Congress Pressures Obama to Retreat on Jerusalem

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Approximately 75 percent of U.S. Congress members are prepared to sign a letter calling for an end to public criticism of Israel by the Obama administration and to "reinforce its ties with the country," according to the British Guardian.

An open letter states, “Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence." The wording was suggested by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby, which is asking Congress members to help improve relations between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The one-year-old American government has in effect discarded the Roadmap plan, which already had been detoured by then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, by mediating indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and gaining concessions from the Netanyahu government without parallel steps by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

However, its demands concerning Jerusalem apparently have crossed the red line for Diaspora Jews as well as for many liberal leaders in Israel, causing a rift among the president’s advisers.

The White House on Tuesday tried to smooth over relations, with spokesman Robert Gibbs saying he was ”puzzled" by reports that President Obama snubbed Prime Minister Netanyahu by not holding a press conference or providing an opportunity for a public photograph. “I’m puzzled by the notion that somehow it’s a bad deal to get two hours with the president almost entirely alone,” he told reporters. “That doesn’t seem like a lot of punishment to me.”

He also denied a rumor in the media that the United States was prepared to refrain from vetoing a possible United Nations resolution against Israel’s building for Jews in areas of Jerusalem that were restored to the Jewish State in 1967 but are not recognized by United States as being under Israeli sovereignty. Approximately 300,000 Jews live in the neighborhoods, which include Ramot, French Hill and Gilo.

If the report was a trial balloon, the response appears to have let all the air out as Cabinet ministers line up behind Prime Minister Netanyahu to refuse to agree to a temporary building freeze.

Most of President Obama’s advisers have taken a pro-Palestinian Authority stand, backing its claims to sovereignty over part of the city. Foreign media have reported that President Obama’s public stand against Israel, beginning with his speech in Cairo last June that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are “illegitimate,” has placed him out on a limb. 

“The administration's credibility is at stake,”one source reportedly said. 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Israel fears Obama heading for imposed Mideast settlement

By Ari Shavit, Haaretz Correspondent

U.S. President Barack Obama's demands during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Tuesday point to an intention to impose a permanent settlement on Israel and the Palestinians in less than two years, political sources in Jerusalem say.

Israeli officials view the demands that Obama made at the White House as the tip of the iceberg under which lies a dramatic change in U.S. policy toward Israel.

Of 10 demands posed by Obama, four deal with Jerusalem: opening a Palestinian commercial interests office in East Jerusalem, an end to the razing of structures in Palestinian neighborhoods in the capital, stopping construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and not building the neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.

But another key demand - to discuss the dispute's core issues during the indirect talks that are planned - is perceived in Jerusalem as problematic because it implies that direct negotiations would be bypassed. This would set up a framework through which the Americans would be able to impose a final settlement.

It is not just Obama's demands that are perceived as problematic, but also the new modus operandi of American diplomacy. The fact that the White House and State Department have been in contact with Israel's European allies, first and foremost Germany, is seen as part of an effort to isolate Israel and put enormous political pressure on it.


Full story here


Notice this statement from the story, "the Americans would be able to impose a final settlement"! We shouldn't be surprised at that based on all that's taken place in the USA during the past year. There is a "demand" mentality in place, and its momentum is building and spreading worldwide. A settlement agreement wouldn't be two years away either.

If Netanyahu caves to Obama on Jerusalem, his government would likely self-destruct. That's a sobering observation.

Don

Jerusalem should be at world's center

By JONNY PAUL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
24/03/2010 01:00

LONDON – Jerusalem should return to the role it played in history, when it was the center of the world and a major destination for tourists and pilgrims from all religions, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told an audience at the prestigious London think-tank Chatham House on Monday evening.

“I want to return the role Jerusalem played 2,000-3,000 years ago to the front of the table, when it was the center of the world, where modern civilization started, a destination for tourists, for pilgrims from all religions. Jerusalem has that potential today,” he said.

Full story here



It will be the center of the world again one day when the Messiah sits on His throne in Jerusalem.

Don

The Right to Our Opinion

Hanoch Daum

Published:

03.28.10, 12:06 / Opinion

 Let’s all take a deep breath. All of us. Now that the latest meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ended, we would do well to accept the not-so-bitter truth: At this time there are disagreements between the United States and Israel.

Two new governments on both sides do not see eye to eye on diplomatic realities and have different attitudes to Jerusalem. We could have caved in, or tried to blur the gaps, yet this would be a missed opportunity. It is better to reconcile ourselves to this diplomatic reality and recognize it. This is the situation, dear citizens: Israel thinks differently than America.

Instead of getting scared of this fragile situation, we need to speak out boldly: On the other side, there are quite a few people who fail to understand the limits of power.

It doesn’t matter what they tell you about what’s really happening between the White House and Israel, one thing is clear: The notion someone planted in Obama’s head, whereby Netanyahu will make statements that contradict his beliefs and his voters’ worldview, and that would shatter his coalition and split the Likud – this notion is foolish and unreasonable.

Indeed, this notion casts doubt on President Obama’s ability to conduct himself vis-à-vis Israel the way one should conduct himself vis-à-vis an ally.

Long-term opportunity

Of course, there is no reason to panic. Yet there is definitely room for regret. It is regrettable that the American Administration comprises figures who do not respect Israel’s right to think differently than them. It is regrettable that officials around Obama have embarked on a rash effort to turn the US, within a short period of time, into a friend of the Muslim world even if this means clashing with their ally.

Most of all, what’s regrettable is the very thought that a deep and complex conflict like the one involving Israel and the Palestinians is the kind of thing that can be managed in a capricious and aggressive manner, without listening to the mood on both sides.

Even if Obama and Netanyahu overcome the latest bump in the road, this is no longer an optical illusion: There are disagreements between Israel and America. This is unpleasant in the short term, yet in the long term it’s a situation that also presents an opportunity – the opportunity to face the Americans candidly and tell them: Precisely because you are our real allies, you will have to cope with one of our most basic rights – the right to think differently than you about our future.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Pakistan Christian “Burned”, Wife “Raped”, For Refusing Islam

Saturday, March 20, 2010 (12:06 pm)
By BosNewsLife Asia Service reporting from Pakistan

Story link here

RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian man was fighting for his life in Pakistan's Punjab province Saturday, March 20, after Muslim leaders backed by police burned him alive for refusing to convert to Islam, while his wife was raped by police officers, Christian and hospital sources familiar with the case told BosNewsLife.

Arshed Masih was burned Friday, March 19, in front of a police station in the city of Rawalpindi near Pakistan's capital Islamabad, following apparent death threats from his Muslim employer Sheikh Mohammad Sultan, an influential businessman, and religious leaders, said the Rawalpindi Holy Family Hospital.

His wife, Martha Arshed, was allegedly raped by police officers. Their three children -- ranging in age from 7 to 12-- were reportedly forced to witness the attacks against their parents.

"Both [Masih] and wife were rushed to the Holy Family Hospital and are under treatment," the hospital said.

He was listed in serious condition with about 80 percent of his body burned.

POLICE INVESTIGATION

Local police officials said they were "aware" of the attacks carried out by Muslim leaders and apparently at least some officers and added that an investigation was underway. No arrests were reported yet late Saturday, March 19.

Sheikh Mohammad Sultan could not immediately be reached for comment and it was not clear whether he had been in contact with police Saturday, March 20.

Before tensions emerged about their Christian faith, Masih worked as a driver and his wife as a maid for the Muslim businessman since 2005, Christians said.

The couple apparently lived with their children in the servant quarters of Sultan's estate in Rawalpindi, a key trade and tourist destination. In January, religious leaders and Sultan allegedly asked Arshed to convert to Islam with his whole family. After he refused, the group reportedly threatened him with "dire consequences".

DEATH THREAT

Arshed offered to quit his job, but the businessman allegedly said he would "kill" him if he were to leave.

He apparently also told Christian mediators that he would never allow the Christian family to live somewhere else.

This week tensions rose after Sultan reported a theft of 500,000 Pakistani Rupees (5,952$), according to a document seen by BosNewsLife.

The Christian family members were not named as suspects in the so-called 'First Information Report' from police.

Sources familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, told BosNewsLife that the businessman had offered the couple to drop the case if they convert to Islam or "else that both would not see their children again."

However, "Arshed refused to convert and stood firm in his faith. Arshed`s wife was raped by the police and he was burned alive," Friday, March 19, local Christians said, speaking on condition of anonimity.

The case comes at a time when church groups have complained about growing attacks against minority Christians by Muslim militants, often with the alleged support by local law enforcement officials and other authorities.

~ ~ ~

That disturbing story from Pakistan made the news headlines, but many similiar stories happen often and go un-reported. However, it is a precursor of things to come for Israel and much of the world.

During the coming tribulation period, many will be martyred for their faith, for their refusal to bow down to pagan gods, and for their refusal to take the mark of Revelation 13:15-16 and Revelation 20:4.

In Revelation 6:9 the apostle John saw the souls in heaven of those who had been slain for their testimony.

Revelation 6:9
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

How strong is your faith today? How strong is mine? Would our testimony hold firm under torture - even to the point of imminent and certain death for our refusal to submit? Would we have the kind of enduring faith that Pakistan family showed in the face of pain and death?

Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross of Calvary for us in our place that we might live. He gave His life for us...what would we do for Him? We must be very sure.

Don

Yesha sends letter to Clinton over E. Jerusalem!

 
As Christians, we should be strengthening our resolve to stand with Israel, by reading through the Tenach (Old Testament) --You'll find a treasure trove of verses spoken by the Lord, Himself, on how HE feels about Israel!!

In a letter to US. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Jewish leaders in Judea and Samaria explain the unshakeable historic and religious bonds between the Jewish People and Jerusalem.
The letter was written in response to President Obama’s and Clinton’s criticism of Israel’s intentions to build in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. The neighborhood is a part of Jerusalem-proper, and is surrounded nearly completely by Jewish-populated areas. Though it is part of area liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, it was not recaptured from Jordan, but was rather considered no-man’s land between 1949 and 1967.
“We wish to share with you the sentiment and consensus among the Israeli public” regarding Jerusalem, the leaders of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha Council) wrote to Ms. Clinton, who sharply berated Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week over the issue.

The letter continues:
“We Israelis believe in the integrity of a strong, unified and undivided capital for our nation – Jerusalem, the Holy City. We Jews are the descendants of King David, and of a hundred generations of Jews who built and glorified Jerusalem as our capital, beginning over 3,000 years ago.
"From time immemorial, the Jews have worshipped towards Jerusalem and the Holy Temple – and prayed for Jerusalem since the dawn of our civilization.
"Neither Romans nor Greek, Crusaders nor Arabs, Ottomans nor British ever succeeded in shaking our bonds with Jerusalem. Thus, when you demand that we not build housing in our capital, or that we divide our capital and surrender parts of it to others, you must realize that this is unacceptable to Jews everywhere and to us Israelis.
"We will not negotiate on the issue of Jerusalem. We will never divide Jerusalem.
"The Jewish People worldwide support Prime Minister Netanyahu’s action, and stand firmly behind him on this important issue of Israel’s right to defend itself as a sovereign nation.
"We deeply appreciate America’s friendship, but it must be clearly understood: We are a free and sovereign people, and we have the right to determine our destiny."
By Hillel Fendel

IsraelNN.com

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua