P. M. WILLIAMS BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE LAST DAYS [24/05/13] ISRAEL & THE LAST DAYS – PART 6 1When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt... 3Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deu 20:1, 3-4) A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF ISRAEL FROM 1948 – PRESENT – PART 3 Recap We learnt last week of the Camp David Accords which were signed in September 1978 between Israel and Egypt securing peace between these two countries on the condition that the Sinai be returned to the Egyptians. Another part of the accords was a framework that was drawn up establishing a format for future negotiations regarding the transfer of Arab-Palestinian governance of the West Bank and Gaza Strip which Israel seized control of in the 1967 war. The Sinai was given back to Egypt in 1982, but negotiations to hand back the West Bank and Gaza did not occur until the 1990’s in the Oslo Accords. We learnt that through much of the late 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, Yasser Arafat’s PLO terrorist organisation reined terror upon Israeli civilians operating out of the countries of surrounding nations including Jordan in the 60’s, Lebanon in the 70’s and early 80’s and finally Tunisia. The First Intifada – 1987-1993 In December 1987, due to growing unsettlement amongst Palestinian-Arab refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza, a Palestinian uprising began against the Israeli’s which lasted for six years. This uprising was known as the First Intifada (uprising) which saw many violent Palestinian-Arab clashes with the Israeli Defense Forces claiming the lives of over 1000 Arab-Palestinians during the years 1987-1993. The PLO was the main instigators behind the uprising and its members continually perpetuated the violence that flowed through the streets of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. “The intifada was violent from the start. During the first four years of the uprising, more than 3,600 Molotov cocktail attacks, 100 hand grenade attacks and 600 assaults with guns or explosives were reported by the Israel Defense Forces. The violence was directed at soldiers and civilians alike. During this period, 16 Israeli civilians and 11 soldiers were killed by Palestinians in the territories; more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and 1,700 Israeli soldiers were injured. Approximately 1,100 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops.” - The First Intifada: History and Overview, Mitchell Bard, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org What is most shocking during these six years of violence is that the number of Arabs killed by PLO death squads for political reasons and for deemed as collaborating with Israel exceed the number of Arabs killed in clashes with Israeli Defense Forces!! “Palestinians were stabbed, hacked with axes, shot, clubbed and burned with acid. The justifications offered for the killings varied. In some instances, being employed by Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank and Gaza was reason enough; in others, contact with Jews warranted a death sentence. Accusations of "collaboration" with Israel were sometimes used as a pretext for acts of personal vengeance. Women deemed to have behaved "immorally" were also among the victims.” - The First Intifada: History and Overview, Mitchell Bard, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org Oslo 1 Accords – Declaration of Principles (DOP) Following the Palestinian-Arab uprising in September of 1993, secret talks were held between the Israeli government and the PLO which took place in Oslo, Norway. This was the first time that the two sides had talked face to face and the agreements that came out of those negotiations were called the Oslo Accords. In the summer 1993, after much negotiating, the Israelis and Palestinian-Arabs reached an agreement on the partial autonomy (governance) of Gaza and the West Bank by the Palestinian-Arabs. On September 1993 the Oslo Accords were officially signed by at a public ceremony in Washington, D.C in the presence of the PLO chairman, Yasser Arafat, the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and U.S President Bill Clinton. Signatories to the Accords included Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO official Mahmoud Abbas. The Accords set forth an agreement by which portions of the West Bank and Gaza that had been taken by Israel in the Six-Day War were to be handed back into the control of the Palestinian-Arabs in the form of a newly elected five-year interim Palestinian government called the Palestinian National Authority. It was agreed that Israel Defense Forces would vacate Gaza and the West Bank over a phased period. On the Palestinian-Arab side, the PLO on paper at least, renounced the use of violence and recognised Israel’s right to exist as a nation. In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist who opposed the Oslo Accords. Shimon Peres took Rabin’s place as Prime Minister of Israel. Following the signing of the Oslo Accords, during the 5 years that followed, more Israelis were killed (256) than were killed in the 15 years prior to signing the peace treaty. Israel – Jordan Peace Treaty In an effort to normalise relations and resolve territorial disputes between Israel and Jordan, a peace treaty was negotiated and signed in 1994 following in the footsteps of the Egyptians over a decade and a half earlier. The general thrust of the declaration declared that Israel and Jordan have now formerly ended their state of enmity and are now entering into negotiations to achieve an "end to bloodshed and sorrow". 2000 Camp David Summit From July 11-24, 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat met at the presidential retreat Camp David, seeking negotiate a final peace settlement and finalise what took place at the same location over two decades prior. This peace summit however turned out to be a failure and the events of what actually took place is somewhat of a contentious issue with both sides laying the blame on the other. The key word for the 2000 Camp David Summit is ‘final settlement’. This proved too much for the Palestinians who at every point refused what was being offered by the Israeli-American side and at no point putting anything forward themselves by means of a fair concession. Clinton was quoted as saying…”A summit's purpose is to have discussions that are based on sincere intentions and you, the Palestinians, did not come to this summit with sincere intentions”. At this point he got up and left the room. The Palestinian negotiators took the approach that it was all or nothing. They wanted full Palestinian sovereignty (not authority) over the entire West Bank and the Gaza strip. This was something that Israel could not afford due to the security threat that would be posed to its territory. Central to the negotiations was the city of Jerusalem. The Palestinians demanded complete sovereignty over East Jerusalem. At the end of the 1948 War of Independence, Jerusalem was divided with Israel taking possession of the West side and Jordan taking possession of the East. However during the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel’s Defense Force after coming under attack by Jordanian Forces captured East Jerusalem and in 1980 declared Jerusalem as the “complete and united” capital of Israel. It is worth noting that the holiest site for Jews and the third holiest site for the Muslims is the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is situated in East Jerusalem and the spot where it is believed both Temples were once situated. Barak instructed his delegates to treat the dispute as "the central issue that will decide the destiny of the negotiations" whereas Arafat admonished his delegation to "not budge on this one thing: the Haram (the Temple Mount) is more precious to me than everything else." Simply put, Arafat wanted a full return to the 1967 borders and Israel could not afford to allow that to happen for the security of the nation. The Second Intifada – 2000 – 2005 Following the failed 2000 Camp David Summit, fierce riots broke out in late September of 2000 and another Palestinian-Arab uprising began, known as the Second Intifada. This violence was to last a further 5 years!! The violence of this second uprising was worse than the first claiming the lives of over 3000 Arab- Palestinians and around 1000 Israelis. It is strongly believed that it was Yasser Arafat himself who ordered Hamas as well as Fatah, to launch military operations against Israel. Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas founder Sheik Hassan Yousef who gave his life to Christ in 2000, claimed that… “Arafat had grown extraordinarily wealthy as the international symbol of victimhood. He wasn't about to surrender that status and take on the responsibility of actually building a functioning society" - Son of Hamas, Mosab Hassan Yousef Yasser Arafat’s personal wealth in 2002 was estimated to be $1.3 billion dollars, whilst the people he claimed to represent live for the most part in poverty!! Many Western media outlets stated that the Second Intifada (uprising) was as a direct result of Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visiting the Temple Mount on September 28.