The Abraham Accord

A major historic event took place last Thursday, August 13, 2020. It eclipses post office funding or mask wearing to “fight” COVID-19 by so many orders of magnitude that you should have been hearing about it nonstop all weekend. Instead, by Friday afternoon the story was waning. By Saturday it was no longer included in the top dozen stories on MSN or CNN online. Hmm.

What was this historic event? President Trump, along with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and the United Arab Emirates’ Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, signed a Middle East peace accord—the first one since 1994—referred to as the Abraham Accord, bringing together different branches of Abrahamic peoples.

Jared Kushner discusses the Abraham Accord on Fox News Sunday
screenshot from here

President Trump said,

This is a truly historic moment. Not since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made toward peace in the Middle East, by uniting two of America’s closest and most capable partners in the region—something which it was said could not be done. This deal is a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East.

Ambassador Robert O’Brien said this about the accomplishment: “I think history’s going to remember the President as a peacemaker. It’s really something special that he was able to put together.”

It is worth noting that actual peace deals that are accomplished get no Nobel Peace prizes, but politically “correct” do-nothings do get awarded (for example, Obama, his first year in office before doing anything, and 17-year-old Greta Thunberg, who was nominated, for scolding the world for driving cars, but had to settle for a humanitarian award).

After Thursday’s announcement, when it became evident that denigrating President Trump for a verifiable good accomplishment was fruitless, former VP Joe Biden tried to take credit—for laying the groundwork, along with Barack Obama, some five years ago.

In a twisted way, Biden is right. That administration’s anti-Israel/pro-Iran actions made other Middle Eastern countries aware of their vulnerability to Iran and its anti-freedom tyranny. So, while they may still have some disagreements with Israel, they are willing to set those aside to unite against a common enemy that had been strengthened by Obama/Biden.

The timing was good for the accord—because of President Trump. He undid some of the damage caused by Obama’s ship-pallets-of-cash-to-Iran-while-allowing-them-to-proliferate-nuclear-weapons agreement that was the worst negotiated deal in the history of the world. And he moved our embassy to Jerusalem. He has been a solid and reliable friend both to Israel and to the UAE and other Arab entities that would rather not be subject to Iranian mullahs.

The description of the president and the process are not what you’re likely to hear in mainstream media sources. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Friday, Ambassador O’Brien said this: 

One of the things that the President has, one of the great attributes, and I’ve talked about this before publicly without getting into the details of any specific call, he really has an incredibly good manner with foreign leaders. He gets along with them. He’s cordial with them. He’s civil with them, all the things you’d expect from a diplomat. And he’s very persuasive with them. So what had happened is that over the past three years, the President had developed a great deal of trust with Prime Minister Netanyahu and with the Crown Prince. And it’s that reservoir of trust that allows you to bring folks together to push them over the line, to negotiate with them, to mediate with them, to encourage them and to persuade them…. And I think Americans would be very proud of their president if they’d watched how he’d handled these negotiations with a lot of dignity, but also with a lot of goodwill and friendship and good humor with these two leaders.

There was a team working on the deal, “quarterbacked” by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was also instrumental in moving the embassy to Jerusalem. But the entire team, even down to lowly staffers, got invited into the Oval Office to listen in on the historic moment. President Trump knew it was historic and wanted them to experience the moment with him. And, to their credit, no one had leaked information about the delicate negotiations, which could have derailed them. At the end of the phonecall, spontaneous applause broke out in the room.

I don’t know yet how this will play out in world history, but it’s definitely a good thing. And it’s likely to spread to other enemies of Iran in the Middle East.

Ben Shapiro noted,

By the way, it is also evident that Oman and Bahrain are going to follow the UAE in normalizing Israeli ties. And Saudi Arabia cannot be far behind. So this means a complete opening of the Middle East…. It is a very very good day for peace in the Middle East.

And the New York Times predicted that the accord “could presage a broader realignment in the region as the two agreed to ‘full normalization of relations’ in exchange for Israel suspending annexation of occupied West Bank territory.” 

One thing I hadn’t been aware of was a sort of tacit agreement already in play. Even though the UAE had policies against trade with Israel, they made exemptions on a case-by-case basis whenever it suited them. So often, in fact, that you can find the occasional Israeli grocer in a city, purportedly for business travelers. I’m told Saudi has such tacit agreements as well.

News media is talking about what Israel was forced to give up in order to come to this deal. That’s not the real story.

The UAE was already willing to agree with Israel. But they needed something in return. Israel offered up a pledge not to annex portions that, if it had declared them Israeli land, would not likely have been recognized anyway, not even by the United States. It would have been a declaration without effect on the ground. However, it’s land that, if there are future negotiations, is likely to go to Israel. Ben Shapiro describes it as Israel giving the UAE a fig leaf. He said,

The UAE wanted to normalize relations with Israel. They said, “We need something in return to make it look like we give a crap about the Palestinian Authority, which we actually kinda don’t.” And Israel said, “OK, well, we just won’t formally annex all this territory we know is going to end up in Israeli hands under any peace deal in the future anyway.” And the UAE was like, “Good. Done.”

If we’re adding the Abraham Accord to the history books, maybe we ought to review some of the history.

While the United Nations voted to give Israel statehood in 1947, with a two-state solution, the Arab nations surrounding it refused to recognize the decision. So there never was a recognized Palestinian state. Ever. In all history. Israel then declared its independence May 14, 1948, and that is the official beginning of the modern nation of Israel. Its war for independence ensued, fought from May 2018 through July 1949. At this point, in the cease fire agreement, the West Bank of the Jordan River was allotted to Jordan, and the Gaza Strip was allotted to Egypt, and they allowed Israel to exist for the time being.

In 1967, Egypt attacked, along with Jordan and Syria, in an attempt to wipe Israel into the sea. In what can only be called miraculous, Israel won that war in six days—thus the name of the Six-Day War. I remember my dad talking about this miracle, as a sign of nearing the last days, back when I was just old enough to pay attention. So I’ve spent half a century believing it is worth watching what happens to Israel. Anyway, in that conflict, Israel won back the West Bank and Gaza, but the Palestinian refugees from that area continue to claim land. Much of that has since been ceded by Israel. But, it turns out land for peace has never been a good strategy for Israel.

If you’re in need of a primer or refresher, I go into more detail in a 6-part series from 2011:

·         Part I: Ancient History 

·         Part II: Zionism and Migration 

·         Part III: Conflict and Violence 

·         Part IV: Holocaust and Statehood 

·         Part V: Refugees and 1967 War 

·         Part VI: Continued Unrest 

While several US presidents had claimed Israel’s right to name its capital as Jerusalem, and promised to move the US embassy there—starting with Clinton in 1999, waiting through Bush and Obama—President Trump actually made the move. The dedication happened on May 14, 1948, exactly 70 years after Israel became a modern nation.

US Embassy in Jerusalem dedication
screenshot from here

In Hebrew, I am told, various numbers have certain meanings.

7 = perfection

10 = completeness

70 = perfection and completion, or perfect order, with all power and perfect judgment

In other words, 70 is significant, and symbolic. To have it happen on that date—not a year earlier or later, not a month or two earlier or later—makes it more striking than just a very fine accomplishment by human world leaders.

Commemorative Temple Coin
image is a screenshot from here

To commemorate the embassy move, Israel minted a commemorative coin, with the heads of President Trump and Cyrus, who was non-Israelite king who was instrumental in the rebuilding of the temple 70 years after the captivity that ensnared Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego back around 600 BC. Besides honoring President Trump, the commemorative coin is being used as a fundraiser for eventually rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. You can go online and see the progress at TempleInstitute.org. They have acquired all the building materials, as well as the vessels, vestments, and other things needed. They’re in the process of raising a red heifer that is to be sacrificed.

Illustrations of the ancient Jerusalem Temple
from TempleInstitute.org

Some prophecy watchers suggest next spring will be the time the temple construction gets underway. An impediment has been that the Dome of the Rock, the top of the Temple Mount, has been under Arab control for a long time. Just recently there was an archaeological discovery of a foundation of what appears to match the temple specs—not directly under the Temple Mount, but very close nearby, already under Israeli control. I don’t think there’s full agreement on which location is to be used for building the temple, but it’s an interesting story to follow.

I ended my six-part series on Israel with some words from Benjamin Netanyahu, and tied that in with the Spherical Model. Those words seem to still fit with this week’s added piece of history, if we include all those willing to honor our friendship with Israel along with us. We welcome the UAE into that circle:

I believe Knesset Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu was right when he said, “If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no more war. If Israel lays down theirs, there would be no more Israel.” I’ve kept that quote for some years. But in that speech, he went on to say, “Israel must create treaties with the countries of the world based on values, interests, and strength. We must nurture our military, diplomatic and political, and spiritual strength—that is the key to our future.”

At the Spherical Model, we can judge the success of civilization, economics, and freedom based on specific principles. It isn’t surprising that terrorists who advocate a mixture of savage chaos followed by tyrannical rule are far into the southern hemisphere, not only politically but also economically and socially. The Muslim people who most adhere to the rules of civilization also enjoy better economics and less oppressive government. Israel may not be perfect, but as a democratic friend that strives for civilization, we do well to honor that friendship.

 

Civilization vs. Savagery in Israel

If you think there is an Israeli occupation of Palestine, you need a primer. If you think both sides are equally culpable in their conflict, you lack information. If you think maybe it’s a good idea to support Israel, maybe for Biblical reason, but you don’t know how to describe your reasons, this might be a good time to get some useful facts.

Back in 2011 I wrote a six-part post on the history of Israel. It’s a pretty good primer.

·         Israel, Part I: Ancient History

·         Israel, Part II: Zionism and Migration

·         Israel, Part III: Conflict and Violence

·         Israel, Part IV:  Holocaust and Statehood

·         Israel, Part V: Refugees and 1967 War

·         Israel, Part VI: Continued Unrest

In Part VI I link a video that describes the history with animated maps—about six minutes. Worth seeing. This past week I saw a video by Jewish conservative radio host Dennis Prager, which also gives a brief history, posted on YouTube in June 2014, shortly before the recent missile out of Gaza began. It gives a 5-minute summary of the situation, reminding us that there has never been any state in that region that wasn’t a Jewish state; this is the third Jewish state. There has never been an Arab state, a Palestinian state, a Muslim state, or any other state.

 

As I mention in my Part VI, the terrorists fighting Israel are more Marxist than religious Muslim. Potential PLO leaders were trained in Moscow, East Germany, and Cuba, where they were specifically trained in subversion, propaganda, explosives, and terror tactics. They continue these tactics still. One of the PLO’s tactics was disinformation—lying propaganda. Repeating the lies over and over, through decades, in schools and in every news broadcast, has left a large part of the world unaware of the truth of events in the Middle East. The PLO is named less in media since the loss of Soviet support in the early 1990s. Now the entity in the forefront—still using those tactics—is the terrorist organization Hamas.

Steven Bucci, former Army Special Forces officer and top Pentagon official, now with The Heritage Foundation, offered perspective in a piece July 17, 2014, “The Moral Difference between Israel and Hamas,” The Daily Signal July 17, 2014:

What most Americans—and the world—hear about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas goes something like this: “125 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed by Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza. No Israelis have yet been killed.” This may be true, but there is absolutely no context to it. One must look at the methodologies of the two sides.

Hamas sets up rocket launchers—as well as supply dumps and command-and-control sites—in the midst of apartment buildings, mosques and schools. From these sites, its fighters launch dozens of rockets in salvos, targeting population centers with no discrimination at all. They have been firing almost continuously of late. But normally, they fire when Israeli school children move from their homes, which have safe shelters, to their schools, which also have shelters. They do this deliberately to try and catch the kids in the open. They don’t seek to minimize collateral damage – they seek to maximize it.

Israel, on the other hand, fires only at specific, intelligence-derived military targets. Since these targets are deliberately intermixed with the civilian population by Hamas, Israel must take steps to minimize the collateral casualties.

Before the Israelis strike a building, every home in it gets a call on its landline phone, as do all the cell phones associated with the inhabitants of the building—the cells additionally get text messages—telling them that in a few minutes the building will be targeted. Finally, to make sure everyone gets the message, Israel drops a dud bomb—one containing no explosives—onto the roof of the structure. Minutes later, the building is destroyed. There is no instance in modern military history where a force has taken greater measures to give the innocents as much chance to get out of the way.

Similar information was shared in interviews with Israeli Ambassador to U.S. Ron Dermer. He was interviewed on Face the Nation July 13^th,  TheWashington Post July 15th,  and CBS News July 18^th.  Here’s a quote from the Washington Post interview:

As we’re trying to people out of harm’s way, Hamas is telling people to go into harm’s way. They’re actually telling their population to ignore the warnings of our military, as we drop flyers, we make phonecalls, we send text messages. We do things I’m not sure there’s another country in the history of the world, in warfare, that have gone to such great lengths to keep the civilians of the other side’s population out of harm’s way. We’re doing what we have to, to take the action to defend our people.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was quote this past week, saying, “The difference between us is simple: We develop missile-defense systems to protect our citizens, while they use their citizens to protect their missiles.”

The Prime Minister did an impressive interview on Fox  News, with Bret Baier, on July 21st. All six minutes are clear and informative, but here’s a sample:

We asked these civilians before we went in, “Please leave.” We text them on cell phones. We drop leaflets. We tell them where to go. And those who left were safe. Now those who didn’t leave, you know why they didn’t leave? Because Hamas told them to be there. Because Hamas, while we try to avoid Palestinian civilian dead, Hamas wants Palestinian civilian dead. The more the better, so they can give you telegenic fodder. So this is the cruelest, most grotesque war that I’ve ever seen…. Civilian deaths are caused because they want them to be caused.

My daughter, Social Sphere, has a friend she met some years ago, as a teen in Texas, still in touch on social media. Danielle moved to Israel to serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Here are some of her recent posts [ID info removed]:

Of the 13 Israeli soldiers killed yesterday, one is a Texas boy—who moved to Israel with two of his best friends to join the IDF, giving him a “lone soldier” status. This means that even though he and his family did not live in Israel and he did not have to serve, he decided at a young age (in his case, 16) to move to Israel by himself so he can serve in the IDF. So he is alone in Israel. According to our friend—“These kids get most respect in Israel.” We are as honored that he came from Texas as Israel is to have received him.

Another day Danielle said, “The indoctrination of hate is one of the primary tactics Hamas uses to teach violence to children. This is child abuse. Hamas is a dangerous terrorist organization for Israelis, but they are toxic for Palestinian children and civilians as well.”

Another of Social Sphere’s Texas friends traveled to Israel recently to learn more about her ancestry. Rachel quoted US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying one of the few things he has said that rang true: “No country could sit by and not take steps to try to deal with people who are sending thousands of rockets your way. The fact is that Hamas uses civilians as shields and they fire from a home and draw the fire into the home.”

Using human shields is a violation of the rules of warfare. So is targeting of civilians, as Hamas does, seeking to kill as many civilians as possible in Israel, while also delighting in any of their own people killed, because they use that in their propaganda.

I was thinking the word was getting out this time, but apparently not much beyond those who already know the truth. Despite the moral clarity between the two sides, the UN just decided to investigate possible crimes against humanity in this conflict—but will ONLY investigate Israel.

Israel deserves the support of the civilized world, not condemnation for keeping itself alive.

There’s one other video you ought to watch, new yesterday, July 23^rd, from Bill Whittle: “The Case for Israel.”  He compares the two sides, one civilized and one barbaric (in the Spherical Model we use the word savage, but I think we can conclude they have the same meaning). In case you missed it, Hamas recently referred to the Jews as a little bit worse than Hitler. This quote responds to that ironic accusation:

The instant that Hamas or Hezbollah get their hands on a nuclear weapon, they will do with it what they do every day with their rocks and mortars and missiles. They will use it. On Israel. The Israelis have an estimated 500 nuclear weapons and could destroy the Arabs any time they chose. They don’t.

Those are not Nazis. Those are moral, civilized people.

Israel is an island of civilization in a sea of barbarity, and that is why it is being targeted. Uncomfortable with those words, “civilization” and “barbarity?”

He then gives a long list of evidences of Israel’s civilization status. The differences are stark, and ought to be noticeable by any civilized person. But disinformation, over time, has done its dirty business.

Anyone who thinks the Israelis keep all the goods and wealth for themselves and deprive their neighbors doesn’t know the history. Also, anyone who claims this attack from Gaza is caused by Israeli “occupation” is buying the propaganda. Israel left Gaza in 2005, leaving behind infrastructure, hospitals, schools, even greenhouses with plants growing. The response was to destroy everything and subject the people to poverty, and then blame the Israelis for their misfortune. Toward the end of the video, Whittle covers this bit of history, and refers to another concept we talk about when striving for civilization—“Thou shalt not covet.”

But you cannot understand Israel’s actions without understanding the pervasive, unrelenting, hate that surrounds that outpost of civilization. From Hezbollah rockets made in Iran, to BDS [boycott, divestment, and sanctions] sanctions made in Berkeley and Santa Monica, the attacks on this country and its people cannot be understood without getting to the bedrock essence of the nasty, petty, small and mean-spirited emotion that drives anti-Semitism.

And that emotion is Envy.

Genesis, Chapter 26, verses 12 through 16:

And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

That was thousands of years before there was a religion called Islam. And when the Israelis, as a gesture of peace and goodwill, turned over the Gaza Strip in 2005 the first thing these modern-day philistines did was smash the windows of the greenhouses that had been handed to them by other people’s labor. Once again, they filled wells in the desert with sand.

Israel has survived miraculously in the past. I expect it to survive now. I want to be clear that I side with civilization, not savagery. And the differences right now couldn’t be clearer.

 

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