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Temple Mount (Part 1): If it is absurd and doesn’t make sense, it must be God.

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An aerial view of the Temple Mount as it stands today.

According to the Word of God, God said to King David that his son Solomon would build him a sanctuary. King Solomon built the first Holy Temple atop what is known as the Temple Mount in the 10th century BCE.

On the 1st of August, Israel will observe the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av. On this day both temples were destroyed. The 3 weeks before the 9th of Av are known as the time “Between the Straits” which is a time mourning the destruction of the Second Holy Temple and the 2000 year exile from the Land of Israel, until Israel became a nation again in 1948. It is also the date that many other tragedies befell the Jewish people. The Jewish sages say that those who mourn the destruction of Jerusalem will merit seeing it rebuilt with the coming of the Messiah (of course, we know that the Messiah has already come the first time, and will come again.) [Read more about the 9th of Av]
Three days after the beginning of the weeks of “Between the Straits”, on July 14th, three Muslim terrorists who were Israeli citizens from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, northwest of Haifa, walked toward the Lions’ Gate and opened fire at Israeli troops guarding the Temple Mount, then fled into the Temple Mount. The troops chased them, engaged and shot the terrorists dead inside the complex.
Immediately, Israel installed metal detectors at the gates to the Muslim-administered sites on the Temple Mt. The move rocked the Muslim world, perceiving it as an Israeli attempt to take over control over the Muslim holy sites.
Logically, Israel assumed that the world would understand that measures have to be taken to prevent further attacks, and that Israel has no intention of taking over the Muslim sites, as Israel had announced many times.
Nevertheless, the metal detectors set off widespread protests and a wave of violence that set a Palestinian terrorist on a murder spree against a family of Israeli residents of a settlement in the West Bank, murdering 3 members of the Jewish family. Then there was another incident in Jordan when an Israeli guard in the Israeli Embassy was attacked by a terrorist with a screwdriver, and the guard responded by shooting and killing him and another Jordanian. A Jordanian mob demanded the death sentence for the Israeli guard. With pressure from the world and Jordan to restore the calm, Israel agreed to remove the metal detectors (also in exchange for the return of the Israeli Embassy guard.)
Israel announced it would replace the metal detectors with new security measures. These would reportedly include “advanced technologies,” sophisticated cameras and additional police deployments.
This set the Palestinians on another massive demonstration outside the Temple Mount. They continued to chant that “Al-Aqsa is in danger” and “under attack,” by the Israeli “occupiers.”
This  libel has been going on for years. It is inspired by the incitement of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement and the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey, Qatar, Gaza Hamas and in Israel proper (even though they are illegal in Israel.) Hundreds of terrorists throughout the years have taken to Israel’s streets and stabbed, rammed and shot dozens of Jews to death, with the false cry that “Al-Aqsa is in danger”.
The libel has now brought blood to the Temple Mount, to the doorstep of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It now threatens the status quo Israel has for years sworn to protect, despite the denial of the right of the Jews to the Temple Mount. This is what forced the Israeli officers to fire their weapons to stop the terrorists, and actually defend the Muslim holy site, and the Muslim worshipers at the site from being harmed. This is the absurdity of the current events on the Temple Mount. [Read More about the status quo]
The protesters shouted, “We will not kneel, for Mohammad is our leader. Khayber*, Oh Jews, the army of Mohammad will return.” (*Khayber was an Arabian Jewish town whose residents were slaughtered by Mohammad in the seventh century.) “It’s a promise for the future war.”
As of this writing, to prevent riots and mobs gathering outside the Temple Mount that can ignite the fire of violence, Israel agreed to remove all measures of surveillance, including cameras and agreed to the demands of the Palestinian leadership to go back to the way things were conducted before the July 14th incident.

     The history of the Temple Mount starts and ends with Israel.

The beginning:

Israelite period – The Jewish King David bought the Temple Mount grounds from the Jebusite, Araunah, for fifty pieces of silver (2 Sam. 24:24). In response to God’s command, David’s son, King Solomon built the First Temple on the Mount.
Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the Second Temple was built by the Jews, completed and dedicated in 516 BCE.
Around 519 BCE Herod the Great expanded the Temple and the platform on which it stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
Roman and Byzantine periods – Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem and changed the name of the city to Aelia Capitolina. All Jews were forbidden to enter the city or the surrounding territory around the city.
In 325 CE, the Christian Emperor Constantine I, destroyed the Jupiter shrine on the Temple Mount. He allowed Jews to enter Jerusalem once a year, on the 9th of Av. The Temple Mount was neglected by the Romans.
Byzantine period – The Byzantines built elaborate church buildings, monasteries and other public buildings on the Temple Mount.
Muslim period – In 637 CE Muslim Arabs conquered Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire. Caliph Umar built the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. It was completely destroyed and rebuilt several times, the last one was rebuilt in 1035 and still stands today.
In 691 CE Caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount (Qubbat as-Sakhra). (The dome was covered in gold in 1920)
These are the main holy sites to the Muslims after Mecca and Medina. The Dome of the Rock is located close to the area where the Jewish Holy Temple previously stood. The mosques and shrines are currently administered by the Waqf.
The Crusaders – In 1099 the First Crusaders captured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount and converted the mosques into churches.
Back to Muslim rule – In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin re-conquered the Dome of the Rock and al-Aksa. They were returned to Muslim houses of worship, until the present.
The Ottoman Empire – The Turkish Ottoman Muslim Empire conquered Palestine in 1516. They prohibited non-Muslims from visiting the Temple Mount until the early 19th century.
British Mandate – After WWI, the entire area was conquered by the British, including the Old City of Jerusalem. The Mandate maintained the Muslim status quo of the Temple Mount and Jordan established the current Waqf (religious Muslim Council of the holy places on the Temple Mount.) [Read more about the Waqf]
The State of Israel – Israel won the war of 1948 against five Arab nations. But Jerusalem and the West Bank remained occupied by Jordan. Jews were completely expelled from the Old City including the Temple Mt. They were barred from entering the Old City for 19 years, effectively banning Jewish prayer at the site of the Western Wall.

Closure of cycle: Israel occupies the Temple Mount once again

Israel period – On June 7, 1967, Israel won the Six Day War against neighboring enemies Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. In the fighting against Jordan, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from the Jordanians. The Temple Mt. site remains within the area controlled by the State of Israel, but the administration of the site remains in the hands of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.
Arabs can enter the Temple Mount through one of ten different Muslim-only gates from various places in the Old City. Non-Muslims and Jews are only allowed access to the site through the Mugrabim Gate (via the Mugrabim Bridge) which is located just above to the left of the Kotel, (Western Wall) plaza. Non-Muslims are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.

Insight

As we see, God has fulfilled His promises and closed the cycle. Now that Israel has come back to the Land, the Temple Mount is in Israel’s hands. For now, God allows that it will be religiously under Muslim control, even if Jews cannot pray up there to the God of Israel (in a religious way.) Why does God allow such an absurd situation? Because of His timing.  If Israel had taken control of the Temple Mount religiously, the Jewish religious leaders would have started building the third Temple, and it is not God’s time, it’s not His purpose yet for Israel.
     Please pray. As tensions mount in Jerusalem, with many Israeli security and police guards, and many heated Muslims chanting anti-Jewish slogans, there is the danger of clashes and violence to erupt.Pray for protection and peace.  

Unrest at the Temple Friday morning.

Names (Part 1): God Changes Names – Man Changes Names

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God-Elohim has many names. When Moses asked Him what His Name is, so he could tell the people of Israel that this is  Who sent him, God replied: “I will be whoever I will be, אהיה ‬‬‬אשר אהיה (future tense). He calls Himself ‫יהוה‬ (Yehova, Was, Is and Is To Be). In the first name the letter ‫ה ‬ (H) appears four times, in the second it appears twice. When God changed Abram’s name ‫אברם ‬ (high father) to ‫ אברהם ‬ AbraHam, He added the letter ה (H) meaning father of many nations. In the same way, He changed Abraham’s wife’s name Sarai to SaraH  ‫ה‬.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

There was a reason for both name changes. It was so that they would know that He has a purpose for the two of them as mother and father of the son of promise. However, by the time God gave Abraham the promise that his seed would be as the stars and sand (Gen. 15:5,) and that through him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed, Abraham and his wife Sarah were too old to have children. Sarah gave her Egyptian maid Hagar to her husband Abraham to be the surrogate mother of their future heir, and Ishmael was born. But he was not the Son of the Promise.

Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that Sarah would bear him a child. Abraham said to himself: “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” (Gen. 17:17-18)

God made it clear to Abraham that Isaac, not Ishmael was the Son of the Promise:
Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac (will laugh – in Hebrew). I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you.“

Just as the Lord had said, a year later Sarah gave birth to Isaac. God told Abraham to send Ishmael away (he settled in Paran in Arabia,) that He would make him there a great nation also:
God said to Abraham, “Do not be grievous because of the boy (Ishmael) and because of your slave woman…For from Isaac will your seed be called.” (Gen. 21:12)

So two great nations came out of Abraham; the Arabs from Ishmael (not the Seed of the Promise) and Israel, from Isaac – the Seed of the Promise.
[Read more about the Promise on our Blog]

Where does the name Israel come from?

The name “Israel” comes from the Hebrew words Isra (verb meaning to wrestle) and El (meaning God). Genesis 32:24-30:
“And Jacob remained alone (all night). A man fought with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not prevail, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. The man said, “Let go of me! It’s daylight.” And he said: “I will not let you go until you bless me.”  Then the man asked, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel. You have wrestled with God (Elohim) and with men and you have prevailed. Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”  “Why do you ask for my name?” (Don’t you know who I am?) And he blessed him there. And Jacob named the place Peniel (face of God), because he said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.”

God reaffirmed the change of name, the Blessing, and the Promise, in Gen. 35:9-12:
Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-Aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel and blessed him, saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel. “And God, Elohim said to him, I am El Shaddai, be fruitful and multiply, a big nation and a multitude of nations will come out of you. And kings will come out of your loins. And the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your seed after you I will give the land.”

Modern archaeology confirms the Biblical account of ‘Israelite’ people in the land of Canaan sometime during the first Iron Age. These people differentiated themselves from the Canaanites by not intermarrying, genealogy, and religion.

In the Bible, Israel is mentioned 2566 times. Only the Name of God is mentioned more times. There are many prophetic scriptures concerning Israel including Isa. 11:12, Isa. 66:8, Ezek. 37:21, Jer. 31:3,10-11, Ezek. 34:28. It is to Israel  that God says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love”, and that he is “the apple of His (God’s) eye”.

So Where does the name Israel come from? From the Lord Himself, its the name that God gave to change Jacob’s name, and use for His people and His Promised Land He gave them.

Where does the name Palestine come from?
Read part two in our next newsletter.

Names (Part 2): God Changes Names – Man Changes Names

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PART TWO

Where does the name Palestine come from?

All of the various Western names such as Palestine, Palestina, and Philistia, come from the original Hebrew word Peleshet, from the root Palash, which is a verb meaning to roll in the dust of the earth and to invade. The Egyptians identified the Pelishtim as “Sea Peoples.” The Pelishtim were not native Canaanites, but invaders from Phoenicia. Pottery found from the cities of Ekron and Ashdod in Philistia are similar in style to pottery found in the Aegean Sea area and on Cyprus. Their main god was Dagon. (Judg. 16:23; 1 Sam. 5:1-7)

The first clear use of the term Palestine that refers to the area between Phoenicia and Egypt occurred in 5th century BCE ancient Greece when Herodotus described a “district of Syria, along the Mediterranean coast called “Palaistine“, which included the Judean Mountains and the Jordan Rift Valley. Other writers referred to the region as Coele-Syria (“all Syria”) around 10-20 CE.

The Jewish historian Josephus (37-100 AD) quotes Herodotus in referring to “Syria of Palaistine” and “the Syrians that are in Palaistine“, inhabitants of Palaistine who are circumcised are Jews.” This confirms that Jews lived in Palaistine at that time.

In the Bible, the names “Palestia” or “Philistia” occur fewer than ten times in the Old Testament. For example: “What have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the coasts of Palestia?” (Joel 3:4- 4:4; Exod. 15:14; Isa. 14:29, 31; Ps. 60:8; 83:7; 87:4; 108:9). The term is never used to refer to the whole land of Israel, but to the southwestern coastal area. The rest of the land was called Canaan.

The inhabitants of Peleshet were called the Pelishtim, Philistines in English. This word occurs 287 times in the Hebrew Bible (Some examples: Gen. 10:14; 26:1; Exod. 13:17, etc., many in Judg., 1 & 2 Sam., and 1 Chron., Jer. 6:26; Ezek. 27:30; Mic. 1:10).

The Pelishtim

From the time the Israelites first entered Canaan, under Joshua’s leadership, the “Philistines” were and remained the enemies of Israel. Their centers of power were the five cities/states along the coast of southern Canaan: Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. However, their battlegrounds of fighting Israel spread to other parts of the country, the most famous one, David against the giant Philistine Goliath (from the city of Gath). Those cities were promised by God to the tribe of Judah in Joshua 15:1, 46, 47: “This then was the lot of the tribe of Judah…from Ekron to the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their Villages; Ashdod with its towns and villages, Gaza with its towns and villages-as far as the Brook of Egypt and the Great Sea (Mediterranean) with its coastline.”

The ancient Philistines are long gone and there are no descendants. God said in His word that He would destroy the Philistines in several prophecies including: “Thus said Lord YHVH: I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines and cut off the Cherethites and wipe out the last survivors of the seacoast” (Ezek 25:15-16).

Jeremiah forewarns that “the day is coming” when “YHVH will ravage the Pelishtim, the remnant from the island of Caphtor” (Jer 47:4). Archeologists believe Caphtor is likely the island of Crete.

Neither “Palestina” or “Philistia” occur in the Greek New Testament. When Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Roman government issued a coin with the phrase “Judea Capta,” meaning Judea has been captured. The term Palestine was never used in the early Roman days.

It was not until the Romans crushed the second Jewish revolt against Rome in 135 CE under the leadership of Bar Kochba that Emperor Hadrian changed the name of the Land of Israel to Palestine.  He replaced the Jewish shrines in Jerusalem with temples to pagan deities and changed the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitalina. Hadrian’s choice of the name Palestine was not accidental. He used the name of the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines and gave it a western name to replace the name Land of Israel. His purpose was to erase the name Israel from all memory and erase the Jewish connection to the land.

Following the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, names of places that were in use by the Byzantine administration generally continued to be used in Arabic, including the use of the name “Palestine.” The land was still Palestine when it became part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the years 1517-1917.

In the 20th century, after the British won the 1st World War and conquered the land from the Turks, the name was used by the British to refer to “Mandatory Palestine”, though they called the land on both sides of the Jordan River, Palestine. This became the accepted geo-political term for several decades, and those who lived in the land were called Palestinians, whether they were Jews, Arabs or Europeans.
Today’s Palestinians
After Israel became a nation in 1948, the name of the land was changed back to Israel and the Jews were called Israelis. Only in 1968, The Palestinian National Charter, as amended by the PLO’s Palestinian National Council  defined “Palestinians” as “those Arab nationals who, until 1947, normally resided in Palestine regardless of whether they were evicted from it or stayed there. Anyone born, after that date, of a Palestinian father—whether in Palestine or outside it—is also a Palestinian.”

Unfortunately, today even many Christians continue to refer to the Land of Israel as Palestine. by this, they join the world, pagans, and haters of Israel in calling Israel by the anti-Israel term of Palestine.

The enemy of God hates the reality of the restoration of Israel as the nation that will ultimately receive Jesus as the Messiah at His return and be saved. God chose Israel as His people and Jerusalem as His dwelling place. There is no mention in His word of Palestine or Palestinian people occupying the land. He gave the people of Israel the Land for an everlasting possession. The only term we, as believers in Yeshua, should use for the Land of Israel is Israel, and the so-called occupied territories Judea and Samaria.

So Where does the name Palestine come from? As opposed to the name Israel, which God chose, Palestine is a name that men chose to usurp God’s authority and purpose for His Promised Land and People.

Please pray for God’s truth to prevail in the Land of Israel and the world.
[Read more about the history of Israel in our Blog: History from the Ottoman Empire to the Establishment of the State of Israel and The Land of Israel Was Legally Purchased]

President Trump’s visit to Jerusalem

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Family Prayer at the Western Wall (on the Men’s side). Read more about the History of the Western Wall.

In an interview with Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief, Boaz Bismuth at the White house last week, Trump was asked by Bismuth whether he had a message for the Israeli public ahead of his historic visit. Trump did not hesitate for a second before saying, “I love the people of Israel, I am working very hard to finally have peace for the people of Israel and the Palestinians and hopefully that can come about much sooner than anybody has ever projected. It is a tremendous possibility. It is good for all. This is a deal that is good for all. And I would consider it one of my crowning achievements if I can do it. We have the right people on it, too.”

Trump’s plan is to visit Jerusalem after his visit to Saudi Arabia. His goal is to succeed where Obama has failed; he wants to be the US president that can do the impossible, make a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

Former US Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Obama seriously believed that they would be able to resolve the conflict, if the two sides want it. During their terms, they put quite a lot of effort, and pressure (mainly on Israel) for the two sides to come to the negotiations table and make concessions, painful ones if necessary. None of them was able to achieve the goal and end the conflict. PM Netanyahu was mostly blamed for the failure; everyone knows that the Jews are stiff-necked people. They all agreed that the solution remains: two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace, in the 1967 borders with slight amendments.

As Trump became president, there was new hope in Israel; he is going to be different, he will be on our side and not pressure Israel. Trump would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and allow continued building in E. Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. And not object the annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria. But Israel may be in for a surprise in the visit of Trump.

Trump will first visit Saudi Arabia before coming to Israel. Saudi is an important partner in the peace deal and business deal of the billions of dollar arms sales. The Saudis don’t object to having diplomatic relationship with Israel, at Trumps’ request, but not at the Palestinian’s expense, Palestinians come first. The most important issue at this time to Trump is the quest to fight against Islamic State terrorism and Iran’s influence, and win. To accomplish this he needs the coalition of the so-called Muslim moderate Sunni states, headed by Saudi Arabia. Then comes the Peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

On his visit in Saudi Arabia, today, Trump will join 50 heads of Arab and Muslim state from across the Middle East, Africa and Asia who the Saudi king has invited to a summit. King Salman is hoping that the summit will strengthen relations between the two countries and “enhance global security establishing a new partnership in confronting extremism and terrorism.”

The President’s schedule in Jerusalem

On Monday Air Force One, arriving straight from the US president’s visit to Saudi Arabia, will land at 12:15 pm at Ben-Gurion International Airport, where President Trump will be welcomed in a state ceremony by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, and other dignitaries.

President Trump will walk the red carpet and review an honor guard. Then, after the Israeli and American national anthems are played, Trump, Rivlin and Netanyahu will make short speeches.

In an effort to keep the ceremony short, the President will not be shaking hands with dignitaries after the speeches at the airport. The Americans will then board Marine One and fly to Jerusalem, President Trump and First Lady Melania will head straight to the President’s Residence, where they will be welcomed by President Rivlin and his wife Nechama. After the American president signs the guest book, the two leaders will hold a private meeting following which they will make statements to the press.

Rivlin and his wife will then take Trump and the first lady to the garden at the President’s Residence, where an almond tree was planted to mark the visit. A sign near the tree bears a quote in Hebrew, English and Arabic from the Song of Ascents in the Book of Psalms: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and prosperity within your palaces.”

The Western Wall, Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, The Symbol of our Relationship with the US

From the President’s Residence, President Trump will head to the Old City for a private visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. He will then visit the Western Wall, where he will be accompanied by Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch and joined by First Lady Melania and daughter Ivanka. Read more about the History of the Western Wall.

After the visit to the Western Wall, President Trump will head to the King David Hotel, where he will be staying during his visit, while First Lady Melania will join Prime Minister

Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, on a visit to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Karem. They will talk with the medical staff and meet with children in the play area for a joint artistic activity.

At 6pm, President Trump will meet in private with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the King David Hotel, following which their teams will join the meeting.

At 7:15pm, Trump, Netanyahu and their wives will travel to the Prime Minister’s Residence for dinner, which will be cooked by Israeli chef Moshe Segev. Singer Shiri Maimon will perform two songs, one of them being the Frank Sinatra version of “New York, New York.”

During the dinner, Prime Minister Netanyahu is planning on presenting President Trump with a beautiful Bible.

Following the dinner, the two leaders will give statements to the press but will not respond to questions.

On Tuesday, President Trump will arrive in Bethlehem for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

At 1pm, President Trump will hold a short (15-minute) visit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, where he will lay a wreath, write in the guest book and make a short statement to the press.

President Trump will then head to the Israel Museum, where he will make a speech to conclude his visit. In his speech, the President is expected to present his vision for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, and express his support to the people of Israel. At 3:40pm, the President will leave Israel for his next destination, Rome.

Israel still believes that President Trump is a true friend. He has made his support for Israel very clear; the UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has condemned the anti-Israel bias that has been going on for so long. On the settlement issue, the President does not insist on stopping all building. Netanyahu is more relaxed with him, and there is an overall feeling in Israel that Trump can restore the relationship between Israel and its main ally, the USA, and the trust that was damaged by the Obama administration.

President Trump will reassure Israel of the strong ties between the US and Israel, and the guarantee for Israel’s security, but he may also use some pressure tactics on Israel to be more flexible toward the Palestinians and even limit building in Judea and Samaria.

On the issue of transferring the American embassy to Jerusalem, the Trump administration is concerned that it will complicate efforts to renew the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Therefore, he will not make any announcements on the issue, though this remains his ultimate goal.

Read more details: An Unsolvable Conflict.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM, ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE. PRAY FOR WISDOM FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PM NETANAHU, AND FOR PROTECTION AGAINST ANY ATTACKS ON THE VISIT.

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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UNESCO is promoting, among other things; regional and cultural history project, the promotion of cultural diversity, translation of world literature, international cooperation agreements to secure the world cultural and natural heritage. UNESCO is supposed to do all those things and more, but is showing complete ignorance when it comes to Jerusalem.

Last week, on Israel’s Independence Day, the organization has chosen to come up with the resolution on “Occupied Palestine” referred to Israel as the “occupying power” in its capital, indicating that it has no legal or historical ties to any part of the city. The text, approved at UNESCO headquarters, denounced “all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

The resolution was submitted to UNESCO’s Executive Board by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan. Israel’s PM Netanyahu called the text “absurd”, and other Israeli politicians also condemned the UNESCO resolution, while the Palestinians commended it. The good news in Israel is that “the number of countries supporting this absurd vote in UNESCO is getting smaller. A year ago, 32 [countries supporting similar votes], half a year ago it went down to 26, and now it has gone down to 22.”

The UN is called in Israel UM (Umot Meuhadot – oom.) David Ben Gurion said once, when the UN tried to impose its will on his decisions, “oom shmoom.” With or without UNESCO, Jerusalem will not give up ownership on all parts of the city and fight any attempt to cast doubt in the mind of the world.

Israel has, and will always consider Jerusalem as the eternal undivided capital of the Jewish nation. We have returned to our old holy city and no one, person or organization can stop us from rebuilding our rightful home.

Israel’s PM, Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and other bodies are investing considerably in the campaign to show the truth to the world. However, there is still a great need for Israel to improve its efforts of educating the international community on the truth and facts about the Jewish connection to Jerusalem. Hopefully more will join the countries who voted against the resolution: the U.K., Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Greece, Germany, The U.S., Paraguay, Ukraine and Togo. Some Italians who were interviewed, said in amazement: “How can you vote against the truth?”

The Word of God is clear about the truth. He is the owner of Jerusalem and can give her to whomever He chooses. He gave the Land of Canaan (now Israel) to Abraham, who was the first Hebrew, as an everlasting possession. Later confirming this inheritance to Abraham’s son Isaac, and to his son Jacob (changing his name to Israel.) The twelve children of Jacob are called the Children of Israel. Moses led the Children of Israel from captivity in Egypt to the Land of Israel, called the Land of Promise, because God has promised it to Israel.

     Read more about the History of Jerusalem and connection with Israel, in light of the Bible and history.

    Please pray for Israel and the Israeli government, for wisdom and guidance on the subject of Jerusalem. And pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Please pray for the nations to understand the connection of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, according to God’s will and purpose.