THIS MEANS WAR!!

We’re exploring the miraculous survival of the Jews now back home...but for how long?

 

So it’s the 15^th of May, 1948 and only yesterday the Jews in Palestine declared the new State of Israel. I suppose the Arabs are not that impressed?

Five Arab nations – Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan – immediately declare war on a virtually defenseless Israel, with not even enough rifles to go around. Saudi Arabia and Yemen supply contingents too.

Well, with hindsight I guess that’s hardly a surprise. So Israel lost some territory?

After ten months West Jerusalem, the Jezreel valley and more southern Palestine had been added to Israel’s territory!

Wow, that’s got to be a miracle! I bet the Arabs didn’t take that lying down.

No, as soon as United Nations peacekeepers were withdrawn from the Sinai Peninsula in May 1967 after the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt moved in. Expecting Syria, Iraq and Jordan to join in, Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on the Arab airforces. Then in only six days, using a military force less than half that of their enemies, they won the Sinai Pensinsula, Gaza strip, Golan Heights, and West Bank - including East Jerusalem!

…..and thousands of angry Arab citizens!

You can say that again….about 1 million of them.
It looked good on the map with all that land back in Israel’s control but with hostile neighbours and hostile citizens, things now escalated when Russia armed Egypt who attacked Israel along the Suez Canal, while Syria attacked in the Golan Heights – on Yom Kippur in 1973.

War on two fronts – north and south – on their most sacred day in the year, the Day of Atonement! This is a fine pickle to be in….whoever did they turn to?...God?

Not likely. Prime Minister Golda Meir asked President Richard Nixon of the U.S. for help.

Whoa!...this really is ramping up. The Cold War is getting hot in the worst spot - as Jews turn to Gentiles for help.

So I suppose the Israelis won more territory as usual?                                               

Yes, but eventually they withdrew from Sinai Pensinula after U.S. President Jimmy Carter talked Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat into burying their differences.

Sadat? Wasn’t he the guy who was assassinated soon after, for compromising with the Israelis?

Rabin's fatal handshake with PLO

Yes, and in 1995 the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated after Israel recognised the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and withdrew from the Gaza strip and some of West Bank.

Well I can understand withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula because that’s not Israel’s territory according to what you tell me the Bible teaches – but Gaza strip?...and West Bank?

Since then there have been ongoing conflicts, and compromises made by prime ministers such as Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon…

…Israeli leaders compromising with the Arabs over the land, hey?

Except for Yitzhak Shamir, and the incumbent Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu but it’s too late now – the territory has been surrendered.

Haven’t the United Nations now recognised Palestine as an observer state?

Yes, although Palestine has never existed as a nation before and ‘Palestinian’ occupation is divided between West Bank and the Gaza strip.
In fact, Jerusalem has only ever been a national capital city for Israel.

NEXT: Whose land is this anyway? 

Click on:   http://hotspuds.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/just-whose-land-is-this.html

Photo credits: 
aircraft/invisiblecollege.webblog  
Meir-Nixon/hareetz.com     
Rabin,Clinton,Yarafat/onbeing.org