>>Israel Updates > Israel Update, June 6, 2005
“Update, Monday, June 6, 2005.”
It is time to pray about the turn
towards the P.A. that our U.S. administration has taken. In President
Bush’s meeting with Mr. Abbas May 26, there were little-noted additions
to the U.S. policy line. Pres. Bush called for a return to the pre-1967
border (in other words, leaving out Judea & Samaria and parts of
Jerusalem). He even said that any changes to the 1949 armistice lines
must be approved by the Prime Minister of the P.A. in negotiations. That
would give Israel very narrow borders indeed. Pres. Bush also said that
“Israel should not undertake any activity that prejudices final status
negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.” So he
specifically reminds everyone that Jerusalem is subject to negotiation,
unfortunately.
More details can be found in the report below, which is not necessary to
read unless you have time.
Again he is ignoring the dangers in dividing up the land, that Joel
chap. 3 warns about. This is not good for America and it goes against
the Bible. He just doesn’t seem to know. Please write polite but firm
letters to tell him we don’t agree with this plan:
president@whitehouse.gov.
You can send a cc or a separate letter to
vice-president@whitehouse.gov.
And please pray for President Bush to turn around; he is apparently
affected by replacement theology in the Methodist and Episcopalian
churches he is associated with.
We need to keep praying that Iran and N. Korea will be prevented from
developing or using effective nuclear weapons. Please pray for the
safety of our friends in Taiwan, as China grows in power and ambitions.
Please pray for India and the gospel to spread there; there were several
bombs that were set off in theaters there recently. Please pray against
terrorist plans for the summer, against Djakarta, against our diplomatic
facilities around the world, and against our forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Finally, if you have a chance, please take a look at our revised web
site for the Messianic Family Publishers:
www.amhehome.org .
I believe it has important information for all.
Thanks for praying, thanks for caring,
David
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From: Leah Rafaeli [mailto:leahrafaeli@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 4:52 AM
To: Weinberger, David
Subject: The Lekarev Report
The Lekarev Report
From the heart of Israel direct to your home
May 27, 2005 18 Iyar 5765
Shalom
I will never forget Your commandments; for with them, You have given me
life. Psalm 119:93
Today's report contains some very crucial developments and I urge you to
read carefully.
Abbas to Bush: 'Time is Our Greatest Enemy'
President George W. Bush praised Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' steps
toward democracy and promised USD 50 million in housing aid for
Palestinians in Gaza. "You have made a new start on a difficult journey,
requiring courage and leadership each day. And we will take that journey
together," Bush told Abbas.
The USD 50 million in new direct aid is part of a USD 150 million
package Bush is seeking for the Palestinians from Congress. Bush said
the money would help Palestinians settle into Gaza once the Israel
withdrawal set for this summer is complete.
For his part, Abbas vowed to adhere to the U.S.- supported peace process
but said, "Time is becoming our greatest enemy. We must end the
Palestinian- Israeli conflict before it is too late." In two statements
that many Israelis find naive at best, the President suggested that
Palestinian voters would reject candidates who advocate violence. (That
certainly did NOT happen in local elections recently.) Secondly, Bush
said,"Palestinian moms want their children to grow up in peace just like
American moms want their kids to grow up in peace." The sad truth is
that too many Palestinian mothers give great value, as we have often
seen, to their children becoming "shahids" (martyrs) and 'growing up in
peace' for many would mean that their children grow up in a world where
Israel no longer exists. These are the tragic realities on the ground
here in the Middle East and no amount of political or diplomatic
rhetoric can alter the facts.
I am NOT saying that every Palestinian feels this way. There are some
lovely Palestinian families that I know personally, who want nothing to
do with Hamas, violence, etc. But it is a proven fact that a significant
majority do indeed support the elimination of Israel.
Bush said that both the Palestinians and Israel must live up to their
obligations under the so-called "road map" peace process that calls for
creation of an independent Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel
in the 1967 Middle East war. "Israel must continue to take steps toward
a peaceful future" and not take steps that contravene road map
obligations, Bush said. He said Israel must "remove unauthorized
outposts and stop settlement expansions." At the same time, the
Palestinians must end violence against Israelis. "You cannot have a
democracy based upon rule of law if you have armed bands of people who
will use their weapons to try to achieve a political outcome," Bush
said. "We must not lose sight of the path ahead," he added.
In yet another very troubling remark by the US President, Bush said that
any final-status agreement must be reached between the two parties, and
changes to the 1949 Armistice lines must be mutually agreed to. A viable
two-state solution must ensure contiguity of the West Bank, and a state
of scattered territories will not work, he stressed.
You cannot have territorial contiguity of BOTH Israel and Palestine.
Several weeks ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for
territorial contiguity for the Palestinians, a move which would cut
Israel in half. Why? Why must it be Israel that has to forfeit
territorial contiguity? Needless to say, the reports out of Washington
yesterday are deeply disturbing to us here. Our only comfort,
particularly for those who are dual citizens of Israel and America, is
that ultimately all of these events hasten us toward Ultimate
Redemption. But at the cost of how much pain along the way?
A Blow to US - Israel Relations
The Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee says
Thursday's Bush-Abu Mazen meeting is a great blow to Israeli-U.S.
relations, and proves that Sharon is deceiving the public. The committee
chairman, Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz (pictured), said today that
everything Sharon has long said he was promised by U.S. President George
Bush amounts to zero, because "Bush said yesterday that the basis for
everything is the pre-1967 borders."
Prime Minister Sharon has long boasted that Bush has promised him that
he would support Israel's right to retain large settlement blocs in
Judea and Samaria in any final-status arrangement. However, Shteinitz
said, Bush's remarks on Thursday represent "a regression even from
previous American positions in favor of UN Resolution 242, which talked
about 'defensible borders.'" In fact, Bush referred not to the 1967
borders, but rather to the 1949 Armistice Lines, which are even less
generous to Israel in some areas.
"It is deception and misleading of the public," Shteinitz said, "when
Prime Minister Sharon claimed that the United States and Bush would
support the Israeli position in talks after the disengagement."
Shteinitz further said, "Abu Mazen is doing nothing against terrorism,
as the Shabak (GSS), and even Sharon himself, have said. The opposite:
he is allowing Hamas and the terrorist organizations to get stronger,
and even to run in the elections. And this same Abu Mazen receives
compliments in Washington for his opposition to terrorism."
Associate Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Friday morning that the Bush
"promise" regarding Israel's right to retain large settlement blocs no
longer exists, for all intents and purposes. Peres explained that this
is because Bush made sure to say in the press conference with Abu Mazen
on Thursday that the future of the areas requires Palestinian Authority
agreement.
In summary, these are the issues that cause deep concern to Israel and
should cause equal concern to American supporters of Israel: 1) Explicit
reference to Jerusalem in the phrase "Israel should not undertake any
activity that prejudice final status negotiations with regard to Gaza,
the West Bank and Jerusalem." 2) Acceptance of validity of a "terror"
party running in the elections. 3) Implicit acceptance of the PA
position that the "punishment" for murdering Israelis is a day job in
the PA security forces.
I can only hope that the email inboxes at the White House are being
jammed beyond belief by those of you who support Israel on a biblical
and moral basis.
Peres Against Temporary Housing for Evacuated Residents
Vice Premier Shimon Peres and MK Yuval Steinitz differed sharply on
Friday morning regarding the best way to house Gaza settlers after the
evacuation. Peres told Israel Radio that he believes the government
should not be building temporary housing for the settlers, rather it
should be building permanent houses for the settlers. In the meantime,
the government should pay for them to rent apartments.
Steinitz sharply disagreed saying that it was traumatic enough for the
settlers that they have to leave their homes, at the very least they
should be able to stay together and move as blocs.
Half of Neve Dekalim Votes to Move to Tent City in Negev
The residents of Neveh Dekalim, one of the largest communities in Gush
Katif, decided in a dramatic meeting this week that half of them will
move to a tent city so as not to split up the community and as a means
of protesting disengagement. Out of the approximately 490 families in
Neveh Dekalim, the largest settlement in Gush Katif, 250 confirmed at
the meeting that they were interested in moving to the tents, a proposal
that was met with rousing applause.
"We are very serious about this since the government has no proper
solution for us. We are preparing this operation down to its smallest
detail, like a `tower and stockade' operation," said settlement chair
Sarita Maoz, referring to rural settlements thrown up overnight by Jews
in defiance of British law in the 1940s.
The plan calls for the purchase of tents that can house 12 people, and
other tents for kitchens, storage, a school, etc. The original plan was
to put up the tents in the Nitzanim area, to pressure the government
into establishing new communities there for the evacuees. But fear that
families would have to spend the winter there caused a change in
location to the northern Negev, which has more moderate weather.
13 IDF Soldiers Wounded in Accident
Thirteen IDF troops belonging to an elite unit were wounded when a
military transport vehicle flipped over early Friday near the Sion River
in the northern Mt. Dov region. Three of the soldiers are seriously hurt
while the rest sustained less severe injuries.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the accident was caused by a
failure of the vehicle's brake system. As the "Safari" is a heavily
armored vehicle with relatively limited sitting space, some of the
injured troops remained trapped inside it following the accident.
Helicopters were summoned to the scene to evacuate the casualties to the
Rivka Ziv Hospital in Safed and Haifa's Rambam Hospital. We pray that
every soldier will heal quickly and completely.
Brits Lift Academic Boycott
After an enormous public outcry against it, the British Association of
University Teachers (AUT) decided Thursday to lift the academic boycott
imposed on Bar-Ilan and Haifa Universities about a month ago. British
academicians claim Haifa University censors criticism of Israel's
policies in territories, Bar-Ilan boycotted because it 'runs courses in
colleges in the occupied West Bank. The last time Jews were boycotted in
universities was in 1930's Germany.
A group representative announced the decision to end the ban was taken
by a "very large majority." The decision to boycott the two universities
was lauded by Palestinian Authority figures, who expressed their hope to
see more international groups to exert pressure on Israel. Meanwhile,
senior Jewish figures in London slammed the decision as irresponsible
and dangerous.
In response to the decision, Israel's Ambassador to London Tzvi Hefetz
told reporters, "We are very pleased with the result. Within two months
they managed to understand what we have been trying to explain for 2000
years - you can't advance issues by way of a boycott. Ironically, the
fact that the boycott was imposed and lifted within a month and stirred
public outcry has strengthened our position" he said.
The Lekarev Report, 703-587-4420, Lekarev, PO Box 410580, Melbourne, FL
32941-0580,
http://www.lekarev.org
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