Do those who continually attempt to bully and threaten Israel ever rest? One thing is for certain, it will never work. Israel’s only desire is to live in peace on the land that rightly belongs to them; land given to them in an eternal covenant by God Himself and land that Israel won in war. Will their neighbors ever give them this right? It certainly does not appear so and the proof is in the pudding. The European Union continues to condemn the construction decision by Israel to move forward with plans to build housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
For the past 45 years, since the Six-Day War, Israeli governments have built in Jerusalem and in settlement blocs. It is clear to everyone that the settlement blocs will remain under Israeli sovereignty in any future settlement.
Obviously the State of Israel regrets the one-sided statement issued by the European Union. History and the facts demonstrate that the Jewish settlement has never been a barrier to peace and the European Union’s emphasis on it is mistaken. Sadly, both the European Union and the international community have fallen hook, line and sinker for the massive distribution of propaganda being disseminated by radical Islam.
When Israel builds in Jerusalem, the international community is quick to make its voice heard. However, when Hamas publicly announced the beginning of a third intifada against Israel and reiterated their goal of Israel’s destruction, there was no international condemnation, no United Nations resolution, and no Palestinian diplomat was summoned to clarify why the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Abu Mazen, not only did not condemn the incitement but spoke about the possibility of unifying with Hamas.
The reason that there is no arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians is the Palestinians’ refusal to directly negotiate and their refusal to recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people as was demonstrated by Abu Mazen’s speech at the UN and Haled Masshal’s speech in Gaza. They simply believe that Israel has no right to exist.
Historically you will find adverse reactions from the international community to decisions made by the State of Israel regarding building in the past 45 years:
• July l967 the General Assembly made two decisions which “expressed deep concern regarding Israeli steps to change the situation in East Jerusalem.”
• March 1979 the Security Council decided that the building in the settlements “are not legally valid and they are a barrier to just and total peace in the Middle East.”
• July 1980 the General Assembly made a decision calling for an unconditional Israeli pull-out from all the territories conquered during the Six-Day War including Jerusalem, and for the full implementation of the right of return while declining any solution for the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel.
• December 1995 at the height of the Oslo Accords, the General Assembly declared that the “settlements in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem are illegal”.
• December 2008 the Quarter issued a message calling for Israel to “freeze all building activities in the settlements.”
After living in Israel for more than a year and reporting news from Israel for nearly twelve years, I am persuaded that Israel’s only desire is to live in peace on the land that God gave them. Will the time ever come when Israel’s right to exist is acknowledged by all of those seeking to destroy her? Only time will tell. In the meantime, it is prudent for Israel to continue moving ahead with their building plans and other necessary endeavors to secure their peace and their future. Yes, the international community, especially the biased European Union, will continue to voice opposition to any project Israel undertakes. Despite what some may say, Israel knows what is in Israel’s best interest.