The New Bush Doctrine

Hal Lindsey called it "the greatest betrayal of Israel committed by any American president in history."¹

Bill Koenig, our Washington correspondent, reports that "President George W. Bush is rapidly moving himself and our nation on a collision course with God over Israel's covenant land."²

On May 26, 2005, President Bush and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas convened a White House Rose Garden press conference and announced a number of astonishing points, including the following: All peace negotiations and concessions by Israel in the pursuit of peace with the Muslim nations and Palestinians since 1949 have been rendered null and void.³All of Israel's hard-fought, blood-bought gains of the three wars forced upon her, scuttled in this one announcement.

This astonishing and unexpected statement reversed long standing American policy. In his joint statement with Abbas, President Bush declared that any final status changes in the peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians must be mutually agreed to on the basis of the 1949 armistice lines.

Only a month prior, in a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, President Bush said, "As I said last April, new realities on the ground make it unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will be achieved only on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities."

East Jerusalem was in Arab hands in 1949. A return to the 1949 armistice lines returns it to Arab hands again. The Western Wall. The Temple Mount. All of Biblical Jerusalem.

Connecting the West Bank and Gaza effectively cuts the state of Israel in half, making Israel itself a "state of scattered territories."

Again, the message is: terrorism pays. Bush also committed $50 million for "humanitarian" assistance to the PLO. Your tax dollars at work. A small stipend in contrast to the judgment of terrorism which has already cost us $1 trillion in the U.S. and $300 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan, and continues to climb.

The Bible is the most accurate account of history known to man. All of our benefits as Christians derive, ultimately, from the Abrahamic Covenant, which is the very issue that the world is attempting to abrogate. Its dimensions,⁴ in a deed which belongs to God,⁵ and its descendants are clearly identified: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What's Wrong with  the "Road Map"?⁶

1. It decides the destiny of Israel without consulting Israel. Israel has the God-given right to defend itself against terrorism.
   
2. It disavows the promises of International Agreements for a homeland for Jewish people.
   
3. It deceives the world concerning the true identity of the Palestinian people. There were none before 1948: "Palestine" is the label given by Israel's enemies (cf. Mt 2:21; Ezek 37). The Jewish people are the real Palestinians.
   
4. It delivers nothing to the people of Israel - nine times exorbitant concessions were offered by Israel; nine times it was the Palestinians who walked out. The borders of Israel are not the real issue: it is the existence of Israel that is clearly the issue: in their speeches, in their charter, and in their actions; e.g., "When we get our state we will be in position to wipe Israel off the map." (Arafat: Arab Summit, 6/3/2003).
   
5. It disregards the size and ability of the Islamic nations, which could easily accept the suffering Palestinians.
   
6. It demands the end of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, which have always belonged to Israel. The Road Map preys on the ignorance of the media and the unfounded assertions by Israel's enemies. No settlements have ever been built on "Arab land." The land was purchased at inflated prices.
   
7. It denies validity of Biblical history and divine command regarding this land.

The grant was unconditional; disobedience did not forfeit their rights to the land.⁷ They are the desire of God's heart.⁸ Their dwelling in the future is prophesied.⁹Attempts to remove them will not be successful.¹⁰ Any foreign policy involving that particular piece of real estate incurs the risk of poking a finger in the eye of God! Its final destiny is in His hands.¹¹

The Real Issue for Us

Frankly, I'm not worried for Israel:

Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Psalm 121:4

Ultimately, it's God's problem, not ours.¹²

But I am very worried about us. It has been widely recognized by most Biblically literate observers that America is long overdue for judgment. Remember Billy Graham's memorable quip: "If God doesn't judge America He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."

Thomas Jefferson expressed it centuries ago, "I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just; and that His justice will not sleep forever."

One of the most frequently asked questions I encounter from spiritually alert audiences is, "Why hasn't God judged America?" My usual answer refers them to the commitments in Genesis 12:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:2-3

I personally believe it has been America's defense of Israel's right to exist that has deferred an overdue judgment. I am deeply concerned that betraying our traditional support of Israel may lead to our own demise. Hosea's indictment and prognosis for the North ern Kingdom parallels our own.¹³ We, too, have abandoned our heritage and God may also use our enemies to render a long overdue judgment.¹⁴  That may also explain the ominous lack of mention of the United States in the final prophetic confrontations.

If you care for your children and grandchildren, we need to spend serious time in prayer for our country and its leadership. At all levels. Whether you agree with them or not.

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Supplemental Resources for the Diligent:

• Betrayal of the Chosen, Hosea, Can You See?, briefing packs, Koinonia House, 1997, 1999.
• Joan Peters, From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine, Harper and Row, New York NY, 1984. The definitive study revealing the truth behind the myths.
• John Loftus and Mark Aarons, The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People, St. Martin's Press, New York NY, 1994.
• June Personal UPDATE.