HEBRON DAY-LORD HAVE MERCY

The LORD used the 1967 defensive war against Egypt, Jordan and Syria to demonstrate His Divine interest in this land. (We have been told by several different sources that the American West Point war strategy courses do not include Israeli wars because they contain too much that cannot be explained from the perspective of military strategy; how do you include Divine intervention in a course on strategy?)

Out of this war have emerged two significant modern Israeli holidays: Yom Jerushalayim/Jerusalem Day and Hebron Day.

On Wednesday we were on the streets of Jerusalem with thousands of flag clad people celebrating with a Flag Parade through the streets to the Western Wall, the Kotel; by the time we reached the Old City its streets were too crowded for us to enter, but palpable energy surged all around us as people danced, waved flags and sang.

Yesterday, Thursday, we joined a tour to Hebron, the holy city liberated on the third day of the 6 Day War, to celebrate Hebron Day. Poignancy merged with sadness at the conditions under which Jews live in Hebron, the ancient home of Abraham and the Patriarchs; a place that should, without question belong to Israel since there is a chapter long title deed recorded in Genesis 23.

Incidentally and interestingly, the three specific plots of land that are on record as purchased with a specific price and contract, the cave of Machpelah, purchased by Abraham; the threshing floor of Araunah, the Temple mount, purchased by David (II Samuel 24:18-25); and the field near Shechem (I'm not sure of the details, but will fill them in when I have them) are today all in territory hotly contested by Arab/Palestinian claims, and under PA control.

Back to Hebron Day. Our visit to Hebron created extremely mixed feelings. On one hand the excitement of Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum and the small community of Jews who live there now, and on the other the sadness regarding the conditions under which they are forced to live. Since there is a history of massacres from 1929 on, military guard is constant and necessary. There is, of course debate in virtually all quarters regarding the wisdom of a Jewish presence in Hebron, but Rabbi Hochbaum and his community see it as a responsibility and privilege to be the protectors of the ancient home of their Father Abraham, even if military protection is deemed necessary.

Although 80% of Hebron belongs to the Arab/Palestinian community and Jews are not allowed in it at all, the 20% area belonging to the Jews has 15,000 Arab/Palestinians living in it, alongside only about 1,000 Jews; the Jews are a minority in their own small piece.

Did we hear someone say "apartheid"?

In the small playground by the original seven trailers in the recognized Jewish section, some of which can be seen in the background, Rabbi Hochbaum told us some of the many stories associated with the re-establishment of a Jewish presence in this ancient site.

The next few photographs show images of how the community needs to be protected; not to separate itself, as "apartheid" proponents would argue, but to protect itself.

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The above image shows the entrance to the tomb of Ruth.

In the image above, soldiers are returning to their small base after duty.

Rabbi Hochbaum then took us to Beit HaShalom, an uncompleted shopping mall that the community purchased from an Arab owner for $700,000.00 a few years ago; since then, however, they have been engaged in a legal battle which has not yet been settled. In-spite-of the opposition, and because the title deed is legal, three families are living in it as they slowly continue to prepare the whole space for use. Unfortunately, military guard needs to be constant, but the hope and potential are huge.

Although, as you see above, the entrance is not quite your everyday peaceful entryway, it does lead us into a space where friendly people go about their daily business.

The children appeared happy even with circumstances as they are; no incitement to hate those who make life difficult, but rather , as the house name "HaShalom" indicates, encouragement to live together in peace. We did not hear from the children, as we did in the schools of Beit Shemesh, but these children's happy faces told a story of hope for the future.

After our return from Hebron, as we relaxed with lemonade and the Jerusalem Post, I came across an editorial by Michael Freund that I will include for you as a conclusion today.

Something needs to be done about this conflict situation, and Michael draws attention to it eloquently. He certainly is not the only well informed and articulate proponent of this position; I have written earlier about Caroline Glick's view expressed in her new book THE ISRAELI SOLUTION, and Yoram Ettinger's presentation on demographics and the feasibility of extending Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, which we heard at the Institute for Israel Studies at Ramat Rachel earlier.

Enjoy Michael's presentation and pray for PEACE.

Fundamentally Freund: It’s annexation time

By MICHAEL FREUND

05/28/2014 22:42

"47 years ago this week, Judea and Samaria were liberated from foreign occupation; Now let’s finally absorb them into Israel where they so belong.

Israeli youth hike up to Hebron on Jerusalem Day Photo: hagai Glass

With the collapse of American-led efforts to revive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, the peace process has largely faded from view, as the prospect of a deal seems more remote than ever.

Even the key players appear to have moved on, as US Secretary of State John Kerry is now busy trying to botch up another foreign policy challenge, the pope is attempting to get President Shimon Peres to pray, and large parts of Europe are sinking into a morass of xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

But despite the absence of discernible diplomatic efforts, Israel should not be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Now is the time for some dramatic decision-making and for steps to be taken which will advance Israel’s national interests and strengthen any future negotiating position. In other words: it’s annexation time.

In the most recent round of recriminations, the Palestinians demonstrated that they are not interested in peace. Maximalist demands, combined with an unwillingness to make even minimalist concessions, revealed the rejectionism that lies at the heart of the Palestinian cause.

Nonetheless, the Left and others continue to highlight the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as the crux of the problem, the obstacle in the way of peace.

The nebulous status of the settlements in Israeli law only serves to contribute to the strength of their argument. After all, they assert, if even right-wing governments have refrained from annexing Jewish settlements, then surely that implies that everything is on the table.

It is time to disabuse the Left, and especially the Palestinians and the world, of this dangerous delusion, and to formally incorporate the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as part of the State of Israel and anchor their status in law. Doing so will remove any lingering doubts about Israeli intentions and bolster Israel’s hand. It will show the Palestinians that there is a tangible price for their obstinacy, and underline the fact that time is not on their side, since the longer they choose to wait, the less there will be to discuss.

Fortunately, a growing number of government ministers and Knesset Members are looking to do just that, advancing bills which would annex most of Area C, the 60 percent of Judea and Samaria currently under Israeli control. This past Monday, a total of 10 such bills were submitted to the Knesset plenum, with coalition chairman MK Yariv Levin of Likud-Beytenu and MK Orit Struck of Bayit Yehudi leading the charge.

These bills would extend Israeli law and administration to the areas, giving them a status equivalent to that of any other part of the State of Israel. Currently, the IDF is considered the legal sovereign in Judea and Samaria. Since regions such as the Jordan Valley, Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma’aleh Adumim will remain part of Israel regardless of whether a deal is ever reached, there is no compelling reason not to annex them now. Why should the tens of thousands of Israelis who live in these communities not enjoy the same status and services as their friends and loved ones in Tel Aviv or Netanya?

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has also put forward an interesting proposal to enlarge Jerusalem’s borders by creating a “Greater Jerusalem” that would include surrounding communities such as Givat Ze’ev, Beitar Illit, Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion. Modeled along the lines of Greater London and Greater Paris, each suburb would retain its identity and municipal autonomy while being run under the auspices of a joint local authority.

But perhaps the most wide-ranging plan thus far is the one that Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett proposed at the end of April, when he said that Israel would gradually annex Area C.

“The era of Oslo is over and we are entering a new era of realism,” Bennett rightly pointed out, adding, “That means we invest massively in joint infrastructure for Arabs and Jews in Judea and Samaria.”

In Area C, there are just 70,000 Palestinians, along with over 350,000 Israelis, so absorbing these areas into the State of Israel would not threaten the Jewish character or demography of the state. Sure, much of the international community would not be happy with such a move, and it would entail diplomatic consequences.

But at a time when the Palestinians are creating facts on the ground, applying for membership in international organizations, building illegally throughout Judea and Samaria and courting Hamas to form a unity government, Israel cannot and must not sit with folded hands.

47 years ago this week, our brave soldiers liberated Judea and Samaria from foreign occupation after 19 long centuries of exile. Now, at last, let’s send a clear and unambiguous message for all the world to see, and absorb them into the State of Israel where they so belong."

Pray for the Israeli Government to find the LORD's wisdom in making decisions regarding these issues.

Some of us strongly believe that it is time to move in this direction for the sake of peace and wellbeing for all.

The LORD Bless you and Keep you!