UN Votes 138 to 9 to Recognize "State of Palestine"

ANALYSIS:

Also: in major speech, Israel's UN ambassador quotes Scripture passage from Old & New Testaments.

Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., November 30, 2012) -- On Thursday, 138 nations voted in the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) to declare a "State of Palestine" and recognize it as a "non-member observer state" within the international community. Forty-one nations abstained from voting. Only nine nations voted against the resolution: the U.S., Israel, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Panama.

In his speech to the UNGA, Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (aka, Abu Mazen) said, ""We did not come here to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel. Rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of a state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine." However, he also praised the Palestinian terrorists who died in the war against Israel last week in Gaza, calling them "beloved martyrs."

In his excellent and must-read speech to the UNGA, Ron Prosor -- Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. -- quoted a passage from Scripture that is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. "Peace is a central value of Israeli society. The Bible calls on us: 'Seek peace and pursue it.'" (see Psalm 34:14 and I Peter 3:11) Amb. Prosor noted the numerous times since 1947 that Jewish and Israeli leaders have offered their hand in peace to their Arab neighbors, only to be rejected and attacked time after time. He insisted that there is only one route to peace. "And that route does not run through this chamber in New York. That route runs through direct negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah that will lead to a secure and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

I'm wishing I could rejoice with my Palestinian friends about the U.N. vote. But the Bible is clear that the Lord God will judge all nations who divide Land of Israel. "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land." (Old Testament Book of Joel, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2)

The Palestinians have suffered so much, from many sides. I wish a sovereign state was the answer. Nearly the whole world is convinced it is. But defying God's Word won't be bring blessing; it brings sadness and eventual judgment. Christians can -- and must -- love and bless and encourage the Palestinian people in general, and the followers of Jesus Christ in the West Bank and Gaza in particular. We can pray for them and visit them and invest in them and help them "do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) We can be advocates of justice, mercy and compassion by the Israeli government towards the Palestinian people, and advocates of the same by the Palestinian government towards their own people. There are many ways we can be a blessing to the Palestinian people. But it simply will not be a blessing to them -- or to any nation or people group around the world -- to support dividing the Land of Israel in disobediance to God's Word.

Here is an excerpt from a message I gave at the 2011 Epicenter Conference: "You and I are passionate advocates of justice for Israel because of what the Bible teaches. We must also be passionate advocates of justice from Israel because of what the Bible teaches. This does not mean Israel should divide the Land. This does not mean Israel should ignore her real and serious security needs. But too often, Christians who love Israel are not aware of -- or sufficiently concerned about and responsive to -- the plight of the Palestinian people, and particularly the struggles of the Palestinian believers...."

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ALSO ON THE BLOG:

* The Palestinians could have been celebrating the 65th anniversary of their state today. What happened?

* TWITTER -- Please track the latest developments @joelcrosenberg.