in Politics
(Written for www.Free-Minds.Org)
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There has been much talk over the last six decades about the Palestinian problem and how a solution needs to be found to enable the Palestinians and the Israelis to live in peace. The “buzz” for the last ten years or so has been to establish the UN mandate of a “two-state solution” whereby a Palestinian state will exist comprising mainly of Gaza and the West Bank, while the state of Israel will exist as defined by its pre-1967 borders.
While all this talk about a two-state solution might sound very intelligent prompting armchair experts to theorize the mechanics for such a great idea, the solution completely misses the mark avoiding crux of the issue.
Balfour and PalestineThe cornerstone of the Palestinian conflict that we see regularly on our television sets was laid down in 1917 when the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, in return for Jewish concessions and assistance in WWI, declared in a letter to the leader of the British Jewish community the position of the British Cabinet to look favorably upon the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine:
Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely
Arthur James Balfour
The British had managed to occupy Palestine and Syria in 1917 from the Ottoman Empire and felt that, as occupiers, they could decide the fate of all territories and peoples under their sphere of control.
Jewish Immigration
Beginning with the British occupation of Palestine, Jewish emigrants began to flood into the land to assert the fulfillment of the British promise of a Jewish homeland. According to British figures, the Jewish population rose from 85,000 in 1914, or 12 percent of the 687,000 inhabitants then in Palestine, to more than 600,000, or nearly 35 percent of a population of almost 1.9 million in 1947.
This influx of illegal immigration under British invitation was also compounded with an outflow of native Palestinians who immigrated to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and other countries during what is known as "The Palestinian Exodus" or "Nakba” (disaster) being a direct result of the repeated massacres of their brethren at the hands of the British occupation forces (most notably during the “Arab Revolt” of 1936-1939 in which over 5,000 native Palestinians were murdered and over 15,000 wounded) as well as the Zionist terror groups (e.g. “Haganah” and “Irgun”[1]) who undertook a deliberate campaign, under British cover, to drive the native Palestinians out of their villages and towns and replace such inhabitants with Jewish immigrants.
UN and Palestine
In continuation of the saga of nations giving away property to which they have no right, the United Nations, on the sympathetic sentiment that six million Jews had been killed in WWII, passed a resolution in 1947 calling for an end to the British mandate and for the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem to be placed under international administration. On May 14, 1948, the Jewish National Council proclaimed the establishment of the (illegal) state of Israel.
What followed was a series of wars of aggression in which the state of Israel expanded its borders and sphere of influence beyond the UN partition occupying more land from the native Palestinians, parts of Syria, parts of Lebanon, and the Sinai of Egypt.
- The 1948–49 War;
- The 1956 War on Egypt;
- The 1967 War (The Six-Day War);
- The 1973–74 War (The Yom Kippur War);
- The 1981 attack on Iraqi nuclear reactor (Osirak);
- The 1982-2000 invasion of Lebanon;
- The 2006 War on Lebanon;
- The 2008-2009 War on Gaza;
- 1930’s-Present (slaughter of native Palestinians).
In irony with the UN is that, to paint the illusion of being equitable, this same body that illegally assisted in the creation of the state of Israel, has passed over 100 resolutions over the years condemning Israel for its acts of aggression (all of which have been conveniently ignored by the so called “world community”).
God, Israel, and HistoryBased on the evidence presented since the Balfour declaration, there is no doubt in any sane person’s mind that Israel is an illegal entity which has forced itself upon a land it has no right to and a native people who it has no relation with. However, there are two points that the Jews have used time and time again to muddy the waters and to confuse the clear issue of injustice and occupation:
- God gave us this land.
- The Kingdom of Israel was here before the Palestinians.
To devout follower of the scriptures this is a show stopper in favor of Israel as none can argue with what the Lord has decided…Or can they?
27:76 This Qur’an narrates to the Children of Israel most of that which they are in dispute over.
God gave us this land?
The first often repeated argument for the proponents of the state of Israel is the claim that “God gave us this land”. As any devout submitter to God would know, when God is invoked in any matter, the course of action is to “hear and obey” if indeed such decree can be proven.
Looking to the Qur’an for answers, we find the story of the Holy Land and the exodus revealed as follows:
5:21 “O my people, enter the holy land that God Has decreed for you, and do not turn your backs, or you will become losers.”
5:22 They said: “O Moses, in it are a mighty people, and we will not enter it until they leave. So when they leave, then we will enter it.”
5:24 They said: “O Moses, we will never enter it as long as they are in it, so go you and your Lord and fight, we will stay right here!”
5:26 He said: “Then it has become forbidden for them for forty years, and they will be lost in the land.” Do not be sorrowful over the wicked people.
That God originally decreed that the children of Israel enter the Holy Land is not in doubt. However, the part that seems conveniently ignored by today’s proponents for Israel is that God’s decree was always “conditional” upon the children of Israel behaving in accordance with His will. As can be seen from the verses above, this is evident when the children of Israel reached the Holy Land with Moses but refused to enter its gates in accordance with God’s decree – hence, they were then banned from entering it for a period of forty years.
The Real question then becomes: Have the children of Israel now acted in accordance with God’s will and can claim right to the Holy Land, or, have they broken His covenant and incurred His wrath?
5:12 God has taken the covenant of the Children of Israel and raised from them twelve representatives, and God said: “I am with you if you uphold the communion, and contribute towards betterment, and believe in My messengers, and support them, and give God a loan of righteousness; then I will cancel your sins and admit you into estates with rivers flowing beneath.” Whoever rejects after this from you, then he has strayed from the path.
5:13 But because of them breaking their covenant, We have cursed them, and made their hearts become hardened; they take the words out of context; and they forgot much of what they were reminded of. And you will still discover betrayal in them except for a few; so pardon them and overlook; God loves the good doers.
So, to answer the first question “God gave us this land”, according to the Qur’an the answer: No. God’s covenant has been broken by the children of Israel and as such His blessings and favor over them no longer stands. In-fact, the situation is quite the opposite, as God has decreed that they be punished, at the hands of others, until the Day of Resurrection!
7:167 And your Lord has sworn that He will send upon them, until the Day of Resurrection, people who would inflict severe punishment on them. Your Lord is quick to punish, and He is Forgiving, Merciful.
The Kingdom of Israel was here before the Palestinians?
As it has now been proven that the children of Israel do not have a legitimate religious claim to the land, it is time to examine the second claim that proponents of Israel often repeat: “the ancient Kingdom of Israel was established in Palestine centuries ago by David and Solomon and thus the return of Israel is simply a reclaiming of their ancestors land”.
Let us look once again to the Qur’an for the most accurate history:
5:22 They said: “O Moses, in it are a mighty people, and we will not enter it until they leave. So when they leave, then we will enter it.”
From the verse above, we can establish off-the-bat that the Holy Land had an indigenous population living in it at the time of the exodus. Not only that, but these people are described as a “mighty people” meaning that they had the organization and structure of a functioning civil society for the children of Israel to be fearful.
5:26 He said: “Then it has become forbidden for them for forty years, and they will be lost in the land.” Do not be sorrowful over the wicked people.
Many people simply seem to imagine that the children of Israel, after disobeying God and being forbidden from the Holy Land for forty years, simply camped outside the gates of the land and waited until the forty year ban expired! The reality, according to the Qur’an, is that God decreed that the children of Israel would move on and be “lost in the land”.
This gives view to the notion that, during this time of wandering, they have settled down in a place which was not the Holy Land and where later on the kingdom of David and the kingdom of Solomon emerged.
21:81 And to Solomon the gusting winds run by his command all the way to the land which We have blessed in. And We were aware of everything.
In the above verse we see the clearest indication that indeed the ancient kingdom of Israel was not located in the Holy Land but was located in a different place (the winds under Solomon’s command could reach all the way to the Holy Land – meaning they were being originated somewhere other than that place).
27:22 But the hoopoe did not stay away long, then he said: “I have seen what you do not know, and I have come to you from Sheba with news which is certain.”
Another clue we are given to the location of the ancient kingdom of Israel is the story of Solomon and Sheba. The ruins of Sheba have been identified and agreed by most archeologists to be in the region of southern Arabia (Yemen) where the famous dam of ma’rib once stood. We find that the hoopoe who was enlisted in Solomon’s army did not stay away long before returning from Sheba with news of their behavior. Such short leave for the hoopoe would mean that the kingdom of Israel was located not far from Sheba and thus the distance that was traveled was perhaps a few hundred kilometers at most (not the thousands of kilometers required to travel from the Holy Land to Sheba and back).
Therefore, based on the information given in the Qur’an, it can be said with certainty that the ancient kingdom of Israel was located in the region of “southern Arabia” and not the northern area in which the Holy Land is found (for more archeological research showing that the children of Israel did indeed live in southern Arabia an interesting book to read is: “The Bible Came from Arabia” - by Kamal Salibi.
On a similar note, it is worth mentioning that after more than 60 years of the occupation of Palestine, the state of Israel has not been able to produce one shred of archeological or other physical proof linking the Holy Land to the ancient kingdom of Israel.
Ancient Israel and Babylon
To answer the impending question, what happened in the history of ancient Israel to scatter them to the four winds and make subsequent generations unsure where the original kingdom was located was the Babylonian attack on Israel, the enslavement of its people, and the destruction of the ancient kingdom.
The Qur’an confirms that such action did indeed take place whereby the children of Israel became corrupt after the time of Solomon and God thus allowed a mighty host to destroy their homes and take them as captives:
17:4 And We decreed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture, that you will make corruption twice on Earth, and that you will become very high and mighty.
17:5 So, when the promise of the first one comes to pass, We would send against you servants of Ours who are very powerful, thus they managed to breach your very homes, and this was a promise which has come to pass.
The exile in Babylon lasted for sometime (nearly 100 years by Jewish accounts) after which their freedom was granted:
17:6 Then We gave back to you your independence from them, and We supplied you with wealth and children, and We made you more influential.
It is this singular event (the Babylonian attack and captivity) that explains Jewish confusion regarding the whereabouts of the original kingdom of Israel – a situation that persists until today thousands of years later.
The Second Rise to Power of the Children of IsraelIt has been prophesized in the Qur’an over 1,400 years ago that the children of Israel will once again cause great corruption on Earth and that they will have more power and influence than they ever had before:
17:4 And We decreed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture, that you will make corruption twice on Earth, and that you will become very high and mighty.
17:6 Then We gave back to you your independence from them, and We supplied you with wealth and children, and We made you more influential.
As per prophecy, during this time of renewed Jewish influence and corruption, a gathering will take place that will bring together all the tribes of Israel that have been previously scattered since the Babylonian captivity:
17:104 And We said after him to the Children of Israel: “Dwell in the land, then, when the time of the second promise comes, We will bring you all together as a mixed crowd.”
It is tragic for the native inhabitants of Palestine (and surrounding regions) that their land has become the scene to this second rise to power of a corrupt and misled people.
The Future of Israel
As with the prophecy of the second rise to power of Israel so then does the Qur’an give us the final result of such actions:
17:7 If you do good, then it will be good for you, and if you do bad, then so be it. But when the promise of the second time comes, they will make your faces filled with sorrow and they will enter the Temple[2] as they did the first time, and they will strike down all that was raised up.
As the illegal creation of Israel was prophesized to occur, so will be its destruction. The state of Israel will end as surely as the sun rises from the east, and, according to the description given in the Qur’an, this ending will not be a pleasant one. The re-capture of the Temple (Jerusalem) as well as the destruction of all that Israel has established, that is what the future holds as foretold by the One who known the secrets of heavens and earth.
The timing for such destruction cannot be clearly ascertained, yet, we can be certain that the events have already been set in motion (possibly by Israel’s continuous oppression, slaughter, and aggression) that will ensure that the end result is the prophesized one.
Palestine and the One State Solution
This leads us back to the title of this paper. As we know for certain the outcome for the state of Israel, it is our duty to offer suggestion while wiser minds may still prevail...
Israel stands at a cross-road of two paths:
- Continue with the current path of occupation, murder, racism, oppression, tyranny and aggression - which will inevitability lead to the fulfillment of 17:7 and the complete destruction of the state of Israel.
- Surrender to the native Palestinians “One State”, not out of weakness, but out of morality. The current state of Israel is to be dismantled, an apology made for all the crimes undertaken in the last 60+ years against the native people, and reparations must be paid.[3]
If the children of Israel will not take the path of morality and righteousness while they still can, then we appeal to those individuals who are moral and righteous that they leave the land of Palestine before the tragic end of the state of Israel comes to pass.
There is no doubt about the truth of what has been said…
6:115 And the word of your Lord has been completed with truth and justice; there is no changing His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
It is time to choose…
Vs.
[1] Jewish terror groups did not only use their tactics against the native population, but on several occasions they even attacked their British protectors (King David Hotel Attack) when it was felt that the British were not cooperating towards the establishment of the agreed Jewish state.
[2] The Temple is the “Dome of the Rock”, currently under Israeli control, whose foundations are thousands of years old being originally the site of Abraham’s test and remains the first orientation “Qibla” of Islam.
[3] With regards to option “two”, the Jewish people who have only have known Palestine as a home may still have the chance to reside in the Holy Land “legally this time” if they can acknowledge the truth, cooperate towards righteousness, and work with the native Palestinians to establish a fair and just nation under Palestinian rule/authority – that is to be left to the discretion of the Palestinian people.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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