Stone Washington
Happy 70th Anniversary, Israel! America honors Jerusalem, the eternal Capital of God's chosen
By Stone Washington
"Remember this moment. This is history. President [Donald] Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful."
~Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital. Yet, for many years, we failed to acknowledge the obvious. The plain reality that Israel's capital is Jerusalem. On December 6, 2017, at my direction, the United States finally and officially recognized Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel. Today, we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem. And we're opening it many, many years ahead of schedule."
~President Donald J. Trump
Introduction to Israeli Independence
On Monday May 14th, the nation of Israel celebrated 70 years of its founding as a nation. This ceremonious occasion was highlighted by the historic and unprecedented decision by President Donald Trump to recognize the Holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, through moving the U.S embassy to the city. Never before has such a significant recognition by any nation in the World occurred toward Israel in the 70 years that it has existed as a sovereign nation, as all other World nations have accepted Tel Aviv to be the default capital. Notwithstanding, what the U.S has just recently accomplished under President Trump is indeed exceedingly remarkable – All United Nations member States since Israel's founding as a nation have disrespected Israeli authority and autonomy as God's chosen people by denying them the credit of Jerusalem existing as Israel's defined capital city.
And tragically during the past 70 years, every Presidential administration, even the pro-Israeli Ronald Reagan, refused the opportunity to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capitol of the Jewish state. Appeasement politics in conjunction with how many countries have feared to involve themselves in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, believing that a recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's would further ignite the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The nations of the world have forgotten the wise words of Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England – "Never appease an aggressor." Drawing upon Israeli History, this article will examine the profound significance of President Trump's historic and game-changing move (despite worldwide condemnation) to accept Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the commemorative ceremony on May 14th that occurred on Israel's 70th anniversary as nation is nothing short of an event of biblical magnitude.
Israel's Biblical origins
Israel's earliest History as a people dates back to the era of Moses in the land of Egypt, in the time leading to the miraculous Exodus from Pharaoh's oppressive rule and God's awesome display of power seen through the ten plagues cast upon the Egyptians. The Jewish people draw their ancestry from a tribe that occupied the land of Canaan, understood as an extensive area in the eastern Mediterranean that encompasses most of modern day Israel, Syria, and Jordan. This tribe is descended of Abraham (a "wandering Aramaean"), the Father of nations, who begot Isaac, who begot Jacob, who begat the 12 Tribes of Israel, creating the line of Patriarchs that followed during this age. Abraham was one of God's earliest followers having forsaking the pagan moon god of his native Ur and was responsible for making a direct covenant with the Lord, with the promise that Abraham and his wife Sarah's descendants will inherit a bountiful land of promise "flowing with milk and honey" according to Genesis 17:1-8:
The Promised Land, despite not being possessed directly by Abraham and his wife Sarah, would eventually be discovered and occupied by the children of the Israelites that wandered the wilderness of Sinai with Moses and Aaron. Joshua and Caleb were the only men from the original group of Israelites worthy to occupy the Promised Land, due to the sinful disobedience, unbelief and idolatryof Moses' generation. Moses passed down God's eternal laws for the Israelites to abide, known as the Ten Commandments, inscribed onto a pair of stone tablets. The tablets were kept in the Ark of the Covenant, built during Moses' time, and were housed in King Solomon's legendary Temple. Historians agree that the Kingdom of Israel existed by ca. 900 BCE, while the Kingdom of Judah came about around 700 BCE, with the Kingdom of Israel later conquered in 720 BCE under the Neo Assyrian Empire, while Judah was carried into captivity by Babylon during the Iron Age.
The Torah, translated "Instruction" or "guidance," contains the earliest understandings of God's Word for the Jewish people. The Torah is contained in the first five books of the Bible, which, as well as history, contain 613 commandments fundamental to Jewish life. The lessons and application of the Torah were primarily passed down by word of mouth. The Torah was later written down in the second century by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, in the Mishnah, dictionary defined as, "an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud."
A Brief History of Israel's founding as a sovereign nation
The Jewish homeland, within the Levant, would later become subdued underneath the Ottoman Empire in 1517. It was 400 years later that during the 19th century, a national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the Zionist movement, a push to establish a defined Jewish home in the region, in the midst of the diaspora that exiled Jews in waves to immigrate to the Ottoman Syria and later British Palestine. Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl was the primary founder and advocate for political Zionism. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Palestine (Resolution 181) recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The Jewish agency, the largest Jewish non- profit organization in the World, accepted the proposal while Arab states in the Middle East rejected it, leading to Palestinian strikes against the resolution. On May 14th 1948, only a day before the expiration of the British Mandate, an order that formalized British rule in the southern part of Ottoman Syria from 1923–1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel ("Land of Israel"), to be known as the State of Israel," officially cementing Israel's recognition as a sovereign nation.
The Agency's acceptance of Israel as an independent state led to the subsequent 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which allowed for Israel's establishment over most of the former Mandate territory, while neighboring Arab states gained control over Gaza and the West Bank. Four Arab countries – Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt lead armies through the British Mandatory Palestine. Contingents of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Sudan, and Yemen later joined the war. The basis of the war was to drive out the Jewish people from the region that was their declared homeland, in order to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state at inception. The Arab Palestinian economy would later collapse, leading to 250,000 Palestinian Arabs fleeing or being expelled from the region. Some Arab leaders went so far as to suggest pushing the Jewish people into the surrounding sea.
In 1949, following a year of intense fighting, a ceasefire was declared between both sides, leading to the creation of temporary borders, known as the Green Line. Jordan annexed what became known as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip. Israel was ultimately victorious in the conflict, with an estimated 700,000 Palestinians fleeing or expelled by the advancing Israeli army. The conclusion of the war would later become known in Arabic as the Nakba ("catastrophe"), with some 156,000 Palestinians remaining in the area as converted Israeli citizens.
Israel Today
On May 14, 1948 exactly 70 years following Israel's official conception into the World as a sovereign nation, a Historic ceremony was held in Jerusalem to commemorate President Donald J. Trump's bold declaration to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The declaration from the White House to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was formerly made on Wednesday December 6, 2017, sparking renewed happiness for the Jewish people all around the World, while fomenting outrage among Muslim nations. In the statement, President Trump declared, "That city is Israel's capital. It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." Despite the U.S. embassy formerly stationed in Tel Aviv, where most other countries' embassies are maintained, President Trump made known Israel's true and eternal capital city, stating, "This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality," Trump said. "It is also the right thing to do. It's something that has to be done."
At the ceremony to recognize America's Embassy move to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his overwhelming happiness at President Trump's decision, commending Trump for making History, stating,
"Remember this moment. This is history. President [Donald] Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful." Netanyahu recounts how, "For me, being here brings back wonderful memories from my childhood," recalling how the first three years he lived there were spent on a street not far away, playing in the open fields with his brother Yoni Netanyahu, near where the American Embassy now stands. He continues, "I would approach this place right here, but only so far, because my mother told me, 'You can't go any further.' This was near the border. It was exposed to sniper fire. That was then. This is now, today."
Netanyahu continues his powerful speech in a glorious declaration of triumph for the Jewish people and a deeply special day in Biblical History, "Today, the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, our greatest ally, the United States of America, today its embassy opened here." Netanyahu continues by stating, "A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality. You can only build peace on truth, and the truth is that Jerusalem has been and will always be the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state."
In closing, Netanyahu commends President Trump on one of his greatest attributes since attaining office: making a promise and keeping it, and how profound this ability has proven to be toward enriching Jewish independence, "In every U.S election, every presidential candidate has promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem," he said,
"Finally, we have a leader who promised it and also kept his promise. And for this, we give thanks that we have arrived at this place at this time. The Israeli people thank you for keeping your word, for your courage, for your determination and for your firm, unwavering stance alongside the State of Israel. We hope and expect that other nations will follow your path and your leadership. We will continue to safeguard Jerusalem as a city of peace, as a home to all those of faith, a city of all its residents and citizens, of all religions and communities, who share together one city, which is so greatly loved by everyone."
Conclusion
Truly, President Trump has accomplished far more good for the God's chosen people, the Israelites, than any other President or leader in Israel's 70-year existence. While not in attendance during the ceremony, President Trump crafted a beautiful video message expressing his best wishes for peace in Jerusalem, as the everlasting capital of America's greatest ally, Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu even emphasized how President Trump has literally created history in recognizing Israel's eternally designated capitol of Jerusalem.
This tremendous accomplishment permeates Israel's many hateful enemies (Iran, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, etc) surrounding the small nation, with thousands of Palestinians violently protesting at the Gaza strip against Israel, and Iran in rebuke of President Trump's brilliant move to scrap the abhorred Iranian nuclear deal, just 6 days prior to Israel's anniversary. For respecting Israel and blocking Iran, the lead sponsor of state-wide terrorism, God will continue to heap immense blessings upon the U.S during the Trump Administration, and World nations, whether they want to or not, must now accept Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state now and forevermore.
Je suis Israel! (I am Israel!) Shalom Israel! God bless America!
© Stone Washington
May 31, 2018
"Remember this moment. This is history. President [Donald] Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful."
~Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital. Yet, for many years, we failed to acknowledge the obvious. The plain reality that Israel's capital is Jerusalem. On December 6, 2017, at my direction, the United States finally and officially recognized Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel. Today, we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem. And we're opening it many, many years ahead of schedule."
~President Donald J. Trump
Introduction to Israeli Independence
On Monday May 14th, the nation of Israel celebrated 70 years of its founding as a nation. This ceremonious occasion was highlighted by the historic and unprecedented decision by President Donald Trump to recognize the Holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, through moving the U.S embassy to the city. Never before has such a significant recognition by any nation in the World occurred toward Israel in the 70 years that it has existed as a sovereign nation, as all other World nations have accepted Tel Aviv to be the default capital. Notwithstanding, what the U.S has just recently accomplished under President Trump is indeed exceedingly remarkable – All United Nations member States since Israel's founding as a nation have disrespected Israeli authority and autonomy as God's chosen people by denying them the credit of Jerusalem existing as Israel's defined capital city.
And tragically during the past 70 years, every Presidential administration, even the pro-Israeli Ronald Reagan, refused the opportunity to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capitol of the Jewish state. Appeasement politics in conjunction with how many countries have feared to involve themselves in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, believing that a recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's would further ignite the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The nations of the world have forgotten the wise words of Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England – "Never appease an aggressor." Drawing upon Israeli History, this article will examine the profound significance of President Trump's historic and game-changing move (despite worldwide condemnation) to accept Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the commemorative ceremony on May 14th that occurred on Israel's 70th anniversary as nation is nothing short of an event of biblical magnitude.
Israel's Biblical origins
Israel's earliest History as a people dates back to the era of Moses in the land of Egypt, in the time leading to the miraculous Exodus from Pharaoh's oppressive rule and God's awesome display of power seen through the ten plagues cast upon the Egyptians. The Jewish people draw their ancestry from a tribe that occupied the land of Canaan, understood as an extensive area in the eastern Mediterranean that encompasses most of modern day Israel, Syria, and Jordan. This tribe is descended of Abraham (a "wandering Aramaean"), the Father of nations, who begot Isaac, who begot Jacob, who begat the 12 Tribes of Israel, creating the line of Patriarchs that followed during this age. Abraham was one of God's earliest followers having forsaking the pagan moon god of his native Ur and was responsible for making a direct covenant with the Lord, with the promise that Abraham and his wife Sarah's descendants will inherit a bountiful land of promise "flowing with milk and honey" according to Genesis 17:1-8:
-
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram and said unto him, 'I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant between
Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.' And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying, 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many
nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations
of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'"
The Promised Land, despite not being possessed directly by Abraham and his wife Sarah, would eventually be discovered and occupied by the children of the Israelites that wandered the wilderness of Sinai with Moses and Aaron. Joshua and Caleb were the only men from the original group of Israelites worthy to occupy the Promised Land, due to the sinful disobedience, unbelief and idolatryof Moses' generation. Moses passed down God's eternal laws for the Israelites to abide, known as the Ten Commandments, inscribed onto a pair of stone tablets. The tablets were kept in the Ark of the Covenant, built during Moses' time, and were housed in King Solomon's legendary Temple. Historians agree that the Kingdom of Israel existed by ca. 900 BCE, while the Kingdom of Judah came about around 700 BCE, with the Kingdom of Israel later conquered in 720 BCE under the Neo Assyrian Empire, while Judah was carried into captivity by Babylon during the Iron Age.
The Torah, translated "Instruction" or "guidance," contains the earliest understandings of God's Word for the Jewish people. The Torah is contained in the first five books of the Bible, which, as well as history, contain 613 commandments fundamental to Jewish life. The lessons and application of the Torah were primarily passed down by word of mouth. The Torah was later written down in the second century by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, in the Mishnah, dictionary defined as, "an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud."
A Brief History of Israel's founding as a sovereign nation
The Jewish homeland, within the Levant, would later become subdued underneath the Ottoman Empire in 1517. It was 400 years later that during the 19th century, a national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the Zionist movement, a push to establish a defined Jewish home in the region, in the midst of the diaspora that exiled Jews in waves to immigrate to the Ottoman Syria and later British Palestine. Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl was the primary founder and advocate for political Zionism. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Palestine (Resolution 181) recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The Jewish agency, the largest Jewish non- profit organization in the World, accepted the proposal while Arab states in the Middle East rejected it, leading to Palestinian strikes against the resolution. On May 14th 1948, only a day before the expiration of the British Mandate, an order that formalized British rule in the southern part of Ottoman Syria from 1923–1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel ("Land of Israel"), to be known as the State of Israel," officially cementing Israel's recognition as a sovereign nation.
The Agency's acceptance of Israel as an independent state led to the subsequent 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which allowed for Israel's establishment over most of the former Mandate territory, while neighboring Arab states gained control over Gaza and the West Bank. Four Arab countries – Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt lead armies through the British Mandatory Palestine. Contingents of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Sudan, and Yemen later joined the war. The basis of the war was to drive out the Jewish people from the region that was their declared homeland, in order to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state at inception. The Arab Palestinian economy would later collapse, leading to 250,000 Palestinian Arabs fleeing or being expelled from the region. Some Arab leaders went so far as to suggest pushing the Jewish people into the surrounding sea.
In 1949, following a year of intense fighting, a ceasefire was declared between both sides, leading to the creation of temporary borders, known as the Green Line. Jordan annexed what became known as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip. Israel was ultimately victorious in the conflict, with an estimated 700,000 Palestinians fleeing or expelled by the advancing Israeli army. The conclusion of the war would later become known in Arabic as the Nakba ("catastrophe"), with some 156,000 Palestinians remaining in the area as converted Israeli citizens.
Israel Today
On May 14, 1948 exactly 70 years following Israel's official conception into the World as a sovereign nation, a Historic ceremony was held in Jerusalem to commemorate President Donald J. Trump's bold declaration to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The declaration from the White House to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was formerly made on Wednesday December 6, 2017, sparking renewed happiness for the Jewish people all around the World, while fomenting outrage among Muslim nations. In the statement, President Trump declared, "That city is Israel's capital. It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." Despite the U.S. embassy formerly stationed in Tel Aviv, where most other countries' embassies are maintained, President Trump made known Israel's true and eternal capital city, stating, "This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality," Trump said. "It is also the right thing to do. It's something that has to be done."
At the ceremony to recognize America's Embassy move to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his overwhelming happiness at President Trump's decision, commending Trump for making History, stating,
"Remember this moment. This is history. President [Donald] Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful." Netanyahu recounts how, "For me, being here brings back wonderful memories from my childhood," recalling how the first three years he lived there were spent on a street not far away, playing in the open fields with his brother Yoni Netanyahu, near where the American Embassy now stands. He continues, "I would approach this place right here, but only so far, because my mother told me, 'You can't go any further.' This was near the border. It was exposed to sniper fire. That was then. This is now, today."
Netanyahu continues his powerful speech in a glorious declaration of triumph for the Jewish people and a deeply special day in Biblical History, "Today, the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, our greatest ally, the United States of America, today its embassy opened here." Netanyahu continues by stating, "A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality. You can only build peace on truth, and the truth is that Jerusalem has been and will always be the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state."
In closing, Netanyahu commends President Trump on one of his greatest attributes since attaining office: making a promise and keeping it, and how profound this ability has proven to be toward enriching Jewish independence, "In every U.S election, every presidential candidate has promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem," he said,
"Finally, we have a leader who promised it and also kept his promise. And for this, we give thanks that we have arrived at this place at this time. The Israeli people thank you for keeping your word, for your courage, for your determination and for your firm, unwavering stance alongside the State of Israel. We hope and expect that other nations will follow your path and your leadership. We will continue to safeguard Jerusalem as a city of peace, as a home to all those of faith, a city of all its residents and citizens, of all religions and communities, who share together one city, which is so greatly loved by everyone."
Conclusion
Truly, President Trump has accomplished far more good for the God's chosen people, the Israelites, than any other President or leader in Israel's 70-year existence. While not in attendance during the ceremony, President Trump crafted a beautiful video message expressing his best wishes for peace in Jerusalem, as the everlasting capital of America's greatest ally, Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu even emphasized how President Trump has literally created history in recognizing Israel's eternally designated capitol of Jerusalem.
This tremendous accomplishment permeates Israel's many hateful enemies (Iran, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, etc) surrounding the small nation, with thousands of Palestinians violently protesting at the Gaza strip against Israel, and Iran in rebuke of President Trump's brilliant move to scrap the abhorred Iranian nuclear deal, just 6 days prior to Israel's anniversary. For respecting Israel and blocking Iran, the lead sponsor of state-wide terrorism, God will continue to heap immense blessings upon the U.S during the Trump Administration, and World nations, whether they want to or not, must now accept Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state now and forevermore.
Je suis Israel! (I am Israel!) Shalom Israel! God bless America!
© Stone Washington
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
