Looming

One of the outcomes of Barack Obama’s parting shot at Israel in December—when the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, condemning Israeli communities built in Judea and Samaria, and the U.S. abstained from the vote—is that Israel is still in a precarious place in the international community.

Dotting the land of Israel are thousands of Jewish homes, built in the ancestral land, beginning in about 1977. The initial building phase began under the premiership of Menachem Begin, perhaps the most biblical of Israel’s prime ministers. Of Israel’s seven million Jewish residents, almost a half-million live in Judea/Samaria (“the West Bank”).

Always, American governments have taken a dim view of Israel building in the territories.

(As an aside, I am hopeful that the incoming Trump Administration will adopt a new paradigm and jettison the dangerous “land for peace” formula; however, don’t expect that Trump or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, disagree with the two-state solution. We’ll see.)

Especially under prime ministers like Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has built in the territories and, let’s be honest, they’ve done it to minimize the possibility of a future Palestinian state. Such a state would have a Swiss-cheese topography, with one Arab town smack-dab next to a Jewish town. In other words, unworkable.

The Left rages at anyone who questions land-for-peace, but it is legitimate to ask, as I do, why the Palestinians deserve a state. They have been murdering Jews for generations and at this moment show no capacity for living in peace.

Recently, the Knesset gave initial approval for the so-called Regulation Bill, which would make legal around 2,500 “unauthorized” settlements that had been built on private Palestinian land. The government would offer compensation to the Arab land owners.

It isn’t even a foregone conclusion that the Knesset would pass such a bill; the bill will be met with real force by its opponents.

Critics allege that this amounts to an annexation of the West Bank.

I’m all for that. The time is now for bold, new thinking. A quarter-century of murder of Jews is not acceptable. To my view, the Palestinians’ numerous opportunities to behave in a civilized manner have long since passed.

All this is why the U.S. abstention from the UN vote raises the possibility that Jewish residents in Judea/Samaria could be tried as criminals in international court. The International Criminal Court looms over Israel on this point.

Coincidentally (I say that tongue-in-cheek), Netanyahu is now under a corruption investigation. By hook or crook, no pun intended, his enemies and the enemies of what might be called the Trump Doctrine.

Where this all plays out no one knows. The future will continue to be a test of wills. The evil of Obama is pitted directly against the righteous cause of the Jewish people, in the Land of Israel.

What a glorious time to be alive!

The Jerusalem Journal

I met Brian Schrauger many years ago during my days in Christian book publishing. He was a gifted writer then, and I could hardly have imagined that one day he would be half-a-world-away, reporting on the ground from Israel.

When we met in Nashville, it was obvious we had common interests. I noticed that Brian had a genuine love for Israel and the Jewish people. Emphasis on genuine; too many people I’ve met over the years “support” Israel for self-serving reasons. These range from monetary gain to receiving “blessings” for “blessing” Israel. The latter one in particular makes me physically ill.

Anyway, a few years ago Brian found himself living in Israel. Over time, it became apparent to him what his purpose was there: report on events from the perspective of a Christian Zionist. Already possessing sharp journalistic skills, he also had a fearlessness sharpened by wisdom. In other words, he would go right into a hotspot and give all of us in America a perspective we otherwise wouldn’t have.

For example, sitting on the front row at a “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference is reporting from the hottest point on the battlefield. Yet there Brian has been, actually tweeting information in real-time, as the conference unfolds. Remember, the CATC is a virulently anti-Israel, PLO-backed confab. Going in there and not hiding who you are takes special courage.

Honestly? It’s the first time I can remember in 20 years getting firsthand, accurate information from a Christian Zionist perspective. I know and appreciate most of the pro Israel groups and many of them do great things.

But Brian Schrauger at The Jerusalem Journal (www.jerusalemjournal.net) is the only journalist of his kind, so far as I know. He is a real reporter, on the ground in Israel, reporting on the most interesting things for pro Israel Christians. For instance, his recent piece on the ghastly terrorist murder of four IDF troops is searing writing:

“It happened without warning and it only took seconds. …As he plows his heavy lorry into the cluster of soldiers, Fadi crushes four young women and two young men. Others, glancing off the truck’s side are wounded, but not mortally. Stunned, those who can hurry to the side of fallen friends. As they do so, Fadi brakes his lorry, turns it around, aiming for the bodies he has just mowed down…

“It was a sunny winter’s day in Jerusalem, ideal for orientation tours in which young cadets in Israel’s armed forces, the IDF, are provided an eyes-on look at their capital city’s geography. Perhaps the most spectacular site is the Haas Promenade on the southeast side of Jerusalem. Atop the Hill of Evil Counsel, next door to a huge United Nations compound, the view of Jerusalem’s Old City is a way to see the place as King David saw it almost three thousand years ago.”

Folks, this is top-notch. And many times I’ve messaged Brian and he’s answered my question right away, when I needed specific information. I can ask him about specific locations and people and he knows.

Because of his unique abilities, I’d like to ask you to consider helpingThe Jerusalem Journal. Any news organization needs money to operate, and the JJ could use your help. Among other things, you can help by donating or by bringing Brian to your church to speak, or both. I send my highest recommendation.

On his deluxe website, you can see several items at the top: Subscribe, Help Us Grow, Write for Us, etc. Again, I ask you to consider helping with one or more of these items. It is not going too far to say that what Brian is doing is truly different, and that’s why I think his work is critically important and must continue.

You can email him directly at:

BrianSchrauger@JerusalemJournal.net

The last time I was in Israel, I watched from my hotel balcony one evening as Palestinians celebrated with fireworks from Bethlehem after a terrorist attack against Jews. I was on the phone with Brian, and he told me eyewitness things I couldn’t have otherwise known.

By reading and supporting The Jerusalem Journal, you can virtually do the same thing.