Playing With Fire

Today President Obama shocked the world with strong suggestive directive towards Israel to revert back to pre-1967 borders (before the Six Day War).  By suggesting this, Obama effectively gave half of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, The Temple Mount, Old Jerusalem, The holiest Christian Church in the world, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Hamas-Fatah terror alliance.  In short, this bombshell is a complete about face of U.S. policy that has existed since Israel was created under U.N. charter in 1948.  It didn't take long for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respond back forcefully that Obama's suggested 'plan' was "indefensible". 

Obama's biggest problems lie ahead with possibly now an even more strained relationship with Israel.  And can you blame them?  Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold was very concered about this radical shift in U.S. policy.  His comments are found here, and echoes Netanyahu's comments on why reverting Israeli borders to 1967 borders.

As Netanyahu leaves Israeli for a trip to the U.S. to speak before a joint session of Congress, one can only wonder what he will state in his address.  From an ally who has a strategic relationship with the United States, one can only hope that Netanyahu addresses Congress with a message than contradicts today's remarks.  Netanyahu must lay out why Obama was wrong, and why the U.S.-Israeli relationship must remain intact.

Besides being damaging to a rock solid relationship, Obama's betrayal towards Israeli is causing political backlash at home. American Jews who traditonally vote Democratic could be on the verge of abandoning President Obama on this betrayal by a U.S. President who secured his job with their loyalty. Clearly this act of betrayal on Americans of Jewish faith is not the way to win re-election in 2012. Why Obama would risk this key demographic nearly eighteen months before the 2012 elections is mind boggling.

Obama also risks losing support of Christians who believe that Israel, as recognized Biblically, has a right to exist as its exists.  Whether the Arab world likes it or not, Israeli is the only nation that was divinely created:

Genesis 15: 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: (the territory of) 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Genesis 35:10-12 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."

Deuteronomy 34: 4 "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your offspring'"

2 Chronicles 6:5-6 'Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a leader over My people Israel; but I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.'

Numbers 34: 1 ADONAI told Moshe 2 to give this order to the people of Isra'el: "When you enter the land of Kena'an, it will become your land to pass on as an inheritance, the land of Kena'an as defined by these borders. 3 "Your southern portion will extend from the Tzin Desert close to the border of Edom. The eastern terminus of your southern border is at the end of the Dead Sea. 4 From there your border turns, goes south of the 'Akrabbim Ascent and passes on to Tzin. From there it goes south of Kadesh-Barnea, on to Hatzar-Adar, and on to 'Atzmon. 5 Then the border turns and goes from 'Atzmon to the Vadi of Egypt and along it to the Sea. 6 "Your western border will be the Great Sea. 7 "Your northern border will be as follows: from the Great Sea mark a line to Mount Hor, 8 and from Mount Hor mark a line to the entrance of Hamat. The border goes out to Tz'dad. 9 Then the border goes to Zifron and finally to Hatzar-'Einan; this is your northern border. 10 "For the eastern border mark your line from Hatzar-'Enan to Sh'fam. 11 Then the border goes down from Sh'fam to Rivlah, on the east side of 'Ayin, then down until it hits the slope east of Lake Kinneret. 12 From there it goes down the Yarden River till it flows into the Dead Sea. These will be the borders of your land." 13 Moshe gave this order to the people of Isra'el: "This is the land in which you will receive inheritances by lot, which ADONAI has ordered to give to the nine tribes and the half-tribe. 14 The tribe of the descendants of Re'uven have already received their land for inheritance according to their clans, and so have the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of M'nasheh. 15 These two-and-a-half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the Yarden, across from Yericho and eastward, toward the sunrise."

For Obama to embark on a mission to betray Israel is playing with fire.  For one who claims is a Christian and follows the Bible, he must have failed to realize why Israeli exists and why its strategic relationship is so vital to both nations.  If Obama does not revert course, the path forward could be very uncertain and troubling for both nations.  Because the outcome for the United States should it betray Israel has already been defined:

Genesis 12: 3 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."