A remarkable collaboration.
By Ted Belman
The incoming President of Christians and Jews United for Israel responded to my post on the lack of “Palestinian rights” and I wanted to share parts of it with you. You can and should read the entire address.
The following is the text of our incoming President Rev Fumio Taku’s personal testimony and message he gave on “The legitimacy of two-state solutions for Israel and the Arab Palestinians”. [From CJUI's August 25th meeting at Temple Emeth, Chestnut Hill, MA.]
Fumio shares (1) his early years in Japan and how he has come to love Israel as he became a Christian, (2) his life principles that guide his convictions and actions in support of Israel and Judeo-Christian values in America, and (3) reasons why he believes neither two-state solutions nor any curtailment of Jewish settlements in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria would succeed.
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President, Rev. Fumio Taku’s Address to Christians & Jews United for Israel (CJUI) on August 25, 2009
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Tonight we begin our 4th year of Christians and Jews working together in defense of Israel and in defense of our liberty and Judeo-Christian values here in America. Under the capable leadership of May Long, CJUI has accomplished a lot in four years, and our membership and contacts have grown very fast.
We are often asked: “What is so unique about Christians and Jews United for Israel?” Let’s put it this way. There are many Jewish organizations supporting Israel, and there are also many Christian organizations extending support to Israel. However, CJUI is very unique, in that from its very inception, both Jews and Christians worked together to build it. Here in New England, I am aware of only one other organization like this, and that is CJUI’s sister organization in NH, the VISION NH group!! How many Jewish organizations do you know of whose incoming president is a Christian minister? Or how many Christian organizations do you know of, in our days, that were started by Jewish members of a local synagogue? Now I had to insert, “in our days”, because after all, the whole of biblical Christianity was started 2000 years ago by a group of Jews in Israel. This all brings us to our common roots – as we can see how CJUI is uniquely positioned to positively impact both our Jewish and Christian communities. We unite to support Israel as the national homeland for Jewish people and to protect our freedoms against anti-Semitic and anti-Christian bigotries, lies, and acts of terrorism.
So now you know who they are.
Here’s what he had to say about the peace process and “Palestinian rights”
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But, you may be asking, how do our faith and convictions line up with today’s reality of politics and diplomacies, specifically in regards to the Land of Israel as a national homeland for the Jews? We hear constant demands made by Arab states, Islamic terror groups, European statesmen, the UN, and, even by some of our own US presidents and Congressional leaders, against Israel’s rights to grow their own Jewish settlements. The Obama administration went so far as to state that the West Bank and the Southeast portion of Jerusalem are territories “occupied” by Israel, and that all the “illegal” development of Jewish settlements therein must be immediately stopped. Also, earlier this month, the Fatah leaders meeting in Bethlehem demanded that Israel withdraw to the 1949 armistice lines and to accept the “return” of millions of foreign-born, hostile Arabs. Saudi Arabia demanded in 2002 that Israel return, to the Arab Palestinians, all the land back to the line of pre-1967-Six-Day War. That would include the Old City in Jerusalem as well as several residential neighborhoods of Jerusalem, home to over 300,000 Jews! This Saudi 2002 initiative has been supported by many Arab leaders. Unfortunately, it seems that the Obama Administration is also in favor of this initiative.
The question we need to ask is: What legal rights do the Palestinians really have to demand that the land be “returned” to them in order that they may “re-establish” their own nationhood? As we believe firmly in God’s promise for the Jews for the Land, we know there must be a sound and justifiable answer to these demands.
To address this question regarding the matter of “returning the land” back to the Palestinians, we need to turn to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which sets forth conventional law accepted by today’s global communities in resolving inter-national territorial conflicts. In other words, any pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian claims must abide by terms of this Convention. While some Pro-Palestinian groups may falsely insist that the Fourth Geneva Convention requires Israel to return the “occupied territories” back to the Arab Palestinians, and that all the Jewish settlements there are “illegal”, we know that these claims are false and irrelevant. Here is why: The 4th Geneva Convention provides territorial rights to existing or pre-existing nations. This is what the Convention terms “High Contracting Parties” or any sovereign states capable of signing and executing international treaties.(*) But the fact is that Arab Palestine as a nation over the contested “occupied” territories never once existed. Simply stated, how can Israel return the “occupied territories” back to an Arab Palestinian nation, when such a nation never existed nor ever had any independent international standing?
Let us use Japan as an example again. In 1945, when the USA invaded Japan and took full control, Japan became an occupied territory of America. Four years later, after the USA helped Japan set-up a new constitution and working government systems, the territory was given back to a “new” Japan. That’s how an international convention would work. Japan was a sovereign nation, defeated, and was once again re-established as a reconstructed nation. But, this would not apply to Arab Palestinians who never had a sovereign nation. On the other hand, the Jewish rights to Israel were established since the time of King David 3000 years ago, if not earlier biblical periods, when Israel existed as a sovereign nation. When the Romans expelled the Jews, their ownership of the Land did not get nullified. Subsequently, this area (now called Israel) had been occupied by many empires, the last of which was the Ottoman Turks. Throughout those centuries, there never once existed any independent Arab Palestinian nation in the land. When the Turks were defeated in WWI, the British promised the Jewish Zionists that they could establish a “national home” in this Land. This was known as the Palestine Mandate.
On Nov 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 181 that called for the establishment of “Independent Arab and Jewish states”. You might say that this was the very first attempt at creating a “Two-State Solution,” dividing up the Land into two portions: one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. The Jews immediately formed their own national government body, and then declared its independence on May 14, 1948. However, the Arabs in Judea and Samaria made no attempt to create any independent state of their own. By their own action, Arab Palestinians abrogated their rights to statehood. In 1950, Jordan filled the vacuum and annexed the entire West Bank. But, in 1988, King Hussein of Jordan unilaterally renounced all claims to the West Bank, releasing legal ownership to Israel. So, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel has no obligation to “return the occupied territories” to either Arab Palestine, which never existed as a nation, or to Jordan, which officially renounced its claim to the territories in 1988. Let’s face it, even Chairman Arafat who led the PLO and Palestinian Authority wasn’t born in the Land nor a resident of the Land. He was born in Egypt.
The above matter of legal ownership notwithstanding, many continue to insist that the only way for Israel to attain peace is through a negotiated peace settlement with Arab Palestinians. My question is: With whom? Which Palestinian group? Which Palestinian leader? We all know that a truly lasting peace requires two parties each respecting the other party’s rights to liberty, freedom and security. With Hamas and Fatah, we have absolutely no possibility of ever achieving lasting peace! Their mode of governance diametrically opposes our understanding of democracy and justice that we enjoy in Israel and America.
Let me again turn to a Bible verse. From the Book of Hosea, Chapter 2, verse 19. We read: “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion.” This passage speaks of a marriage between Our Lord and His people. We are to be united as one. And in our union, we are to be like Him, both individually and as a nation. What He laid out here in this verse is the foundation of our core Judeo-Christian values, as it describes who our God is:1) He is One who upholds JUSTICE, 2) RIGHTEOUSNESS and 3) COMPASSION. And likewise, both America and Israel uphold these foundational Judeo-Christian values of Justice, righteousness and compassion.
Our US Constitution and the court system insure JUSTICE for ALL citizens regardless of one’s gender, race, national origin, or faith. And likewise, justice is meted out to all citizens in Israel. We could never say the same about all the Arab nations in the Middle East, regarding their treatment of women, non-Muslims (Jews and Christians), and other minorities. Under Hamas and Fatah, there exist no legal protection for any opposing or minority persons. One can easily be found dead at any time for being a suspected “friend or spy of Israel”.
Next, RIGHTEOUSNESS. There are things in the sight of God that are absolutely right and moral, one of which is the valuing every human LIFE. In America and Israel, we do everything possible to protect and save every innocent life. Can we say the same about Hamas or Fatah? No, never. They honor suicide bombers as their heroes. How about a daughter, like 17 year old Rifka Bary from Ohio, who abandoned her Muslim faith, was beaten by her father and then ran away in fear of being killed by him in what he would justify as an ‘honor killing’? For them, life is cheap and some lives are cheaper than others.
And finally, MERCY, COMPASSION, and KINDNESS. America is a nation of big heart. We give charitable gifts to the poor among us and to the oppressed around the world. Israel is the same. When a natural disaster strikes at some remote corners of the world, Israeli rescue teams are one of the first, if not the first, to be there helping the injured and afflicted. When one is sick in Israel, he or she is never denied medical care or put at the end of the line because he is not a Jew or that he is part of the “enemy’s camp”. There are no preferential treatments of one race, nationality, or faith over others in the Israeli hospitals. Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Arab, experienced this phenomenon, leading her later to become an ardent supporter of Israel.
Justice, righteousness, and mercy – these are our core Judeo-Christian values that bind America and Israel together, and set us apart from Arab nations and Islamic terrorists of the world. As to Hamas, Fatah, or Hezbollah? None of their leaders uphold these good and peaceful values. In reality, they are nothing more than “a refugee-camp-turned-death-camp” dictators, for their slogans are always the same: “Death to Israel”, Death to America”, and to their own shame, “Death to their own people!!” No Palestinian leaders today uphold JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS and MERCY as their core values. Instead, they lie, they terrorize, they destroy, and they murder. Their unruly government system will never sustain peace with Israel, let alone any peace within its own borders. Their continual fighting amongst themselves only proves my point.
In summary, I believe we need to carefully evaluate our own core values and principles, and compare them against that of Islamic terrorists. There are no moral or legal equivalencies. We must
(1) take a firm stand in support of Israel’s right to a national homeland,
(2) emphasize that Israel is the only democratic nation in the Middle East worthy of our true partnership,
(3) denounce all the false claims made by Hamas, Hezbollah and other Islamic terror groups that they “want peace with Israel”. (No, they have only one goal, i.e., to wipe Israel off the map)
(4) denounce Arab states’ support of Islamic terrorists, acts of violence, and their on-going human rights violations against Jews, Christians, women, and their own Arab nationals whom they accuse as “spies of Israel”, and
(5) be cautious of any “Land for Peace” negotiations with today’s Palestinian leaders, none of whom is worthy of our partnership. To be our partner of peace, they must recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation, stop the shelling of Israel, stop suicide bombers, and stop terrorizing their own people. They must be ready to institute law and order for their own people, execute justice for all, and denounce any and all forms of human rights violations against women and against non-Muslims. Then and only then should Israel be ready to proceed to a negotiation table.
Christians and Jews United for Israel is worthy of our support and respect as is their President.
I am not a fan of Christian-Jewish dialogue and for sure not of Islamic-Jewish dialogue. But this collaboration is of a different order. Its cornerstone is about promoting our shared values. Heaven knows that we need a common front to protect against the Islamification of our society and Islam’s jihad against the West.
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Would be interesting to know how Fumio Taku “interpretes” this characterisation of the Jewish Sages by the xtian god:
Taku is undoubtedly conversant with scripture, and has reached the conclusion that he loves the Jewish State.
How relentlessly shall we taunt him?
How aggressively shall we repudiate his friendship?
In a world teeming with anti-Semites, how much bitterness shall we lavish upon the few Judeophiles?
I praise G-d for the Righteous Gentiles that He provides us.
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Your sentiments well placed but used in the wrong context and wrong Jewish definition of the term: Righteous gentiles!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxg8jw4-VWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh_FZljWKDI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gl1hWY7ca4&feature=related
Righteous gentiles: (?asidei ?um?t ha?ol?m). Gentiles who keep the Noachide laws. They will have a share in the world to come (?Olam ha-Ba) when the messiah comes. More specifically, the term is used of those gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. There is an Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem. There aren’t very many to HONOR!
http://www.encyclopedia.com/video/BNYgt-10znY-righteous-gentiles-antisemitism-jewu-279.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYf_xSrRSPE&NR=1 Rev. Lee’s Anti-Semitism: A Personal Story
Those Who Acted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZ_n78-x-s&NR=1
…and NEVER condemned the citation I gave. Because he agrees.
He loves the Jewish State and even the Jews, because he loves to make us accept his truth, he wants US to accept it, because we are the ones who have allways rejected it and even prefered to die rather than to accept.
The inquisition and the crusades did not work. The elightment worked much better but did not work in the end neither, not as much as they hoped. So all what remains is to try out unconditioned love for the State of Israel.
Obviously it works on some Jews.
But at the end this does not work neither.
Especially in Israel and in particular among the Tora Jews, and very in particular among Jews who have no roots in Germany or the US – this does not work.
Here is what we are up against
http://thekeytoredemption.blogspot.com/
http://jewishisrael.ning.com/
Missionary Jim Vineyard shows his true colors
http://jewishisrael.ning.com/profiles/blogs/missionary-jim-vineyard-shows
I recommend that every Jew read and study: Parshat Pinchas
Schem( Hebrew) Nablus (Arabic): Palis say we have no business in Nablus: Hmmm…Why, did Jacob’s sons slaughter the people of Schem for raping their sister instead of allowing Schem to marry her, as he pleaded? The son of the ruler of Schem raped Dina, after which offered to marry her. At that point Simeon and Levi pretended to accept the marriage, but demanded that the population of Schem circumcise. While the locals were incapacitated after the surgery, Jacob’s sons killed them all, enslaved their wives, and took their property.
The immediate problem with Schem’s offer to marry Dinah was him keeping her hostage. Schem did not deliver Dinah to her family and then humbly ask to marry her, but kept her in his house, thus making the marriage offer a sham. Accordingly, Jacob’s family had every reason to be suspicious of Hamor’s offer to live in that land. Just as his son kept Dinah hostage, he could one day lay claim on their possessions.
Simeon and Jacob chose to slay the Schemites and in doing, they rebelled against common sense. Ever-fearful Jacob decries their unspeakable act of brutality, which could cause other tribes to fight his clan. Jacobs’ fear is odd because his sons acted within the commonly accepted legal principle of blood revenge: they avenged their sister. Indeed, no Canaanite tribe rose against Jacob on that occasion. Simeon and Levi, however, exceeded the legal limits by killing the entire male population. They also rejected Schem’s offer of hospitality. Probably for that reason, the narrative contains a suspicious interpolation: after credibly arguing before his people for welcoming Jacob’s clan, Schem drops a wry remark, “Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours?” Such an evil intent justified the assault.
But what if Schem didn’t harbor evil intentions? What if he held Dinah just because of his brutish nature rather than as a deliberate act of kidnapping?
Their actions need not comply with legal norms or practicality. Simeon and Levi acted on a higher moral plane, that of revenge. And so their laconic reply to Jacob’s lamentations was, “Should one deal with our sister as with a harlot?”
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Works on me, Tar.
Despite the predations of Christian evangelists, I am still Jewish and still grateful to accept support for Israel regardless of any ulterior motives that accompany it.
Let’s save our antipathy for the Jew haters.
I expected Yamit to weigh in on this post in a negative manner. He obviously wants a rift between Jews and Christians. I’m not prepared to push away those who are on our side. Yes indeed let’s save our antipathy for our real enemies, the muslims and leftists.
I did see links I posted in #8: These are only the tip of the iceberg.
I’m not looking for rift or fight with anyone. I present the truth and the facts as I have them and give my opinion based on those same truths and facts. If you prefer the lie and the myths that’s your prerogative of course and I know you do mean well.
I really don’t have an agenda on this issue and I don’t reject any support if real and sincere but all others come with a price tag I and most Israeli Jews once apprised of the duplicitous and nefarious nature of most of these groups reject their support out of hand.
On the othr hand just about everything I post of a negative nature re: these groups meets with both derision and disbelief from you and others even Ted.
I will pick and choose which items have the most veracity and impact to back my contentions and opinion with little or no personal comments. You are mistaken but if you have a closed opinion on this I won’t press it
I predicted that a test of your Christian Support would present itself in a call to demonstrate on the 23rd at UN.
Massive US Protests Against Ahmedinajad
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133561
The results in Turnout all parties:
NY Police Arrest 11 Rabbis in Anti-Ahmadinejad Protest
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133573
NY rally: We won’t tolerate Ahmadinejad
Hundreds gather outside UN building to protest against Iranian leader’s call to annihilate Israel, violent oppression of civil unrest that followed disputed June presidential elections; governor Paterson, Elie Wiesel in attendance
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127727
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3781748,00.html
Most reports put the crowd total of just over a thousand including several hundred Iranians.
Proves:
American Jews don’t care.
American Jewish organizations have no real constituencies
Christian Zionists noted by their absence
Israel stands alone.
Some of your friends?
Guess who shouldn’t come for dinner?
U.S. Religious Leaders Invite Iranian Dictator to Dinner
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/250177924.html
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017398995&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Ahmadinejad Invited to ‘Religious Dialogue’
Undermining the efforts of anti-Ahmadinejad forces to isolate the Iranian ruler, a coalition of American Christian organizations has invited Ahmadinejad to be the featured guest at a dinner billed as a religious dialogue. The event – put together by the American Friends Service Committee, the Mennonite Central Committee, the Quaker UN Office, Religions for Peace, and the World Council of Churches – is slated to take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Thursday night. The president of the U.N. General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, is expected to take part in the dinner as well.
A coalition of Jewish and non-Jewish groups is planning to greet the dinner meeting with another demonstration against the Iranian president. Among the groups behind the September 25th protest are the Jewish Action Alliance, Stand With Us, the Israel Project, Americans for a Safe Israel, the Center for Security Policy, the Catholic League, Rabbi Potasnik of the New York Board of Rabbis, the Traditional Values Coalition and the Alliance of Iranian Women.
“These religious leaders are about to betray their brethren across all religions, parties and countries by honoring the tyrannical regime of Ahmadinejad and the Iranian mullahs of this terrorist state,” protest organizers said.
Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been invited to speak at the interfaith rally, along with other politicians.
The dinner honoring Ahmadinejad prompted the American Jewish Committee to send a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon protesting Brockmann’s planned attendance. The AJC noted that Ahmadinejad has violated the U.N. Charter by calling for the elimination of a U.N. member state, Israel, as well as contradicting a General Assembly resolution against denying the Holocaust.
The president of the U.N. General Assembly… is expected to take part in the dinner.
Tehran Highlights the Fringe
The Iranian government-controlled English-language newspaper Tehran Times mentioned the protests, but highlighted a statement by the tiny Jewish fringe organization, Neturei Karta, warmly greeting Ahmadinejad.
“It has been our honor and privilege to meet with President Ahmadinejad…. We have found the Iranian President to be a deeply religious man, dedicated to a peaceful world, based on mutual respect, fairness and dialogue. Out of great respect to the Iranian Nation and their leadership we proudly welcome the Honorable President Ahmadinejad to New York, WELCOME!” read the statement by Neturei Karta leader Yisroel Dovid Weiss.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch organization held a briefing on Ahmadinejad’s Iran at the Millennium U.N. Plaza Hotel on Monday. The HRW panel charged that Iran regularly carries out practices that violate internationally recognized human rights. Specifically cited were the execution of juveniles accused of crimes and the imprisonment of peaceful dissidents.
These are leftist “Christian” groups and they are certainly not my friends. It is the Christian conservatives who support Israel and who Ted and I praise. So stop playing dumb. You know full well who we mean when we speak of Christians who are friends of Jews and Israel.
In the very same article you posted, some of those Christian friends are going to demonstrate against this abomination of a dinner.
How many demonstrated either at the UN or the dinner? I don’t expect much from American Jews anymore but out of those millions of Christian Zionists you tout I would think they could have at least a few thousand turn out. I think there were more Iranian Muslims at the demo than Christians and most of the Jews were Orthodox.
Don’t get me wrong I am not happy with the shitty turnout but I didn’t expect more. As I said it just reinforces my position and I would love to be shown to be wrong. Show me that I am wrong. I have an open mind. My opinions are firm but not dogmatic.