Pope Francis's Three Day Visit to Holy Land-May 24-26th

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                                 

77 year old Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) , born in Buenos Aires,  Argentina,  is scheduled to visit Israel on May 26th, which is an important event.  He is the 4th Pope to visit what Christians call "The Holy Land" of Jordan, Palestinian Territories and Israel and will do so in his 3 day visit which for him starts on Saturday the 24th..  There will be live streaming of the visit.  Many countries that are Catholic majorities will be interested in this, such as the USA, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany and France.  Israel's Tourism Ministry is very interested as they are investing about $2.9 million dollars in marketing for the visit of the Pope. Last month a campaign was on going where people were asked to upload a 15-second video on why they wanted to visit the Holy Land.  Gustavo Aldolfo Franco Picaza from Venezuela won  a free trip to Israel with his winning video.  Hundreds of journalists will cover the Pope's visit.

"He is a visitor of the highest importance", stated Minister Dr. Uzi Landau, Israel's Tourism Minister.  Israel spends a lot of shekels on Christian sites.  Christian tourism brings about 60% of tourists, and this visit should increase that number.  Out of Israel's population of 8,134,100, 2.0% are Christians or 155,100.  "Argentines in Israel are the largest immigrant group from Latin America and one of the fastest growing groups. The vast majority of Argentines in Israel are Jewish Argentines who make Aliyah but there is also an important group of non-Jewish Argentines who choose Israel as their new home. There are about 50,000 Argentines residing in Israel although some estimates put the figure at 70,000.

Most Jewish Argentines are Ashkenazi Jews."

Considering that Christian groups are highly involved in the BDS movement against Israel like the Presbyterians, this is a positive event for Israel, so the thought that the Pope will recognize Palestine and call for an end to occupation is a huge disappointment and stab in Israel's heart after whizzing through in 3 days.

The PA (Palestinian Authority of Abbas) and the Arab Christians probably led by Sabeel are already celebrating Pope Francis's visit to their territory  which starts this coming Sunday as a visit to end "occupation.".  The Pope evidently has already decided on starting his trip with going to Bethlehem, which is held by the PA and is a sign to them of recognition. Whereas Bethlehem used to be populated by all Christians, it is now 2/3 Muslim.   This piece of information comes from Father Jamal Khader of the Latin patriarchate in Jerusalem.  Information of starting in Bethlehem comes form Rabbi Sergio Bergman of Argentina and close friend of the Pope who said that he intends to define himself as the "Che Guevera of the Palestinians" and support their "struggle and rights" during his visit.

He plans on traveling in an open car in Bethlehem and meet with Abbas and hold a "mass" prayer services there instead of in Jerusalem to show support for the PA.  Then he plans on visiting the Dheishe  refugee camp to see them suffering.  Palestinians have been in such camps since 1948, and are the longest people to stay in such camps.  The surrounding Muslim countries do not accept them in any state of being except as refugees in camps.

Christians have been violently persecuted in Bethlehem by the Muslims who have taken over Bethlehem, but the Pope has not said a word about it.  This is turning out to be a highly political visit as the Arabs see it.  The Pope will lunch with Palestinian families who have suffered from the occupation.

The Arabs are delighted that this visit is to Palestinian sites first and see it as a slight to Israel.

Besides visiting PA-controlled areas, the Pope plans to visit Arab-populated neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem.  He will later visit with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the "Vatican-owned Notre Dame complex located between Jewish and Arab neighborhoods.  There the Israelis hope to explain their point of view of political events in the region.  Since the Arabs keep pushing the idea of Israel's "occupation," which they are stressing, Netanyahu will have to address much background and history in about a half hour.  What he wants to address the most is to explain the Iranian threat to Israel.

The question remains about his visiting in Gaza.  After all, Fatah and Hamas are united these days, so does he dare go there?  That's an area not very friendly at all to Christians.  In 2005 it was estimated that there were about 5,000 Christians living in Gaza.

The Greek Orthodox Church is also a main branch of Christianity in Israel and the 2 groups have not always been friendly with each other.  "Francis will meet the patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, regarded as the “first among equals” in the Orthodox world, and for the first time in the Holy Land the two leaders will preside together over a public prayer. The encounter recalls a famous 1964 meeting between Paul Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, which led to lifting excommunications born of the feud between Eastern and Western Christianity and that date to 1054.. "

Councilman Aryeh King is not planning on attending an official welcoming of the pope unless he has packed in his suitcase all the treasures of the Jewish people stolen by past popes known to be stored in the Vatican's basement.  That's not going to happen, so he won't be in attendance.

The "Last Supper Hall' is located at the complex of King David's Tomb.  Christian services are held there at the complex once a year.

Christians are disappearing in the Middle East. They've gone from making up 26% of the population to 10% in the Middle East.  "In the rubble of Syrian cities like Aleppo and Damascus, Christians who refused to convert to Islam have been kidnapped, shot and beheaded by Islamist opposition fighters. In Egypt, mobs of Muslim Brotherhood members burn Coptic Christian churches in the same way they once obliterated Jewish synagogues. And in Iraq, terrorists deliberately target Christian worshippers. This past Christmas, 26 people were killed when a bomb ripped through a crowd of worshipers leaving a church in Baghdad's southern Dora neighborhood." 

 The only country they are safe  in is Israel.  I imagine that the Pope will attack this only state protecting Christians in deference to the Palestinians who have done quite a number on them already in Bethlehem.  After all, it's a Jewish state, and everyone attacks Israel for their own  imagined reasons.  The sun and stars will move in heaven when someone of importance stands up for Israel.  

Resource:  http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/05/19/israel-tourism-ministry-prepares-to-welcome-pope-francis/
Arutz Sheva:  Pope will recognize Palestine, call to end occupation by Ari Yashar
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/05/17/what-stake-when-pope-francis-visits-holy-land/T3bErULMEJVFelIUfeqC0J/story.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_
Christianshttp://www.danielpipes.org/1050/disappearing-christians-in-the-middle-east
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303630904579417482632439814 Ron Proser on the Middle East War on Christians

So What? Did Abbas Really Leave the Peace Table?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

                                                      The Peace Table:  Is it now empty?

The word floating around Cairo's TV news was that the peace talks between Abbas and Israel faltered seriously yesterday or ended.  Today's headlines out of Amman, Jordan read, "Kerry warns of violence if peace talks fail."

 To divert people's attention from Abbas, the news just announced that Arafat's test shows that he just may have been poisoned by polonium after all which is pointing a finger towards Israel. It sounds more like something that Iran could have had in their cupboard of uranium-like ingredients.   Arafat's the one who wouldn't make peace, being the head of the PLO-the origin of Fatah.  It couldn't have been someone eager to take Arafat's place, G-d forbid, could it?  Abbas is an impatient soul.  After all, Arafat, after putting up with him for 56 years, was already an icon to Israel.  An enemy you know is better than one you don't know.  He was old already at age 75 and in poor health from some of his exploits.  So now Israel is going to poison him?  Come on, people.

John Kerry, US Secretary of State, warned Israel by telling this tiny state that they face international isolation and possibly more violence if it doesn't make progress in their efforts with the Palestinians.  Israel has already released violent criminals that should have been executed in any other Democratic state with such a penalty, but because Israel has no death sentence, were in prison.  Israel has been compliant to this Palestinian demand, as distasteful and dangerous as it was.    Now, what have they done in turn for Israel?  Oh yes, they've had a hissy over Israel building apartment buildings in Judea-Samaria.

 The article remains silent about any comments to the Palestinians from Kerry.  Only Israel is chastised and threatened by the USA.
                                                                     

All the Palestinians have to do is mention de-legitimization of Israel which is said to be already happening in certain circles.  I suppose international law, recognition of Israel by the UN by all the states isn't enough for Kerry to stand his ground for Israel.

Oh, if Israel doesn't comply, they may face the consequence of the Palestinians being led by a violent leader.  I imagine he's talking about Hamas, who already has much control and has been sending down mortars, rockets and missiles into Israel since 2001.  I don't think  that Kerry has done much about that in any leverage in defense for Israel.  He's not a speaker for Israel, anyway.  He's just a moderator with the job of keeping them talking till April 14th, 2014.  He's threatening more conflict.  Well, Israel has had that to put up with since 1948.  There's been very few people who ever stepped in to defend Israel's rights like there has been for the Palestinians, I note.

Jordan is making known what they  would like to have as well.  They expect a common border with this state of Palestine, the fate of the multiplying refugees displaced in 1967's war and of course, Jerusalem where Jordan has the custody now of the Christian and Muslim holy sites.  Will Jordan lose this to Palestine?  He's also complaining about Israel's building in what Palestine wants as their state, a state without any Jewish building on it.  Or people.  They do not want Jews to live in their state, only Muslims.  They don't have the altruistic attitude of   Israel or even the USA who are homes to diverse people.  They want to be the 23rd state of an all Arab all Muslim state, and they are in the act of trying to take over other religion's holy sites as well.
                                                                   
Netanyahu has explained to Obama many times that Israel will not withdraw to any pre-1967 lines because they are indefensible.  Are countries asking Israel to commit suicide?  There are other expectations that are important to Israel that are not being met.  They want to be recognized as the Jewish state.   Jews were treated as dhimmis in the Middle East, a 2nd class or lower status.  The Arabs find this a hard bone to swallow with their bloated pride.  They are planning to get back property they never owned in the first place in the heart of Israel.  Israel isn't about to give up 1/4th of Jerusalem called East Jerusalem to them, either.  It's a Jewish capital, the  capital of David, King of Israel, and not a Muslim holding.  They're doing just fine, better than ever when they were in Jordanian hands.

I wonder if anyone remembers that it was through Israel's blood and defense that they won in 1967.  Israel won that  attack.  Why should they be the ones to suffer and give  everything dear up when the losers lost?  Isn't that why people fight wars?

Sitting down and making peace with people who really have peace in their heart seems like a dream.  I know it has happened with other countries in the past.  It happened between the USA and Mexico and the USA and Japan.  It happened with USA and Canada.  It had happened with England and France and even the European  with countries and Germany.   Most all of us just want to enjoy life and live happily ever after.  We want to succeed in our endeavors to provide for our family a stable environment.  We want to enjoy the fruits of our culture; computers, I-pads, videos, movies, great schools,  our beliefs in G-d, have the right to visit and see the world.  Harboring only destruction of a people changes their view of all this.  This is what Israel is up against- a people who for for almost 66 years refuse to accept Israel and have fought them. Whereas Egypt and Jordan finally came around and signed peace accords, Palestinians have not. For people who never had a country, they are very demanding, if nothing else.  These Arabs are a hodgpodge from the surrounding areas in the first place, not a displaced people.  They came, they saw, they worked for the Jews and now they want their land.

The Palestinians had been offered their own state of Palestine in 1948 when Israel accepted a bad deal that was the remains of conferencing with the British for years with their offered deal in the Balfour Declaration.  That was a broken paper by the British, but Israel decided that something was better than nothing.;  However, the Palestinians' thinking is that nothing is better as they'll wait  to take everything.  No way, Abbas, you had your chance.  Now make peace and quit  with your demands and  braggadocia about your terrific suicide bombers and such and how this is your idea of a culture to live next to Israel who on your maps has been erased, or never posted at all.  I for one am not broken up if you leave this peace table.  You offer very little anyway but trouble.  I see no peaceful living at the end of the tunnel with you.

Resource:  http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/politics/article/Kerry-sees-some-clarity-from-Mideast-peace-talks-4962852.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/was-yasser-arafat-killed-by-polonium-poisoning/2013/11/06/bada9e82-472c-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat

Jesus Used in Fight Over Jerusalem

Nadene Goldfoot                                                              

                                            Christian Church in Jerusalem

The latest weapon being used against Israel by the Arabs is to say that Jesus of Nazareth was a "Palestinian."  When you hear a statement like that, you immediately think of him as an Arab, because today "Palestinians" refer to the Arabs that call themselves Palestinian Arabs.  The city of Nazareth has been taken over by the Arabs. It is the largest Muslim majority city in Israel today.  It has a population of 60,000 of which 2/3 are now Muslim.   So has Bethlehem, which was turned over to the Arabs in 1995.  It has a population of 30,000.  Christian Arabs have become a minority in these places.    These used to be Christian communities and of course before them, Jewish communities.

The fact is that until May 14, 1948, both Arabs and Jews were referred to as "Palestinians."  The land was called Palestine from 135 CE on, renamed by the Romans.  But Jesus wasn't alive in 135.  He was living in Judah in the northern Galilee as the nation of  Judah existed up till the year of 70.

 Palestine was never a country.  It was simply the name given to the previous "Israel and Judah" that came to be owned by the Ottoman Empire from their take-over.  After the Romans had taken Judah, there was the Umayyad Dynasty, Abbasid Empire, Khanids and Mamluks, Safavid and then the Ottomans of Turkey.  None of them lived in this desolate swamp/desert weed filled dried out piece of land except mosquitoes and camels and maybe the few nomads that rode camels.  It was a place to tramp through to get to the other side.

 Turkey held onto it until they lost it in WWI and the British were given the mandate as to carry out the League of Nations' decision to turn it over to be a Jewish Homeland.  Jews were considered "wanderers," people without a nation who lost theirs to the Romans.  Even a plant was named, "Wandering Jew."  Yes, we had wandered through many a nation in the last 2,000 years looking for a home.

Of course this is a false claim.  The story of a Jewish Jesus puts him in the position of being born December 25th, and the year would be 1 CE as the calendar places it.  He was to have died from crucifixion at the age of 37. According to the Christians, who own this story, he was Jewish, not a pagan Arab.   Some put his death at 29 CE.  The name, Jesus, is the Greek translation of Joshua, a Jewish name as Joshua was the leader of the Israelites who was given the title and responsibility  by Moses.  The branches separating Arabs from Jews from their common relative of Abraham, born  in the 2nd millennium BCE  was about 2,000 years previously.

 It was in the year 70 CE that Jerusalem was attacked by the Romans where it was destroyed and burned down.  Almost all the Jews were either taken away as slaves or fled in different directions.  Some were able to hide and stayed.  By 132 CE a Jewish man by the name of Simon Bar Kokhba, descended from King David, made a last stand against the Romans when the Romans were rebuilding  Jerusalem as a Roman colony and not allowing circumcision for the Jewish inhabitants still there.  By 133 the Romans held a counterattack with 35,000 soldiers led by Hadrian as Kokhba had retaken Jerusalem, but he was killed in 135 and the revolt ended in a slaughter.  It was then that the Romans renamed the land  in Latin, the language of the Romans, as Palaestina, now called Palestine.  They did that  to erase the connection of the Jews to the land of Israel.

Now, logistically and truthfully, Jesus was not alive then nor was he an Arab of that period.  How could he have attended a Synagogue?  No, the whole argument about Jesus has always been that he was a Jewish person, son of Mary who was married to Joseph, and both of them were Jewish.

What the Arabs are doing is trying to connect all Christians to their side of the fight of taking away all of Israel from the Jews and giving it to the Arabs.  Don't fall for such nonsense.  The Toronto Star Newspaper has.  Write them a letter telling them they have fallen for propaganda against Israel.  "Anti-Israel adherents continue to peddle the fiction that Jesus was a “Palestinian” who preached Islam."  They're peddling the idea that he was a "Shahid."  They have the concept of Christianity and Islam all mixed together to use against Israel.  

Resource:  http://www.honestreporting.ca/toronto-star-columnist-wrongly-portrays-jesus-as-palestinian/12872/print/
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Nazareth.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Bethlehem.html

What The Colonies Are That Palestinians Complain About

Nadene Goldfoot
A gang of Palestinian Arabs protested when Obama came to visit Judea-Samaria, or as they call it, the West Bank.  They are angry because Obama didn't bring change.  They are living in colonies, they say, not their Palestine. They'd better have a talk with Abbas.

These young Arabs forget that where they are living was originally Jewish Homeland.  In fact, after WWI the British took back their promise to the Jews of their Jewish Homeland and gave away 80% of it to Jordan.  Right now Israel is about 80% Jewish and 20% Muslim with 1.4 million Arabs as citizens.  Judea-Samaria is made up of about 75% Muslims and 17% Jews and 8% Christians.  But Palestine is to be Judenrein, so they're planning  to kick out all but the Muslims.

 Where they are living and calling colonies are such cities as Ramallah  which is 6 miles from Jerusalem.  "Modern Ramallah was founded in the mid-16th century by the Haddadins, a Jordanian tribe of brothers descended from Ghassanid Christian Arabs. The Haddadins, led by Rashid Haddadin, arrived from east of the Jordan River near the Jordanian town of Shoubak. The Haddadin migration is attributed to fighting and unrest among clans in that area."

It is the capital of the Palestinian Authority.  27,092 live in this historically Christian city where the Christians are now a minority.  The British army lived here in December 1917.  It came into Jordan's hands when they attacked in 1948 until 1967.  Jordan had jailed many Palestinains.  In Israel's hands they could for the first time visit Israel and the Gaza Strip and deal in commerce.  However, they were leaders of the Intifada that started in December 1987.

 Headlines today say, " PA to impose a curfew on Ramallah during (Obama) visit;  Palestinian lawyers demand Obama's arrest for crimes US army committed. " Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the center of Ramallah on Wednesday to protest against US President Barack Obama’s planned visit to the city. "The protest was organized by the radical Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir, which seeks the establishment of an Islamic caliphate." "

  Hebron was called Kiriath-Arba in the "Old Testament", or our Torah.  It is only 18 miles from Jerusalem.  Abraham bought a plot of land from the Hittites, the Cave of Machpelah so that he could bury his wife,  Sarah.   This is history both Jews and Muslims share.  That's where it ends.  

This ancient city was once a part of the Jewish state of Judah, a state created by the followers of King David.  It was one of the cities of refuge.  David reigned here for 7 1/2 years before moving his capital to Jerusalem. A Jewish community continued here through the Byzantine Period and under Arab rule.   It is one of 4 sacred Jewish towns;   Hebron, Tiberias, Safed and Jerusalem.  Jews lived here continuously.  By 1890 there were 1,500 Jews living there with established yeshivot and religious schools.  In 1925 the great Lithuanian yeshivah of Slobodka was brought there.

In 1929, when stocks fell in the USA, Arabs were all in an uproar and massacred many Jews of Hebron.  Survivors were forced to leave.  30 Jewish families returned in 1931.  The Arabs rioted again in 1936, when things were bad for Jews in Germany.

After the Six Day War of 1967, some Jews came back to Hebron, descendants of those who had to leave or die, and they established Kiryat Arba which is east of the main city.  3,700 lived there in 1988.

Bethlehem has been taken over by the Muslims.  It is only 5.25 miles away from Jerusalem.  This was the birthplace of King David where "the Book of Ruth" occurred.  Christians say this is where Jesus was born.  The Roman Emperor, Constantine and his mother Helena built the Church of the Nativity here in 330 CE. From 1948 to 1967 it was under Jordanian rule and came into Israel's hands from the Six Day 1967 War.  In 1948 there were 7,500 Christians living here and 2,500 Muslims.  By 1968  there were 32,000 people.

Nablus, originally called Shechem is one of today's  Palestinian "colonies".  It's so old its origins go back to the Canaanites with walls that date from about 2,000 BCE, and like others, was in Jordanian territory from 48-67 and now controlled by Israel.  It was under Egyptian control  back in their 12th dynasty.  Our biblical patriarchs camped under its walls and it was taken by Simeon and Levi (Gen. 34), 2 of the 12 sons of Jacob.  It became the territory for Ephraim, another of the 12 sons and their desendants.  It was a Levitical city and a city of refuge as well as the center of the House of Joseph.  Joseph is buried here. The Assyrians had attacked in 721 BCE and took many of the 12 tribal members, leaving Judah, Levi and some of Benjamin's descendants.   In 1967 it had 44,000 people, mostly all Muslims with a tiny Samaritan community and has for decades been a center of fanatical Arab nationalism.  A small Jewish community formerly existed here.

Jericho lies in the Jordan valley 825 ' below sea level, sort of like Death Valley in California. When we drove from Tsfat to Jerusalem we went through Jericho.   It is one of the oldest settlements in the world and its first city wall goes back to the Neolithic Period of 5,000 BCE and then destroyed by Joshua (Josh.6).  It was revived only during the reign of the Jewish King Ahab of 870 BCE by Hiel the Bethelite.  (I Kings 16:34).  When King Herod of Judea (appointed by Romans) ruled and built himself a palace there where he died.  The Romans then destroyed Jericho in 68 CE and it was later rebuilt where it is now.  It is now surrounded by orange groves and banana plantations.  3,000 lived there in 1946 and Arab refugees moved there in 1948, numbering 61,000 in 1961.  Most fled over the Jordan before Israel troops arrived during the Six Day War. and some 8,500 lived in Jericho and another 2,000 in its vicinity at the time of the 1967 census.

Jenin is mentioned as Gina in the Tel el Amarna tablets and is probably the biblical En Gannim (Joshua 19:21) , called Ginaea in Roman times and had a small Jewish community in the 17th century CE.  It was a center of Arab nationalist fanaticism in the 1930's and was part of Jordan from 1948-1967.  In 1967 there were 8,346 apart from 5,019 Arab refugees in the vicinity.

During the Six Day War, Jordan had attacked Israel despite a message sent to Hussein by PM Levi Eshkol that if she remained out of the attack she would not be attacked.  Israel's Jerusalem and border towns were heavily shelled by the Jordanians.  Later on June 5, Israeli troops began their moves against the Jordanian positions and cut off Jordanian "east"Jerusalem (including the Old City) which fell on June 7th.  The entire area west of the Jordan river, including Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus fell to the Israeli army.

"King Hussein of Jordan signed on with Egypt to attack Israel.  He wrote:  The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel...to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation."  They had 465,000 soldiers against Israel who won against them all in 6 days.  

According to the UN statistics of 2010, The West Bank population is 2,568,555 and East Jerusalem has 192,800.  Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate claim 57,000.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramallah
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Palestinian_territories
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ramallah
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/67_War.html

What's Happened to Christians in Bethlehem and Gaza ?

Nadene Goldfoot
Bethlehem is only 5 miles or 8 kilometers from Jerusalem.  Even so, it happens to lie in the Central "West Bank" or as we continue to  call it, Judea and Samaria-the original names of the land.  The Arabs now claim the city as a Palestinian city.  The population is mainly Arab Muslim today.  80% of the population used to be  Christian before 1994, made up mostly of Christian Arabs.  It was in 1994 that the Palestinian Authority was established who took control over these people.  Today the population of Christians is less than 20%.  Now it has become the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestine National Association.  It has become the hub of their Arab culture.  They have taken over the tourism that comes there because of it being one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. 

In 1948 Bethlehem had a population of 10,000. and 7,500 were Christians, 2,500 Muslims.  From 1948 to 1967 it was under Jordanian rule.  In the Six-Day War it was captured by Israel.  In 1968 it had a population of 32,000. 

For Jews, Bethlehem is important as Rachel's Tomb is at the Northern entrance of the city.  It is an important Jewish holy site.  This would also bring tourists who wish to pray there. 

Gaza was taken over by the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terrorists came into control in 2007, winning over Fatah, the original PLO of Arafat, the major Arab terrorist.  Gaza did have some 3,000 Christians living in this Muslim area, but since their takeover have seen their Christian materials burned, their people assaulted and killed.  In 2007 they numbered 2,000 among 1,3 million Muslims, being less than 1% of the population.  They were made up of Catholic Greek Orthodox and Evangelical Christians, with the Gaza Baptist Church.  It's membership numbered only 150-200 people.      In May 2009 Pope Benedict XVI visited Israel and was approached by Christians about it, but nothing was said.   Many "Palestinians" have entered the USA under Obama, but I have no idea if they were rescued Christinians or Muslims. 

Gaza remained under Egyptian control after 1948.  It was captured by Israel November 1956, but Israel returned it in March 1957 when Egyptians took control again but with the UN emergency Force along the border with Israel.  In May 1967 Egypt had the UN force withdraw leading to the 6 Day War after which Gaza came into Israel's control.   The 1967 census showed 352,260 in the Gaza Strip of whom 172,520 were considered refugees. 

Palestinian Christian Arabs came to Detroit, Michigan after 1948 and 1967's wars.  The majority of the Arabs in this large American city are Christians from Judea-Samaria.  The countries these Arabs came from were Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen mostly.  In the past, Henry Ford's automobile manufacturing used Lebanese labor there.

In January 2009 Obama issued an appeal for $613 million to aid Palestinians in Gaza.  Nothing was mentioned about rescuing Christians and getting them to the USA.  At the same time he issued a Presidential Determination for Unexpected urgent refugee and migration needed related to Gaza not to exceed $20.3 million.  Again, nothing I read showed preferring help for Christians who needed it over Muslims or in even immigrating to the USA. 

By law the USA cannot count people belonging to any religion, though our census was not shy about listing "Hebrew" on the census naming Jewish immigrants. 

Reference: Arutz Sheva, The forgotten Christians of the East by Caroline Glick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem
Standard Jewish Encyclopedia Bethlehem, Gaza
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=42133 Christians in Gaza
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/palestinians.asp
http://www.arabdetroit.com/arabamericans.php
http://www.cis.org/articles/2002/back802.html Muslim immigration

Palestinian Village's Mosque Torched

I just read an article online about Beit Fajjar, a Palestinian village of 8001 people in Judea/Samaria about 10 km from Bethlehem, written by Najib Farray and sent to us by AFP from the "Palestinian Territories". It says that presumedly 6 armed Israeli men had torched a mosque there, which burned a Koran and prayer rugs. Bethlehem, a city of 30,000, is only 6 miles from Jerusalem and contains the largest Christian population in Israel. Gush Etzion has been named as the Jewish city that the perpetrators could have come from.


Now I do not condone such behavior, and I'm angry to see that if it indeed were Israelis, that they have stooped as low as the terrorists in doing this. It's not right. The first question that comes to mind is, "How can it be that religious Israelis living in Judea and Samaria would do a thing like this?" It hasn't been proven, only reported.
"The Israeli military described the attack as a "grave and serious incident" and said it had launched a manhunt for the perpetrators."


On the other hand, I just read in the Oregonian this morning that many Muslim countries as well as some people in the states do not accept the fact of who rammed the Twin Towers and caused the plane headed for the White House or some other important place to destroyed. There we have evidence galore. Reports are that they are even blaming Israel for this murderous act.

We have been accused throughout the ages of dastardly deeds, such as poisoning wells when people got sick. We're the usual scapegoat. Nowdays we're even accused of being horrid when we try to protect ourselves in the safest of ways possible-it's still deemed wrong. So jumping to conclusions is not a good idea in this case. Justice has to be innocent until proven guilty, and have a better judge than Goldstone has been.

It reminds me of what Golda Meier once said. She was so sad that Israeli men had to learn warfare from their enemies. Here, I think that if true, it's sad that our orthodox men has learned retribution from their enemies. They should have more faith that what goes around comes around. Their enemies will get their just desserts somehow, but they don't have to be the chef. Yet this may be what this is for shooting and killing Israelis driving through the area.

from Jerusalem Post: The Defense Minister said that, "Whoever did this is a terrorist in every sense of the word, and intended to hurt the chances for peace and dialogue with the Palestinians. This was a shameful act that besmirched the State of Israel and its values."Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu added his voice to the condemnation, saying that he wanted security forces to "expose those responsible and bring them to justice as soon as possible."Speaking in New York earlier in the day, Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni expressed her dismay on hearing of the incident, saying "this is a non-Jewish act which completely contradicts the values of Judaism."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101004/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictsettlerislam

http://www.vosizneias.com/65275/2010/10/04/west-bank-arsonists-torch-mosque-in-village-of-beit-fajjar
http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Bayt_Fajjar_858/Article_9613.html

Oregonian Newspaper 10/4/2010 Front Page article: Iranian's 9/11/rant resonates with many by Christopher Torchia ,Associated Press

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=190166