Focus on Jerusalem
It seems that the whole world is currently focussing on the city of Jerusalem. The nations are drawn like a magnet to it. What is the reason for this phenomenon? Prophetically speaking, we live in very exciting times and except for many Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem, the secular world is totally occupied with this city.
The United States-led negotiations under John Kerry made Jerusalem a central point in the current Peace Process. It is expected that the division of Jerusalem will be mentioned in the Framework document. The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas stated clearly that he will not accept any Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital and also stated during an interview with the New York Times this weekend, that he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
During a live official Palestinian broadcast in mid-January, Mahmoud Abbas applauded the Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habbash when he said: “… Those who send young people to Syria or elsewhere to die for a misdirected cause must stop and understand that Jerusalem is still waiting. Jerusalem is the direction, Jerusalem is the address.” This is the kind of rhetoric uttered in the midst of a peace process.
Ironically, the Western world showed their sympathy towards this radical rhetoric by forcing Israel to accept agreements which are totally unacceptable from a security point of view. Let alone the fact that consecutive Israeli governments declared Jerusalem as their eternal, undivided capital. Unfortunately, the world never accepted Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. No other country is treated in the same manner. The situation was exacerbated by the decision of world governments to establish their embassies in Tel Aviv, instead of Jerusalem.
Here are a few examples of the mounting pressure on Israel and in practical terms, the battle for Jerusalem:
The EU is now developing economic sanctions against Israel so that any private entity that wants to deal with the EU financially can’t have any ties beyond the ‘green line’ or the 1967 borders.
Many leading international figures, including Nobel laureates, have endorsed the Palestinian civil society call for a military embargo against Israel and its weapons companies.
The National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom will discuss and throwing its support behind the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. The NUJ with its 38,000 members have their Delegate Meeting in April.
The South African Parliament held a Solidarity Conference on Friday 7 February 2014 and produced a document that will be known as the Cape Town Declaration. Discussions centred on intensifying the struggle for self-determination and efforts to bring about a lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is a mechanism to support sanctions and boycotts against Israel.
The Dutch Pension Fund PGGM decided to no longer invest in five Israeli banks, namely Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank as from 1 January 2014.
The battle for Jerusalem has clearly started and the world keeps on ignoring the sovereignty of God.
“For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save Jerusalem and show My glory to Israel.” (Isaiah 46:13)