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Biblical understanding about Israel
Will Obama’s Presidency Be Good For Israel? <<
By Henk Kamsteeg
The Americans came out in record numbers and made history by voting for a new future…an Obama presidency that would bring a new style, a new tone, and a “change we can believe in”. The campaign slogan “Yes we can” came true, as Barack Obama engineered a social and political upheaval to become the first black president-elect in a runaway victory over John McCain.
Much of the Arab world and also the Western world rejoiced with the outcome of the elections, and is now looking forward to the start of a new era. However, how much do we know about this powerful orator Barack Hussein Obama? Seemingly he came from nowhere and stepped onto the world stage where millions of cheering, screaming, and tearful flag-waving supporters celebrated his overwhelming victory, some even offering Obama Messiah-like adoration…
Ygal Palmor, the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, said that Israeli-US relations have “a bright future”. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy wrote in the daily newspaper Haaretz, “We should hope Obama will help Israel help itself, because that is how true friendship is measured.” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudiena said “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas congratulates the President-elect, and hopes that he will speed up efforts to achieve peace since a resolution of the Palestinian problem and the Israeli-Arab conflict is key to world peace.” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum commented that “Obama must improve US ties with the rest of the world rather than wave the big American stick.” The terrorist group Hamas urged Obama to learn from the “mistakes” of previous US Administrations in dealing with the Muslim and Arab worlds.
It might take some time before Obama figures out the wisest approach to take with Israel and whether or not he will be a real friend of Israel remains to be seen.
Although the current global financial crisis will demand a significant amount of time and energy, Obama also has four years of foreign policy issues and problems ahead of him, one of those being the Middle East.
Up till now, Barack Obama has not yet outlined a policy that Israelis may find incompatible with what they believe a pro-Israeli Mid-East policy should be. In fact, Senator Obama's essay in Foreign Affairs, a journal of global current events, foreign policy, and international relations, is balanced and contains no policy prescriptions anyone in their right mind can define as "anti-Israeli" or not “pro-Israel”.
By the way, what constitutes being ‘pro-Israel’? Has anybody been appointed to make that sort of judgment?
Secure Jewish state
In May 2008, Jeffrey Goldberg, staff writer for the Atlantic Monthly and author of Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide, interviewed Obama. During the interview Obama said, “The idea of a secure Jewish state is a fundamentally just and necessary idea, given not only world history but the active existence of anti-Semitism, the potential vulnerability that the Jewish people could still experience. That does not mean that I would agree with every action of the state of Israel, because it’s a government and it has politicians, and as a politician myself I am deeply mindful that we are imperfect creatures and don’t always act with justice uppermost on our minds. But the fundamental premise of Israel and the need to preserve a Jewish state that is secure is, I think, a just idea and one that should be supported here in the United States and around the world.”
When asked about the role of Hamas, Obama responded that he sees Hamas as a terrorist organization and said that he would not be dealing with them until they recognize Israel, renounce terrorism, and abide by previous agreements.
In a recent interview with WABC radio and WorldNetDaily, Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef said the group supports Obama's foreign policy vision. Asked if he were troubled by it, Obama responded that he wasn’t. “We look at things as black and white, and not gray,” he said. “It’s conceivable that there are those in the Arab world who say to themselves, ‘This is a guy who spent some time in the Muslim world, has a middle name of Hussein, and appears more worldly and has called for talks with people, and so he’s not going to be engaging in the same sort of cowboy diplomacy as George Bush,’ and that’s something they’re hopeful about. I think that’s a perfectly legitimate perception as long as they’re not confused about my unyielding support for Israel’s security.
“If the Palestinians are waiting for America to distance itself from Israel, they are delusional. Because my commitment, our commitment, to Israel’s security is non-negotiable. There’s not a nation-state on Earth that would tolerate having two of its soldiers kidnapped and just let it go. So I welcome the Muslim world’s accurate perception that I am interested in opening up dialogue, but nobody should mistake that for a softer stance when it comes to terrorism or when it comes to protecting Israel’s security or making sure that the alliance is strong and firm. You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel’s security.”
Israeli settlements
At the end of the interview Obama talked about the lack of resolution to the problem of the Israeli settlements. “I want to solve the problem, and my job in being a friend of Israel is partly to hold up a mirror and tell the truth that if Israel is building settlements without any regard to the effects that this has on the peace process, then we’re stuck in the same status quo that we’ve been stuck in for decades now.
The notion that a vibrant, successful society with incredible economic growth and incredible cultural vitality is still plagued by this notion that this could all end at any moment – you know I don’t know what that feels like, but I can use my imagination to understand it. I would not want to raise my children in those circumstances. I want to make sure that the people of Israel, when they kiss their kids and put them on that bus, feel at least no more existential dread than any parent does whenever their kids leave their sight.
So that then becomes the question: Is settlement policy conducive to relieving that over the long term, or is it just making the situation worse? That’s the question that has to be asked,” Obama said.
However, alluding to the Six-Day War of 1967 when Israel, in a war of self-defense, gained or regained Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights, Obama revealed some ignorance of the region. He admitted to Jerusalem Post editor David Horowitz that Israel might justify retaining parts of this land as a security buffer, but, he added, “[the Israelis] got to consider whether getting that buffer is worth the antagonism of the other party.” In these words Obama revealed his assumption that the core of the Israel-Arab conflict is territorial, not ideological.
A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Barack Obama intends to throw his support behind a 2002 Saudi peace initiative that calls on Israel to revert to its pre-1967 borders in return for official diplomatic recognition by the Arab world. This would require the following: 1) Give up the Golan Heights to Syria, 2) Give away most of the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria and the strategically vital Jordan Valley, 3) Palestinians would be allowed to establish a state capital in East Jerusalem, 4) Israel would be able to veto the return of Arab refugees expelled in 1948. According to a senior adviser, Obama has said privately that Israel would be "crazy" to reject such a plan, since it would "give them peace with the Muslim world."
More diplomacy, less militarism
The general impression is that not the American president but the American establishment, which will continue to support Israel unconditionally, is responsible for policy. In a recent US poll, 66 percent say America should be a supporter of Israel and only 6 percent say America should be a supporter of the Palestinians. In a June-speech Barack Obama referred to Jerusalem as the ‘undivided capital' of Israel, but not long after that said he was misunderstood…
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been advising President George Bush not to support an Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear installations. Some commentators have already predicted that Israel – in spite of some prominent Jewish and even Israel-linked Obama advisers – “will practically find itself alone in its fight for mere survival as a nation against the horrendous threats of a soon-to-be nuclear-armed Iran, and the increasingly armed and fanatized Muslim world that surrounds Israel on all sides.” They said, “If the Israelis want to do anything they will be on their own. Even requesting the approval of the new Obama-led administration will be a mistake. He will opt for more talk, more sanctions, until the time will have passed for Israel to act preventively.”
Consistent with his message of changing Washington politics, Obama has suggested a greater emphasis on diplomacy and less militarism in America's Middle East policy. He has also expressed his opinion that it is permissible to disagree with a close ally like Israel. He told a group of Jewish leaders in Cleveland that there is "a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel, then you're anti-Israel." "That," said Obama, "can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel.”
Drama with Obama?
Is Barack Obama the "promised warrior" coming to help the Hidden Imam of Shiite Muslims conquer the world? This question has made the rounds in Iran since last month, when a pro-government Website published a Hadith (or tradition) from a Shiite text of the 17th century. The tradition comes from Bahar al-Anvar (meaning Oceans of Light) by Mullah Majlisi, a magnum opus in 132 volumes and the basis of modern Shiite Islam.
Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the seventh-century figure central to Shiite Islam) is said to have prophecied that at the End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the Ultimate Saviour, a "tall black man will assume the reins of government in the West." Commanding "the strongest army on earth," the new ruler in the West will carry "a clear sign" from the third imam, whose name was Hussein Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: "Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us."
In a curious coincidence Obama's first name, Barack, and his middle name, Hussein, mean "the blessing of Hussein" in Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means, "he is with us," the magic formula in Majlisi's tradition. So his name, when combined with his physical attributes and geography, suggests that the End of Times is near…
Mystical reasons aside, it remains to be seen whether Obama will be “good” or “bad” for Israel. What do the choices of some prominent Israel-linked advisors tell us about Obama?
On the one hand we are encouraged by the choice of the staunchly pro-Israel Joe Biden as Vice President, as well as the appointment of Rahm Israel (how about that for a middle name!) Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. This indicates that Obama understands the necessity for a solid US-Israel alliance and Israel’s need for security. Emanuel (48) comes from a Jewish family and served as a volunteer in the Israeli Army. Emanuel said of his Judaism: "I am proud of my heritage and treasure the values it has taught me."
The appointment of Senator Hillary Clinton to serve as Obama’s Secretary of State will also sooth the initial apprehension people had about Obama’s position on Israel. Many Israelis welcomed her appointment, due to the warm relationship her husband Bill Clinton had with the late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin, and her own record since joining Congress as a Senator from heavily-Jewish New York.
On the other hand, among Obama’s foreign policy advisors are Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Malley. They are outspoken critics of Israel and both have suggested that the US ends it strategic alliance with Israel. Another concern would be that Obama’s top nuclear advisor, Joe Cirincione, advocated to place Israel’s nuclear arsenal on the negotiation table and offering it up in exchange for an Iranian pledge to end its nuclear program. Another concern would be the appointment of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whom Obama is considering keeping on board. Gates has signed an official defense strategy document in July, which omits Israel from a list of “close” US allies.
Israel’s destiny
It is just as well that we know and believe that God is still holding the whole world in His hands, no matter what! He is God, and we are not! He allows things to happen to bring about His plan and purpose. God chose the Jews to be the people through whom the rest of the world could find salvation. We cannot box Him in or explain Him away. Our only option is to submit to God’s power and sovereignty. God is the Ruler of all human history. History is His story, God’s Story!
In the annals of world history, there is nothing to compare with God’s history of Israel and her remarkable survival. It began with one man, Abraham, to whom God appeared some 4,000 years ago, and it has continued to this very day. No human argument can destroy the simple fact that God Himself has made a specific promise to a particular people. God Himself has placed Israel on the world scene, and its presence today is a miracle of the first order. Their survival as a Jewish people, their return to the Promised Land and the re-creation of the new and tiny Jewish State in 1948, surrounded by some 220 million Arabs, is evidence enough!
God did not choose them because they were larger and stronger than other tribes, nor did He choose them for their moral superiority. He chose them because He loves them, even though at times God seems to operate on an entirely different plane than ours, and in ways we often don’t understand.
Philip Yancey describes it like this: “Empires rise and fall, powerful leaders come and go. God proceeds in a most mysterious manner. The first chapters of Genesis describe a series of human failures that call the entire creation project into question. As a remedy to those failures, God declares a plan in Genesis 12 – to deal with the general problem of humanity by establishing one particular family, a tribe known as the Hebrews (later called the Jews). Through them, the womb for the incarnation, God will bring about restoration of the entire earth, back to its original design.
“After promising to bring about a people numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, God then proceeds to conduct a clinic in infertility (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel) – Three straight generations of infertile women hardly seems an efficient way to populate a great nation.
“After making similar promises to bring about possession of a great land, God arranges a detour for the Israelites into Egypt, where they molder for four centuries until Moses arrives to lead them to the Promised Land – a journey that takes forty years instead of the expected two weeks. Clearly God operates on a different timetable than the one used by impatient human beings.”
The surprises continue on into the New Testament times, for none of the leading Jewish scholars recognizes Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah trumpeted in the Psalms and Prophets. And because many Jews who looked for the Messiah refused to believe in Him, God removed their ability to see and hear, and to repent – down to this very day.
But Christians – who have studied the Word of God – know that the majority of Jews in the final generation before Christ’s return will turn to Christ for salvation. God chose the nation of Israel and He has never rejected it. He also chose the church, through Jesus Christ, and He will never reject it either.
The gathering storm
Hundreds of years ago, the Old Testament prophets foretold exactly what the destiny of Israel would be. Israel’s future is a major theme in the Bible, and when we see what’s happening right now before our own eyes, the Bible is proved to be more up-to-date than tomorrow’s six o’clock news.
The nearer the day when “all Israel will be saved”, the greater will be the intensity of hatred towards Israel. The nearer the day when the “Holy Spirit shall be poured out on the house of Israel”, the closer we are to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the final analysis, all of us are absolutely dependent on God. He is the Source of all things, including ourselves. He is the Power that sustains and rules the world that we live in. And God works out all things to bring glory to Himself. The all-powerful God deserves our praise.
When such a realization seeps down deep into our spirits, we will not be fearful of the future or worried about the gathering storms ahead of us. Christians are not called to understand everything as we serve God. We are simply called to trust, obey and pray. God is always on the throne, and nothing takes Him by surprise.
Although the world sees the tiny nation of Israel and Jerusalem as the “thorn in the flesh” of the Middle East, the nation of Israel is still “the apple of God’s eye”. Almighty God has a love relationship with Israel and the Jewish people, and the covenants He made with them are irrevocable. The day is coming soon when He finally will reveal Himself as the Faithful One, their Everlasting Redeemer! Then the “thorn in the flesh” will become the earthly Residence of the Most High.