Good morning on this Saturday, June 13th. Last week we wrote about the changing dynamic of Israeli - American relationships and the push for Israel to accept the creation of a Palestinian state. Usually associated with such discussions is the push for Israel to give up some of the land they took during the six day war of 1967. There are two primary issues which are germane to this discussion. (1) some of these territories are now essential to Israel's protection of its citizens because of threats of rocket attacks and incursion by its enemies. These territories provide an important buffer to prevent considerable risk of death and destruction. Because of the increasing availability, sophistication, and accuracy of modern weapons these existing borders have become paramount in importance to Israel's security. (2) When God promised the land to Israel in the covenant He made with Abraham in Genesis chapters 12, 13, 15, and 17, He outlined its broad scope in Genesis 15:18-21 as extending from the river of Egypt in the west to the Euphrates River in the east to the land including the lands of the many "ites" and of the Hittites in the north. These general boundaries include the territories in question.
When you have people near your house who refuse your very right to exist and are determined to destroy you, it makes sense to keep them off your doorstep. Until Israel's enemies accept their right to exist, the Jerusalem Post article cited in last week's blog is correct when it stated that seeing Israel's Arab neighbors "accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state" should be the objective of all American governments. This is a first and incontrovertible basis of any Israeli - Arab agreement and should be the foundation of any Middle East policy.
Tomorrow's message is entitled. Resolving Conflicts. I hope you'll be there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, June 6th. Biblical prophecy experts are keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Middle East in the relationships between Israel and its enemies, and Israel and the United States. The media, after reporting that Israel was on the verge of attacking Iranian nuke sites, later reported that the U.S. had dispatched Leon Panetta, the C.I.A. Director, to Israel to warn them not to launch the attack or they would face "big trouble." Shortly afterward, Benyamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, traveled to Washington to meet with President Obama who apparently reinforced that message to the Israeli leader. Later the administration stated that "Iran should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities." Now Israel is forced to consider that a strike on Iran's nuclear sites will jeopardize its future relationship with the United States, its long-standing primary source of support. When President Obama delivered his highly publicized speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, he seemed to signal a change in direction regarding Middle Eastern policy. After reading the reaction of many Israeli analysts, I have found a growing concern among them that Israel will have to increasingly "go it alone." Writing in the Jerusalem Post, Efraim Zuroff opined that the real problem in the Arab-Israeli conflict is not Israeli settlements, nor Holocaust denial, but is the refusal of the overwhelming majority of Muslim world to "accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Daral-Islam." He went on to say, "What will bring a true change to our region, and to relations between Jews and Arabs, will be when the later recognize the history of the Jewish people and their connection to Egetz Yisrael and the legitimacy of a Jewish state in Dar-al-Islam. That should be the objective of all American governments, since it will mean the end of the religious conflict between Jews and Arabs, which is basically insoluble, and the beginning of steps toward a peace agreement, which hopefully can one day be achieved." His analysis is absolutely correct. In next week's blog, we'll address the significance of these issues.
Tomorrow's sermon is the fourth in the series on relationships and is entitled, Building Relationships. I'll see you there.
Mel Brown