Wednesday, June 8, 2011

44 Years Later - Israel's Land Giveaway But Still No Peace

Forty four years ago I arrived in South Vietnam, landing at the Bien Hoa Air Base on May 18, 1967.  The troop carrier plane on which I was a passenger hit the runway amidst Viet Cong mortar fire. It was my first good look at the Vietnam war.

After a few days, I was given assignment papers that destined me to an amphibious craft unit in Cam Rahn Bay.  After a few weeks of settling into my job as a marine diesel mechanic, I received another set of orders telling my unit to pack up and be prepared to leave Vietnam.

It was the first week of June 1967.  I soon learned our unit was on alert to travel to Israel to provide transport support for Israeli troops in the Sinai in their attack on the Egyptian army.  As a solder and a young Jewish man I was eager to go to Israel to defend the country of my heritage.

However, the war only lasted six days, thank God, and Israel was clearly the victor in their engagements with Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  As a result of the Six Day War Israel controlled land that included the Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the entire West Bank and the addition of East Jerusalem.

After peace talks and UN negotiations Israel gave back 94% of the land they controlled through conquering the Arab aggressors.  Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt and Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians or Jordanians. Israel hoped that with this gigantic land give-away there would be peace and the Palestinians and their Arab brothers would drop their goal to remove the Jewish presence from the land of Israel.

The one thing a student of Israel's history will learn is that Israel's conflict with the Palestinians is never about borders or land. It's always about Israel's right to exist.

It is foolish for Israelis, Americans and especially evangelical Christians now being courted by Palestinian Christians to think that if Israel gives the West Bank back to the Palestinians, there will be peace. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The only way peace will come in the Middle East is if the Jewish people living in Israel are annihilated by the surrounding Arab and militant Islamic nations.  To the Palestinian when Israel ceases to exists, there will be peace in the Middle East.

To show you what Israel has given away for peace, the map below lays out thirty four years of Israel giving away more and more land to the Palestinians.  And what do they have to show for it?  A demand for more land give aways and more Palestinian rockets from Gaza killing innocent Israeli citizens.

Let not Christians be fooled by Palestinian Christians who sidestep historical facts and try to persuade evangelicals that the Israelis are the enemies.  The more land Israel has given to the Palestinians, the less respected they are by Arabs and militant Muslims and the more these enemies attack the Jewish nation.


This map provides tangible proof that the falsehood of "land for peace" can no longer be tolerated. The only key to peace in the Middle East is for the Palestinian government made up of Fatah and the terrorist Hamas to accept Israel's right to exist and to drop their commitment to destroy Eretz Yisrael.
Share/Bookmark

27 comments:

cosmia said...

Did you make that map all by yourself?.. because clearly that's a falsified version. Only a brainless twit, that's never bothered to look into this issue on their own, would believe that map. You should be ashamed of attempting to spread such ignorance along to others.

Louis Lapides said...

Cosmia:
Great response to my blog. Name calling, "Brainless twit" and accusing me of never looking into this issue on my own. Usually when a person has nothing substantive to say, they resort to name calling and ridiculing. I call that "left wing tactics."
No, I did not make the map up by myself. Here is the link to the map: http://cifwatch.com/2011/03/14/palestinian-propaganda-map-deconstructed/.
Also, the map in the first panel demonstrates the fact that after the 1967 Six Day War Israel controlled all the territories in blue. NT professor at Wheaton College, Gary Burge, (no friend of Israel) in his book, "Whose Land? Whose Promise?" says, "within a week Israel captured the entire Sinai desert, the 'West Bank' including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights." He notes Israel doubled its size. Is this history or is it not? Send me some links to show me your alternative revised historical view.

In the second panel, which shows Israel in 1993 reflects the historical fact that Israel withdrew from the Sinai peninsula and gave the land back to Egypt. Is this not true? How is this panel falsified? Where is the ignorance you claim I am spreading. Brainless twit? I don't think so.

The final panel shows Israel in 2011. The areas in red are territories where Palestinians have complete autonomy as in Gaza and limited autonomy as in the West Bank. Are you denying that on 8/15/2005 that Israel withdrew settlers and troops from the Gaza strip? I saw this happen with my own eyes?

Of course, the West Bank and the Golan Heights are still area of controversy. Israel continues to negotiate with Syria over the Golan Heights mostly because the Syrians want to control the area near the Jordan River and take over the water distribution. The West Bank remains a hot button due to the presence of the settlements and the military presence of the IDF. The map in the third panel reflects the fact the West Bank is not totally under control of the Palestinian Authority. Israel will never pull out the IDF from the area east of the WB for its own protection and to control who comes into the WB from the East. If they were not there, more and more terrorists would be entering the Palestinian territory and using the WB as a launching point (as with Gaza) to attack Israeli citizens.

So send me some links that show the opposite of what I said here. Calling me a "brainless twit" really did not demonstrate much evidence on your part that you even thought about what you were saying nor that you yourself have a deep grasp of the Middle East conflict.

Louis Lapides said...

cosmia: Here is a good synopsis of the Golan Heights controversy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14724842

Rembrandt_Gallantgoat said...

Hi Mr, I empathize with you...

Yes its a pain hearing about Israels fight to exist. But then you people are a light to the rest of non-muslim world!..

My Best Wishes to yourself and to Israel through you.

Rembrandt_Gallantgoat said...

Know thy enemy though.

I hope you've heard of the faithfreedom initiative ...

Best Wishes again!!

Israel Club said...

Thank you for supporting Israel. It is through people like you that its people and the truth have a voice.
Best Wishes!

Israel Club said...

Thank you for supporting Israel. It is through people like you that its people and the truth have a voice.
Best wishes!

Unknown said...

Give away? It was never Israels to give away. They are a nation of squatters who travelled all the way from Europe to squat in the middle of the most backward/religious place on Earth, dispossessing thousands in the process, only to complain that they are surrounded by enemies. No shit! You voluntarily went around the world to steal a piece of land. Its like someone who tells a lie to cover up a lie. In this case Israel has to keep fighting, fighting and fighting to cover up that it is them who are the squatters.

Louis Lapides said...

Read your history RFE. Israel possessed the land since Abraham and Mosrs (4000 years ago). . In 70 AD the Romans destroyed Jerusalem but a large remnant of Jews remained in Israel throughout history. The Bysantines occupied the land, then the Seljuk Tirks ( Moslems), then the Crudaders (Roman Catholics and Byzantines) reconquered Israel. During all this time there were Jews in the land. Finally the Turks conquered and occupied the land that was never theirs. Jews still lived in the land. From 1900-1939 Arabs kicked Jews out of Arab lands and these Arab Jews returned to their Homeland-Israel.. The Ottoman occupiers were eventually conquered by the Brits. The UK gave Jews permission to return to their Homeland. The Arabs living there were also allowed to stay. The Arabs were the squatters, descendants of barbaric muslim and Arab mauraders. It's not their land. But they are allowed to stay. After WWII more Jews returned to Israel fleeing the Nazis. These Jews returned home not to a foreign land. Israel is and always be the Jewish Homeland surrounded by Arab nations quite ample enough to care for their Palestinian brothers. But Israel treats their Arab citizens better than any of them are treated in Arab countries. No, we cannot steal a piece of land that Already belongs to us. We never left the land and the Bible is quite clear that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob promised the land to Israel and all the land to the East of Israel belongs to Ishmael's descendants. Jews get a sliver of land in the Mid East; Arabs gets thousands of miles of land and you are gripping about the sliver.

3deeguy said...

Great article Mr Lapides. Yes, God did promise that land to the Jews and He will keep His promise to Abraham.
I wanted to know if Egypt moved its military into Sinai. It appears ISIS will be in position to threaten soon. I know God will protect Israel from its enemies.

Louis Lapides said...

3DeeGuy: here is a recent link about Egypt's response to Hamas. It's amazing how our major news networks never get these stories out. http://unitedwithisrael.org/egypt-destroys-60-tunnels-800-homes-where-is-the-outrage

Unknown said...

Abraham and the israelites stole the land from the canaanites and now the israelites are stealing it again from the palestinians, just cause someone said that god told them to steal the land and exterminate all inhabitants; does not make it fact, nor does it make it your land to keep OR give away. Most borders have been drawn through diplomatic treaties, yet israel seems unbound by any treaties. How do we even call it israel when it is really palestine. The maps have changed greatly over the years and I invite everybody to take a look for yourselves for a better informed decision. Sinai peninsula is not in either israel or palestinian control yet you have it divided up like a surprise grab bag. The fact remains that the country of palestine should have total control of its territory and not chipped away. With all these acts and ignorant denial it is obvious the israelite people will never change and should not leave any question in their mind why more and more of the people are beginning to see what others are seeing and showing distaste for them and their culture. this really makes me wonder how wrong hitler was, are the israelites not doing the same thing twice to innocent nations who had welcomed them into THEIR country with (for the most part) Open Arms. Did you not expect that there were going to be a few palestinians who did not agree with the 1917 mandates? Hearing about these jewish settlements dividing up palestinian farmer fields is incredibly controversial, are you israelites really that f'ing oblivious? Do you really feel you can not live amongst the 'gentiles' and that you are that special? We don't all hate you, just what you do... When people start to accept that there are people who are going to make mistakes as they have themselves made in their pasts, we will find peace and each of our own versions of paradise; but remember..we have got to go through hell to get to heaven.

Jer said...

Very well written article. Factually correct. I wish the mainstream media and crooked politicians would destroy this ahistorical antisemitically fabricated "Palestinian" mythology. Why? Because there is no such thing as a "Palestinian". About as historically accurate as the unicorn. There are no "Palestinians" in the Jews Old Testament. There are no "Palestinians" in the New Testament. There are no "Palestinians" in the Qur'an; though the Jew and their lands are mentioned repeatedly only provide one logical conclusion; Neither Moses, Jesus nor Muhammad knew any "Palestinian" People either....
If Israel was a Jewish State this political schema would have been crushed back in the '60s. If we didn't have such a criminally negligent media, the world - especially the Islamic World - would know the truth and come to understand the factually correct truth of the matter...
Shame the Western World is entirely, and intentionally, kept in the dark regarding the factual specificity regarding Islam as a pseudo-religion and as a political theology...
Keep up the good work...

Anonymous said...

You do realize that Israel did take those territories from the Arabs during the six day war and they did not 'give it up' so much as give them back.

Anonymous said...

YHWH told Joshua to destroy the Giants Anakims in the land of Canaan, Joshua 11:21--23.
Verse 22 says the Israelites did most, EXCEPT GAZA, GATH, and ASHDOD. These places (Hot Spots) are giving Israel trouble until this day.
Thank you Mr Lapides for standing with Israel in these trouble last days before Mashiah returns to fight for Israel and set up his kingdom on earth...God Bless........Dave
Joshua 1: 3--5.....God gave the israelites that land "" From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, annd unto the great sea towards the going down of the sun shall be your coasts. (Period)

Darlingrose said...

Well Jamie McLeod, European settlers stole North America from the Indians. Maybe we should give it back to them and all go home!

Unknown said...

You are making an absolute absurd and stupid claim. The land you call Israel never belonged to Jews. It is a very stupid claim to say that since Jews came to this land 4000 years ago thus it is their land. If you read the history properly you would know that Palestine lived Muslims, Christian and Jews. This land is home to 3 big religions. Israel occupied this land in 1947 and it by then after 400p years it wasn't home to Jews who fled away to Europe but the Muslims and Christians and Jews who decided to live there. Israel is a terrorist state and it has killed many innocent Palestinians civilians. Israeli settlers have blood of innocent Palestinians on their hands and Hamas the freedom fighters must launch a complete attack against the terrorist killing by Israelis.

Unknown said...

To Jamei McLeod.
You absolutely have no clue what you are talking about. God is the Creator and He alone Owns All that He created. He can give it to whom ever He chooses. He called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees Syria, so Abram was a Syrian from the line of Noah and Noah's son. Genesis Chapter 10 thru chapter 12. Pay attention to Chapter 11 verse 31. God is a Just God and Righteous. The children known as the Amalkites, Canaanites,, Hittites, Perizites , 7 nations in all . God was getting ready to judge these nations who were evil . and idol worshipers. Read Deuteronomy Chapter 34.1-4, then hope on over to Joshua Chapter 1 : 3-4. God's first promise to give the land of Cannon is in Genesis 15:18-21. then confirmed that same promise to Isaac's son Jacob Genesis 28:13. Exodus 23:31 tells the boarders. Israel did not steal any land. Abraham paid silver for burial land in Genesis when Sarah died. God GAVE the Land to Israel. As a Possession forever! It is clear you are not a history buff, But a contender against Israel & God Himself. How dare you slap Israel in the face and their God. Israel is God's Chosen people. If it were not for Israel we would have no Savior. And God through Israel has invited all people and nations to Him for grace and salvation through Israel. Shalom Israel. God bless you Israel and give back to you all the land He promised long ago.

Unknown said...

Natasha, great comment!

Unknown said...

The USA under Clinton is now responsible for parting Israel's land, which carries a Biblical curse with it. Thank God for His mercy so far, but judgment will come to the USA for not supporting Israel in keeping all her land.

Unknown said...

He was caught in adultery.thats 1 of God's Judgements, his wife, Hileray was not elected President of USA that's 2 From God's Judgements. there is more to follow I am sure on these 2. But as for the USA, over 3 million Christians and President Trump support Israel. God is a Loving and merciful God. We Christians are not appointed to God's wrath, but I think the Democratic Party should be knocking their knees together. Daniel 5:6

Unknown said...

To Jamie Mcleod. Have You have never read the Holy Bible?
Israel stole No Land.
1. Genesis 23:1-20. It is Very clear Abraham paid money for this land and it is clearly stated.
2. there are 24 known verses in the Bible where God Himself says I own the earth and all that is in it.
Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:10,1Chronicles 29:12-16,Deuteronomy 8:17-18,Deuteronomy 10:14, Psalm 50:12,Job 41:11,Exodus 19:5,Haggai 2:8. to quote God. God also says He puts down one and sets up another who ever He chooses. God also told Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,( Genesis 15:18-21)Gen.Chapters 26,28 and Exodus 23) Joseph and Moses, and Joshua He would give them this good land which God owns. the Canaanites,Philistines, Amalakites, Hittites,Perizzites, Rephaim,Amorites, Girgashites, & Jubusites and Kenites and a few others.These nations were the offspring of the cursed grandson of Noah, Ham's son, Canaan.
The Promise land boundaries are stated by God to be a lasting Inheritance to His chosen people of Noah's son Shem.

Jamil9999 said...

Don't come and say that Israel was there 4,000 years ago, you should brush up in your history, the first settlers in Palestine where Palestinians the land was called the land of the blue Men, because Palestinians would protect their skins from the sun by painting it blue, second the Jews left Palestine over 2k years ago, then they invaded it at took it back from the Palestinian Via the 7 day war.

There is a book named "Shoot I am already dead" READ IT and learn.

Yours is a Zionist point of view.

Unknown said...

to the unknown!, I do know my history about Israel, God's People. Palestinians did not exist before Rome invaded Israel where the Jews owned that land. Before Israel was given the land by the One True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, the land was filled with " Canaanites,Philistines, Amalakites, Sodomites, Jebuesites, Amorites, Hittites,
Girgashites, Perizzites , Hivites. The land of Israel in past history was also known as " Phoencia". Not one time was it known as Palestine in those eras. When Rome took over Israel after the Greeks, Persians had, In 70 A.D. Titus and Vespasian. and 60,000 Roam Troops. The were y savagely slaughtered, over a million Jews, children, women and men. The remaining Jews living were cast out of Israel and the Romans renamed Israel to Palestine Then the Arabs and surrounding nations, Lebanon, Syria, started moving in. Even Marco Polo saw this in his writings. This promised Holy Land of Israel had never belonged to a group of people named Palestinians before Israel. The Romans renamed Israel Palestine in honor of their own. Israel would one day arise and reclaim her land Israel as God had promised to bring the Jews back to their Promised land. You cannot hinder or over throw God's Purpose, and Promises and Prophecies of His chosen people Israel. Muslims have their own countries, they should stay in their own land. Israel is and will be forever God's Chosen people.

Unknown said...

The LAND BELONGS TO ISRAEL. Israel won the 7 day war, and took back their land. God will keep His promises to Israel and no muslim, Arab, or s the so called Palestinians will over throw that. The Palestinians and muslims are murderers and unjust. They are a people ruled by jealousy and hate.

Unknown said...

I will tell you why there is no peace. because israel didn't give away any land, Egypt took back Sinai by FORCE in a decisive victory.

israel likes to pretend it didn't lose the war but sadly this is what happened. if israeli is serious about peace let it offer the Golan heights back to Syria and help Arab populations.

The last thing israel wants is peace. when Nasser nationalized the suze canal israel stood with Britian and France against the interests of the Egyptian people.

Louis Lapides said...

To Unknown: In 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, the Israeli military took over a large part of Egypt in the Negev. As part of peace negotiations with Egypt, the land was returned. Israel had no colonialist designs to grab Egypt's lands. Have you forgotten that Israel gave Gaza back to the Palestinians? Now that landmass is used by Hamas as a launching point for Hamas attacks on Israel. Under the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was broken up into three areas. One is totally controlled by the Palestinians; another is politically controlled by the PA with an Israeli military presence for security reasons. The final area is controlled by Israel for security purposes. Give the Golan Heights back to Syria? When Syria stops sending rockets into the Golan Heights from Lebanon, maybe there can be some discussion.