you decide on which plots of land you wish to build, research what plot locations define the area and who owns which sections and then buy them and file the appropriate papers for each section and build according to codes after procuring the necessary licenses and contracted with builders and build. Trying to do the same or similar in Eastern Jerusalem could prove more difficult. Should the land you need for building your dream embassy belong to an Arab and you are not a Palestinian Arab, then their selling you their plot could cost them their lives as selling Arab owned land to any non-Arab would result in your being sentenced to death by the PA* as guaranteed by Mahmoud Abbas. Then there are the other costs if Mahmoud Abbas or the PA are able to extend their reach as technically, you building in Eastern Jerusalem could be as simple and straight forward as it is in Western Jerusalem provided you are willing and able to conduct your business with Israeli officials. But if you are building an embassy to support the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel, then dealing with the Israelis just might be problematic.

 

Even should you get past the land purchasing dilemma, then comes the building permits, utility hook-ups, public works and all the other necessities for operating a modern embassy. Add onto all that there is finding a contractor, which if it is in Eastern Jerusalem could mean going through Mahmoud Abbas and the kickback schemes which he and his friends and family have in place to guarantee their financial security. Then again, you could work with Israeli contractors, unless they are on your list of enemies. Actually, finding a like-minded Israeli contractor who would gladly assist your embassy dreams in Eastern Jerusalem dedicated to serving the Palestinian Arab state might prove far easier than one might anticipate. But the specifics and technicalities are less important than the political and diplomatic fallout coming from the coming events. The result of the Battle of the Embassy Placements will have less influence on the far future than it now seems it could have. The far future will depend more on silly little items such as international law and the reality they define than on the emotional interplay and the coming Battle of the Embassy Placements. For Israel, as long as they do not partake of any other diplomatic disasters such as the renouncing of all claims to Gaza, this means that eventually Israel will have full control of the lands from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, just as defined in the Mandate System, the San Remo Conference and enforced by Article 80 of the United Nations Charter.

 

The current score in the Battle of the Embassy Placements is all tied at two embassies each. The United States and Guatemala have stated plans to move their embassies to Western Jerusalem with talks of possibly the Czech Republic also relocating their embassy to Western Jerusalem. On the other side, we have Turkey and Malaysia stating intentions to place their embassies in Eastern Jerusalem. The next step will be the long wait to see who decides to move their embassy, if anyone desires to do so, and then to which side of Jerusalem, Eastern or Western Jerusalem. Then there will be the logistics of each move and the battles over sites and licenses, construction contracts, lawsuits in the Israeli Supreme Court most often used to prevent any nation from constructing their embassies in Western Jerusalem. These will often be brought by NGO’s which have spent much of their time formerly pursuing the BDS** support largely though the United Nations and European countries, those same European nations and the PA, PLO^* and sympathetic Arab nations. The resistance to any nation moving their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, specifically Western Jerusalem, will be ever greater with time and as more nations attempt to commit to such a move. At the same time, those expressing support for the Palestinian Arabs will find their moving of an embassy to Eastern Jerusalem being given worldwide support during every phase until built, then they will be on their own, especially during the next announced “Days of Rage” when the Palestinians start destroying everything within reach. But they will declare any price worth paying to stand against Israel when what they mean is standing against the Jews. Those who survive and persevere through the entirety of the ordeal and manage to claim their new embassy in the Israeli capital city of Jerusalem, even if they couch their bet by using Western Jerusalem, will receive no great accolades for their stand with Israel and will instead reap the scorn of those siding against Israel and the Jews and other Zionists who support the efforts to reestablish the ancient home of the Jews bringing their Kingdom back to life and doing so hopefully for the final time. If prophesy meant this period of history for the reestablishing of Israel and the building of the Third and Final Temple, then nothing done by mortal man will prevent such from coming to fruition, and whether these embassies move supporting Israel or not, in the end Hashem decides the result and Hashem has promised the Holy Lands to the Jews. Israel will be glad to work with those desiring an Embassy to Israel being placed in Jerusalem, anywhere in Jerusalem for Jerusalem is a whole city where her citizens are free to live where they choose. For now, we wait and see what develops, especially with President Trump and the inevitable fight with the State Department which will likely attempt to delay each and every step for relocating the embassy claiming every step makes such a move impossible in the hopes of outlasting President Trump so the next President can return to the normal six month hold signed every six months thus escaping the inevitable. That is what the State Department is already doing with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson playing right along with his announcement that it will take at least two and possibly more years thus placing the actual construction to start into what would have to be a second term for President Trump and should he not be reelected, then the State Department can order everything to halt and stand down while they await the signing of the waiver by the newly elected President right after he is sworn into office. That would be a very sad end to this entire incidence.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

*PA = Palestinian Authority

**BDS = Boycott Divestment and Sanction Movement against Israel

^*PLO = Palestinian Liberation Organization (terrorist group)

 

As the Pacific Far East Crumbles Away

 

Eight years of steering the United States away from even the slightest whiff of conflict or controversy leaving virtually every former ally stuck out in the wind swept stormy seas of fate have started to leave some palpable damage along the Asian Pacific Rim. These damages may only last until the few weeks after the next Presidential Inauguration or may be cemented with more to follow; it all depends on the coming, and it can’t come too soon, American Elections. The slow tear between Washington and Manila may have just torn well past the turning point as the State Department may decide to hold on an agreed arms shipment for the Philippine Police because a single Senator, Benjamin Louis “Ben” Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, informed them he would block such a request. It seems unusual for an already approved arms deal would be held, maybe cancelled, because a single Senator raised his displeasure unless his displeasure was requested from a higher source who preferred hiding in the shadows this close to the election. No reason to risk the Philippine and other related votes in what might be a closer election than the media has painted. The reason, apparently, for Senator Cardin demanding the weapons be withheld was due to the violent manner in which the Philippine authorities are carrying out their resolute and determined crackdown on the drug lords and their criminal enterprises. The claim is that the Philippine government is using extrajudicial killings against the drug gangs because obviously there is little chance the drug gangs might be resisting the efforts to close their operations down. It is interesting to note that extrajudicial killings is exactly the same charge made by leftist Europeans, leftist Americans and the Arab lobby to throw at Israel whenever a terrorist is killed instead of coddled like a harmless puppy.

 

In nearby Malaysia, Premier Najib Razak also had some suggestions for Washington, though he directed them at the West in general referring to the former colonial powers when he cautioned, “It is not for them to lecture nations they once exploited on their internal affairs.” He was referring to the July lawsuits filed by the United States Justice Department implicating the Premier in a money-laundering scandal referencing more than three and a half billion dollars which were allegedly misappropriated. The Justice Department charges could not have anything to do with Najib is looking to strengthen ties with China and his recent six-day visit to Beijing. The United States State Department cannot be overly happy as Premier Razak’s China visit followed on the heels of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit. Not to worry folks, it’s all part of fundamental change President Obama promised in his October 30, 2008, speech where he stated, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” We would say job well done except that the entire job is not near finished. Yes, the news from the Far East, particularly the Philippines and Malaysia, but many allies of the United States have held silently strong knowing, or at least hoping and praying, that the United States would return to its former policies and things returning to previous normal. The four year hopes died hard and the eight year prayers will be determined within the coming five days even if there are states making recounts.

 

Malaysia Philippines and Indonesia

 

There is a theory that no matter the results of the Presidential Election there is one coming end of term surprise from the White House, a surprise President Obama wants the visceral satisfaction of performing personally. This is one that is so personal that President Obama may even take a vacation and visit Turtle Bay and the United Nations in order to call a Special Session of the Security Council to hear a proposal to solve what he has determined is tantamount to the root of all problems in the Middle East if not the world, solar system, galaxy or potentially the entirety of the Universe and all creation, Israel and the formation of an Arab State for the ‘Palestinians’ in Judea and Samaria with East Jerusalem as its Capital City. President Obama would be sure to relate how the recent UNESCO decision which removed all Jewish and Christian connection to the Temple Mount or the Old City of Jerusalem, which is most of East Jerusalem, and that it is solely a Muslim Holy Site thus would serve as a natural capital for a new Islamic Palestinian nation. This would be his argument along with the seeming international itch to take away a fair sized additional chunk of the lands originally promised for the Jewish State and form yet another doomed to fail Arab Muslim State reneging yet again making a mockery of international treaties. The only surprise would be such a move being vetoed by one of the other four permanent members of the Security Council; Britain, France, China or Russia. Is such likely? In a word, “Yes.” As to which one, that remains to be seen. Our guess has three in the following order least to most likely, China, Britain, or Russia.

 

That leaves a single pair of questions. One is whether nations which have started to distance themselves from the United States could be gathered back to the warm bosom of Washington and all the wondrous prizes that includes? Should the next President and advisors in the administration return to a more traditional set of policies, then time will reset most relations. Some of those who have moved away or distanced such as the above mentioned Malaysia and Philippines and includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and an additional small selection largely in Eastern Europe will move further from United States orbit unless concerted and deliberate efforts are expended. Even then the chances of returning all will prove near impossible. Nations such as Iraq and Egypt may be lost for the foreseeable future as Russia and China pick up influence. Still. The majority of estranged nations would gladly return given the slightest of efforts. That is the good and the bad side, but there is a worse possibility.

 

What could be worse than losing as many as a half dozen or potentially more lost due to the changes made during President Obama’s Administrations? Well, the continuation of this path which is and always was an idea which found favor in the State Department no matter the President and their policy preferences. Many Presidents since some time after World War I and the infestation of Progressive, Leftist anti-American policies siding with virtually every enemy of the United States changing hands while the highest levels nurture whatever opposing force of the moment that faces the United States with the chain simply altering as the leadership is always passed to those supporting the subversion. These State Department employees are Civil Service workers who are protected by Civil Service rules and very strong unions, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) or the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE). There have been instances where these unions have been suspected on working on campaigns, something quite unethical if not illegal. Should the advisors from the State Department continue in their privileged positions for setting foreign policy, then the current damage will only come closer to becoming permanent and the United States losing her position as leader of the free world. There are those who are claiming that continuing the current policies will lead to the death of the free world. Our comment is to say not so fast. There are places where freedom is still strong and others where freedom is slowly growing. Will there be a terrible and rough period? There are always such, the areas affected simply change with time. Hope should never be lost as cycles are a constant and things constantly change and that is unavoidable. As for what level of hope one should hold? Wait just a bit and we will get back to you on that.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

If Only! If Only!!!

 

They are at it again, blowing off steam, pacing, pouting and protesting everything. But best of all, they’re threatening again the one threat they would never ever, ever carry through. The two most vocal of the Arab Authority have taken to the media and threatened to dissolve their governance and turn governing Judea and Samaria over to the Israelis threatening that then Israel will be forced to govern and perform the requirements of an occupying power. Mahmoud Abbas threatened this on Sunday and Saeb Erekat made the threat again on Monday. Whenever I hear this empty threat my first thought is always, “If only!” The first item the Israeli government should commit to is permitting the Arab refugees which Mahmoud Abbas, Saeb Erekat and the rest of the Arab Authority pretenders have shown their great concern and sympathy for their fellow Arabs in the camps in Judea and Samaria and under the autonomy and governance of the Arab Authority (we will no longer refer to them as the name they use to try and replace the Jews as the rightful owners to the Promised Land when they use their name of Palestinian Authority to claim that Jesus was a Palestinian and not a Jew and they are the real modern descendants of the Israelites from the Old Testament thus the new term of Arab Authority) keeping them isolated and living in poverty and without any possibility of attaining employment or living outside the concrete refugee camp where they remain isolated from their Arab brothers just outside the camp and liberate them freeing them to live free and have the same rights as the rest of the Arabs residing in Judea and Samaria. They should be permitted to seek employment and be treated the same as any Arab living within the areas which were under the Arab Authority kleptocracy.

 

The threat that Mahmoud Abbas and Saeb Erekat are making does have consequences for the Israelis. The consequence has nothing to do with their threats but with the mendacious and perfidy of the Europeans, United States, United Nations and those who now send trillions of Euros and Dollars to the Arab Authority as if such funds will actually be used to assist the Arabs living within the Arab Authority and not have much of the funding end up in numbered Swiss bank accounts of the leadership of the Arab Authority. It was ignored that Mahmoud Abbas and sons ran multiple construction contracting companies who received an inordinate number of contracts where little work was accomplished but funds were authorized and the monies simply disappeared. The funds which have gushed into the Arab Authority will dry up without a single dollar, without a single Euro, without as much as even a collapsed and nearly worthless Ruble will be sent to assist Israel in caring for the same Arabs. But that does not matter as once the Arabs are freed from the Arab Authority oppressions and depredations and permitted to find employment, start their own businesses, and with time find work within Israel once they are cleared and given work permits to cross into Israel and no longer needing to gain the permission of the kleptocracy and are permitted to work for themselves and gain from the sweat of their own brow and they will soon realize the depth and deprivations of their oppression under Abbas who was no different or less corrupt than was Arafat before him as the acorn that is Abbas did not fall far from the master Arafat and the difference was in attire, not in practice, dishonesty or theft of the bread and butter from their subjects’ mouths.

 

This threat is not aimed at Israel as in Israel they are aware that given the ‘burden’ of taking over running of the areas of Judea and Samaria would have its challenges but with time the Arabs would learn that the Israelis were not the problem and the reason why they were deprived of the treasure from the efforts at making a living or living a decent life free from the oppressions the oligarchy placed upon them and denials of freedoms. The freedom to make a living and to be employed and to employ those you choose free of interference from the governance which hung over them would initially amaze and eventually become a liberating experience. Allowing Israel to take control over Judea and Samaria would be a boon for entrepreneurs willing to invest and open businesses in manufacturing, service, food and in all manner of enterprise which could initially be permitted their first two years free from many taxes to encourage such investments.

 

But the benefits for all would go far beyond the economic liberty and opportunities which would be presenting a world of difference from the restricted opportunities controlled and limited by the Arab Authority. The education system could be completely revamped changing the emphasis from the destruction of Israel and hatred of Jews to something revolutionary, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic and the other subjects which would offer the next generation with the added opportunity to be self-sufficient. They would still be educated in their religion but also be given an education which would facilitate a better future with new opportunities and facilitate future generations who will forge a greater future for all the Arabs within Judea and Samaria giving them an equal chance for a future equal to that of every Israeli. Israel was an agrarian economy through the 1960s and into the 1970s and then things changed with the influx of thousands of Russian Jews who were trained in computer sciences, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, numerous other forms of engineering, theoretical sciences and the entire span of the sciences amongst other subjects which altered Israeli society. This influx was timed almost perfectly with an increasingly urban population and the necessity for new areas of employment and industrialization. This change of the emphasis in a society from agrarian to high tech took some time but the change took place and Israel became a technological wonder in the ensuing decades. The same transformation could be performed with the population in Judea and Samaria and Mahmoud Abbas and Saeb Erekat both are fully aware that once they permit Israel to give the Arabs they currently oppress would result in their never being permitted to return to power and possibly result in their fleeing before they were held responsible by those they cheated from having a full life and permitted to achieve to their full potential.

 

So, exactly why are Mahmoud Abbas and Saeb Erekat once again making their empty threat to end their governance, or should I be honest and call it what it really is, mis-governance, of Judea and Samaria? They are doing this for the same reason that they make any of their preposterous, over-the-top, exaggerated, outrageous and ridiculously excessive threats; to simply panic the United States, Europeans and to signal the regiments of NGOs to go into full panic mode exclaiming the coming disaster and thus get all the regular targets to pressure the Israelis while pledging to provide additional billion of funds, if not trillions, and politicians from the entire world pleading them to remain and continue doing that which only they are capable of performing, raising the next generation which will assist in the terrorism and political elimination arguments and actions which may work towards the day when Israel will be eliminated and those who have worked so diligently behind the efforts can still say the eulogies and proclaim their sorrow and regret that the Jewish state fell before unforgiving pressures from all directions which they themselves had no hand in, honest, they will proclaim their absolute innocence and refute any who claim otherwise. This exercise is performed on the stage of ludicrous pronouncements mixed with massive amounts of over-dramatization plus no small measure of prevarication and punctuated with hyperbolic histrionics all played out on the world’s stage before an always pliant and hungry Western appetite ready to dance to the Arab Authority depictions of honest execution of truth all in a dishonest effort to pander to their sympathetic Western fools. This particular passion play is being performed for a particular reason. The Arab Authority is aiming to reapply for recognition of statehood before the United Nations Security Council as January brought a changing of the guard, so to speak. The changes in the Security Council are Australia who voted against and is being replaced by New Zealand, Rwanda who abstained being replaced by Angola, South Korea who abstained is being replaced by Malaysia, Luxembourg who voted in favor is being replaced by Spain, and Argentina who voted in favor is being replaced by Venezuela. As all that the Palestinian require if all the remainder of the nations carried over to the New Year vote as they did in the previous vote is for New Zealand, Angola or Malaysia to vote in favor and for Spain and Venezuela to vote in favor as did Luxembourg and Argentina in the previous vote. Basically what it comes down to is for Spain and Venezuela to vote in favor as Malaysia is very likely to vote in favor giving the Palestinians the ninth vote and if either should change their vote to abstain or against, then either New Zealand or Angola would need to vote in favor to balance the equation. Unfortunately, it does appear that the Palestinians if they get their petition before the Security Council again in this new Security Council which is quite likely as Jordan will be serving as the President in January it will almost assuredly pass. Should the Palestinians gain the nine necessary votes the question becomes what will the five permanent members do, would any use their overriding veto? Since France, China and Russia supported the previous attempt they would be unlikely to use their veto which leaves Britain and the United States. There is a remote possibility that the United States might decide not to veto the petition which might not matter as if that were to be the case, it is actually possible that Britain’s Prime Minister Cameron might instruct their Ambassador to veto the petition, despite as surprising as many might find such a move. Between the Arab Authority’s current temper tantrum and their plans to reapply to the United Nations Security Council to force Israel to surrender to the Palestinian territorial demands it is not going to be a boring start to this New Year. It is an ancient Chinese curse which wishes for one to live in interesting times; perhaps things such as this are the actual meaning of interesting which would make it definitely a curse.

 

Beyond the Cusp