10 December 2017

Which votes were behind the Trump declaration? And some pushback...

22 Kislev 5778


A security guard was stabbed by an Arab Palestinian this afternoon. Now, will this end US President Trump's experiment on "Palestinian" good will? (INN, from Magen David Adom)

What constituency was US President Donald Trump supporting when he declared Jerusalem Israel's capital, aside from the obvious: Was it the Jews, whether in Israel or America? the Arabs, similarly? or the evangelical Christians? From whom does he get his votes?

An even better question: Why did it fall to him to do what should have been done a very long time ago? He does realize, as he stated, that it is entirely illogical for things to remain as they were — unlike others who promised but didn't deliver.

Here's an article where Julie Ingersoll, Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Florida, on The Conversation, seems to get to the answer. Why Trump's supporters welcome his move on Jerusalem

As we know, none of the Arab/Middle Eastern countries supported it at all. I think the jury in Saudi Arabia is still out on that one. (Just kidding. I'm under the impression that neither SA, nor any other Muslim country, has juries.)

Others, like Dan Shapiro, former US ambassador to Israel, says we're all over-reacting to the news, while Chris Matthews, MSNBC host, says the evangelicals have crazy ideas about Israel. (The whole Xian mentality around this IS crazy, but maybe not for the reasons Matthews brings forth. G-d willing, more on that later.)

Jack Engelhard (Indecent Proposal, The Bathsheba Deadline and more) asks, Why are the nations in an uproar? as they try to undo what has been done in the finest hour between the US and Israel.


Women in Green (Women for Israel's Tomorrow), by email sent 7 December, tells us (emphasis mine):

The Sovereignty Movement welcomes the focal point of the speech by U.S. President Donald Trump – the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish People, and views this speech as another step towards the national and international recognition of the Jewish People’s sovereignty over its land.
Indeed, President Trump’s words still do not negate the idea of two states, but there is an understanding that a political solution cannot be imposed on Israel, and that the repeated attempts in the past by American presidents to do so have always resulted in failure, therefore these matters require re-examination.

President Trump also includes the principle that it is important to recognize reality, and just as the American president now openly gives recognition to the fact that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, so will he and others also recognize this reality of thousands of years, the reality of the connection of the People of Israel to all parts of its Land and its rights to its Land.

As an aside, the Sovereignty Movement, founded by Women in Green, warns and asserts that it is incumbent upon the Israeli leadership to see [to] its interests even when confronted with the American embrace. The gift that President Trump has bestowed on Israel in the 70th year of its founding should not require any “political payment” in the future.
NOTE: [there is also a campaign to further WIG's immediate-future work; see here (English) and here (Hebrew). -CDG]

 Tzvi Fishman, novelist, says, "...there are still a lot of Gentiles who resent the rise of Israel in the world." Which is why this recognition hasn't occurred until now.

In the end, amidst a lot of possibilities, it doesn't matter.  I'm not saying I know the answer. I  know that HaShem's plans will succeed, no matter what it takes. If not now, when — and through whom?

***

BREAKING: My husband called me in the middle of writing this: He had passed by the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, in front of which a security guard was stabbed before his bus arrived there. You can see the report here:

 Mr. Trump, neither you nor Mr. Netanyahu or anyone else, can tell Israel to WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE DIES, as everyone else has told us ad nauseam. If you meant what you said, in any way, you must leave us to do what we must. We have NO ONE to talk to on the other side. Period. The test is over as far as I'm concerned!

And in case you didn't get the message, here's the stabbing.



2 comments:

HDG, Yerushalayim, E"Y Shlemah said...

Please pray for Asher Chaim ben Tamar, who was stabbed IN THE HEART and is at Sha'are Tzedek Hospital, here at Tehilim Yahad. As I write this comment, I have been reading tehilim for him and there aren't many people. Please do a good Jew a favor and save his life! Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Yes, thank you for the name Asher Chaim ben Tamar, so we can all pray for his refuah shleimah!

Regarding who was behind the president's push for declaring the U.S. accepting Yerushalayim as the capital of E.Y., it's all from Hashem! Believe that he of all the previous presidents had this zchut because he was always a friend of the Jews and I also read a story by a notable (I forgot which Rabbi wrote about it, think it was Rabbi Weinreb, but really can't remember)that Trump's father was a good friend with the Rabbi's father and he actually supported the shul that the rabbi's father was building and they remained good friends. He also said that the pres.' father referred to the rabbi's father as 'my Rabbi'. Also, wasn't it his Jewish son-in-law who was pushing for this, but, unfortunately, also pushing for the 2-state foolishness, which will never be anyway, B'H. Chag Chanukah Sameach!