President Obama’s UN Speech: The Palestinian/Israeli Crisis

Part 2: Thoughts on President Obama’s UN Speech

As I parsed through the part of President Obama’s speech to the UN that focused on Israel and the Palestinians, I thought it was appropriate to highlight the following:

1. President Obama continues to try to position himself as a neutral and fair mediator rather than Israel’s ally with the following words,

“We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

To casually characterize the thousands of Palestinian/Hamas rockets that were launched into Israeli cities and their civilian populations as “incitement” is outrageous. Incitement is a minimizing understatement. These were acts of war and no nation would put up with it, including the US. Obama then turns on Israel in specific and in my view harsh terms and states;

“And we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

So let me get this straight.

Thousands of Palestinian rockets launched into civilian populations is merely “incitement” (aggravating) while Israeli settlements are “illegitimate” thus implying Israel is pursuing a policy that is illegal by international law and thus criminal. In my view, “incitement” is a mild rebuke and the “illegitimate settlements” constitute a harsh indictment of Israel.

2. He states that the second pillar of his speech is the pursuit of world peace.

In the President’s view, one of the keys to world peace (which he so badly desires to be the inspiration for) is the resolution of the Palestinian/Israeli crisis. In Obama’s view, the way to resolve the Middle East conflict is to divide Israel into two nations, ie the two state solution.  In his own words…

“The goal is clear: two states living side by side in peace and security – a Jewish State of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people.”

So I guess Mr. Obama believes the Palestinian assertion that Israel’s dominance of Holy Land taken in wars the Arabs started and lost is “occupation” and not the legitimate spoil of war. Compare that to the way the US forcefully appropriated so much land from the Native Americans Indians. A little hypocritical wouldn’t you say? Are we “occupying” Indian lands?

3. He accuses Israel (in front of an increasingly hostile world) of not respecting legitimate Palestinian claims and rights.

“The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of Palestinians”.

Israel has been a close ally to the United States for 50 years. This statement amounts to a betrayal of that relationship. Even if he believes this statement it is wrong to expose little Israel to worldwide condemnation when she is already unfairly reviled by so many nations in the UN. Shame!

Conclusion

Judging by what Obama is saying in this speech coupled with his Cairo speech,  Obama continues to pursue a strategy that puts the onus for the Middle East crisis politely but clearly on the doorstep of Israel.

May God have mercy on the United States.

Joel Chernoff

Part IV: Obama’s Stunning Turnaround on Iranian Nuclear Threat

After the September 11 Moslem terrorist attacks on the US, President George W. Bush, as well as the rest of the world, came to the logical conclusion that the radical Moslem terrorists and their state sponsors must be prevented access to nuclear weapons. We all know that if the terrorists have them they will use them against the US and the west in general. That is essentially a significant reason the US attacked Iraq and why President George W. Bush threatened military action against Iran during his Presidency.

Iranian Threat

Iran has been one of, if not the leading, state sponsor of Muslim terrorism. The whole world knows this and has explored every peaceful means to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons…to no avail. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has made it very clear that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and has threatened to use them against Israel in particular and the US through its links to terrorist group it is sponsoring or associated with.

Obama’s new US policy

Obama appears to ignore the previous assessments of US Presidents, the European Union (EU) and even the UN. It is important to understand how Obama views himself and the world on this issue.

In Cairo he revealed his long term view on nuclear arms and how he would apply his approach in the short term to the Middle East conflict. In his own words:

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with it’s responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

Summary of President Obama’s Philosophy on Nuclear Energy

• He believes in a nuclear bomb free world.
• He believes that all nations should have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• He believes that all nations that desire nuclear energy must sign on to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and abide by its peaceful objectives. 

Obama’s Nuclear Strategy for the Middle East

• He knows the Arabs/Iranians will not sign the NPT unless Israel signs it, and eliminates its nuclear weapons. This is the reason he is pressuring Israel to do so. By the way, if Israel complied it would be a strategic coup for the enemies of Israel. A nuclear weapons free Israel would be a much more tempting target and easier enemy to defeat.
• By pressuring Israel he believes it gives him the moral authority to do the same with Iran.
• He is willing to trust Iran with nuclear power for energy purposes if they will sign the NPT and “promise” the world they will be “good boys and girls”.

Is Obama really that naive or stupid?

• Doesn’t he realize that Israel is surrounded by 250 million Muslim Arabs dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel?
• Doesn’t he understand that there are another billion Moslem’s- yes even so called moderate Moslems – around the world that also support that objective?
• Doesn’t he understand that for the Moslem world the baseline issue is theological/spiritual not political and Israel’s existence is an affront to the Moslem world on religious grounds

The answer…

President Obama is very smart and has many brilliant advisors. I believe he understands the situation but has come to the conclusion that he is ready to gamble with or change America’s relationship with Israel (in my opinion for the worse) in order to achieve his objectives towards solving the Middle East conflict and reaching detente with Iran and the Arabs. I believe that Obama believes that if he can just get into the same room with these Moslem hard-liners that he has the personal charm and skills to change their minds and impose his will.

Of course Israel will not agree to disarm its nuclear weapons and neither will Iran agree to discontinue its drive towards developing nuclear weapons.

How far will Obama go with Israel? No one knows. Stay tuned.

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

Important: Pre-Obama Cairo Speech Analysis

In the last few days before his much anticipated speech in Cairo, Egypt, President Obama has chosen to speak, not just through surrogates, but also directly as to the direction he is headed with the Middle East conflict and Israel.

Here are a few of the important statements he has made with my translation as to their meaning:

 

• Obama: Although the US needs to maintain its strong support for Israel, Washington also has to be “honest” with Israel regarding the direction in which the region is heading, even if this includes resorting to “tough love”.
• Translation: Previous Presidents have not been strong enough to make Israel do what it should and needs to do for the best interests of Israel and the US. He, President Obama, is tough enough and determined enough to make Israel do what other President’s did not have the will to do and force Israel to comply with his plan for the Middle East. 
• Obama: I don’t think (emphasis mine) we have to change strong support for Israel. We do have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace, and that’s going to require, from my view, a two-state solution.
• Translation: The 50 year position the US has taken of standing with Israel through “thick and thin” is no longer a sure thing. In order to maintain US support, Israel must now do what Obama  feels is the right way to handle things. It’s Obama’s way or the highway.
• Obama: Part of being a good friend is being “honest” and I think there have been times where we were not as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also US interests. And that’s part of a new dialogue that I’d like to see encouraged in the region.
• Translation: There is a new sheriff in town and I am going to try a radically new approach of courting the Muslims and if necessary sacrificing our long term relationship with Israel if they do not act in the best interests for the US.
• Obama: The United States has to follow through on what it says. It is important for us to be clear about what we believe will lead to peace – and that there is no equivocation.
• Translation: I mean what I say and I say what I mean. I am not backing down so don’t challenge me on this or you will force me to play “hardball” with you.

So How is PM Netanyahu Taking All of This?

This is the first time I have heard an Israeli Prime Minister flat out contradict a US President in public. Usually statecraft dictates handling things indirectly and discreetly. President Obama has left Netanyahu no options. Netanyahu’s response has been…

• The demand to freeze all settlement growth even natural growth is “unreasonable”.
• He also said, “It is likely that we are not going to reach an agreement with the Americans regarding settlement construction.”

Conclusion

The possibility of a deep rift between Israel and this President’s administration is very high. 

How is the Palestinian Authority Responding?

PA President Abbas was not only surprised and happy with this unexpected turn of events but also made it very clear from news sources that there are a few items that Obama has proposed in his new Middle East plans which are completely unacceptable to the Palestinians. They are as follows:

• The right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel.
• The establishment of an independent state with all of East Jerusalem including the Old City as its capital.
• Lastly Abbas has said, “The only way to achieve real and lasting peace is by forcing Israel to withdraw from all the territories that were occupied in 1967.”

Is the Cairo Speech Important?

As you can see, his speech tomorrow could signal a complete change in US relations with Israel and the Muslim world. This President believes he can handle the religious fanaticism of radical Islam. In short I believe he feels he can solve the world’s problems if you just give him what he wants and enough time. 

Where is this headed prophetically?

There is no absolute certainty yet but I believe that unless Obama pulls back from the harsh measures he is planning (i.e. the tough love he has talked about) to make Israel compliant with his new Middle East plan he will force Israel into a final Arab/Israeli war. Unless Israel gives Obama what he wants, which I do not believe is going to happen–Israel will have no other choice than to attempt to resolve the conflict once and for all militarily.

Keep one eye on this speech tomorrow and one eye on Isaiah 11 which describes the Final Arab/Israeli war. I will blog on this more in the future.

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

It’s Official: Obama’s New Middle East Plan is a Poison Pill For Israel

President Obama and PM Netanyahu Meet

The much anticipated meeting in Washington D.C. between President Obama and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has come and gone.

So what do we know now?

Their meeting seemed cordial and both tried to be publicly conciliatory towards each other but it was clear that a consensus was not reached. PM Netanyahu was nice but made it clear that, though Israel will work towards peace with their Arab neighbors, he was not ready to embrace the two-state solution.

President Obama made it clear that he wants Israel to embrace the two-state solution and strongly pressured Israel to discontinue all settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria (West Bank).

The Plot Gets Thicker: New Middle East Plan Revealed

On May 21 the popular London-based Al-Quds Al Arabi newspaper ran an extensive analysis of Obama’s new peace initiative. According to this report the main points of Obama’s peace initiative are as follows:

• It is based on the Saudi/Arab League plan from March 2002.
• It envisions a demilitarized Palestinian state.
• It mandates a Palestinian state with territorial contiguity between Gaza and the West Bank that would split Israel into two parts.
• Jerusalem would be split into Arab controlled east Jerusalem and Jewish controlled west Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem would also serve as the capital of the new Palestinian state.
• Israel would forfeit sovereignty over the Old City of Jerusalem and the Old City of Jerusalem would be internationalized, that is belonging to no one.

Obama Initiates Another First (unfortunately)

In addition, it was noted that President Obama and King Abdullah of Jordan conceived this plan while Obama was recently visiting Jordan.

This is the first time a US President has created a peace plan without first coordinating with Israel.

This is not a good sign for Israel…and for the US in general!

So what does Netanyahu really think?

 May 22, the day after the Al Quds Al Arabi article is published in London, PM Netanyahu addresses the nation of Israel on Jerusalem Day which is the celebration of the unification of the city of Jerusalem under Jewish control after the Six Day War in 1967. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

He states in his speech,

United Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned or divided.

It sounds to me as if there is little to no give in Israel’s position concerning Jerusalem and is the polar opposite to President Obama’s desire for Jerusalem in his new peace initiative.

What About Obama’s Call for halting Settlement Expansion?

While Netanyahu has tipped his hat at this request and dismantled one or two outposts, the Israeli PM insists that authorized settlements should be allowed to continue natural growth i.e. natural population expansion.

What Does This All Mean?

It means that there is little common ground between Obama’s new agenda for peace and Israel’s new government. There are so many non-starters for Israel that I believe there is absolutely no chance Netanyahu and his conservative government would or even could agree to it without a total collapse of the coalition Netanyahu leads.

In other words Obama’s initiative is, for all intents and purposes, dead on arrival.

What Will Obama’s Response Be?

Obama has put himself in a very fragile position politically. If Obama, after all of his public posturing,  does not try to force Israel to comply he risks looking weak and impotent before the Arab/Moslem world and for that matter the world in general. He is investing a lot of the political capital he gained with his election in trying to resolve the Middle east conflict…his way. I don’t believe he will crawl away with his tail between his legs.

President Barack Obama

This is where we must pray for the President and this country.

Unfortunately, it appears…and I say appears…that he is moving in the direction of being willing to sacrifice, if necessary, the US’s long standing relationship with Israel to accomplish what he believes will bring peace to the Middle East.

Look for the US to put unprecedented pressure on Israel to bend to its will.

I hope I am wrong. Keep praying for Israel and the US.

The God of Israel is in control.

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

No Political Solution to Mideast Conflict?

 Israel has a new government and a new Prime Minister…Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu successfully pieced together a government and now has the responsibility for navigating treacherous national and international political and military issues confronting Israel.

Israel's newly appointed Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

Mr. Netanyahu appears to be up to the task.

He wasted no time in sending the world a message that he sees the Iranian nuclear threat as the number one issue facing not only Israel’s existence but also endangering the western world.

Amazingly, even before he was sworn into office, he publically stated that if the US does not put an end to the Iranian nuclear threat “Israel might be forced to resort to a military strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear installations.” (Jerusalem Post) Now that’s a bold statement given the post Gaza/anti-Israel political climate internationally.

 An Apocalyptic cult?

He further stated,

“You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs…When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

Netanyahu goes on to point out Iranian President Ahmadinajad’s multiple calls to “wipe Israel off the map” and politically influential Iranian Moslem cleric Ayatollah Khamenei’s description of Israel as “a cancerous tumor.” He appears to take the Iranian President and cleric at their word. I really believe Netanyahu’s warning concerning Iran is serious. Israel will follow through.

I don’t believe he is spouting empty words…and for that matter neither is the God of Israel.

I love it when the enemies of Israel so brazenly shake their fist in Israel’s face. What they don’t realize is that they are actually mocking the God of Israel and that is not a wise thing to do. Israel exists in her homeland because God brought about their return for His purposes and plans. Any person or nation that gets in the way of God’s agenda will find themselves at the “sharp end of His divine sword.”

This is a spiritual not political confrontation.

Look–the fact is that our Arab cousins and Moslem brothers see this as a spiritual confrontation between the God of Islam and the God of Israel. They couldn’t be anymore clear about it. Messianic Jews and most evangelical Christians agree with this perspective. Western politicians and leaders seem not to grasp this so they pursue a political answer only to encounter failure year after year. They ignore the obvious at their own peril. Let me say this very clearly…

Their will be no political resolution of the Middle East conflict.

It will be resolved but not in the way the world thinks it should be. God does have a plan and we have very good Biblical evidence as to what it might be. More on that in later blogs.

Is a confrontation between President Obama and PM Netanyahu in the works?

If PM Netanyahu carries out his threat and attacks Iran unilaterally it will certainly put their relationship to the test. Of course Netanyahu does not want to offend or lose America’s friendship but I really believe that he will act in Israel’s best interest first and worry about what the rest of the world thinks later.

Obama on the other hand fancies himself to be globalist and is right now positioning himself via the opportunities presented by the international financial crisis as a possible leader of some form of one world government. (more on this later)

He is a globalist rather than a nationalist. John McCain was clearly a “country first” (nationalist) candidate while President Obama presented himself as something more. Time will tell.

We need to continue to pray…

that the USA continues to stay on the right side of this prophetic scenario and support Israel unwaveringly. This protects us from God’s judgment for our countries mounting debt of moral depravity among many other sins. Blessing Israel will continue to stay God’s wrath. His mercy and blessing instead will continue to be released over us. (Genesis 12:3)

Joel Chernoff

 ~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

A New and Unique Perspective

Blog Focus

This being the first blog entry in The Joel Chernoff Report (TJCR) I take the liberty (since it’s my blog) to give some direction as to its future content. TJCR will look at and comment on a wide range of issues and events surrounding the Biblically prophesied physical and spiritual restoration of Israel.

ISRAEL

Since I am very aware of these prophecies as I study them in Scripture, I believe that we live in a time when we are seeing Biblical prophecy come alive and be fulfilled. We know from Scripture what the prophetic trajectory looks like and now we have the privilege of seeing these events unfold before our eyes. These are both terrifying and exciting times.

The interesting thing about Biblical prophecy is that God chooses to share with us what I call “prophetic/signpost events”. He chooses not to tell us exactly when and where or even in what order various important prophetic events will happen. He simply states that these events will transpire in the prophetic period called the “Last Days”. In Scripture the “Last Days” is that time period just before the Messiah returns to Jerusalem and sets up His Kingdom over the whole earth. The reason these prophecies were given to us by God was to help us know that His return was imminent.

What do Messianic Jews believe about the Messiah?

Many within today’s Jewish world either do not believe the Messiah has come or don’t know or care. Messianic Jews (like me) believe that the Messiah has come and that He is returning at the end of the prophetic period called the “Last Days”. He is known to Messianic Jews by His Hebrew name, Yeshua while the western world knows him in English as Jesus.

How do we know we are in the “Last Days”?

There are two significant prophetic events” that confirm with certainty that we are in the “Last Days”.

Israel is Born

1.  The Physical Restoration of the Nation of Israel: (ie the Jewish people being re-established in her original land grant) This event was prophesied over and over both in the Tenach (Old Testament) and in the Brit Chadasha (New Testament). This was only to happen in the “Last Days” and indeed this was fulfilled in 1948 after almost 2000 years of exile, with the re-establishment of the State of Israel. Significantly, this is the only time in history that a nation was disbursed from its original homeland and later restored to the very same homeland as a people. This was indeed a miraculous prophetic fulfillment.

2. The Spiritual Restoration of Israel: The Jewish prophets foretell a massive spiritual awakening will sweep the nation of Israel in the “Last Days” and move our people to a place of right relationship with God. I believe that Messianic Judaism also known as the Messianic Jewish Movement is that revival.

Why I believe Messianic Judaism is that revival?

In 1967 there were fewer than 2000 Messianic Jews in the US. Today that number, according to Jewish population studies in the US, estimates the number at between one to two million in the US alone. In 1967 there were zero Messianic synagogues and today there are over 700 worldwide and those numbers are increasing faster than anyone can keep track.

National Messianic Conference

Consequently, I can confidently assert that since 1967, Messianic Judaism is the fastest growing stream of Jewish religious life on the planet today. This movement is not the product of any person or organization but simply the work of God’s Spirit in fulfillment of prophecy according to God’s purposes and plans.

Middle East Conflict

Having said all of the above you can see why the events and continuing conflict surrounding Israel are so important. The spiritual and physical restoration of Israel is central in God’s prophetic plan for planet earth and the Messiah’s second coming is inextricably and prophetically connected to Israel’s restoration. Indeed Yeshua himself said that He will not return to Israel until the Jewish people say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Last word on TJCR focus

TJCR will specifically focus on events surrounding Israel, her allies and her enemies and bring a Messianic Jewish and prophetic perspective to those events.

For Messiah’s glory,

Joel Chernoff

-The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA-