I&CT April 2020
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INTERNATIONAL April 2020 ISRAEL Nisan - Iyyar 5780 & Christians Today Understanding Israel and world events from a Biblical perspective www.c4israel.org | [email protected] The Principal Allied Powers of World War 1 at the San Remo Conference 25 April 1920. | Photo: Alamy San Remo Centenary April 1920-April 2020 How the Zionist Vision Became International Law Council of the Principal Allied Powers (Britain, France, ‘sacred trust of civilisation’, and the language of the n Dr Cynthia D Wallace Senior Fellow | The Hague Initiative for International Italy and Japan, with the newly-appointed, non- Balfour Declaration was enshrined in both the San Remo Cooperation (thinc.) interventionist United States as an observer). One of the Resolution and the League Mandate, which stand on It is widely believed that the State of Israel was born as primary aims of the four members of the Supreme their own as valid international legal instruments with a result of United Nations Resolution 181 of 1947 (the Council — who had the power of disposition over the the full force of treaty law. UN Partition Plan). The truth is that the legal rights of territories that made up the defeated Turkish Ottoman The League of Nations proved largely ineffective, and the Jewish people and Israel as a nation find their Empire — was to consider the submissions of the with its dissolution in 1946, the provisions of all League foundations solidly embedded in international law well claimants at Paris and to deliberate and make decisions on Mandates were explicitly protected under Article 80 of before the very existence of the United Nations. This the legal recognition of each claim. the Charter of the newly formed United Nations. dates back to international legal instruments agreed by This conference resulted in the codification of the Accordingly, the UN General Assembly in 1947 passed the Principal Allied Powers of World War I, meeting at Balfour Declaration in two binding international legal Resolution 181, recommending the termination of the Villa Devachan in San Remo, Italy, from 18 to 26 April instruments, the San Remo Resolution of 24 April 1920 British Mandate and its replacement by a Jewish and an 1920, as a follow-up to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. and the Mandate for Palestine, as unanimously adopted Arab State. The Resolution, inter alia, would have made It was at this place and time that the historical claim to a on 24 July 1922 by the Council of the League of Nations, Jerusalem a corpus separatum under a UN-administered ‘Jewish national home’, as set out in the Declaration of whose 51 Member States represented the international ‘special international regime’. community of nations at the time. The Mandate actually Lord Balfour, became ‘essentially legal in character.’ The Nonetheless, as Resolution 181 represented the first official went beyond the Balfour Declaration of 1917 by adding transformation of a British political document into an proposal of a State of Israel, the Zionists accepted the the concept of reconstitution of the Jewish national home. international legal instrument was given impetus through Resolution. The Arabs did not, desiring rather the whole of its incorporation into the submission of the World Zionist The Mandate system had been set up under Article 22 of the territory and responding almost immediately with an Council to the Paris Peace talks. The issues regarding the the Covenant of the newly formed League of Nations armed attack against the Jewish population, thus rendering break-up of the Ottoman Empire being too complex to that had arisen out of the Paris peace process to deal with the Partition Resolution a ‘dead letter’. resolve at the Peace Conference itself, an extension of the such post-war emerging territories. At San Remo, the peace talks was arranged at San Remo for the Supreme Mandate for Palestine was entrusted to Great Britain as a Continued on page 4 2 5 10 14 Our Citizenship Why Covid-19? Sorrow Followed by Joy Walk Through the Land Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel 2 April 2020 | Israel & Christians Today Nisan - Iyyar 5780 Editorial Colophon Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Our Citizenship Mission Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding n Andrew Tucker in the Church and among the nations International Editor | Christians for Israel concerning God’s purposes for Israel and to The Coronavirus is dominating the news promote comfort of Israel through prayer at the moment. Israeli PM Netanyahu has and action. stated: “We are in the midst of a global Editorial Team event unlike anything else in the history Andrew Tucker of the state’s existence,” comparing the International Editor-in-Chief situation to the 1918 Spanish Flu, which [email protected] infected some 500 million people and killed between 17 and 50 million people. Cathy Coldicutt Managing Editor Crisis follows crisis. More and more [email protected] problems are arising that are greater than our capacity to solve. On page 5, Rev Marloes van Westing Willem Glashouwer helps us to International Communications Manager understand these developments in light of [email protected] | Photo: Shutterstock God’s prophetic plan with the world. Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Rita Quartel, In Israel, a political crisis is unfolding that recognised the unique connection days, we remember Jesus fasting and Marie-Louise Weissenböck and Marijke Terlouw (many argue) threatens the character of between the Jewish people and the land, praying in the desert, tempted by the devil and guaranteed the right of Jews to return (Luke 4:1-13). The forty days refers back to Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, Israel as a democracy serving all its people. to the land and ‘settle’ in it. the 40 years the Israelites spent in the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® The Parliament (Knesset), Executive (i.e. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his In this edition, international lawyer Cynthia desert before they could enter the Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved supporters) and Judiciary (High Court) are Wallace explains the significance of the ‘San Promised Land. We too are in the desert, worldwide. engaged in a fierce battle. Yochanan Visser Remo Resolution’ in 1920 for the waiting the true heavenly Promised Land: (page 3) explores this further. Johannes establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. the kingdom of heaven, that will come C4I Offices Gerloff (page 6) discusses the additional when Jesus returns. Our calling is a Christians for Israel International complexities caused by the success of the ‘Whoever dwells in heavenly calling; we are to be looking for Leon Meijer, Chairman anti-Zionist Arab political parties (Joint and expecting our Saviour to return, who Rev. Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President List) in the last elections. the shelter of the will transform our earthy bodies into the likeness of His resurrection body Rev. Cornelis Kant, Executive Director There is little doubt that these crises are Most High will rest P.O. Box 1100 | 3860 BC Nijkerk, part of the ‘birth pangs’ leading to the (Philippians 3:20-21). The Netherlands | Tel: +31 33 422 0405 in the shadow of the birth of the new Kingdom – the ‘Kingdom As a church, we are a people called out of [email protected] | www.c4israel.org of heaven’ - when Christ returns. Almighty.’ (Psalm 91) the Gentile nations (who are not part of the ‘commonwealth of Israel’: Ephesians 2, The English Edition of Israel & Christians Today Another symptom of these birth pangs is Today, it is argued that it is illegal for Jews King James version) - in order to become, is published by the following English speaking the increasing hostility towards the Jewish to live in the Old City of Jerusalem, Judea through Jesus Christ, ‘fellow citizens with branches: State of Israel. As God continues His and Samaria. Instead, a Palestinian State is God’s people’, and thus a blessing back miraculous work of bringing His people Christians for Israel - Australia to be recognised on that territory – a State into our nations. Ian Worby, National Leader home, the nations are faced with a choice: that, almost by definition, will be judenrein. whether to support or oppose this Therefore, in addition to prayers for PO Box 1508, Springwood How is it possible that the nations of the Queensland, Australia 4127 modern miracle. In this edition, we reflect ourselves and our nations, let us pray, world can reverse the decision they made Tel: +61 402 277 930, [email protected] on the significance of the San Remo especially at this time for the Jewish people only 100 years ago? Is this just politics, or is www.c4israel.com.au conference exactly 100 years ago. There, and the nation of Israel. May the Lord there a spiritual dimension to this? This is in the tiny Italian town, the leaders of the protect all who live in the land – Jew and Christians for Israel - New Zealand the subject of an article on page 12 by C4I most powerful nations in the world at Gentile - and use this crisis to reveal His Bryce Turner, National Executive Director International leaders Dr Leon Meijer and that time decided to reconstitute the glory in and through them as He continues PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Rev Cornelis Kant. to bring the Jewish people home. Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Jewish homeland in Palestine. This Tel: +64 9 525 7564, [email protected] decision was approved by the whole This 40-day period before Easter is a good ‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most www.c4israel.org.nz League of Nations, and implemented in time for us as Christians to reflect on High will rest in the shadow of the the Mandate for Palestine - which what is happening in the world.