ROAD MAP TO PEACE IN JERUSALEM

With the dust barely settling after the Iraq war, pressure is mounting to resolve the dispute over the Holy Land – a designation accepted by half the world i.e. Muslims, Jews and Christians. The world’s attention is riveted on this conflict. It is the critical issue that divides the pan-Muslim world from the West. This issue demands a response from Bush at a time when he is feeling vulnerable – his reputation of being a ‘warmonger’ needs to be repaired and intense anti-American feelings around the world need to be pacified. No doubt America will take seriously this opportunity to be a peacemaker in the Middle East and try to redeem her reputation in the world’s eyes. Israel will come under great pressure to accept the road map to peace as drawn up by the ‘Quartet’ – USA, the EU, the UN and Russia. Israel has taken the brunt of criticism in the UN leaving her isolated and vulnerable so much so that the Quartet could try to impose a solution on her – like applying a bandaid without disinfecting the deep wound. Of course, there are hindrances to healing and peace on both sides, as we shall see.

Since 1948 most Arab nations have tried to destroy Israel in an ongoing "war of elimination and massive massacre". Arafat finally realised that the Palestinians were not winning the world’s sympathy with their bloody rhetoric of ‘destroying Israel’ so, in 1993 he cleverly accepted a ‘peace’ strategy for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. But it was not easy for Arafat to convince his fellow freedom fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join him in this new peacemaking venture with the ‘Zionist enemy’. He had to show his comrades in arms that this approach was actually a stepping-stone to achieving their goal of recapturing all of Palestine.

When Arafat was in the spotlight of world media he spoke of peace and acknowledged Israel’s right to exist but when speaking to Muslims it was a different story; "after this agreement," he said, "you have to understand our main battle is Jerusalem – ... it is not their capital. It is our capital ... This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our prophet Mohammed and Quraish. But Muhammad accepted it and we are accepting now this peace offer ... Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all out war." (from a lecture by Arafat in a Johannesburg mosque, 10 May 1994).

How can Arafat speak of making a peace treaty and then promptly talk of ‘preparing for all out war’? You must realise that Muhammad took advantage of the treaty of Hudaybiyya to reopen hostilities at a more opportune time and ultimately gain victory over the Meccans. Using Muhammd's example as a precedent, the mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdel Aziz Bin-Baz, explained that "peace with Israel is permissible only on condition that it is a temporary truce, until the Muslims build up the strength needed to expel the Jews." (IMRA, March 2002) The mufti speaks of ‘expelling the Jews’ but Arafat bluntly calls for ‘the destruction of Israel’.

Shortly after Oslo, he explained how he would accomplish this, "Since we cannot defeat Israel in war, we do this in stages. We take any and every territory we can of Palestine ... and use it as a springboard to take more. When the time comes, we can get the Arab nations to join us for the final blow against Israel." (from an interview on Jordanian Television, as quoted in "The Threat Inherent in a Palestinian State" by Don Feder, Insight Magazine, 13 May 2003)

Arafat used similar words to encourage radical Muslim groups to cooperate with him. Arafat wrote to them, "In order to obtain the goal of returning to Palestine, all of us sometimes have to grit our teeth but it is forbidden that this harm the continued struggle against the Zionist enemy. Cooperation between the PLO and the rejectionist organizations is what will lead to the ... establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem. Only a state like that, can continue the struggle to remove the enemy from all Palestinian lands." (18 Nov. 1994)

Arafat’s deceptive agenda was also revealed in Stockholm to a closed meeting of Arab ambassadors, "We plan to eliminate the state of Israel ... We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem." (30 Jan. 1996) But one might ask, "Hasn’t Arafat changed?" In the last two years, organizations like Al Aqsa Brigade and Tanzim, under Arafat’s authority, have proudly claimed responsibility for killing Israeli civilians and these attackers have not been arrested and punished. Furthermore, documents were captured in Arafat’s headquarters in 2002 showing his signature authorizing payment for arms and explosives for a variety of terrorist groups.

Arafat’s bloody intentions are seen in his repeated calls for "a million martyrs to march on Jerusalem". A Palestinian comrade responded to Arafat’s call by laying down his life and also killing 24 Israeli teenagers at the Dolphinarium disco. European leaders pressured Arafat into making a statement condemning the attack but then Arafat felt no shame writing a letter to the bomber’s family praising him as a "martyr" and "a model of sacrifice".

Speaking of marching on Jerusalem, Arafat signed into ‘law’ a document claiming all Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine (early 2003). Perhaps this was a way of countering Ariel Sharon’s declaration, "Jerusalem is the indivisible capital of Israel for all eternity." With opposing claims like these becoming the order of the day, there is little hope for a peaceful settlement, especially as these attitudes are increasingly rooted in religious convictions.

As we move from the political arena to religion, the plot thickens. Mufti Ikrama Sabri, the leading religious figure in Palestine, sanctioned Arafat’s claim to Jerusalem, saying, "There is not the smallest indication of the evidence of a Jewish temple on this place in the past. In the whole city there is not even a single stone indicating Jewish history." Such blatant denials and lies have not gone unnoticed by other Muslim clerics. For example, Abdul Palazzi, Secretary General of the Italian Muslim Association (PhD. Al Azhar University) noted, "The Palestinian Arabs deny that the Holy Temple ever stood on the Temple Mount. I was part of an international delegation that visited Israel in 2000. The Wakf took us to visit Al Aqsa. Right outside of the Dome of the Rock is a small chapel on the eastern side. "What is this place?" I asked. "It is the place where Solomon stood to dedicate the Temple," was the reply. "Then why do you deny this?" I asked. With a smile I was told, "For political reasons."

Palazzi rejects these lies saying, "Imam Tabari wrote, ‘Lives of Prophets and Kings’. He described the life of King Solomon and the Temple he built. Anyone who denies this not only denies history, but denies Islamic sources." Such denials contradict a statement by the Supreme Muslim Council of Jerusalem in 1930 regarding the Temple Mount, "Its sanctity dates from the earliest times. Its identity with the site of Solomon’s temple is beyond dispute."

Such blatant lies are embarrassing enough but notice also how some Muslim clerics are also poisoning the minds of Palestinians with teaching that implies genocide, "The Last Hour would not come til the Muslims fight against the Jews and the Muslims kill them until the Jews hide themselves, and the stones and trees would speak up saying, ... There is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him." (Sahih Muslim, Book 40, #6985)

If we do not understand the religious roots of Muslim hatred against Jews and Arafat’s deceitful schemes we will have unrealistic expectations about new peace initiatives. Generations of Palestinians have been fed on propaganda that denies the legitimacy of the state of Israel and glorifies martyrdom. It is not surprising, therefore, that a majority of Palestinians continue to support suicide bombers and about 50% believe the goal should be the "total liberation of Palestine", i.e. the elimination of Israel. After nearly 10 years of utterly failed promises from Arafat to remove inciting statements in the media and in schools against Jews we see no indication of any change of attitude in Arafat and clearly he still holds the upper hand in the PA. But Palestinian leaders are not the only ones hindering peace – the Jews also share responsibility. God-fearing Jews do not pretend their country is without fault. The prophet Malachi rebuked Israel for oppressing non-Israelites but these words were part of a prophecy about the coming of Messiah in the future. God-fearing Jews, like devout Muslims, see in current events signs indicating the Messiah will come soon. It is precisely in this context of end times events that the Israelites are rebuked for "depriving the foreigners living among you of justice" (Mal. 3:1-5).

Israelis are treating Arabs unfairly not only in Israel but also in Palestinian areas. Oppressive curfews, for example, have had devastating effects on Palestinians as a whole. Israelis have sometimes used excessive force and killed civilians. They have harassed and arbitrarily arrested many Palestinian young people, holding them without trial or consultation with a lawyer, sometimes up to 18 days. Another oppressive structure, now being built is the security barrier. This fence poses another barrier to peace and security. In the words of King Solomon; "he who builds a high gate invites destruction" (Prov. 17:19). Regardless which group one is inclined to sympathize with in this dispute, people are realizing that peace will only be achieved by Divine intervention.

Whether one is Jewish, Christian and Muslim, we all share much in common – not only our past heritage but also a future hope. All three faiths acknowledge peace to be one of God’s attributes and we know God’s plan includes sending the Messiah in the end times to usher in an era of worldwide peace. This utopian vision may seem incredible, even impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Let us not lose hope. Perhaps these points of agreement can be a meaningful starting point for exploring the Messiah and his role in the peace process?

God's peacemaker will bring worldwide peace wielding awesome power and destroying weapons of war. As it is written, "he will rule with an iron sceptre ... He will judge between the nations and ... beat their swords into ploughshares" ... "the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of counsel and might ... He will never judge by appearance, false evidence or hearsay ... he will be clothed with fairness and truth." Having qualities like these, it is no wonder that the Messiah brings peace, indeed, the peace he brings is so profound that "the wolf will live with the lamb". This description is not unique to the Bible, it is repeated in the authoritative Muslim Ahadith!

The peaceable Messiah already came - 2000 years ago. But he was rejected by most people – not only the Gentiles but his own people too. As a result peace was hidden from them. Foreseeing the tragic results of their rejection, we read that Jesus Christ "began to cry. ‘I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late and peace is hidden from you." (Luke 19:41,42)   The story of how Messiah’s peace will be fully realized and how its hiddeness will be made plain is contained in the article Converging Destinies: Jerusalem, Peace and the Messiah.

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