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Interesting thoughts on Jerusalem brought to my attention this morning by Tim Howe

Big Al
December 9, 2017

Right decision, wrong time on Jerusalem

BY JUDY SCHINDLER Contributing columnist, Observer editorial board

Picture

MAJDI MOHAMMED AP An Israeli soldier during Palestinian protests Friday.

I love Jerusalem. It has been part of my life for 36 years, from the time I was a high school student there. I would visit my father, a global Jewish leader, at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel when he was in Israel for meetings – often connecting with his close friend and colleague, Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and home to the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). Its Supreme Court, and the residences of the prime minister and president are located in West Jerusalem. Yet still, for 70 years not one country has recognized Jerusalem as the capital. All 86 embassies reside in Tel Aviv.

That changed Wednesday, when President Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and committed to moving the American embassy there. What on the surface might seem like a non-controversial act has set off a whirlwind of violent rhetoric and actions that has already led to loss of life. President Trump’s announcement was the right announcement made at the wrong time and in the wrong way.

President Trump claimed his decision was a “long overdue step to advance peace,” but the chorus of voices from Pope Francis to European leaders immediately saw it differently and predicted the violence. I write this piece on Friday afternoon with tears in my eyes learning of the 90 who have already been wounded – and of the one who has died. And the violence continues with rockets and bullets.

President Trump could have been visionary. His statement of recognition could have been made in the context of moving partners toward peace. He could have stated that as he intended on moving the embassy to West Jerusalem, he envisions East Jerusalem as being the capital of a Palestinian state established as part of a negotiated two-state solution to end conflict. He could have used it as a bargaining chip with Prime Minister Netanyahu, making that recognition contingent on a return to the peace process, while himself committing to exert pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to engage in talks.

The reality is that the U.S. Embassy in Israel will not be moving to Jerusalem anytime soon. In 1995, with bipartisan support, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act declaring that the embassy would be moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, though every U.S. president since that time has signed a waiver deferring that action. Immediately after making his declaration, President Trump similarly signed another six-month deferment waiver.

Last Sunday, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Obama, Dan Shapiro, spoke in Charlotte and supported the move of the embassy to West Jerusalem. It is not over the Green Line – in the territories captured by Israel in 1967. It is not on land central to negotiating peace. Yet as Shapiro noted in the media on Thursday, the president’s announcement failed strategically. There weren’t preparatory meetings with Arab leaders. Now Trump can and must engage those leaders.

Prime Minister Begin, a right wing leader, made peace. My father, a liberal, worked beside him to achieve the Camp David peace agreements. Peace can be made by people from the right and the left working in partnership. The United States can be a partner in moving efforts forward. President Trump needs to do just that and we need to support it.

Jerusalem has long been my spiritual home. I pray for those who live there – Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and all. I pray for Jerusalem’s peace, its shalom, its salaam. Sadly, intentions are not enough. Peace requires actions: visionary leadership, diplomacy and compromise.

Schindler is the Sklut Professor of Jewish Studies at Queens University of Charlotte. Email: schindlerj@queens.edu.

Discussion
142 Comments
    CFS
    Dec 09, 2017 09:05 AM

    While, I believe Mr. Trump was overly influenced by his children in the Jerusalem matter, I believe Ms. Schindler is factually incorrect i In suggesting its use as a bargaining to pressure Israel into peace talk resumption. I believe Mr. Trump contacted Mr. Abbas before making any statement about moving the embassy.
    I see Trump’s action more as a rather clumsy way of restarting negotiations towards a two-state solution.
    I believe the Palestine capital will end up in East Jerusalem. I just don’t see how an ultimate agreement can be reached for full Palestinian self-rule in their own country, until they accept the permanent existence of Israel in their hearts and minds.
    Fair or unfair to the Palestinians, they ultimately have to accept that or there never can be peace; regretfully the only other alternative is removal of the state of Israel, and I can’t see that happening.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:17 PM

      Good point, Professor

    Dec 09, 2017 09:45 PM

    Switching the embassy wont involve a new building in jereusalem , just change the consulate to EM and the EM in tel aviv will become a consulate . The back offices and roomy EM in tel avviv will still be used. Its all meaningless. No peace settlement for many years yet. love to all S

      Dec 10, 2017 10:17 PM

      Isn’ that interesting!, Mr. Hamilton

    Dec 09, 2017 09:03 PM

    President Trump Stand Up Fore Jerusalem NICE ! Western World Stand UP FOR CHRISTENS !!!!

    Dec 09, 2017 09:21 PM

    Highly recommend that you listen to this, Mr. Big Al Korelin and everyone else.

    https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1332-financial-survival-in-the-civilization-clash/

      Dec 10, 2017 10:21 PM

      I think, with all due respect, that Mr. Corbett is incorrect. I believe that you will see a second embassy in Jerusalem for the other side and I think that it will happen within the year.

    CFS
    Dec 09, 2017 09:59 PM

    Corbett needs to be a bit more consistent.
    There is a problem to complain about Trump colluding with the Russians one week and then having Trump antagonizing the BRICS another as part of a deliberate strategy.

    CFS
    Dec 09, 2017 09:04 PM

    Off topic:
    With Bitcoin futures trading on the CBOE tomorrow, I am not bright enough to understand how this can really work very well with Bitcoin trading 24 hours a day and being so volatile.
    How can stop losses work while the CBOE is closed? There’s going to be a flurry of trading on opening or everyone might close out positions every day.
    Also how will the CBOE cope with the wide diversity of prices on different exchanges.
    Seems to me there has to be interesting arbitrage situations, if only the exchanges were always fast.

    CFS
    Dec 09, 2017 09:28 PM

    https://www.howestreet.com/2017/12/06/cryptos-china-middle-east-and-fake-news/

    Gerald Celente on bitcoin Jerusalem and fake news

      Dec 09, 2017 09:48 PM

      Thanks CFS:
      Gerald is a straight shooter.
      No real new news, but good to hear someone tell it like it is.

        Dec 10, 2017 10:23 AM

        JohnK:

        So if there are 1300 bit con look alikes, it is somehow limited and if it has utility value such as stocks, bonds and real estate, it can’t go into a bubble.

        I learn something new everyday.

          Dec 10, 2017 10:07 AM

          Bob :
          Funny after all this time you still don’t get it.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:42 AM

            That’s what Jeff Skilling of Enron told analysts who questioned him, “You just don’t get it.”
            Then Jeff got 20 years in prison.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:04 AM

            Bonzo :
            So the Enron records were in building 7 that collapsed at free fall from office fires on 9/11.
            Go to space for kids.com and tell me about hoe NASA landed on the MOON.
            Everything is a scam.
            Now let’s make some money.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:04 AM

            Bob thoroughly gets it as does Michael Belkin and Adam Hamilton. Do yourself a favor and read Hamilton’s latest piece on BC (spoiler: he is far from an enemy of BC but knows a bubble when he sees one):

            http://www.321gold.com/editorials/hamilton/hamilton120817.html

            Dec 10, 2017 10:05 AM

            Mathew:
            I just took profits. What don’t I get?

            Dec 10, 2017 10:09 AM

            What next? You can’t make money in BUBBLES?

            Dec 10, 2017 10:02 PM

            What don’t you get? For one, you don’t get that Bob gets it. (lol)

            b
            Dec 10, 2017 10:09 PM

            sometimes the convertation is funny.
            KAFitts has according to her USA Watchdog interview has discovered cryptos especially bitcoin is a deep state creation. She explains the purpose.

            John made some good coin as have others, even tho he and others are totally wrong.
            hmmm except he made not just good coin, he blew every other “investment” outta the water.
            But, he is wrong.

            Its a bubble, so? whats the point?

            I think thats Johns point, the point is to make money. Thats it. bubble or not.

            I have a feeling cryptos will remain bubbleishous until they have served their purpose.
            Which means of course, there is money to be made in them,
            I wouldnt doubt much more than PMs, until the banks are ready, then PMs will be allowed to rise again.
            Maybe at the same time as cryptos? who knows?

            In the east, Russia is making a crypto, we all know what the east thinks of gold.
            Any chance the totally obvious happens?

            Dec 10, 2017 10:47 PM

            B, if you’d been paying attention, you’d know that JohnK had been denying that it was a bubble based on the ridiculous argument that BC was “different” and nobody gets it. The silliness never ends.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:03 PM

            Mathew:
            Bitcoin is different. The verdict is still out as to whether it is in a bubble.
            Who really gives a rats ass. I don’t. The ones that really do watch it go up every day and have to deal with the reality that they don’t have any.
            If Bitcoin goes to zero tomorrow I sure wont be losing any sleep.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:11 PM

            No, BC is not different and the verdict is not out. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, guess what?!

            Dec 10, 2017 10:24 PM

            Guess what?
            Johnk is making coin while your still averaging down on IPT.V
            Who’s doing the quacking my friend?
            Money talks and Bullsh*t walks.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:05 PM

            I see, now you’re a genius. A steaming pile of genius.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:27 PM

            Speaking of steaming piles Mathew, you stepped in it when you started trolling me along with Bob M.
            Everybody takes their best shot at me.
            Keep trying. The best thing that could happen for you is that I get tired of those who have no back door for their reasons for missing one of the best trades that has come along.
            Why don’t you try posting something constructive Mathew?
            Everybody knows you missed the Crypto trade and continue to do so.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:39 PM

            You’re a complete idiot to think I was trolling you. I gave an honest opinion and you surprised me by getting offended by it. Typical sheeple bubble mentality.

            You’re useless, buddy.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:45 PM

            Mathew:
            This started out as a comment to CFS thanking him for a post.
            Bob M had to throw in his 2 cents about Bitcoin to remind everyone how he also missed the trade.
            Then Mathew has to chime in.
            How many times have we seen it?
            The only thing missing is your buddy Shad telling me to lighten up.
            There is no way out of this for you Mathew.
            You made your own bed.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:55 PM

            I’m talking about my first opinion given to you many weeks ago. YOU decided to take it like the ass that you are and construe it as an attack. That’s because you are a dumbass.

            One minute you post this:
            On August 11, 2017 at 4:10 pm,
            JohnK says:
            Mathew:
            What can I say but THANK-YOU.I may have just joined the middle part of the pool.
            No more shallow end with floaties. THANK-YOU again.

            And the next minute you think I’m out to offend you with an honest opinion. What a pos.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:55 PM

            When have YOU attempted to be helpful??? Never.

            http://www.kereport.com/2017/08/10/trader-vic-markets-shaky-due-war-talk/

            b
            Dec 10, 2017 10:00 PM

            John could be 100% correct, maybe bitcoin is not a bubble, maybe its a bubble with a long way to go.
            Some math puts them at 100k per coin, other math a million.

            Simalar to gold 10k unless ya use m3 and its 50k etc I suppose.

            Whatever the case, me thinks some people are protesting too much.

            Much easier simply to admit I missed it and watch how far it goes.

            I wonder if gold can actually move up if cryptos are climbing so much.
            It doesnt seem to be able to even with all that huge demand in the east.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:06 PM

            Now go back and find the post where I said I had bought into Bitcoin.
            You seem to have missed that one.
            I use to listen to many here on the K E Report until I figured out that anybody that took the other side was soon chastised for their efforts and in the long run they were 100% correct.
            I’m here to make money and hopefully add something to the blog. Usually a contrarian opinion.
            Like I said,if you think I’m full of crap use me as a contrarian indicator. Doesn’t bother me.
            Problem is that I have nailed this one and you know it and so does everybody else. Thank-You very much.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:09 PM

            B, I’ve stated many times that I missed it AND that there is no telling how high it could go. I’ve missed a lot of investments but none that made as little sense as BC. So I don’t feel bad about it in the least. It was and is a pure gamble.
            If it goes higher, it’ll just be a bigger bubble. Make no mistake, it is a bubble.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:17 PM

            b:
            People don’t trust the old system. The old system is gold.
            Try moving through an airport with 100,000.00 worth of Gold. Not happening.
            I can put a zip drive in my pocket with 100,000.00 in Bitcoin and no one knows the difference.This is a fact.
            The Cryptos are here to stay. Who was initially behind them in the first place is still open for speculation.
            We are still in the early innings here. Who knows what is going to come next?
            To bad Birdman isn’t still around, this would have been really fun.

            Dec 10, 2017 10:20 PM

            OK Mathew:
            Bitcoin is in a Bubble. So What?

            Dec 10, 2017 10:23 PM

            Are you happy now?

      Dec 10, 2017 10:25 PM

      Qassam is really playing with fire. CFS. Agree or not?

    CFS
    Dec 09, 2017 09:59 PM
    Dec 10, 2017 10:29 AM

    Why must American support a group of religious nutcases to have a 2000 year war a bunch of nutcases I say the hell with all them. I wish they would lol nuke each other

      Dec 10, 2017 10:47 AM

      Because Chris, the luciferian Ashkenazi Zionist is the master. Sincerely. Now be a good lil goyim and take out a loan to buy some Christmas presents, so you can honor the master on this Jewish ,luciferian, holiday

        Dec 10, 2017 10:27 PM

        Poppie,

        You and your entire stable are both sacreligous and nuts! I am about done with you.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:08 AM

    What Trump is doing is quite illegal according to UN resolution 242.

    United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (S/RES/242) was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on November 22, 1967, in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. It was adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter.[1] The resolution was sponsored by British ambassador Lord Caradon and was one of five drafts under consideration.[2]

    The preamble [3] refers to the “inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East in which every State in the area can live in security”.

    Operative Paragraph One “Affirms that the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

    (i) Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
    (ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”[4]

    CFS
    Dec 10, 2017 10:30 AM

    I did not realize the UN enacted laws.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:43 AM

      The UN sure can’t enforce laws!

    CFS
    Dec 10, 2017 10:13 AM

    Some people see things as they should be.
    Some people see things as they are.

    It seems to me that after 50 years some things become a fait accompli, regardless of whether it is morally right or wrong…..it becomes history.

    I’m not saying Israel should be allowed to keep all of the territory they gained in the 6 day war. (Indeed, they already gave back 90% …..e.g. Sinai peninsula)
    What I am saying is that we need a two-state solution with defendable borders.
    Should Israel still be given billions of dollars in aid? Of course, not.
    Should Palestine be given billions of dollars in aid? Probably, with strings that it goes towards food, developments etc., not armaments.

    But let’s face it…..
    Short of losing military conflict, Israel will never give back West Jerusalem.
    The U.N. (an original alternative) has had fifty years to establish a U.N. controlled zone over the whole of Jerusalem and they have not done so.

    Do I personally believe Palestine should be allowed to declare East Jerusalem as its capital? Yes.
    Do I believe more territory should be given to Palestinians? Yes. (By purchase from surrounding countries)
    If you travel to the area and go along coastal areas by sea and look, it is amazing to see how land is treated by Israelis as opposed to arabs. Borders become obvious. On one side land is cultivated, and modern buildings are constructed, streets are clean, etc.
    On the other side land is mostly still rocky and uncultivated and streets are dirty, full of debris and detritus. (I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point!) The point, nevertheless remains, however, that Israelis have worked hard,desalinating sea water to provide the ability to farm in basically useless rocky land and appear to care about the land, whereas Palestinians, who used to be nomadic tribes, do not seem to care about productive advancement. (Again I’m exaggerating and over-simplifying perhaps) Maybe if the Palestinian leadership over the last half century had cared less about enriching themselves and more about their people, things would be different, but they are not.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:29 PM

      CFS,

      I can personallly guarantee you that you cannot make a dent in Bob’s thinking.

        CFS
        Dec 10, 2017 10:42 PM

        Big Al,
        I try not to rise to the bait, but it’s difficult to allow him the last word, because it feels like I’m conceding the point.
        At least, I attempt not to insult or name-call.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:40 AM

    CFS:

    The two State solution just died a death. There can be no two state solution, only a one state solution that will require even more war crimes from the Zionists as they kill or force the inhabitants of Palestine for the last 5000 years to leave.

    The Zionists are criminals and monsters and that would be true if they were Mormons, Catholics or Buddhists.

    CFS, you are using the same irrational racists arguments against Muslims as was used against the Jews for many years.

    You are a card carrying Zionist.

    CFS
    Dec 10, 2017 10:09 AM

    I pity hate-filled people.

    Hate never helps…..not in the Middle East; not in Ireland.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:30 PM

      How about a “hate filled prettiest baby in the nursery”?

    Dec 10, 2017 10:23 AM

    CFS:

    You are on a roll. You hate Muslims but you have a problem with someone who hates war criminals.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:25 AM

    This is both racist and a lie. But it’s part and parcel of Jewish religious dogma that it’s perfectly ok to lie to those not in the tribe.

    If you travel to the area and go along coastal areas by sea and look, it is amazing to see how land is treated by Israelis as opposed to arabs. Borders become obvious. On one side land is cultivated, and modern buildings are constructed, streets are clean, etc.
    On the other side land is mostly still rocky and uncultivated and streets are dirty, full of debris and detritus. (I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point!) The point, nevertheless remains, however, that Israelis have worked hard,desalinating sea water to provide the ability to farm in basically useless rocky land and appear to care about the land, whereas Palestinians, who used to be nomadic tribes, do not seem to care about productive advancement.

      CFS
      Dec 10, 2017 10:26 AM

      The same comment applies to Israel-Egypt and Israel-Jordan borders.

        Dec 10, 2017 10:11 PM

        CFS:

        And you aren’t racist at all?

      Dec 11, 2017 11:39 PM

      Robert, Have you ever read The Ten Commandments and what they say about lying. How can you say that “it’s part and parcel of Jewish religious dogma that it’s perfectly OK to lie to those not in the tribe”

        GH
        Dec 12, 2017 12:32 AM

        As far as I can tell, Al, the Talmud says exactly that–that it is perfectly okay to lie, cheat, and generally treat as subhuman, those who are not part of the Tribe.

        Prove me wrong.

          GH
          Dec 12, 2017 12:26 AM

          Is Kaepner wrong here?

          http://www.realjewnews.com/?p=156


          The “Satanic Verses” of the Talmud can be classified into 3 categories:

          1) Jewish Supremacy.
          2) Hatred Towards The “Goys” (Gentiles).
          3) Blasphemies Against Jesus Christ, The Virgin Mary, & All Christians.

          SATANIC VERSES OF THE TALMUD’S
          “JEWISH SUPREMACY”

          * “If a ‘goy’ (Gentile) hits a Jew he must be killed.” (Sanhedrin 58b)

          * “If a Jew finds an object lost by a ‘goy’ it does not have to be returned.” (Baba Mezia 24a)

          * “If a Jew murders a ‘goy’ there will be no death penalty.” (Sanhedrin 57a)

          * What a Jew steals from a ‘goy’ he may keep.” (Sanhedrin 57a)

          * “Jews may use subterfuges to circumvent a ‘goy.’” (Baba Kamma 113a)

          * “All children of the ‘goyim’ (Gentiles) are animals.” (Yebamoth 98a)

          * “‘Yashu’ (derogatory for ‘Jesus’) is in Hell being boiled in hot excrement.” (Gittin 57a)

          [’Yashu’ is an acronym for the Jewish curse, ‘May his (Jesus) name be wiped out forevermore.’]

          * Yashu (Jesus) was sexually immoral and worshipped a brick.” (Sanhedrin 107b)

          * “Yashu (Jesus) was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness and refused to repent.” (Sotah 47a)

          * “Miriam the hairdresser had sex with many men.” (Shabbath 104b, Hebrew Edition only)

          * “She who was the descendant of princes and governors (the virgin Mary) played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sanhedrin 106a)

          * “Christians who reject the Talmud will go to hell and be punished there for all generations.” (Rosh Hashanah 17a)

          etc. etc.

        GH
        Dec 12, 2017 12:13 AM

        We’re talking facts here, Al, not which baby is prettiest.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:28 AM

    CFS:

    Do you think that living in the world’s largest open air prison might have something to do with the living conditions of the Arabs?

    (and I noticed that you put a capital on Israelis but not on Arabs. I guess since you think they are subhumans, you need not capitalize the word.

      CFS
      Dec 10, 2017 10:20 AM

      I consider institutionalized misogynism morally unacceptable.
      I apologize for not capitalizing Arab; that was an error. You will notice, if you care to look, I occasionally fail to capitalize “english” or americans”.

          Dec 10, 2017 10:10 PM

          CFS: Perhaps this is worthy of your comment as well or are you entirely one sided?

          Israeli soldiers filmed harassing schoolchildren in occupied Hebron (VIDEO)

          https://www.rt.com/news/412422-palestinians-harassed-hebron-video/

            CFS
            Dec 10, 2017 10:57 PM

            I believe Israelis are mostly pragmatists who will only attack physically when they feel physically threatened.
            They will choose to preemptively attack only when they detect a hostile built=up, in order to win with lowest casualties. (As they did with the 6-day war.)
            I don’t know how old Mr. Moriarty is, but I remember quite well the 1967 war, and what had gone on for several months before the actual outbreak.

        Dec 10, 2017 10:32 PM

        CFS, don’t give this a second thought as I quit doing some time ago.

          Dec 10, 2017 10:08 PM

          Al:

          I find it remarkable that you profess to be a Christian yet can view a video of an armed soldier pushing around a schoolboy and you have no comment. Perhaps you can think these words through and try to figure out who said them.

          I’ll say it plainly: modern evangelical Christianity has been co-opted by Talmudic Zionism. Dispensational prophecy teaching regarding the modern State of Israel has turned Christians—who ostensibly have dedicated themselves to following the Prince of Peace—into cold, callused purveyors of WAR.

          Yes, all of this war fever is due to ONE thing: blind support for the Zionist State of Israel.

          Christians have been misled into believing that the Rothschild Zionist State of Israel created in 1948 is Biblical Israel. IT IS NOT. Modern Israel is NOT Biblical Israel; modern Jerusalem is NOT Biblical Jerusalem. They are not remotely the same.

          Now these misguided Christian Zionist zealots have convinced Donald Trump that he is on some kind of holy crusade in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

          Folks, the Biblical city of Jerusalem was completely and thoroughly destroyed by God in 70 AD and does not exist—not in any shape, manner, or form. Even the Western Wall (sometimes called the “Wailing Wall”) was not part of the Biblical city of Jerusalem. As I have noted before, the so-called Western Wall that is purported to be “the last standing wall of the Jewish Second Temple” was actually not part of the wall of Jerusalem at all.

          The New Testament record and the Jewish historian Josephus are clear that there was NOTHING remaining of the Jewish temple, wall, or city after the siege of Titus in 70 AD.

          “And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things [the city, walls, and temple of Jerusalem]? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2 KJV)

          Josephus wrote: Titus gave orders to “demolish the whole city and temple except three towers. . . . But for the rest of the wall, it was laid so completely even with the ground by those who dug it up from the foundation, that there was nothing left to make those believe who came hither that it had ever been inhabited.” (“Jewish Wars,” b. 6 chapter 4, section 5-7)

          The so-called Western Wall is actually a wall from the Roman Fortress Antonia. It was NEVER part of the Jewish Second Temple.

          The Roman emperor Hadrian constructed a new city (built in Roman style) over the ruins of the Biblical city of Jerusalem around 136 AD that was called Aelia (his family name in Rome) Capitolina (honoring the Roman gods of the Capitoline Triad: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva). And let’s not forget that the many wars and invasions surrounding what was initially named Aelia Capitolina and is now again called Jerusalem includes “The Siege of Jerusalem” of 614 AD, when Jews slaughtered tens of thousands of Christians in the city and destroyed their monuments and churches, including the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Over the millennia, the city has been occupied by Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs (including Christian Arabs), Muslims, Greeks, Bulgarians, Georgians, Armenians, Syrians, Egyptians, Maronites, Jacobites, Coptics (Egyptian Christians), Ottoman Turks, the British, and now Ashkenazi Jews or Zionists.

          Again, the current city of Jerusalem is NOT Biblical Jerusalem. Therefore, all of the Biblical references made to it by modern Christians are sorely misapplied.

          When the Apostle Paul looked at the Biblical city of Jerusalem around 60 AD (ten years before God used the Roman General—later the Roman Caesar—Titus to utterly destroy the city in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24), he said, “Jerusalem which now is . . . is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Galatians 4:25, 26 KJV)

          The Biblical city of Jerusalem in Judea was under the bondage of the corruption and wickedness of the Pharisees and the Caesars and was destined for destruction by God. The Christians in Paul’s day had absolutely NO scriptural loyalty or duty to that doomed and damned city. And that was true BEFORE God destroyed the city. To think that Christians today have some kind of scriptural loyalty or duty to a Roman-built pagan city—a city that is a modern spiritual fraud and that is currently controlled by anti-Christ Talmudists and Zionists—is lunacy. The only Jerusalem that Christians have any loyalty and duty to is the “Jerusalem which is above,” also called “new Jerusalem” (Revelation 3:12; 21:2), “heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22), and “holy Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10), the city not made with hands.

          Moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem holds ZERO spiritual significance and ZERO political benefit. Instead, in the modern geopolitical environment, Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a deliberate incitement of war. It gives U.S. condonance and recognition to an illegal occupation force, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and it condemns Palestinian Christians and Muslims to greater persecution and oppression.

          It is obvious that TRUMP WANTS WAR—and apparently so do a majority of Christian Zionists in this country. Of course, the warmongering Christian Zionists think they are all going to be “raptured” to heaven before the nuclear Armageddon that they are helping to create incinerates THEM. They are in for a very rude awakening.

            b
            Dec 11, 2017 11:45 AM

            Standing O Bob.

            Excellent read.
            You do realize you just got crossed off a few christmas card mailing lists.

            Excellent read, Im gonna save that one.

            Dec 11, 2017 11:12 AM

            “Christians have been misled into believing that the Rothschild Zionist State of Israel created in 1948 is Biblical Israel. IT IS NOT. Modern Israel is NOT Biblical Israel; modern Jerusalem is NOT Biblical Jerusalem. They are not remotely the same.” — Bob M.

            +1 Great point that escapes the mind of most modern day evangelicals.

            Dec 11, 2017 11:38 AM

            Couldn’t agree with you more Bob.

            The Israhellis stole most of Palestine from the Palestinians already, so now Trump wants to give them Jerusalem also. By what right, other than the US military of course, does Trump give Jerusalem to the Israhellis??? Trump does not own Jerusalem, but the Israhellis obviously own him.

            Giving Jerusalem to Israhell brings us one big step closer to the Israhellis rebuilding their temple, this temple not for the worship of God, but for their Anti-Christ/false messiah to come.

            Dec 11, 2017 11:02 AM

            I enjoyed your post. Where most Christians go wrong they are reading the foot notes in their Scofield bibles and taking it as the teaching of their bible.

            GH
            Dec 11, 2017 11:25 AM

            Excellent post, Bob.

            People who believe that rewarding Zionist criminality by legitimizing their claim to Jerusalem is a good idea are beyond reach, but it’s a great read for the ‘undecideds’.

            Christian Zionists are the Right’s version of Cultural Marxists–misled stooges of the NWO.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:41 AM

    Rightly dividing the word………would solve most of the above conflict and thought…

    Dec 10, 2017 10:33 AM

    This woman is a Ashkenazi. I don’t respect her words on this issue.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:34 PM

      Poppie are you and your stable Christians or all “prettiest babies in the nursery?

      GH
      Dec 11, 2017 11:53 AM

      Schindler: “What on the surface might seem like a non-controversial act”

      In whose reality?!?

      Trademark arrogance of the Chosen.

    AJ
    Dec 10, 2017 10:34 PM

    Trump Reportedly Drinks 12 Diet Cokes, Watches Up to 8 Hours of TV Per Day
    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/12/trump-reportedly-drinks-12-diet-cokes-watches-up-to-8-hours-of-tv-daily.html

    Oldest president ever elected, a daily fast food diet, an exercise phobia. What can possibly go wrong?

      CFS
      Dec 10, 2017 10:10 PM

      I posted this last youtube video to give you the other side of the story, however my experience on the ground would deny the accuracy.
      OK, I don’t look like an arab, and I have been stopped and searched many times.
      But, I know that when confronted by a patrol it is not a good idea to do anything other than what they ask. I typically walk around with a backpack, which is a fred flag to police and army patrols. If spotted they would almost always ask or tell me to hand it over to be searched. I always smile and hand it over. It takes but 30 seconds to a minute and I’m allowed to go on my way.

        GH
        Dec 11, 2017 11:31 AM

        As you point out, you’re not an Arab. So your experience with control points has exactly zero relevance.

        Why do you treat us to this kind of silliness, when you claim to play 4D chess?

    CFS
    Dec 10, 2017 10:28 PM

    To enable judgment of bias of Abby Martin, I include this “documentary” produced by her.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YoZRPTPly0

      GH
      Dec 11, 2017 11:34 AM

      Yes, I’m sure going through the checkpoints as a Palestinian is just a formality, and always a real breeze.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:39 PM

    Things are getting really interesting.
    Bitcoin $16,829.00 up 22.99% today.
    Bitcoin Cash $1,423.10 Up 10.83% today
    Bitcoin Gold $278.63 Up 34.42% today.
    1340 CryptoCurrencies/7240 Markets
    Crypto Market Cap $444,640,591,330
    BTC Dominance 63.3%
    And of course. All Cryptos are in a BUBBLE.

    Dec 10, 2017 10:44 PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P4OUZJCYh0…………….Greg M…on Bitcoin

    Dec 10, 2017 10:46 PM

    coinmarketcap.com

    https://coinmarketcap.com/

    Dec 10, 2017 10:48 PM

    Real time Bitcoin.
    http://fiatleak.com/

      Dec 10, 2017 10:55 PM

      This is really different as all the Cryptos are possitive along with Bitcoin.
      Somebody is buying the snot out of everything.

        b
        Dec 11, 2017 11:27 AM

        ron paul has endorsed bitcoin.

          Dec 11, 2017 11:04 AM

          Some times I wonder about Paul……..

      Dec 10, 2017 10:32 PM

      Interesting real time map……..

    Dec 10, 2017 10:38 PM

    I don’t think it shows everything. I know that the Japanese and the South Koreans are buying also. It use to be fun to watch before the Chinese banned Bitcoin.
    The Asians are gambling crazy.

      Dec 10, 2017 10:42 PM

      I was wondering why it only showed USA, and Africa……

    CFS
    Dec 10, 2017 10:23 PM

    Follow that up with the report from Reuters this morning that in his phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that this recognition is only the first step.

    Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said.

    Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally.

    Trump’s no dummy. He knows that concessions will have to be made to get any kind of deal done. But, Jerusalem was never on the table in any practical sense and it existed as an excuse to continue the conflict indefinitely and eventually grind Israel off the map.

    Trump just ended that open wound and took it off the table. And with that one move he calls everyone’s bluff about what their real intentions are.

    “Do you want peace?” “Great. Let’s make a deal. But you aren’t going to get everything you want.”

    By the way, neither is Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his merry band of neocons are going to be just as disappointed as bin Salman was when he was dressed down by both Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over his blockade of Qatar in June.

    For anyone who thinks that Trump just gave Israel the green light to go to war with the Arabs is not thinking this through. We ultimately guarantee both Israel’s and Saudi Arabia’s security. And if Trump demonstrates his ability to keep them both on a short leash, the Arabs will come to the table and talk.

    The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous U.S. administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year.

    A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December.

    He will. And Israel will stop striking out in every direction, as my friend Halsey English put it the other night, “bombing every truck over the size of an SUV that’s headed from Iran to Lebanon.”

    And the U.S., thanks to Trump the U.S. is now publicly committed to Israel in a healthy way for the region, not just the big banks, big oil and AIPAC.

    And as Halsey also pointed out, the entire region is scared enough of the Russians that they will have no problem getting the Iranians and Hezbollah to behave. That’s why Russia isn’t leaving Syria. And it’s why the Iranian Republican Guard will.

    And Trump isn’t leading us into war but rather a rather sophisticated peace deal that will confound every conventional analyst on the subject.

      Dec 11, 2017 11:07 AM

      CFS:

      CFS:

      And the US also took care of the security of Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria. And wants to sort out Iran’s security.

      It didn’t take long for the fallacy of Halsey to be proven. Indeed the Russians are leaving Syria.

    Dec 11, 2017 11:54 AM

    Perhaps people are looking at the wrong parts of the Bible in this Israeli/Palestinian conflict. As a Christian, I stand with Israel. America has had a long Judaeo-Christian feeling of brotherhood towards Israel. But not the unrepentant Israelis who reject the New Covenant and insist upon the Old Covenant. They refuse to admit Jesus is the Son of God, and walked in Judea, Galilee, Jordan, and Samaria two thousand years ago. They refuse to believe God the Father sent a part of himself to be born as a human, reared among them as a sacrifice, and became that sacrifice that they killed by crucifixion. That Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days later and was seen by hundreds of people for several weeks after his death. That followers of Jesus the Son have the Holy Spirit in them, guiding them to be more Christ-like. With the hope of life after death, and a bodily resurrection similar to Jesus’. Jesus came for the Jews, and for the rest of the world. That is the heart of the conflict.

    Like it or not, Israel exists. You can argue semantics about 1948 and the Six Days War and the current rulers in charge and the divided city. Zion is supposed to be the spiritual people of God, not the physical city of Jerusalem or some perverted Luciferian goal of turning humanity against all of God’s teachings and prophecies. Much the same way the New Testament Church is not a collection of buildings across the world but the people who have faith in Jesus Christ.

    As for the present conflict, the rulers of Israel are not acting according to their own Scriptures. I leave you with the following quotations.

    Ezekiel 47:22-23 – You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their inheritance,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

    Ezekiel 22:7 – In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

    Jeremiah 22:3 – This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

    Joshua 8:35 – There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

    Deuteronomy 24:14 – Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

    Deuteronomy 23:7 – Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.

    Deuteronomy 17:15 – be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.

    Deuteronomy 10:19 – He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

    Numbers 15:15-16 – The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.’”

    Leviticus 24:22 – You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.’”

    Leviticus 25:23 – “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.

    Leviticus 19:33-34 – “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

    Exodus 23:9 – “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:51 AM
    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:07 AM

    Valentin Schmidt with Tone Vays on Bitcoin:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kiwBU-9sMM

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:15 AM

    Cu back over $3

    Dec 11, 2017 11:23 AM

    With the Fed meeting this week, I have to expect a little more downside for gold…

    http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=GLD&p=W&yr=3&mn=0&dy=0&id=p08283671184&a=561690699

    Dec 11, 2017 11:25 AM

    I do not want to see gold close the week below the 233 week MA…

    http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=%24GOLD&p=W&yr=2&mn=7&dy=13&id=p37873520512&a=562363381

    Dec 11, 2017 11:26 AM

    GDX was capped precisely by fork resistance this morning…

    http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=GDX&p=D&yr=0&mn=7&dy=0&id=p43723291560&a=561738582

    Dec 11, 2017 11:33 AM

    SILJ priced in SLV is up 3.33% at the moment and that is a very good sign. It is even better that SILJ is not just up versus silver but up while silver is down.

    http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=SILJ%3ASLV&p=D&yr=1&mn=0&dy=9&id=p12565531866

    BDC
    Dec 11, 2017 11:51 AM

    The true face of war (WWII Eastern Front):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A6UWkK2U4s
    Then post-war, the Hellstorm:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkQ6J5F01Do

    BDC
    Dec 11, 2017 11:55 AM

    Paul Craig Roberts commentary on “Hellstorm”:
    https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/08/14/hellstorm-the-documentary/

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:58 AM

    With the Bitcoin futures trading on the CBOE, after 24 things are beginning to settle down.
    With a volime of 3000 trades the CBOE requires a 45% margin = about $9k.
    Many brokerages, however, are not allowing clients to short XBTF. (I guess because of danger) This gives an upward bias for pricing, hardly a free market!

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:01 AM

    The COMEX Bitcoin futures trading which starts next week is probably going to be a flop, since the contract on COMEX is for 5 Bitcoins, compared to CBOE for just 1 Bitcoin.

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:07 AM

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday will sign a directive aimed at sending Americans back to the moon and eventually to Mars, the White House said.
    Trump will sign “Space Policy Directive 1” that orders NASA “to lead an innovative space exploration program to send American astronauts back to the Moon, and eventually Mars,” spokesman Hogan Gidley said.

    Dec 11, 2017 11:09 AM

    Copper will likely be in a corrective mode for many weeks to come but is going far higher in the years straight ahead.

    http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=%24COPPER&p=W&yr=4&mn=5&dy=0&id=p78321712121&a=523146040

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:10 AM

    This is what AP reported re: XBTF

    CHICAGO (AP) — Bitcoin’s debut on a major U.S. exchange is a hit so far, with the price of the first-ever futures contract for the virtual currency rising 18 percent.

    The futures contract that expires in January surged $2,730 to $18,190 Monday morning on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Trading began Sunday, and the price rose as high as $18,850, according to data from the CBOE.

    The CBOE futures don’t involve actual bitcoin. They allow investors to make bets on the future direction of bitcoin.

    The first session of futures trading fit right in with the frenzy surrounding bitcoin. Traffic to the CBOE website was so heavy right after the start of trading that the site experienced outages. The exchange also halted trading twice Sunday to stem volatility. The exchange operator has rules in place to stop trading after price swings of 10 percent.

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:13 AM

    Showing ignorance of AP reporters…..

    Bitcoin futures contracts have been trading outside the US for months.

    CFS
    Dec 11, 2017 11:13 AM

    MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) — A gas driller’s ongoing feud with a Pennsylvania homeowner over the contamination of his water supply has once again entered a courtroom.

    Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. claims Dimock resident Ray Kemble and his former lawyers tried to extort the company through a frivolous lawsuit. The federal lawsuit, which was filed in April but withdrawn two months later, accused Cabot of polluting Kemble’s water supply.

    Cabot says the claims in Kemble’s suit were the subject of a 2012 settlement between Cabot and dozens of Dimock residents, including Kemble. It’s seeking monetary damages against Kemble and his former lawyers. The first hearing in the case was held Monday.

    Kemble says Cabot is trying to use the legal system to shut down dissent.

    Pennsylvania regulators previously held Cabot responsible for polluting residential water wells in Dimock.

    Dec 11, 2017 11:13 AM

    The timeline…….for those trying to rightly divide the word of truth…….
    http://gbccct.org/bibletimeline/

    Dec 11, 2017 11:47 PM

    zerohedge
    Today, if you buy a cup of coffee with bitcoins, you’ll have to calculate and report any gains that you experienced and pay tax on any gains. Under the bill, any transaction under $600 would be completely exempt, so you’d neither have to worry about keeping track of gains on all the little purchases you make, nor would you owe taxes on those small gains. This mirrors the same kind of exemption that foreign currency enjoys today and we think it’s a simple and fair way to avoid discouraging the use of cryptocurrency.

    Now, there are many other transactions above $600, such as getting in and out of investment positions, on which capital gains tax will be owed. Today, you are responsible for keeping track of and accurately reporting every cent of gain. This is in contrast to your stock broker, who provides you and the IRS with a 1099-B form accounting all your gains and losses. Indeed, in answering Coin Center’s amicus brief opposing the IRS’s unprecedented and overbroad John Doe summons against Coinbase users, the Department of Justice noted that, “If Congress had subjected bitcoin exchanges like Coinbase to similar reporting requirements as those imposed on an online stock broker or a barter exchange, no John Doe summons to Coinbase would likely have been necessary[.]”