ISRAEL DIVIDED: GREETING OF PROPHECY TO THE DOORS ...
I believe that many should be following up on the news on Wednesday, where President Donald Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. And many should be wondering why this is so controversial or so serious?
I mean this is yet another step toward fulfilling Bible prophecy about the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Trump deliberately completes his government campaign exactly after 70 years when the UN in 1947 began discussions of recognition of Israel as a nation that culminated in its creation on 14/5/1948. That is, in one day Israel was created as a nation fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 66: 8.
Seventy years is exactly the time of a generation spoken of in Psalms 90:10 and coincides with Jesus' speaking in Matthew 24:34, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, lest all these things be." Israel is the fig tree that flourished and that next year will complete 70 years of existence as a state, on November 29, 2018.
The purpose of the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not only because Trump wants to be "good" with the Jews, but because Israel must have all the dominion of Jerusalem that today its eastern part is of Islamic dominion and where is precisely Mosque of Al-Aqsa, whose place is of the ancient Temple of Solomon. Israel having Jerusalem as a unified capital opens doors to Jewish domination of the eastern side and in this way can do whatever it pleases with the mosque.
In general terms, it will be the time for reconstruction of the third Temple of Solomon where the antichrist needs to settle in the holy place and declare himself god, 2 Thessalonians 2.4.
Let us watch and pray, for the signs of the coming of our Lord are at hand ...
Daniel 9: 25-27
25 Know and understand: from the going forth of the commandment to restore, and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the prince there shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the streets and the wall will be rebuilt, but in times of trouble.
26 And after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince, who shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end shall be with a flood; and to the end there shall be war; the desolations are determined.
27 And he shall make a covenant with many for a week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations the desolate shall come, and unto the consummation; and that which is determined shall be poured out upon the desolate.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DONALD TRUMP SIGNED THE RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM AS A CAPITAL OF ISRAEL IN THE HALF OF THE WEEK, OR EVERY WEDNESDAY, 12 DECEMBER 2017.
WINGS OF ABOMINATIONS REFER TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHOSE SYMBOL IS A EAGLE.
DANIEL 11: 40-45
40 And at the end of time the king of the south shall fight with him, and the king of the north shall rise against him with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and shall enter into their land, and flood them, and pass away.
41 And he shall enter the glorious land, and many countries shall fall, but these shall escape out of his hand: Edom and Moab, and the princes of the children of Ammon.
42 And he shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 And he shall lay hold upon the treasures of gold and silver, and all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow him.
44 But the rumors of the east and the north shall make him afraid; and shall go forth with great fury, to destroy and to cut off the many.
45 And he shall pitch the tents of his palace between the great sea and the holy and glorious mount; but it shall come to an end, and there shall be none to help him.
MARK 13:28 And learn the parable of the fig tree: When the branch thereof is tender, and the leaves spring forth, ye know that the summer is near.
29 So you also, when you see these things happen, you know that you are already near, at the gates
FIGUEIRA IN THE BIBLE- The tree and its fruit
Reaching a height of 6 meters and with large leaves, the fig tree provides pleasant shade. It is a tree that fits well in this territory and in this climate, so it is very cultivated with the characteristic of giving the fruit before the leaf. The flower of the tree is never seen, as its flowers are tiny are lodged within the bud of the fruits. Two crops are produced each year. The first crop is consumed fresh, while the second crop is dried for winter.
An Image of Prosperity and Judgment
Mentioned more than 50 times in the Scriptures, the fig tree was extremely important for two fundamental reasons; nutritional and economic in ancient times. When things were right in Israel and the prosperous people, the Bible describes "every man sitting under his fig tree" (1 Kings 4:25). The prophets, on the other hand, when predicting judgment on Israel, speak of the fig trees being destroyed (Jer 5:17).
Leaves of fig for protection
The first mention of a fruit tree by name in Biblical references is the leaves of the fig tree, not the fruit. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness (Gen 3: 7). The leaves are as large as a human hand and are hairy on the back side.
Figs in Canaan
The fig continues to be a common fruit in the Middle East even today, were grown in Canaan before the Israelites entered the land. They were one of the seven species listed among the products of the land that God would give to Israel (Deut. 8: 8). The spies brought back fruit samples before Israel entered the land (Num 13:23). Figs are grown and also grow wild in the region.
The fig tree in the Gospels
The Gospels also often mention fig trees. Jesus cursed the barren fig tree along the road to Jerusalem. Both Jesus and James use the fig production as an example of actions and words flowing from a person's heart (Luke 6: 42-44, James 3:12). Finally, because the fig tree is the last tree to fail to produce leaves and speak until the coming of summer, Jesus used it as an example of knowing that the end of the world was near when the signs began to come (Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28).
Good and Bad Figs
"After Jehoiachin the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials, the craftsmen and the laborers of Judah, were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front a basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early, the other basket had very poor figs, so bad that it could not be eaten "(Jer 24: 1-2, NIV).
Joel 3: 1-21
1. For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I will restore the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem,
2. I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat; and there I will go in with them for my people's sake, and for my inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they divided my land,
3. And cast lots for my people; They gave a child to a harlot, and they sold a girl for wine to drink.
4. And what have you to do with me, Tire and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Do you want to take revenge on me? If you want to avenge yourself, I will repay your doom quickly on your own head.
5. Because you have taken my silver and my gold, and my rich treasures have you in your temples;
6. And ye have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the children of the Greeks, to separate them out of their borders;
7. Behold, I will raise them up out of the place whither ye have sold them, and I will recompense your work upon your own heads;
8 For I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans to a remote nation, for the LORD has spoken.
9. Proclaim this among the nations, Prepare war, raise up the mighty. Let all the men of war come, let them all come up.
10 Make the swords of the plowshares of your plows, and the spears of your mowers; let the weak say, I am strong.
11. Make haste, and come, all the peoples round about, and assemble yourselves together; for there, O Lord, bring down your mighty men.
12. Let the nations rise, and go up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for I will sit there, to judge all the nations round about.
13. Cast the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, come down, for the winepress is full, the vessels of the winepresses overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! because the day of the Lord is near, in the valley of decision.
15. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars remove their brightness.
16. And the LORD roareth from Zion, and uttereth his voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and the earth tremble, but the LORD is the refuge of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17. And ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, that dwells in Zion, my holy mountain; Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall pass through it no more.
18. And in that day the mountains shall sprinkle with new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah shall be full of waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD, and water the valley of Shittim.
19. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, because of the violence that they did to the children of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20. But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21. And I will cleanse the blood which I have not cleansed; for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.
"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of astonishment unto all the people round about, and also to Judah, during the siege against Jerusalem. In that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all people; all who lift it shall be severely wounded. And all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite all the horses with astonishment, and of them that ride in madness. But I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and I will smite all the horses of the people with blindness. And the princes of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God. In that day will I set the heads of Judah like a burning vessel in the midst of wood, and like a beam between the herds; and they shall devour all the peoples round about on the right and on the left; and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. And the LORD will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not great over Judah. On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them in that the day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them. And in that day, I will try to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. But upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, I will pour out the spirit of grace and supplication; and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son; and weep bitterly for him, as weep for the firstborn. "Zechariah 12: 2-10 ALMEIDA
Micah 4: 1-13
1 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and the people shall come against it.
2 And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob, to teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD out of Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many peoples, and shall punish mighty nations even far off; and they shall turn their swords into hoes, and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation will not lift up the sword against another nation, nor learn war anymore.
4 But they shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
5 For all nations shall walk, every man in the name of his god; but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God, forever and ever.
6 In that day, saith the LORD, I will gather the limping woman, and gather her that I had driven out, and that which I had mistreated.
7 And of the limping woman I will do the remnant part, and from that which was cast away, a mighty nation; and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion, from henceforth and for ever.
8 And unto thee, O tower of the flock, the mount of the daughter of Zion, shall come unto thee; yea, the first domain will come to you, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 And now why should you weep so much? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished? Has pain seized you, as of the woman in childbirth?
10 Suffer ye to labor and toil, O daughter of Zion, as she that travaileth: for now shalt thou go out of the city, and dwell in the field, and shalt come to Babylon; there you will be delivered; there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
11 Now many nations have gathered against thee, saying, Let it be profaned, and our eyes shall see their desires upon Zion.
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, neither do they understand his counsel, because he hath gathered them together as thunderbolts in a threshingfloor.
13 Rise up, O daughter of Zion; for I will make iron your tip and brass, your nails, and you will beat many peoples, and their gain will be consecrated to the LORD, and to their substance, to the Lord of all the earth.
Jerusalem - A city without equal
Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded more than 4,000 years ago. Its dramatic and unstable history, full of ups and downs has no similar. No other city in the world can captivate us like this city does.
The center of the History of Salvation
This city - Jerusalem - located 760 meters high on the Jewish plateau, is located at the meeting point of three continents - Asia, Africa and Europe. By its central position, in ancient times it also formed the point of intersection of the great ancient civilizations - Sumerian (Southern Mesopotamia) Egyptian and Greek.
According to Bible statements, Jerusalem forms the geographic center of God's Plan of Salvation. In Ezekiel 5: 5, we read:
"Thus saith the Lord the Eternal: This is Jerusalem! I placed her in the center among the nations and lands around her. "
The meaning of the name
Bilingual indicative sign for Jerusalem. The Hebrew expression for the name Jerusalem is "Yerushalaim," which means "foundation of peace." However, between the name and the reality there is a deep and disturbing area of tensions:
In the course of its exciting history, it was not marked by peace, but by many tears, suffering and bloodshed. Is today? Jerusalem - the "city of peace" today puts at risk the peace and security of the whole world!
The Temple Area: The most threatened place on the planet
The current dispute over Jerusalem focuses mainly on the Temple area in the Old City, at the center of which is the golden dome of the Mosque of Omar. For several years now, in one of its editions, the New York Times has referred very closely to this piece of Monte Moria floor, or Mount Zion, as "the most explosive square meters in the world." The question then arises: Why is there so much interest in this small fraction of the land?
Jewish Claim
For a period of about 1,000 years, there was the Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah from the 11th century BC to the 1st century AD According to the Torah, Moses' Law guidelines, this was the only place in which that this Temple could be built.
Prayer Crowd at the Western Wall.
The Temple represented the geographic central point of the Israelites for the worship of God, especially where the sacrifices of animals were to be brought. Today, almost 2,000 years have passed since the Jewish people have the deep desire to see this rebuilt Temple.
The "Wailing Wall", the huge stone wall carved to the west side of Mount Moriah, is a remnant of the majestic protective wall that framed the area of the Jewish Temple.
2,000 years ago, the Jewish people come there to mourn the loss of their sanctuary. It is impossible for anyone to assess how many tears were shed and how many prayers were raised by the rebuilding of the Temple before that wall. For Judaism, these stones are a symbol of lost glory and also of hope for the coming salvation.
Islamic claim
On the other hand, this region also plays an important role for Islam. From the 8th century, or rather, from the 7th century BC until today, there are the Mosque of Al-Aksa and the so-called Dome of the Rock (= Mosque of Omar). This area, located above the Wailing Wall, with its ten gates and four minarets is called "The Distinguished Sanctuary" (Arabic: Haram esh-Sharif). This place occupies the third position in the Islamic hierarchy, being below only of the cities of pilgrimage Mecca and Medina, that are considered the most important.
A. Mosque of Omar; B. Al-Aksa Mosque; C. Wailing Wall.
According to the current interpretation of Surah 17 of the Qur'an, Muhammad would have left Mecca northward, "to the most distant place of worship (Arabic: al-aksa)," in his nocturnal voyage mounted on a winged beast Al-Buraq , whose jumps were supposed to reach the distance that the eye can see, and arrived at the place of the Temple in Jerusalem. They consider that the prophet had descended from his mount in the place where the Al-Aksa Mosque is and prayed on that rock. Next, Muhammad would have ascended from there to heaven, where Allah would have taught him the correct way of praying and returned again to the place of the Temple. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad, with his mount at high speed, managed to return to Mecca even before dawn. This information clarifies why Muslims will never give up their claims about this place.
On the way to the Third Temple
With the Six Day War in 1967, East Jerusalem, after almost 2,000 years of humiliation by foreign peoples, returned to the Jewish domain. Thus, it is understandable that the interest in a new reconstruction of the Temple grew in a special way. Among the Jewish population there was a real "fever" in the Temple. In the last years diverse movements have formed whose efforts are directed towards the reconstruction of the Temple. Did we realize the risk? If a Jewish shrine is erected on Mount Moriah, one can be sure that this will arouse the burning anger of the entire Islamic world with its 1.5 billion people!
Jerusalem: the Jewish capital for more than 3,000 years
King David had conquered Jerusalem around 1049 bc. He then promoted it to the capital of the State of Israel (1Ch 11.1-9). Thus, Jerusalem retains the honorary status of the Jewish people's capital for over 3,000 years of Israel's history.
Jerusalem at the negotiating table
With the so-called Peace Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians of 13 September 1993, Jerusalem was exposed to an uncertain fate. The "Gaza / Jericho-first" agreement already provided for the establishment of negotiations within a short period to decide on the future condition of East Jerusalem, and this despite the fact that it was decreed by the Israeli Parliament at the end of 1980 that all Jerusalem would be the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. Palestinians claim ownership of Jerusalem. This disputed region, in their view, will be the capital of a future Palestinian state - but without renouncing the Temple Mount. Sheikh Isma'il Al-Nawadah said in his preaching on April 3, 1998 at the Al-Aksa Mosque:
Jerusalem is at the top of the holy cities of Islam. No city is as holy as it is, except Al-Medina and Mecca ... Jerusalem belongs to us and not to you (Israel); this city is more important to us than to you ... Jerusalem is the key, both for war and for peace, but if the Jews imagine that they are in a position to maintain the territory and also peace through employment of strength, then they are very much mistaken.
The road to peace in the Middle East will leave Jericho, the city of the curse (Js 6:26), passing through the "mined field" of Jerusalem.
Rabin and Arafat, when they were in the gardens of the White House, actually lit the fuse of a time grenade and began to burn under the influence of fear. Now, world politics needs to focus on Jerusalem. People are challenged to take a clear and unequivocal position with regard to this city.
We see that Jerusalem is somehow at the center of the conflict in the Middle East. This conflict is not merely a local event. At least from the Gulf War (1991) it can no longer be ignored that the "powder keg" of the Middle East, with all its difficulties, problems and conflicts, represents a danger to the peace and security of all the world.
From where and to where?
If we want to understand the current events in and around Jerusalem, then we have to give a general summary of the story. This will also aid in understanding and ordering what the Bible says about the future of this city. Surely this will make it visible that the good and evil of the whole world is directly connected with the city of Jerusalem.
Grades
N.Ed .: Author's own translation.
In the Bible (OT and NT), the Temple Mount is called "Moriah" (Gen 22.2, 2Cr 3.1) or "Zion" (Ps 48.2, Mk 3.12). Today, the hill next to it, in the southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem, erroneously receives this same denomination on the basis of a tradition that arose in the first century AD .. This elevation, however, is also very important in the plan of salvation. In it, in the time of the apostles, was the neighborhood where many of the participants of the Primitive Church lived. For the correct identification of these two mountains, one can use the denomination "Zion I" (biblical era) and "Zion II" (was post-biblical). May, Israel heute - Ein lebendiges Wunder, p. 96. Price, The Coming Last Days Temple, p. 177; German version: Roger Liebi, original source: MEMRI's Media Review of April 6, 1998.
Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. What does that mean?
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his country recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and has announced plans to take the US embassy in Tel Aviv to the city. It is a fact that has nothing banal. The measures are a clear provocation to the Palestinians and could be the source of more violence in the region. They are also a victory for the Israeli right-wing, which can definitively jeopardize the peace process.
The change of embassy is a promise of Trump's campaign. Its target audience was the supporters of the Israeli far right, such as businessman Sheldon Adelson, the biggest donor of his electoral contest, as well as some US evangelical groups. For many of these, the return of the Jews to the "promised land" would be the realization of a biblical prophecy linked to the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world.
Trump was not the first American politician to promise the transfer of diplomatic representation. In fact, the measure was approved in 1995 by an act of Congress. Usually irresponsible about foreign policy, American parliamentarians put a heavy weight on the White House. So, for 22 years, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama signed a half-yearly postponement of the embassy change, arguing that the relocation is not in keeping with US national security interests. Until Trump shows up.
The war of 1967
The presidents postponed the transition to an issue explained by a simple fact: Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel, at least not in the eyes of the international community. The vast majority of countries in the world recognize the existence of Israel as a state, but none of them, except Israel, is based on the characterization of Jerusalem as its capital. This is because the resolution of the Palestine Sharing, adopted by the United Nations in 1947, determines that, apart from the creation of a Jewish and an Arab State, Jerusalem should be under a special international regime.
It occurs that such a resolution was not accepted by the Arabs. In 1948, Israel declared its independence and what followed was the Arab-Israeli War. At the end of that conflict, Israel controlled all the territory assigned to the Jews by the 1947 partition, plus a significant slice of the area designated to the Arabs, in addition to the western half of Jerusalem. Almost two decades later, in the Six Day War (1967), Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and with them, more than a million Palestinians remain, with their children and grandchildren, controlled by a military administration.
In 1967, Israel also occupied the eastern portion of Jerusalem, hitherto under the care of Jordan. The country was seized by the joy of a spectacular military victory. Many Orthodox religious, comparing the six days of the war to the number of days that the Old Testament God took to build the world, began to speak of the "beginning of redemption." Few voices rose to warn of what lay ahead. One was that of the philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, according to whom the occupation would create a police state and would have negative repercussions for education, freedom of expression and democracy.
For Israeli politicians, the present mattered more than the future. Fearing US pressure, which had forced Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt ten years earlier, the government mobilized to make irreversible changes. Days after the seizure of Jerusalem, a whole block of the so-called Old City, erected in the 12th century, was demolished to widen the entrance to what is now the Wailing Wall, a sacred place for the Jews. At the same time, three Palestinian villages on the way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were demolished and their residents expelled. Years later, the place became a park.
The occupation marked Israeli policy. The electoral spectrum has shifted to the right and religious discourses have taken society as assault. The country is a somewhat functional democracy with a highly developed economy, but in the West Bank it operates an authoritarian militarism, whose main form of action is collective punishment. The Gaza Strip, for its part, is an open-air prison, depleted and desperate.
As for Jerusalem, the city was proclaimed by Israel, since 1967, its undivided capital. The policy of occupation of the West Bank through settlements, justified by military and religious motivations, extends the limits of the city as it makes the creation of a Palestinian state unfeasible. The area that Israel calls today "Greater Jerusalem," home to some 150,000 Israelis, is in fact a series of illegal settlements erected in occupied Palestinian territory.
Mediation
In various attempts to get Israelis and Arabs to negotiate, the status of Jerusalem was one of the most sensitive issues, such as the situation of Palestinian refugees or the security of Israel, for example. To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be to take part on one side before peace is blessed. That is why Clinton, Bush and Obama avoided acquiescing to the Israeli desire, as did all the countries that recognize the existence of Israel.
The destructive power of embassy relocation is evident. "Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ahead of Trump's announcement. "Iran will not tolerate a violation of Islamic sanctities," said Iranian President Hassan Rohani. In Saudi Arabia, addicted to social networks, a hashtag saying "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine" was one of the most talked about subjects on Wednesday morning.
"I do not know if this will provoke disturbances, but there will undoubtedly be popular demonstrations everywhere. I hope there is no violence," said Nabil Chaath, senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The reaction of the Palestinian population is unknown, but politicians' escalation of mood may lead to a new civil uprising against Israel. It would be a negative development for Israel, since its particular conflict with the Palestinians lost centrality in the chaos of the Middle East, nowadays guided much more by the dynamics of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In the medium term, recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital also undermines regional security as it threatens Washington's ability to make Israelis and Palestinians negotiate. "This decision would put an end to the role of the United States as a mediator of trust between the Palestinians and the (Israeli) occupation forces," warned Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit. Chaath, the Palestinian government's spokesman, confirmed. "We will not accept mediation from the United States, we will not accept Trump's mediation. It will be the end of the role played by Americans in this process. "Without the US, there is no willing or able mediator for this conflict.
Right-Wing Victory
Trump's decision is an important victory for the Israeli right-wing. This sector, which today dominates Israel's policy, is openly hostile to the so-called "two-state solution" - based on the 1947 UN decision that predicted one country for Jews and one for Palestinians. The peace talks, which go back and forth, have precisely that goal - to create the Palestinian state next to Israel. No wonder, the current government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, deliberately acts to sabotage any dialogue.
This group is highly influential in the United States, particularly in the administration of Donald Trump. An example of this is David Friedman, the American ambassador to Israel. Trump's lawyer and his adviser to the Middle East, Friedman calls the Israeli military presence in Palestine an "alleged occupation" and is openly opposed to the two-state solution. During the presidential campaign, Friedman compared J-Street, a leftist group of American Jews favoring the creation of Palestine, to the Kapos, Jews who aided the Nazis during the Holocaust.
In his statement Wednesday, Trump said he favored a two-state solution and denied recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital meant a United States takeover position. Hardly this attempt to minimize the damage of the measure will be effective. To all intents and purposes, Trump adopted an Israeli policy unilaterally, something the Palestinians are accustomed to.
Over time, Israel has sought to shape its existence, and the relationship with the Arab-Palestinians, from "fait accompli" - first changes reality and then makes it accepted. It was thus with the Jewish presence in the region before sharing, with the nuclear program and with the occupations. The next step is to make it virtually impossible for the occupied Palestinian territories, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to form a country. The recognition of Jerusalem as capital and the expansion of the "Great Jerusalem" are central parts of this project.
It lacks the extremist endeavor, at least partially handcuffed by Trump, vision of the future. The detractors of the two-state solution do not have an alternative proposal. They defend, in fact, the maintenance of the status quo - democracy in Israel and a dictatorship in the Palestinian territories, a picture that resembles apartheid. It is a short-term view that ignores the demographic (favorable to the Palestinians) scenario and the fact that Israel's long-term security lies in its legitimacy vis-à-vis Muslim countries, which will only happen with the establishment of the Palestinian State.
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