Peace?--Or War

Dad
May 28, 2003

—By Moses DavidNovember 20, 1977GP NO.637

—The Difference Between Sadat and Begin!

1. WE HAVE JUST LISTENED TO THE HISTORIC SPEECHES OF BOTH PRESIDENT SADAT OF EGYPT AND PRIME MINISTER BEGIN OF ISRAEL at the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on Sunday, November the 20th, 1977. It was a very outstanding event in which the President of Egypt humbled himself to make a personally courageous and last desperate effort to get Israel to listen to common sense and make "peace on Earth" with a little more "good will toward men," especially the Palestinians!

2. IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT SADAT WAS EXTREMELY SINCERE, because it took a great deal of courage, faith, humility and real vision to go right into the lions' den of his enemies to appeal for peace, and my impression was that he was very sincere and even Godly!

3. HE CAME IN THE NAME OF GOD, in the name of peace and even in the name of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob‚ and he frequently mentioned God and the Bible and their common ancestry, their common faith. He pled, it seemed to me, very sincerely and very emotionally that there must be peace, and that the only alternative, war, is almost too horrible to contemplate!

4. HE APPEALED IN THE NAME OF THEIR CHILDREN, and their young people and the boys whose blood is shed in wars. He begged the Israelis to consider the rights of the Palestinians to have their own independent State.

5. HE OBVIOUSLY OFFERED RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL, security for her borders and peace for her people and to develop and improve the entire Middle East.

6. HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT COMPROMISING, he was not betraying the Arab people nor the Palestinians. He still felt the only solution was to solve the Palestinian problem, which is the core of the entire issue‚ and that they must have their rights in their own state with secure borders, and it must include the West Bank and Jerusalem.

7. THESE ARE THE THINGS UPON WHICH ALL OF THE ARAB STATES HAVE AGREED and insisted must be the conditions of peace. So he was not being hypocritical, he was not trying to deceive‚ he was open and honest and fair and speaking his mind and his heart and even his faith.

8. SADAT POINTED OUT THAT BOTH THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA, THE SUPER POWERS, HAD ALSO AGREED ON THIS and stated their position very clearly, and the entire world represented at the UN and the leaders of Europe had all agreed on this also. World public opinion had also recognised that this was the only solution: That the Palestinians and their rights should be recognised as an independent Palestinian state on the Israeli occupied West Bank of the Jordan. But Begin has said, "What occupied territories?—That is Israel! We will never give up Jerusalem!"

9. HE PLED IN THE NAME OF GOD MANY TIMES and closed with a prayer that in God's name for the sake of their own states and people and the Mideast, and in fact for the peace of the whole world, that Israel would listen.

10. SADAT WAS EXTREMELY COURTEOUS and conciliatory to Begin and the Israeli leadership. He made no accusations, he placed no blame, and he also did not try to excuse the Arabs. He even pointed out that some of the Arabs did not agree with his trying to make peace or that it was possible, and many had condemned him for his move.

11. HE HAD SPENT MUCH TIME, HE SAID, THINKING AND PRAYING about making this last-ditch appeal to Israel to save the Mideast from another horrible war, if not the entire world!

12. HE SOUNDED LIKE THE VERY VOICE OF GOD giving Israel her last chance like a prophet of God, like so many of the Arabs have sounded recently! He sounded like he was appealing on behalf of the entire world, "For God's sake make peace before you destroy us all!"

13. THEN BEGIN GOT UP AND BEGAN TO DRONE SADLY AWAY. Instead of a man inspired and hopeful, he monotoned on like a man who was sad, embittered, skeptical and even vengeful! He immediately began to give a long history of Israel's struggle, as he called it, for peace, indicating that the wars hadn't been Israel's fault and that from the very beginning she wanted peace. He even claimed they didn't believe in force (ha!) but were compelled to fight by the Arabs!

14. FACE TO FACE WITH SADAT, BEGIN WAS BLAMING HIM AND THE ARABS FOR ALL OF THE CONFLICT! This time the Jews never intend to give up an inch of Israel again even if it means their death! "Before you sit the leaders of that same underground which brought liberty to Israel, and they will never ever forget and they will never ever again be placed in a position where they will have to see themselves slaughtered and martyred again‚ even if they have to die for it!"

15. THE WHOLE ATTITUDE OF BEGIN'S SPEECH WAS BELLIGERENCE AND NON–ACCEPTANCE OF SADAT'S APPEAL FOR PEACE. Sadat came bringing the olive branch of peace, but Begin simply turned around and as good as said, "Never! Not on those conditions, never!" But hypocritically , to confuse things he said,

16. "OF COURSE EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE, everything is negotiable! We want to talk, we want to negotiate." Israel has been saying this for the last 30 years because she knows as long as she keeps talking and keeps everybody else only talking, nothing will be done about it!

17. ISRAEL'S GOT WHAT SHE WANTS‚ she's got the West Bank and she's got Jerusalem and she's got her borders, she's got most of Sinai, she's got the Golan‚ she's got the Gaza strip, she's got everything she wants.

18. THEREFORE, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING BUT TALK AND KEEP TALKING, THE LONGER SHE KEEPS WHAT SHE'S GOT, the longer and more securely she is making it hers! So the Israelis constantly make this offer: "We want peace! We want to negotiate! Let's keep talking!"—But they never yield on a single point—nothing!

19. BEGIN'S SPEECH SOUNDED ALMOST LIKE A DECLARATION OF WAR! As it was moving along I said, "He doesn't sound like a man who is looking for peace! Sadat came speaking peace, but this man speaks war! It sounds like a declaration of war to me! He is not about to begin to make any concessions or a peace of any kind, and has as good as said so!"

20. BEGIN'S SPEECH WAS INTERRUPTED TEMPORARILY BY ONE OF THE PALESTINIAN MEMBERS of the Knesset, of which I think there are only two, one of whom is the communist mayor of Nazareth where the Palestinians are strongest. When Begin was saying, "We want peace‚ we want peace for Israel, peace for the Arabs, peace for the world!" the Palestinian jumped up and said:

21. "WHY NOT PEACE FOR THE PALESTINIANS?"—In English, knowing the whole world would hear him and most people would understand him. Begin immediately answered him in English, and what he brought out was very propaganda–wise in English for the consumption of the English-speaking Western world‚ particularly the United States:

22. KNOWING WESTERN ANTIPATHY TO COMMUNISM‚ BEGIN SAID, "I AM GLAD THAT MY PARLIAMENTARY COLLEAGUE, THE COMMUNIST representative of the Palestinians, interrupted my speech, but not President Sadat's speech."

23. HE SAID DURING THEIR TRIALS IN EUROPE AND THEIR STRUGGLES FOR INDEPENDENCE THE JEWS HAD STOOD TOTALLY ALONE AND HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY HELP FROM ANYONE, NEITHER THE EAST NOR THE WEST! That's as ungrateful as he could possibly be, because Israel wouldn't even be in existence if it hadn't been for the immense help of the U.S. and the West in arms and in every way.

24. WELL, ISRAEL IS CERTAINLY NOW STANDING ALONE AS FAR AS WORLD OPINION IS CONCERNED, that's for sure! They have isolated themselves because of their stubborn refusal to share and recognise the rights of the Palestinians. So yes, they are now standing alone, that's for sure!

25. BEGIN'S WHOLE ATTITUDE WAS TYPICALLY THAT OF THE STUBBORN UNYIELDING JEW, AS GOD HAS SHOWN THEM TO BE ALL THROUGH THE BIBLE—stubborn, rebellious and unyielding! He even spoke of their past, and "this land in which lived our great kings and our prophets," but he neglected to mention the fact that they usually killed their prophets! As Jesus said, "O Jerusalem‚ Jerusalem! Thou that killest the prophets!" (Rom.11:3; Mt.23:29-39; 1Thes.2:14-15; Acts 7:52; Rev.16:6 and 18:24.)

26. THEIR PROPHETS HAVE ALL SPOKEN TO THEM AS SADAT DID and begged them in the name of God to make peace with both man and God, "but they would not!" They have refused for generations, for centuries, for ages, for millenniums!

27. BEGIN NEVER ONCE MENTIONED THE PALESTINIANS, never even once mentioned the name‚ as though such people don't even exist! He never even replied to Sadat's insistence that they would have to have back their lands. He made no concessions whatsoever.

28. SADAT SOUNDED LIKE PEACE WAS POSSIBLE NOW, AT THIS MOMENT, IF YOU WILL ONLY CONCEDE on the point of Palestinians and their state and Jerusalem. But Begin kept saying, "Well, some day maybe we'll have peace, someday after a long while we hope there is going to be peace, but we must be willing to fight and die for the land in the meantime."

29. BEGIN AS GOOD AS FRANKLY ADMITTED THAT BECAUSE IT'S ISRAEL'S CHOICE AND THEIR DECISION, THERE WILL NOT BE ANY PEACE until the Israelis have everything they want and everything their way. It was much more like a flat no to Sadat and a declaration of continued war rather than acceptance of any peace!

30. LIKE A GOOD SALESMAN, OUT OF ONE CORNER OF BEGIN'S MOUTH HE IS SAYING, "WE'LL NEGOTIATE, we want to negotiate, we've always wanted to negotiate, we want to talk, everything is negotiable." But at the same time he is saying his tough hard line out of the other corner of his mouth, "except the West Bank and Jerusalem, the Palestinians, the Palestinian State and Palestinian rights—everything else is negotiable."—But what else is there to negotiate?

31. AFTER BEGIN'S SPEECH THERE FELL A GLOOM, DEEP GLOOM OF DISAPPOINTMENT‚ that Begin felt it was not all that easy and not as possible as Sadat made it sound.—And of course, all due to Begin's stubbornness and refusal to yield anything!

32. PRESIDENT CARTER'S AND POPE PAUL'S REACTIONS TO THE SPEECH SOUNDED A LITTLE NAIVE TO ME: The Pope was saying that this marked the end of 30 years of war in Israel and gave bright hopes for peace, and Carter was saying something similar. I'm afraid both seemed a little overly optimistic.—They must not know their Bible prophecies very well !

33. BEGIN DID CONFESS THAT THE LEADERS OF TODAY'S ISRAEL ARE THE TERRORIST GUERILLAS OF THE ISRAELI UNDERGROUND OF YESTERDAY who had fought for Israel's freedom and independence.—In other words‚ Israel's leaders of today are the same hard, bitter, cold, cruel, terrorist killers of the early underground who murdered many innocent civilians, British soldiers, Arabs, etc.‚ in cold blood!

34. SADAT CAME TO APPEAL TO THESE FORMER ISRAELI TERRORISTS who now rule Israel. He came to men of war to appeal for peace, so what could he expect?

35. MY FEELING FROM BEGIN'S SPEECH IS THAT HE WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED UNTIL THE ISRAELIS TAKE VENGEANCE ON THE ARABS for all their sufferings, blaming everything on them and Europe. It's almost as though he hopes the rest of the world will suffer for it like they suffered, and that they are not going to yield even if the whole world does have to suffer!

36. ANY CHRISTIAN WHO COULD STAND WITH ISRAEL AT A TIME LIKE THIS MUST BE TOTALLY DEAF‚ DUMB AND BLIND OR WITHOUT REASON! So how the Christians of the world could sympathise with the Jews in this case is incomprehensible! How could Christians of the world be so blind to the rights and the needs of the poor Palestinians‚ most of whom are Christians! We were there—we know! We worshipped in their churches!

37. BEGIN TOOK HIS STUBBORN STAND IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD! So I doubt if any following negotiations have any hopes whatsoever. If they result in anything positive or peaceful or progressive, I will be absolutely surprised, because it will certainly be contrary to Begin's attitude and the attitude of the leading Israelis and the Word of God!

38. THE BIBLE PROPHECIES REGARDING ISRAEL'S FUTURE HORRIBLE WARS‚ and anything else would be contrary to their reputation throughout history and the Bible as being terribly stubborn, rebellious and defiant of both God and man and as frequent disturbers of world peace! To say that the [Israelis] are a people of peace is ridiculous!

39. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THEY HAVE REFUSED TO YIELD THEMSELVES TO GOD! So now how could we possible expect them to surrender themselves to the poor's needs and counsel of man? Any Christian who stands with [Israel] at a time like this in a stand like that is a traitor to his own faith and his own God and his own people!

40. MAY GOD HELP US TO HAVE THE COURAGE AND HUMILITY OF SADAT AND HIS FAITH, VISION AND HOPE FOR PEACE, willing to go to any lengths to bring it, but unwilling to sacrifice moral principle and the human rights of the poor! May God help those who are trying to make peace!

41. —AND MAY GOD DAMN THOSE WHO OPPOSE PEACE!—And He will, the Bible says so, and that's what they are going to get—damnation and hell on Earth in this next horrible war that stubborn defiant Israel is going to bring down on the heads of half the Earth!

42. I'M SORRY, BUT I HAVE NO FAITH FOR PEACE NOW, BECAUSE ISRAEL HAS NO GENUINE DESIRE FOR A FAIR AND JUST PEACE by recognition of the rights of others. I have no faith for peace in the Mideast nor the world because of Israel's defiant attitude against those who are for peace and the recognition of human rights.

43. WHILE THE JEWS ARE AGITATING THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD FOR SO-CALLED HUMAN RIGHTS, SPECIALLY FOR RUSSIAN JEWS, they are oppressing and crushing the human rights of the poor Palestinians! So I have no hope for peace in Palestine nor Israel nor the Mideast nor the world as long as God's Word predicts war!

44. ISRAEL WILL HAVE NO PEACE FOR THEY HAVE REJECTED THE PRINCE OF PEACE—JESUS, THEIR OWN MESSIAH! If Sadat's visit has done anything, it has given Israel and the world its last chance to accept peace, particularly the United States, who could compel Israel to make peace by refusing to support her any further if she does not.

45. IF THESE SPEECHES HAVE SHOWN ANYTHING TO THE WORLD, THEY HAVE SHOWN THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF PEACE AND THAT WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF WAR! Because this historic event is like God's last chance for Israel and the world to make peace, "but they would not."—So there is nothing left but war!

46. THE JEWISH LEADERS ALREADY SEEM TO HAVE THE ATTITUDE THAT WAR IS INEVITABLE and that their only hope is to wipe out the Arabs. If anything‚ this great historic event of Sadat's visit and appeal for peace has crystallised world opinion and the crisis itself and is precipitating an even nearer war, because this was the last hope, and beyond this I believe there is little or no other.

47. I THINK THIS WILL SHOW SADAT AND THE ARABS THE HOPELESSNESS OF APPEALING TO THE JEWS FOR PEACE OR JUSTICE. I believe Sadat himself felt this way‚ that this was their last chance, that he would go to Israel himself and appeal face to face, sincerely, honestly and prayerfully, begging in the name of God for peace, and if they would listen, wonderful!

48. BUT IF THEY WILL NOT LISTEN, THIS WILL EXPOSE ISRAEL BEFORE THE WHOLE WORLD IN THEIR ABSOLUTE REFUSAL TO HAVE PEACE and refusal to recognise the rights of others, and would show one way or the other whether peace were possible or not. I think he is going to go home convinced that peace with Israel is impossible because she will not yield—not to him nor to the world—not even to God Himself!

49. SO WHAT I FEEL LED OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS THAT THIS EVENT SIGNALS THE APPROACH OF WAR! It has brought war and the End even nearer‚ the End when Israel can no longer cause any more trouble, having already done all the damage she can do in destroying nearly half the whole world!

50. IT WILL BE A WAR PRECIPITATED BY ISRAEL'S STUBBORN SELFISH REFUSAL TO SHARE and cruel denial of human rights of the pitiful poor because of her unwillingness to return to them their rightful homes and lands.

51. FOR A FEW SQUARE MILES OF TERRITORY, ISRAEL IS DETERMINED TO PLUNGE THE WORLD INTO WAR! As I heard the wishful thinkers‚ false peace prophets and the naive optimists around the world speaking of their hopes of peace, the Scripture came to me: "When they shall cry, Peace, peace!—Then cometh sudden destruction!" (1Thes.5:3; Jer.6:14.)

52. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR IT? IS YOUR HEART RIGHT WITH GOD? Have you made your peace with God Himself through His Son Jesus? Or are you just as stubborn as the Israelis and as bitter and vengeful and unfairly blaming God for all your problems and troubles, blaming others for everything while hypocritically and self-righteously exonerating yourself as not being at fault, like Israel?

53. ARE YOU LIKE THE [ISRAELIS], BLAMING ALL YOUR PROBLEMS AND YOUR TROUBLES ON GOD AND OTHERS instead of on your own wickedness, bitterness, stubbornness and defiance of God and His love and His peace through Jesus?

54. OR ARE YOU LIKE THOSE OF US WHO GENUINELY SINCERELY DESIRE PEACE and have made peace with God and our fellow man in love through the love of Jesus Christ and are trying to save the world? Or are you like the stubborn Jews and Israelis who refuse to confess their sins and their faults and their mistakes and their errors?

55. ISRAEL REFUSES TO RECOGNISE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS AND EVEN DEFIES GOD HIMSELF, and would rather have war and destruction and die and go to hell and take the world with her rather than yield to God and the Prince of Peace and the men of peace to save the world!

56. WOULD YOU TOO RATHER TAKE THE WORLD TO HELL WITH YOU? Well if so‚ God is going to stop you some day, just like He's going to stop Israel, and He's going to save the world in spite of you and in spite of Israel and in spite of wicked men who pollute and destroy the Earth!

57. GOD SAYS HE'S GOING TO "DESTROY THEM WHICH DESTROY THE EARTH," INCLUDING ISRAEL! (Rev.11:18.)—And you too, if you don't surrender to God and His love and His pleas for a just and loving lasting peace!

58. THANK GOD THERE WILL BE SOME OF US LEFT TO PICK UP THE PIECES and try to put the world back together again with the help of God Himself, and to establish a peace on Earth which shall never end under the Reign of Jesus Christ‚ the Son of God and Prince of Peace Himself!

59. THEN SUCH WICKED AND VENGEFUL MEN OF WAR SHALL BE STOPPED AT LAST and themselves destroyed‚ who bring war and conflict to the Earth! Only then shall the men of peace and the God of peace and the Prince of peace rule and reign and bring "peace on Earth!" (Lk.2:14.)

60. IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD‚ you may obtain from the following addresses some of our Letters on these subjects as shown below.

61. MAY GOD HELP US AND SAVE US AND FINALLY BRING US PEACE IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN!—And may God bless you with peace and His love in Jesus! You can have peace in your own heart even though all around you is war and confusion. You can have peace in your own heart by receiving the Prince of Peace into your own heart personally, Jesus Christ, by asking Him to come in in simple prayer, as it says in Rev.3:20:

62. "BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him."—Ask Him in today!—Tomorrow may be too late!