Boundaries of Israel, Then and Now

Nadene Goldfoot
Modern Israel has not had permanent boundaries.  Before 1967, boundaries were just temporary armistice lines, agreed on in 1949.  The armistice lines bisected Jerusalem and were 20 minutes away from Tel Aviv.

Since 1967, and pending a peace settlement, cease-fire lines demarcate the area under Israeli control.  The cease fire lines are 523 miles long.  The armistice lines were 570 miles long.  Most of the urban areas of Israel are less than 2 hours away from the nearest cease fire lines. 

Original boundaries found in the Bible were; the Mediterranean Sea on the West and on the East the Syrian Desert.  To the South the Brook of Egypt (Wadi El-Arish) to Kadesh Barnea, and to the Brook of Zin as far as the Valley of Zoar south of the Dead Sea, and in Transjordan from the river Arnon to Mt. Hermon, and to the Valley of Iyon.  This made up 17,500 sq. miles of which 45% is in Transjordan. 

The extent of the Promised Land reached an arm of the Nile Delta, the Gulf of Elath, and the Euphrates River opposite Aleppo in the East.  It included most of Syria and altogether covered 58,000 sq. miles. 

This entire area was occupied by the Israelites under Kings David and Solomon.  There were many gentile enclaves with the Jewish territory.  The Jewish National Home promised by the British was only the area west of the Jordan and excluded part of the Upper Gallilee north of the ladder of Tyre which was given to Lebanon.  The southern Negev past the Rafiah-Gulf of Elath line was given to Egypt for administration in 1906 by the Turks. 

The UN Resolution of Nov 29, 1947 recommended the Jewish state have the larger part of the mandated area of Western Palestine.  The armistice agreements of 1949 left Israel with 8,000 sq miles with complicated borders. 

The attack of all the Arab nations surrounding Israel was a mistake on their part, for they lost, the outcome meaning that Israel gained all of Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip  and the Sinai up to the Suez Canal.  Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in the early 1980's.  In 1967 there were 352,260 living in the Gaza Strip, of which 172,520 were classified as refugees. 

The Ottoman Empire had done nothing with the land, neither inhabited it or built on it.  Jews coming back found at the end of the 19th century large parts, mainly the Coastal Plain, was barren and in ruins.  Swamps and malaria were widespread.  During the last century more than 800 villages were establied; the moshava, kibbutz and moshav.  This is because the return to the land has been one of the central efforts of modern Israel.  Like the Amish say, working the land makes one closer to G-d. 

It's only 94 miles from Jerusalem to Haifa
               5 miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem
             59 miles from Tel Aviv to Haifa
              48 miles from Tel Aviv to Gaza

The land is small.  It requires defensible borders.  It's very hot in the lowlands but you can ski on the 3,692 high Mt. Hermon near Safed in the winter.  The Dead Sea is 1,286 feet below sea level, and that's a very hot place.  Israel is on the edge of the desert.  A large part of Israel is the Negev, which is mostly desert.  Jerusalem is on the edge of the Judaean Desert.  The Sinai Desert separates the Land of Israel from Egypt. 

Resource: The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
Facts About Israel-Division of Information, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem

Jerusalem: The Longest Love Affair in History

Nadene Goldfoot

Jerusalem was the ancient capital of Israel where Jews have been living for more than 3,000 years when King David made it his capital. Even since the 1840's Jews make up the largest group of people living there. To Jews, the entire city is sacred. 7,120 Jews, 5,000 Muslims and 3,390 Christians were living in Jerusalem in 1844. By 1990 we find 378,200 Jews, 131,800 Muslims and 14,400 Christians living in Jerusalem.

It has never acted as the capital under Muslim domination nor was it their cultural center. Muslims have their holy places being Mecca or Medina. Jerusalem has no major Islamic significance except for the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammed rose in the air on his horse, so the story goes.

"The city has never stopped being the center of Jewish life. hope and yearning, " stated Israeli President Chaim Herzog. Jews have prayed to Jerusalem three times a day for all these years and have said, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning." Jerusalem has meant little to others, but to Jews, who have loved her the most, have remained constant in that love throughout the centuries of their dispersion. It is the longest, deepest love affair in history.

No other city has had this dominant role in the history, culture, religion and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Though in exile, Jerusalem remained alive in the hearts of Jews everywhere as their historic focal point. It is the symbol not only of ancient glory, spiritual fulfillment but also of modern renewal. Jerusalem is the heart and soul of the Jewish people. "If you want one simple word to to symbolize all of Jewish history, that word would be "Jerusalem." said Mayor Teddy Kollek.

Israel was reborn on May 15, 1948. From 1948 to 1967 Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. Israel made their part, western Jerusalem, its capital once again. Jordan occupied the eastern section. The problem was that Jordan remained in a state of war with Israel as all the surrounding Arab countries were, and the city became somewhat as two armed camps with concrete walls and bunkers, barbed-wire fences, minefields and other military barriers.

All the Arab armies attacked Israel in 1967, even starting before that with attacks in 65. Aided by Russia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and even Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and all other Arabs signed on to help them out against Israel. "We shall enter Israel with its soil saturated in blood," Nasser of Egypt boldly stated. He continued saying "We aim at the destruction of the State of Israel. The Arabs national aim was the eradication of Israel. The sole method we shall apply against Israel is total war which will result in the extermination of Zionist existence." Syria's Defense Minister Hafez Assad echoed in agreement. Iraq's President Abdur Rahman Aref also threatened: "The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified. This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear-to wipe Israel off the map.

250,000 Arabs, more than 2,000 tanks and 700 aircraft ringed Israel.

Such brave enemies. Israel won the battle though surrounded by these bullies in six days. What Israel was forced to do, because not only were they surrounded, but the Gulf of Aqaba had been closed to Israel, was to do a preemptive strike against Egypt on June 5th. A cease-fire was invoked on June 10th.

Yet after all this, the international community, so sympathetic for the little country of Israel, refuses to accept all of Jerusalem as its capital. It's a wonder they hadn't actually signed on to help the Arabs. In this refusal, they have.

Now we have the experience of "Palestinians" demanding to own Eastern Jerusalem and want it for their future capital. They want it because it is in Israel's hands. This is the only reason. They covet Israel's property in their flaming continued desire to exterminate Israel. They refuse to come to the peace table to talk without this condition. They want no building plans of Israel to happen in East Jerusalem. Israel has never exiled the Arabs living in East Jerusalem or anywhere in Israel. However, the Arabs are not as magnaminous. They will not even consider talking about peace conditions without this pre-condition.

We await Israel's cabinet decision. Are they going to agree to this after giving them a ten month period of coming to the table to talk about peace where Israel had to stop all building in Judea and Samaria? It's going to be a close call, but to me, it's an exercise of futility. We should not stop our plans in Jerusalem. That is not up for sale. I hope the readers now understand why.

Reference: Myths and Facts by Mitchell G. Bard, Joel Himelfarb p. 220-221

Who Recognizes Israel?

by Nadene Goldfoot

Is it so shocking that Israel's Netanyahu is asking for recognition of Israel in order to have peace? Recognition means acceptance of the state in the neighborhood. It means that it will be respected and not shot at. It means it's a legitimate neighbor and all want peace. It would be in a state such as USA is with its neighbors of Canada and Mexico today. Israelis are tired of putting up with rocket firing morning, noon and night. You can't sign a peace treaty with people who are intending to do you in anyway. Palestinians have to say, "Okay! You're a legitimate state accepted by the U.N. in May of 1948. We concede to that. We'll quit trying to drive you all into the sea. "

Palestinians don't want to recognize Israel because they want the West Bank and East Jerusalem to have no building at all by Israelis there. They want it for themselves. Since Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel, Israel feels it is their city. Jerusalem is THE city as far as Judaism goes. It's in our history, our religion, and our soul. We don't mind having Arabs living in East Jerusalem. We have a million Arabs living in Israel. However, the state of Palestine wants their country to be free of all Jews. They want us out. We have fears that they will try to take over all of Jerusalem, also. After all we've been through, we're not about to let that happen. We remember how our cemeteries were desecrated by the Jordanians. People used them as latrines. King David and his son King Solomon would roll over in their graves if they thought we'd let Jerusalem be given away. Most of our give aways that were in the name of peace have just resulted in being used as landing places for our neighbors to attack us.

The West Bank in history was Judea and Samaria. It's also most important in Jewish history. Again, we don't mind and wouldn't kick out the Arabs living there, but we don't like the idea of uprooting all the Jewish people that live there, either.

The Palestinians are always demanding that we give up land. We had a sufficient chunk of land promised to us in the first place, but had to settle for only a small part of it at the formation of Israel and that was okay with us. Something was better than nothing. Ever since then the Arabs have been chipping away pieces of it. We gained land after the 1967 battle of many Arab countries attacking us. Maybe it was a miracle that we won the war, but we won, and gained back Jerusalem from Jordan. Now, we're not about to let it go just because they're demanding.

They're calling out that building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal by the international community. Well, the international community is not supportive of Israel in any way shape or form, anyway. I feel they're still harboring anti-semitic feelings and have always been against the Jewish people. They certainly haven't condemned Palestinians for attacking Israel civilians with rockets, have they.

The whole affair is so one sided that it makes me dizzy. No wonder a Rabbi in Israel blew up cursing the Palestinian terrorists who are so against Israel. I would have said, may you all lose all your teeth except one, and in that one tooth get a giant toothache. I think that's the curse my grandmother used to use on people she was exasperated with.

Abbas Must Gain Control of Gaza

Nadene Goldfoot

There is no sense in talking about a state of Palestine until Abbas, the leader of Fatah who have settled in the West Bank, has gained control of Gaza which is now in Hamas terrorist hands.

Israel is sustaining constant daily shelling, sometimes surviving 24 hour bombardments now. It seems that everyone expects Israel to concede to pressures and give in to the Palestinian's aim to drive them out completely.

The Palestinians are having a fit over Israel's announcement that they are going to build apartments in East Jerusalem. The neighborhood this is going to take place in was already annexed by Israel after the 1967 war. The problem lies in the fact that the act has not been internationally recognized. I suppose that means by the United Nations, which is top-heavy with Arab leaders. The 2003 Roadmap to Peace Plan is worded in such a way that Israel feels it is not violating it and others think they are. The situation has changed since sitting down in 2003 and discussing a roadmap.

In 1967 after the Six Day War when Israel was attacked by all the surrounding Arab countries, Israel won. The Palestinians are sore losers. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank as part of a future state of Palestine. They want East Jerusalem as their capitol. They lost a chance to this area by losing the 67 war. They haven't done a thing to show that they have earned it. It was never in their hands to begin with. Jordan had control of Jerusalem and the West Bank. We know how they had treated it; like a trash dump. They're also losing a chance to it by allowing constant shelling into Israel. That's not a very friendly gesture. It makes Israel mad. Abbas has no influence on the warring Gazans.

We now have 180,000 Israelis living in East Jerusalem and 250,000 Israelis living in West Bank settlements. They won't be allowed to live there if "Palestine" is created there. Hence, another problem of where they should live in their shrinking state.

Rice, cool your heels. You're not accepting the beligerance of Hamas and its affect on Israel. I don't believe you were brave enough to visit Sderot and Ashkelon. If a rock were thrown in your yard you'd have a tizzy. You just see the big picture of making these two parties sign a piece of paper, and you getting the credit. Israel would have to live with this hatred. Have you asked the Palestinians to change their charters, their hearts and their school textbooks yet? When that happens, the Messiah may be here, but there won't be a peace until these things happen.

For now Israel will not consider any peace agreement until Abbas is the leader of the Gazans and not Hamas. You can't make peace with people who want you dead and that is their stated aim in their charter. June 2007 saw the decline of the prospect of Palestine next door to Israel. It's been a year since that happened, and things are only getting worse.

Reference: Reuters News

Oregonian Newspaper 6/15/08 page A10 Rice to press Israelis on settlements

40 YEARS OF WAR

Nadene Goldfoot

Israel has been under pressure ever since it’s birth in 1948 which was celebrated with the surrounding countries attacking with the intent to kill. Being one of the youngest of nations in the world family, it certainly feels the most unloved and unwanted. Yet this child of the world has been waiting to be reborn for over two thousand years.

The Arabs were offered land in a plan that took most of what was promised to become Israel. This would be Palestine, Israel’s neighbor. Never before had there been a Palestine with its own government. It was a new idea to the Arabs, but seeing that Israel was about to be born made the Arab people want their own state of Palestine. Yet they refused this opportunity, though the Jewish leaders went along with it. They missed their original chance.

A miracle happened in 1967 when in six days, Israel accidentally won back land that used to be theirs when Israel was led by King David. It’s many siblings of the surrounding countries were fuming with indignation when this happened, for it was to be the exact opposite. You would think that one tiny country attacked by about eight huge countries would have been consumed and eaten, but the opposite happened.

Israel only wants peace with its neighbors so eventually have given back 94% of the territories they won in the 67 attack in the name and goodwill of peace. The Arab countries are still at war with them to gain only 6% of that territory and Israel has already said it is ready to give up most of that.

The Gaza strip which lies between Israel and Egypt has been completely given up by Israel, and it has been taken over by the two factions of Palestinians who are supposedly making up the waiting to be born new Palestinian State, yet those two factions are fighting each other while shelling Israel with Kassam rockets.

Lebanon, to the north of Israel, also has fighting going on. Factions of Palestinians are fighting the Lebanese soldiers and holding out in Palestinian camps. The fear is that this will spill into Israel again.

These are our "peaceful neighbors that Israel is expected to welcome with open arms. They can’t get along with each other, so how are they ever going to get along with their hated enemy, Israel.

The Palestinian’s life would have been much richer had they hadn’t been so interested in destroying the new state of Israel instead of starting their own state. Forty years of war and hatred are only leading to continued bloodshed.