Seven churches in Algeria have been ordered to close, following the passage of a law requiring registration.
One report is saying that a notice, dated 22 May, was sent from a High Police Commissioner informing the President of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) that a decision had been made to close down all Christian places of worship throughout the country that are not designated for religious purposes, and threatened "severe consequences and punishments" for violation of the order.
Other reports say the Governor of Bejaia has informed the President of EPA that the seven churches in that particular province of Algeria must close down.
Whichever story is the more accurate, and it is often difficult to get precise information in these situations, this is a calculated assault on the church of Jesus Christ and stems from a 2006 law which regulates the exercise of religions other than Islam. Like Pakistan's blasphemy law, this is a measure specifically designed to cause difficulty to the practice of the Christian Faith.
Naturally, the EPA churches cannot comply with the regulations because the Ministries of Interior and Religious Affairs have delayed responding to the EPA’s application for registration. Without legal registration, the EPA cannot apply to register their churches as places of worship.
Algeria is overwhelmingly Muslim with around 60,000 Christians, the majority being what Muslims will regard as 'apostates', in other words, converts from Islam.
Algerian Christians have appealed for urgent prayer for the order to close down the churches to be withdrawn and that the idea will not spread to other parts of the country. They also ask us to pray for 2006 law to be repealed or the necessary procedures implemented to allow the EPA to register.
WRITE (or email): to your MP at: House of Commons, London,SW1A 0AA. Ask your MP to ask the Foreign Secretary what representations the Government have made to the Algerian authorities to demand that they rescind the order, repeal the 2006 law and allow Algeria's Christians freedom of worship.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
THOSE KING JAMES TRANSLATORS
WE have an article planned on the King James Bible in this its 400th year.
HERE is some background to the process by which it came into existence.
HERE is what is said to be a list of the translators, although it omits John Bois.
And HERE is an article which is really worth reading on how devout and scholarly these men were.
Link about the GENEVA BIBLE
More background on the PURITAN ELEMENT in the translators
Unencumbered by the telephone, email, television and all the rest of our modern distractions, these men could give themselves totally to prayer and study. Some were infuriatingly brilliant. There is a church in Carshalton, Surrey dedicated to the chairman of the first company of translators, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes.
From my third link above, I see that Dr Andrewes was fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic and at least fifteen other languages. While a young student at Cambridge, he learned a new language each year during Easter break. He was also reputed to have spent an average of five hours each day in prayer.
John Bois became chairman of the company which translated the Psalms, amongst other scriptures. According to my third link again, Bois 'read through the Hebrew Bible by age five, and by age six was writing Hebrew legibly. He was often found studying Greek at the Cambridge library from four a.m. until 8 p.m. (sixteen hours a day!)'.
These were the greatest scholars of their age, possibly of any age. But their modesty was astounding. They considered themselves “poor instruments to make God's holy truth to be yet more and more known unto the people.” They did not paraphrase like modern translators do, they tried to make a literal translation, and when they had to suggest fill-in words, they put them in italics so the reader would know these words were not actual scripture.
Occasionally, in my humble opinion, they got things wrong, mistranslating 'makarios' as 'happy' instead of blessed in Jas 5:11, and worst of all, rendering 'pascha' into 'Easter' instead of 'Passover' at Acts 12:4. But those are the only ones I can think of offhand, and who am I to quibble. At least we get no politically-correct nonsense like changing 'Lord of hosts' into 'Lord of the heavenly armies' like the New Living Translation does. (The word 'heavenly' is nowhere in the Hebrew).
Truly the translators of the KJV were amazing, challenging, gifted, humble and possibly irritating men who produced the classic English-language Bible of all time. I'll look forward to the study which we are preparing for the next Christian Voice newsletter.
HERE is some background to the process by which it came into existence.
HERE is what is said to be a list of the translators, although it omits John Bois.
And HERE is an article which is really worth reading on how devout and scholarly these men were.
Link about the GENEVA BIBLE
More background on the PURITAN ELEMENT in the translators
Unencumbered by the telephone, email, television and all the rest of our modern distractions, these men could give themselves totally to prayer and study. Some were infuriatingly brilliant. There is a church in Carshalton, Surrey dedicated to the chairman of the first company of translators, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes.
From my third link above, I see that Dr Andrewes was fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic and at least fifteen other languages. While a young student at Cambridge, he learned a new language each year during Easter break. He was also reputed to have spent an average of five hours each day in prayer.
John Bois became chairman of the company which translated the Psalms, amongst other scriptures. According to my third link again, Bois 'read through the Hebrew Bible by age five, and by age six was writing Hebrew legibly. He was often found studying Greek at the Cambridge library from four a.m. until 8 p.m. (sixteen hours a day!)'.
These were the greatest scholars of their age, possibly of any age. But their modesty was astounding. They considered themselves “poor instruments to make God's holy truth to be yet more and more known unto the people.” They did not paraphrase like modern translators do, they tried to make a literal translation, and when they had to suggest fill-in words, they put them in italics so the reader would know these words were not actual scripture.
Occasionally, in my humble opinion, they got things wrong, mistranslating 'makarios' as 'happy' instead of blessed in Jas 5:11, and worst of all, rendering 'pascha' into 'Easter' instead of 'Passover' at Acts 12:4. But those are the only ones I can think of offhand, and who am I to quibble. At least we get no politically-correct nonsense like changing 'Lord of hosts' into 'Lord of the heavenly armies' like the New Living Translation does. (The word 'heavenly' is nowhere in the Hebrew).
Truly the translators of the KJV were amazing, challenging, gifted, humble and possibly irritating men who produced the classic English-language Bible of all time. I'll look forward to the study which we are preparing for the next Christian Voice newsletter.
EVERY DAY IS JUDGMENT DAY
Harold Camping, the American who said the world would end on Saturday 21st May 2011, has now said he got it slightly wrong. There was a spiritual judgment, not a physical one, he said, on that day, which he watched 'flabbergasted' when Christians were not raptured from all over the world - or from anywhere.
The destruction of the world will now be on 21st October, he says. Don't cancel any plans on the strength of that, is my advice. I should expect the return of the Lord at the feast of Tabernacles, which begins 13th October this year, and ends with that great day of the feast (Numb 29:35-36; John 7:37) on 20th. WHat Camping's reasoning is for 21st October I have no clue.
Pastor Glenn Lee Hill, retired pastor from Rocky Mount, N.C., foresaw that Camping’s false prophecy would be mocked and all Christians would be painted with a broad stroke.
“Because when it fails, all of us who believe in Jesus will become fodder for the comics, the late-night talk show hosts, and others who are always looking for a new excuse to mock our faith,” said Hill. “Christianity, the name of Jesus, and all of us who love Him will bear the embarrassment of this false prophecy.”
For Mr Camping to say the judgment was spiritual not physical is of course a cop-out. Every day is Judgment Day with God. Every day his judgment falls on the good and on the wicked, either in blessing or cursing. Every soldier blown apart in Afghanistan, every young boy trapped into homosexuality, every father murdered by a gang outside his home, every sexually-transmitted disease, every unborn child killed by abortion, every robbery, every divorce, every act of slander and every act of violence is a judgment on our land.
Here is God's vision of a society which is receiving blessing rather than cursing:
Psalm 144:12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
Or if we prefer a slightly longer version:
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Compare with Britain today
The destruction of the world will now be on 21st October, he says. Don't cancel any plans on the strength of that, is my advice. I should expect the return of the Lord at the feast of Tabernacles, which begins 13th October this year, and ends with that great day of the feast (Numb 29:35-36; John 7:37) on 20th. WHat Camping's reasoning is for 21st October I have no clue.
Pastor Glenn Lee Hill, retired pastor from Rocky Mount, N.C., foresaw that Camping’s false prophecy would be mocked and all Christians would be painted with a broad stroke.
“Because when it fails, all of us who believe in Jesus will become fodder for the comics, the late-night talk show hosts, and others who are always looking for a new excuse to mock our faith,” said Hill. “Christianity, the name of Jesus, and all of us who love Him will bear the embarrassment of this false prophecy.”
For Mr Camping to say the judgment was spiritual not physical is of course a cop-out. Every day is Judgment Day with God. Every day his judgment falls on the good and on the wicked, either in blessing or cursing. Every soldier blown apart in Afghanistan, every young boy trapped into homosexuality, every father murdered by a gang outside his home, every sexually-transmitted disease, every unborn child killed by abortion, every robbery, every divorce, every act of slander and every act of violence is a judgment on our land.
Here is God's vision of a society which is receiving blessing rather than cursing:
Psalm 144:12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
Or if we prefer a slightly longer version:
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Compare with Britain today
BP SENTAMU PUTS HAWKING RIGHT
Archbishop John Sentamu has put Stephen Hawking right about heaven.
“Heaven is not just some kind of place for retired Christians,” he told BBC’s Toby Foster. “Heaven is where God’s will is being done. In fact, the Lord’s Prayer talks about ‘your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’. So God is very much on earth as He is in Heaven.”
During the interview, the Anglican leader was asked what he felt about famed physicist Hawking’s recent declaration that “there is no Heaven or afterlife” and that it is all “a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”.
Sentamu first made clear, “I’m not afraid of dying. Bring it on any day.”
The Church of England cleric continued, “[Hawking] shouldn’t paint a picture of some kind of sky stuff up there because the faith of God is not that kind of faith. The coming of Jesus in human flesh on earth was actually trying to say, ‘when I look at you ... you should be telling me more about what God is and about what it is to be human'.”
Sentamu told the BBC that he would tell “that wonderful professor” not to picture another image which most people do not have at all.
Read the rest of the story HERE
“Heaven is not just some kind of place for retired Christians,” he told BBC’s Toby Foster. “Heaven is where God’s will is being done. In fact, the Lord’s Prayer talks about ‘your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’. So God is very much on earth as He is in Heaven.”
During the interview, the Anglican leader was asked what he felt about famed physicist Hawking’s recent declaration that “there is no Heaven or afterlife” and that it is all “a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”.
Sentamu first made clear, “I’m not afraid of dying. Bring it on any day.”
The Church of England cleric continued, “[Hawking] shouldn’t paint a picture of some kind of sky stuff up there because the faith of God is not that kind of faith. The coming of Jesus in human flesh on earth was actually trying to say, ‘when I look at you ... you should be telling me more about what God is and about what it is to be human'.”
Sentamu told the BBC that he would tell “that wonderful professor” not to picture another image which most people do not have at all.
Read the rest of the story HERE
NETANYAHU APPLAUDED BY CONGRESS
Binyamin Netanyahu was extensively applauded by the US Congress on Tuesday 24th May 2011 when delivering a speech setting out the realities of life in the Middle East.
Read the New York Times account HERE.
Read the Guardian's analysis HERE.
Read YNet's take on it HERE.
Transcript of speech below (VIDEO HERE):
Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress
May 24, 2011
I am deeply honored by your warm welcome. And I am deeply honored that you have given me the opportunity to address Congress a second time.
Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time we were the new kids in town?
And I do see a lot of old friends here. And I do see a lot of new friends of Israel here. Democrats and Republicans alike.
Israel has no better friend than America. And America has no better friend than Israel. We stand together to defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism. Congratulations America, Congratulations, Mr. President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance!
In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American.
My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this.
Support for Israel’s security is a wise investment in our common future. For an epic battle is now unfolding in the Middle East, between tyranny and freedom. A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar. The tremors have shattered states and toppled governments. And we can all see that the ground is still shifting. Now this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom and opportunity. Millions of young people are determined to change their future. We all look at them. They muster courage. They risk their lives. They demand dignity. They desire liberty.
These extraordinary scenes in Tunis and Cairo, evoke those of Berlin and Prague in 1989. Yet as we share their hopes, but we also must also remember that those hopes could be snuffed out as they were in Tehran in 1979. You remember what happened then. The brief democratic spring in Iran was cut short by a ferocious and unforgiving tyranny. This same tyranny smothered Lebanon’s democratic Cedar Revolution, and inflicted on that long-suffering country, the medieval rule of Hezbollah.
So today, the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. Like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less travelled, the path of liberty. No one knows what this path consists of better than you. This path is not paved by elections alone. It is paved when governments permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers, when judges are beholden to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule.
Israel has always embraced this path, in the Middle East has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.
As the great English writer George Eliot predicted over a century ago, that once established, the Jewish state will “shine like a bright star of freedom amid the despotisms of the East.” Well, she was right. We have a free press, independent courts, an open economy, rambunctious parliamentary debates. You think you guys are tough on one another in Congress? Come spend a day in the Knesset. Be my guest.
Courageous Arab protesters, are now struggling to secure these very same rights for their peoples, for their societies. We’re proud that over one million Arab citizens of Israel have been enjoying these rights for decades. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of one-percent are truly free, and they’re all citizens of Israel!
This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.
Israel fully supports the desire of Arab peoples in our region to live freely. We long for the day when Israel will be one of many real democracies in the Middle East.
Fifteen years ago, I stood at this very podium, and said that democracy must start to take root in the Arab World. Well, it’s begun to take root. This beginning holds the promise of a brilliant future of peace and prosperity. For I believe that a Middle East that is genuinely democratic will be a Middle East truly at peace.
But while we hope and work for the best, we must also recognize that powerful forces oppose this future. They oppose modernity. They oppose democracy. They oppose peace.
Foremost among these forces is Iran. The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people. It supports attacks against American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror worldwide.
When I last stood here, I spoke of the dire consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is running out, and the hinge of history may soon turn. For the greatest danger facing humanity could soon be upon us: A militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.
Militant Islam threatens the world. It threatens Islam. I have no doubt that it will ultimately be defeated. It will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. But like other fanaticisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact a horrific price from all of us before its inevitable demise.
A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world. I want you to understand what this means. They could put the bomb anywhere. They could put it on a missile. It could be on a container ship in a port, or in a suitcase on a subway.
Now the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after six million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state.
Leaders who spew such venom, should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. But there is something that makes the outrage even greater: The lack of outrage. In much of the international community, the calls for our destruction are met with utter silence. It is even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies.
But not you. Not America. You have acted differently. You’ve condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal aims. You’ve passed tough sanctions against Iran. History will salute you America.
President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He successfully led the Security Council to adopt sanctions against Iran. You in Congress passed even tougher sanctions. These words and deeds are vitally important.
Yet the Ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003, when it feared the possibility of military action. That same year, Muammar Qadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation. This is why I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message: That America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
As for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say never again, we mean never again. Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.
My friends, while Israel will be ever vigilant in its defense, we will never give up on our quest for peace. I guess we’ll give it up when we achieve it. Israel wants peace. Israel needs peace. We’ve achieved historic peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan that have held up for decades.
I remember what it was like before we had peace. I was nearly killed in a firefight inside the Suez Canal. I mean that literally. I battled terrorists along both banks of the Jordan River. Too many Israelis have lost loved ones. I know their grief. I lost my brother.
So no one in Israel wants a return to those terrible days. The peace with Egypt and Jordan has long served as an anchor of stability and peace in the heart of the Middle East.
This peace should be bolstered by economic and political support to all those who remain committed to peace.
The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are vital. But they’re not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states for two peoples: A Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.
I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility to lead my people to peace.
This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the Jewish homeland. In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo.
This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.
But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they will be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people in their own state. They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and initiative can flourish.
We’ve already seen the beginnings of what is possible. In the last two years,
the Palestinians have begun to build a better life for themselves. Prime Minister Fayad has led this effort. I wish him a speedy recovery from his recent operation.
We’ve helped the Palestinian economy by removing hundreds of barriers and roadblocks to the free flow of goods and people. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. The Palestinian economy is booming. It’s growing by more than 10% a year.
Palestinian cities look very different today than they did just a few years ago. They have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks. They even have e-businesses. This is all happening without peace. Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility.
So now here is the question. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? Because all six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of Oslo accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included. So why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.
You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about. In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews said yes. The Palestinians said no. In recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli Prime Ministers, to establish a Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six Day War.
They were simply unwilling to end the conflict. And I regret to say this: They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
My friends, this must come to an end. President Abbas must do what I have done. I stood before my people, and I told you it wasn’t easy for me, and I said… “I will accept a Palestinian state.” It is time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say… “I will accept a Jewish state.”
Those six words will change history. They will make clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to an end. That they are not building a state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it. They will convince the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace. With such a partner, the people of Israel will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise. I will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise.
This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967. The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines, reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and Greater Tel Aviv.
These areas are densely populated but geographically quite small. Under any realistic peace agreement, these areas, as well as other places of critical strategic and national importance, will be incorporated into the final borders of Israel.
The status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations. But we must also be honest. So I am saying today something that should be said publicly by anyone serious about peace. In any peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel’s borders. The precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated. We will be very generous on the size of a future Palestinian state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967. Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967.
We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, independent and prosperous. President Obama rightly referred to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, just as he referred to the future Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people. Jews from around the world have a right to immigrate to the Jewish state. Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. This means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel.
As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths in the city. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. I know that this is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe with creativity and goodwill a solution can be found.
This is the peace I plan to forge with a Palestinian partner committed to peace. But you know very well, that in the Middle East, the only peace that will hold is a peace you can defend.
So peace must be anchored in security. In recent years, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and Gaza. But we didn’t get peace. Instead, we got 12,000 thousand rockets fired from those areas on our cities, on our children, by Hezbollah and Hamas. The UN peacekeepers in Lebanon failed to prevent the smuggling of this weaponry. The European observers in Gaza evaporated overnight. So if Israel simply walked out of the territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked. Missiles fired from it could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute. I want you to think about that too. Imagine that right now we all had less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Would anyone live that way? Well, we aren’t going to live that way either.
The truth is that Israel needs unique security arrangements because of its unique size. Israel is one of the smallest countries in the world. Mr. Vice President, I’ll grant you this. It’s bigger than Delaware. It’s even bigger than Rhode Island. But that’s about it. Israel on the 1967 lines would be half the width of the Washington Beltway.
Now here’s a bit of nostalgia. I first came to Washington thirty years ago as a young diplomat. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out: There is an America beyond the Beltway. But Israel on the 1967 lines would be only nine miles wide. So much for strategic depth.
So it is therefore absolutely vital for Israel’s security that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized. And it is vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. Solid security arrangements on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace, they are necessary to protect Israel in case the peace unravels. For in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there tomorrow.
And when I say tomorrow, I don’t mean some distant time in the future. I mean — tomorrow. Peace can be achieved only around the negotiating table. The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the United Nations will not bring peace. It should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict end.
I appreciate the President’s clear position on this issue. Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated. But it can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace.
And Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction and to terrorism. They have a charter. That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, but says ‘kill the Jews wherever you find them’. Hamas’ leader condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and praised him as a holy warrior. Now again I want to make this clear. Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority. I believe we can fashion a brilliant future of peace for our children. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda.
So I say to President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas! Sit down and negotiate! Make peace with the Jewish state! And if you do, I promise you this. Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.
My friends, the momentous trials of the last century, and the unfolding events of this century, attest to the decisive role of the United States in advancing peace and defending freedom. Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty. All peoples who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation. Among the most grateful nations is my nation, the people of Israel, who have fought for their liberty and survival against impossible odds, in ancient and modern times alike.
I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America, Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world. May God bless all of you. And may God forever bless the United States of America.
End transcript.
Read the New York Times account HERE.
Read the Guardian's analysis HERE.
Read YNet's take on it HERE.
Transcript of speech below (VIDEO HERE):
Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress
May 24, 2011
I am deeply honored by your warm welcome. And I am deeply honored that you have given me the opportunity to address Congress a second time.
Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time we were the new kids in town?
And I do see a lot of old friends here. And I do see a lot of new friends of Israel here. Democrats and Republicans alike.
Israel has no better friend than America. And America has no better friend than Israel. We stand together to defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism. Congratulations America, Congratulations, Mr. President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance!
In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American.
My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this.
Support for Israel’s security is a wise investment in our common future. For an epic battle is now unfolding in the Middle East, between tyranny and freedom. A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar. The tremors have shattered states and toppled governments. And we can all see that the ground is still shifting. Now this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom and opportunity. Millions of young people are determined to change their future. We all look at them. They muster courage. They risk their lives. They demand dignity. They desire liberty.
These extraordinary scenes in Tunis and Cairo, evoke those of Berlin and Prague in 1989. Yet as we share their hopes, but we also must also remember that those hopes could be snuffed out as they were in Tehran in 1979. You remember what happened then. The brief democratic spring in Iran was cut short by a ferocious and unforgiving tyranny. This same tyranny smothered Lebanon’s democratic Cedar Revolution, and inflicted on that long-suffering country, the medieval rule of Hezbollah.
So today, the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. Like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less travelled, the path of liberty. No one knows what this path consists of better than you. This path is not paved by elections alone. It is paved when governments permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers, when judges are beholden to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule.
Israel has always embraced this path, in the Middle East has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.
As the great English writer George Eliot predicted over a century ago, that once established, the Jewish state will “shine like a bright star of freedom amid the despotisms of the East.” Well, she was right. We have a free press, independent courts, an open economy, rambunctious parliamentary debates. You think you guys are tough on one another in Congress? Come spend a day in the Knesset. Be my guest.
Courageous Arab protesters, are now struggling to secure these very same rights for their peoples, for their societies. We’re proud that over one million Arab citizens of Israel have been enjoying these rights for decades. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of one-percent are truly free, and they’re all citizens of Israel!
This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.
Israel fully supports the desire of Arab peoples in our region to live freely. We long for the day when Israel will be one of many real democracies in the Middle East.
Fifteen years ago, I stood at this very podium, and said that democracy must start to take root in the Arab World. Well, it’s begun to take root. This beginning holds the promise of a brilliant future of peace and prosperity. For I believe that a Middle East that is genuinely democratic will be a Middle East truly at peace.
But while we hope and work for the best, we must also recognize that powerful forces oppose this future. They oppose modernity. They oppose democracy. They oppose peace.
Foremost among these forces is Iran. The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people. It supports attacks against American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror worldwide.
When I last stood here, I spoke of the dire consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is running out, and the hinge of history may soon turn. For the greatest danger facing humanity could soon be upon us: A militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.
Militant Islam threatens the world. It threatens Islam. I have no doubt that it will ultimately be defeated. It will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. But like other fanaticisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact a horrific price from all of us before its inevitable demise.
A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world. I want you to understand what this means. They could put the bomb anywhere. They could put it on a missile. It could be on a container ship in a port, or in a suitcase on a subway.
Now the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after six million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state.
Leaders who spew such venom, should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. But there is something that makes the outrage even greater: The lack of outrage. In much of the international community, the calls for our destruction are met with utter silence. It is even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies.
But not you. Not America. You have acted differently. You’ve condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal aims. You’ve passed tough sanctions against Iran. History will salute you America.
President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He successfully led the Security Council to adopt sanctions against Iran. You in Congress passed even tougher sanctions. These words and deeds are vitally important.
Yet the Ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003, when it feared the possibility of military action. That same year, Muammar Qadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation. This is why I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message: That America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
As for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say never again, we mean never again. Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.
My friends, while Israel will be ever vigilant in its defense, we will never give up on our quest for peace. I guess we’ll give it up when we achieve it. Israel wants peace. Israel needs peace. We’ve achieved historic peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan that have held up for decades.
I remember what it was like before we had peace. I was nearly killed in a firefight inside the Suez Canal. I mean that literally. I battled terrorists along both banks of the Jordan River. Too many Israelis have lost loved ones. I know their grief. I lost my brother.
So no one in Israel wants a return to those terrible days. The peace with Egypt and Jordan has long served as an anchor of stability and peace in the heart of the Middle East.
This peace should be bolstered by economic and political support to all those who remain committed to peace.
The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are vital. But they’re not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states for two peoples: A Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.
I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility to lead my people to peace.
This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the Jewish homeland. In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo.
This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.
But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they will be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people in their own state. They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and initiative can flourish.
We’ve already seen the beginnings of what is possible. In the last two years,
the Palestinians have begun to build a better life for themselves. Prime Minister Fayad has led this effort. I wish him a speedy recovery from his recent operation.
We’ve helped the Palestinian economy by removing hundreds of barriers and roadblocks to the free flow of goods and people. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. The Palestinian economy is booming. It’s growing by more than 10% a year.
Palestinian cities look very different today than they did just a few years ago. They have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks. They even have e-businesses. This is all happening without peace. Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility.
So now here is the question. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? Because all six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of Oslo accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included. So why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.
You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about. In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews said yes. The Palestinians said no. In recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli Prime Ministers, to establish a Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six Day War.
They were simply unwilling to end the conflict. And I regret to say this: They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
My friends, this must come to an end. President Abbas must do what I have done. I stood before my people, and I told you it wasn’t easy for me, and I said… “I will accept a Palestinian state.” It is time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say… “I will accept a Jewish state.”
Those six words will change history. They will make clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to an end. That they are not building a state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it. They will convince the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace. With such a partner, the people of Israel will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise. I will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise.
This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967. The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines, reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and Greater Tel Aviv.
These areas are densely populated but geographically quite small. Under any realistic peace agreement, these areas, as well as other places of critical strategic and national importance, will be incorporated into the final borders of Israel.
The status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations. But we must also be honest. So I am saying today something that should be said publicly by anyone serious about peace. In any peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel’s borders. The precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated. We will be very generous on the size of a future Palestinian state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967. Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967.
We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, independent and prosperous. President Obama rightly referred to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, just as he referred to the future Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people. Jews from around the world have a right to immigrate to the Jewish state. Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. This means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel.
As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths in the city. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. I know that this is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe with creativity and goodwill a solution can be found.
This is the peace I plan to forge with a Palestinian partner committed to peace. But you know very well, that in the Middle East, the only peace that will hold is a peace you can defend.
So peace must be anchored in security. In recent years, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and Gaza. But we didn’t get peace. Instead, we got 12,000 thousand rockets fired from those areas on our cities, on our children, by Hezbollah and Hamas. The UN peacekeepers in Lebanon failed to prevent the smuggling of this weaponry. The European observers in Gaza evaporated overnight. So if Israel simply walked out of the territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked. Missiles fired from it could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute. I want you to think about that too. Imagine that right now we all had less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Would anyone live that way? Well, we aren’t going to live that way either.
The truth is that Israel needs unique security arrangements because of its unique size. Israel is one of the smallest countries in the world. Mr. Vice President, I’ll grant you this. It’s bigger than Delaware. It’s even bigger than Rhode Island. But that’s about it. Israel on the 1967 lines would be half the width of the Washington Beltway.
Now here’s a bit of nostalgia. I first came to Washington thirty years ago as a young diplomat. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out: There is an America beyond the Beltway. But Israel on the 1967 lines would be only nine miles wide. So much for strategic depth.
So it is therefore absolutely vital for Israel’s security that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized. And it is vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. Solid security arrangements on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace, they are necessary to protect Israel in case the peace unravels. For in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there tomorrow.
And when I say tomorrow, I don’t mean some distant time in the future. I mean — tomorrow. Peace can be achieved only around the negotiating table. The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the United Nations will not bring peace. It should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict end.
I appreciate the President’s clear position on this issue. Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated. But it can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace.
And Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction and to terrorism. They have a charter. That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, but says ‘kill the Jews wherever you find them’. Hamas’ leader condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and praised him as a holy warrior. Now again I want to make this clear. Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority. I believe we can fashion a brilliant future of peace for our children. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda.
So I say to President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas! Sit down and negotiate! Make peace with the Jewish state! And if you do, I promise you this. Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.
My friends, the momentous trials of the last century, and the unfolding events of this century, attest to the decisive role of the United States in advancing peace and defending freedom. Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty. All peoples who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation. Among the most grateful nations is my nation, the people of Israel, who have fought for their liberty and survival against impossible odds, in ancient and modern times alike.
I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America, Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world. May God bless all of you. And may God forever bless the United States of America.
End transcript.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
'MEGAMOSQUE' SECT CAN CARRY ON
First-Saturday Prayer Campaign continues at West Ham “Mega Mosque” site as Islamists are allowed to defy planning rules in Government Inspector’s decision
Cross community campaigners for social cohesion in Newham have condemned the decision of a government planning inspector to allow Islamic group, Tablighi Jamaat, permission to breach planning laws. In a ruling, the inspector authorised the radical group to continue using the current temporary mosque on the site of their proposed Olympic mega-mosque at West Ham. Local opposition association Newham Concern say the decision will provide succour to Islamic radicals and will further boost the capital's reputation as "Londonistan".
“For years Tablighi Jamaat have deliberately flouted building regulations and planning laws”, said Alan Craig, Newham Concern’s campaign director and former leader of the Opposition on Newham Council for the Christian Peoples Alliance party:
Temporary planning permission was granted in 2001, but expired in 2006, since when the group have continued to use the site. Newham Council had accepted local wishes for the temporary facility, which consists of pre-fabricated and demountable buildings, to be shut down amid fears over traffic levels, land contamination and visual impact.
“This is ominous for the future development of this key site. It is unjust, as the rest of us are expected to act within the law of the land or we get penalised”, said Alan Craig. “And it is divisive as it puts Tablighi Jamaat in a privileged protected position. Nonetheless our campaign will continue and we will up our opposition. East London is a great place to live and for the sake of our tolerant diverse east London communities, we cannot allow their massive monument to separatism, bigotry and misogyny to be constructed.”
At the public inquiry, Newham Concern called two Muslim experts as specialist witnesses to highlight the fundamentalist and socially harmful nature of the sect. Dr Taj Hargey of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford publicly criticised TJ for its promotion of hard-line separatism and intolerance.Tehmina Kazi of British Muslims for Secular Democracy testified to TJ’s misogyny and refusal to open their current facilities to women.
Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) are a controversial Islamic sect whose followers have been linked to a number of planned and actual terrorist atrocities. The Inquiry also heard that intelligence assessments by US and French security agencies have found that TJ mosques foster separatism and extremism.
Christian Voice will continue its campaign of prayer against the building of the 'megamosque' and for repentance in our nation on Saturday 4th June from 10.30am to 12.30pm. All Christian believers are very welcome to join us.
Christian Voice members have been meeting for prayer on the Greenway overlooking the site on the first Saturday of every month without fail since January 2007. E15 3ND.
COME ALONG: 4th June 2011 and every first Saturday in the month thereafter. Meet at the site where the Greenway pedestrian path crosses Canning Road. Aim for Channel Sea House.
West Ham Station is on the Fenchurch Street line to Southend, and on the Hammersmith and City, District and Jubilee underground lines. Check at Transport for London for 'planned engineering works' to the Tube.
From West Ham Station, turn right out of the station, turn right along Manor Road, under the railway bridge, under the Greenway bridge and if on foot turn left into Leywick Street, then left into Abbey Road then left into Canning Road, which is where we shall be, where the Greenway crosses Canning Road. If coming by car, turn into Mitre Road which becomes Abbey Road, but you will need to park in Leywick Street or take a chance and park at Channel Sea House.
PLEASE COME and stand up for Christ whatever the weather and be challenged and blessed! (Phil 1:27-29). The meeting is always a great time of fellowship.
PRAY: That there is a good turn-out with powerful prayer for our nation. Pray that God will bless our nation with repentance and that His enemies, whether Secularist or Islamic, will be converted to the cause of Christ, or that their plans will come to nothing before our holy and awesome God. Who is on the Lord's side? Come along and stand with us!
BEHOLD, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. (Isa 59:1)
BUT they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me. (Gal 1:23-24)
(Check out other relevant Bible passages, find computer Bibles and download a one-year reading plan HERE)
Cross community campaigners for social cohesion in Newham have condemned the decision of a government planning inspector to allow Islamic group, Tablighi Jamaat, permission to breach planning laws. In a ruling, the inspector authorised the radical group to continue using the current temporary mosque on the site of their proposed Olympic mega-mosque at West Ham. Local opposition association Newham Concern say the decision will provide succour to Islamic radicals and will further boost the capital's reputation as "Londonistan".
“For years Tablighi Jamaat have deliberately flouted building regulations and planning laws”, said Alan Craig, Newham Concern’s campaign director and former leader of the Opposition on Newham Council for the Christian Peoples Alliance party:
 |
| Tablighi Jamaat's unlawful mosque site at West Ham |
“After much delay and procrastination Newham Council at last took the right action and told them to move off site. But the Planning Inspector has overturned this and apparently decided that illegality pays. They can now stay on site with temporary planning permission for a further two years.“
Temporary planning permission was granted in 2001, but expired in 2006, since when the group have continued to use the site. Newham Council had accepted local wishes for the temporary facility, which consists of pre-fabricated and demountable buildings, to be shut down amid fears over traffic levels, land contamination and visual impact.
But in a decision notice, planning inspector Graham Dudley granted Tabliqi Jamaat’s request to remain, despite admitting harm would be caused to the area and there being a history of non-compliance with planning guidelines. He said the “substantial need” for religious facilities and the scarcity of land and finances for new community buildings outweighed the negative factors.
“This is ominous for the future development of this key site. It is unjust, as the rest of us are expected to act within the law of the land or we get penalised”, said Alan Craig. “And it is divisive as it puts Tablighi Jamaat in a privileged protected position. Nonetheless our campaign will continue and we will up our opposition. East London is a great place to live and for the sake of our tolerant diverse east London communities, we cannot allow their massive monument to separatism, bigotry and misogyny to be constructed.”
At the public inquiry, Newham Concern called two Muslim experts as specialist witnesses to highlight the fundamentalist and socially harmful nature of the sect. Dr Taj Hargey of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford publicly criticised TJ for its promotion of hard-line separatism and intolerance.Tehmina Kazi of British Muslims for Secular Democracy testified to TJ’s misogyny and refusal to open their current facilities to women.
Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) are a controversial Islamic sect whose followers have been linked to a number of planned and actual terrorist atrocities. The Inquiry also heard that intelligence assessments by US and French security agencies have found that TJ mosques foster separatism and extremism.
Christian Voice will continue its campaign of prayer against the building of the 'megamosque' and for repentance in our nation on Saturday 4th June from 10.30am to 12.30pm. All Christian believers are very welcome to join us.
Christian Voice members have been meeting for prayer on the Greenway overlooking the site on the first Saturday of every month without fail since January 2007. E15 3ND.
 |
| Prayer. The Tablighi Jamaat site is to the left of the picture |
West Ham Station is on the Fenchurch Street line to Southend, and on the Hammersmith and City, District and Jubilee underground lines. Check at Transport for London for 'planned engineering works' to the Tube.
From West Ham Station, turn right out of the station, turn right along Manor Road, under the railway bridge, under the Greenway bridge and if on foot turn left into Leywick Street, then left into Abbey Road then left into Canning Road, which is where we shall be, where the Greenway crosses Canning Road. If coming by car, turn into Mitre Road which becomes Abbey Road, but you will need to park in Leywick Street or take a chance and park at Channel Sea House.
PLEASE COME and stand up for Christ whatever the weather and be challenged and blessed! (Phil 1:27-29). The meeting is always a great time of fellowship.
PRAY: That there is a good turn-out with powerful prayer for our nation. Pray that God will bless our nation with repentance and that His enemies, whether Secularist or Islamic, will be converted to the cause of Christ, or that their plans will come to nothing before our holy and awesome God. Who is on the Lord's side? Come along and stand with us!
BEHOLD, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. (Isa 59:1)
BUT they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me. (Gal 1:23-24)
(Check out other relevant Bible passages, find computer Bibles and download a one-year reading plan HERE)
ISRAEL WILL KEEP JUDEA & SAMARIA
ADVANCE COPY - IN FACT THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AN INVENTED WISHFUL THINKING ADVANCE COPY! (SEE BELOW AND ALSO TONY'S PEARCE'S COMMENT)
- CHECK AGAINST RATHER DIFFERENT DELIVERY HERE!
What could (should?) have been...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Speech
To the joint session of US Congress 24th May 2011
Dear Friends, Senators and Congressmen, Representatives of the American people who are the best friend the Jewish people have had in all of history, The Jewish people and the state of Israel are honoured that the Prime Minister of Israel is invited to stand here before both houses of the American Congress. I wish, in the name of the Israel’s citizens, to thank you for this opportunity to talk to you.
In 1492, two events of great historical significance occurred.
An evil decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain brought about the expulsion of the 150,000 Jews of Spain from the country where they had once lived tranquilly and had had a semblance of civil rights.
Yet an act of deliverance preceded this debacle, when, in the same year, Christopher Columbus discovered America. This was the start of the American nation, the nation whose very existence is an act of grace for the entire world and for the Jewish people in particular.
America was fated one day to become a place of refuge and support for the Jewish people.
Our people feel great affection for the American nation, which became a safe harbour for us towards the end of our exile. We thank the Almighty for choosing the American people to be the best and most helpful friend in our efforts to establish a national homeland for the Jewish people.
From the very start, there has been a covenant of love and friendship between the American people and the Jewish people and its state. The United States of America has stood by Israel in the past, in the present and will, please G-d, stand by her forever.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Senators and Congressmen,
At the close of a forced, long and cruel exile, we returned to our land. During all the 1900 years of exile, we never forgot our land, the land of Israel, our birthplace, the land promised to us and our descendants by the Creator of the world, the land of the Bible.
Generations of Jewish children, young and old, studied and memorized the words of the Bible and our daily prayers, day and night, in hunger and thirst, cold and poverty, in secret and in the open, longing for a return to Jerusalem and the cities of Judea. Jerusalem is mentioned 21 times in a Jew's daily prayers.
The Passover Haggadah that is recited at the yearly Seder, the very same one we have said through the ages, in Casablanca, Paris, Fez, London, Tsana, Barcelona, Addis Ababa, St. Petersburg, Alexandria, G’erba, Munich, Rome, and New York—whatever place we were exiled to—ends with the song “Next year in Jerusalem”.
The pioneering spirits among our people attempted to found a Third Commonwealth, but the nations of the world prevented them from succeeding. A small number managed to actually reach the land of the Bible. They started an awakening. They were followed by successive waves of tens, then hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands who founded villages, communities, cultural institutions and spread throughout the holy land, but the land remained desolate looking as It had been since its destruction thousands of years earlier.
After 18 centuries of exile, bubbles of longing began coming to the surface of Jewish life, and in the last 300 years, a large number of Jews left their places of residence to return to Israel. Today, at the state of Israel’s 63rd birthday celebration, we can state with confidence that our land was glad to see us back. Israel is a beautiful country, has one of the most stable economies in the world, is blessed with investments, research and development—it is a beacon to the entire world—and this is in addition to the renaissance of Jewish culture and scholarship in the Jewish state.
In his book, “The Innocents Abroad”, Mark Twain describes journeying to the holy land with a group of pilgrims in the 1860’s. He describes a barren and desolate land, that contains nothing but deserts, wastelands, swamps, full of neglect and contagious diseases.
All this was before the Jews returned. Once they began coming, Arab tribes followed in their footsteps, so that Arab claims to being in the land from time immemorial are put to the lie even by Twain.
In the Passover Haggadah I mentioned earlier, we also say each year: “In every generation they rise to destroy us, but the Lord rescues us from their hands.” No one, not even today, has a rational explanation for the continued existence of anti-Semitism. We only know that it is there, kicking and screaming. It began with our becoming a nation, in Egypt, and continued all through the years of exile during which period most of our nation was systematically murdered. That is how we find ourselves, after 1900 years and after the Holocaust, approximately the same population size as we were when the long exile began.
Possibly, anti-Semitism is a product of Israel’s G-d-given task of being “a light unto the nations," commanding the Jews to set a moral example and to spread monotheism in the ancient world of paganism and cruel idol worship. That may have caused jealousy and hatred, mixed with admiration. Jewish tradition had it that the world was round 1200 years before Galileo was hounded by the Church for saying so. In Jewish law, women were called “daughters of kings” long before the world realized the basic rights of women. The Jewish people served as an island of culture, purity, charity and loving kindness, all found in the 613 commandments, those between man and his fellowman, those between man and his G-d. Although most of the world has abandoned idol worship by now, that hatred did not cease in the bitter exile with which we were subjected, but in which we never bowed. We remained stalwart spiritually and it is that strength that gave us the foundations for our national steadfastness.
On November 2, 1917, Lord Arthur James Balfour, Foreign Secretary and past Prime Minister of Great Britain, issued the famous Balfour Declaration, that posits the founding of a national home for the Jewish people in the land of Israel. Its authors were referring to the Biblical borders of Israel, with whose boundaries the English people were familiar from studying the Holy Book, that land which lay on both sides of the Jordan River, extending from the northernmost Golan Heights to Aqaba in the south, close to 116 thousand square kilometres.
In 1920, the San Remo International Conference confirmed the Balfour Declaration and gave Britain the mandate over both sides of the Jordan River. King Feisal of Iraq, in the name of the Arab delegation to the 1919 peace conference after WWI, wrote: “Our delegation here in Paris are fully aware of the suggestions the Zionist Federation made to the peace conference. In our eyes they are modest and fitting, and we will do our best to have them accepted. We will welcome the Jews warmly when they come home."
Two years later, the eastern bank of the Jordan, an area of about 90,000 square kilometres, was separated and closed to Jewish immigration. What remained for the Jews was the west bank of the Jordan, an area of only 26,000 square kilometres. The decision to hand over the land east of the Jordan to the head of the Saudi royal family, was decided on by Great Britain for political ends.
The plan to partition the land of Israel west of the Jordan River, as suggested by the Peel Committee in 1936, was called “a midget-sized Jewish country”, by revisionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky, in his 1937 speech before Parliament. The heads of Jewish settlement in Israel declared that even if the Jews are forced to accept the partition against their will, they see it as a temporary solution. Chaim Weizmann, later Israel’s first president, said:
“This is an arrangement that can last 25-30 years”, and David Ben Gurion, later to be Israel’s first Prime Minister, reacted: “I see our future as cancelling the partition, once we have become secure in our state”.
In 1947, the United Nations Assembly ratified the Partition Plan, a decision that led to the declaration of the state of Israel on the tiny bit of land left for the Jewish homeland. Our capital,Jerusalem, was divided in two, and her heart, the site of our Holy Temples, was outside our borders. All the parts of Israel that had been clearly promised to us by G-d were also outside these borders.
The Arabs never accepted the Partition Plan and, led by Amin El Huseini, continued their terror attacks against the Jewish people. Huseini met with Hitler in Bernlin at the height of WWII in order to plan the extermination of the Jews in Israel and the east.
Immediately after the declaration of Israel’s independence on May 15, 1948, the armies of 7 Arab states invaded the fledgling country to attempt to murder all its Jewish residents. For the next 19 years, we lived while paying for our existence in unending bloodshed. In the War of Independence alone, 6000 soldiers and civilians were killed, that was 1% of the population at the time. God helped us defeat our enemies and we succeeded in building a wonderful country despite its narrow borders and their limitations.
Then began the infamous announcements of President Nasser of Egypt in 1967, who, together with Syria’s ruler Hafez el Assad, and Jordan’s King Hussein, decided to invade tiny Israel and wipe it off the map. Israel’s boundaries were the indefensible Green Line, called “Auschwitz Borders” by then-Foreign Minister Abba Eban. In the June 1967 war that ensued, the state of Israel and its heroic soldiers, defeated Egypt in six days and freed the remaining sections of Israel on the west of the Jordan River.
From the beginning, the Arab countries have engaged in anti-Israel incitement. Israel, for its part, has always yearned for peace with its enemies but was always given the cold shoulder—and worse, unceasing terror attacks and bloodshed.
In 1993, a minority Israeli government signed the Oslo Accords with the PLO terrorist leader Yasser Arafat. The US government had reservations about the agreement limits at various stages of its development. The immediate result of these agreements was the terrorist murders of over 1500 Israelis, most of them civilians: the elderly, women, men, children – in the city centers, on buses, at restaurants and shopping centers. The PLO broke the Oslo Accords and forced Israel to engage in a military operation to re-establish full security control in PA cities, an act that was taken to prevent terror in Israel today.
It is no secret that of the 120 members of the United Nations General Assembly, 57 are Islamic, and that they vote automatically against Israel no matter what the issue. The United States of America, along with several other countries, have led the fight against anti-Israel activities in the UN for the 63 years since Israel’s establishment.
We are immeasurably grateful to the Presidents, Cabinet Members, Senators and Congressman who kept the hate and anti-Semitism in check, not allowing them to win another war waged against the Jewish people who have come home after thousands of years in exile.
In recent years, another enemy of the Jewish people has arisen, one who reminds us of Adolf Hitler, an enemy who does not hesitate to declare that he wishes to complete the genocide that Hitler planned. Israel, the entire world and especially the United States must make the battle to eliminate this ruler, who is developing non-conventional weapons of destruction and preparing his army to destroy Israel, a top priority.
We must act towards Ahmadinejad as the United States did successfully and so bravely against archterrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Six years ago, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided on a “Disengagement Plan” and expelled 10,000 Jews from the Katif Bloc. Although I was in the coalition when this was decided, I realized my mistake and left the government. Today, in retrospect, almost everyone admits that this plan was an egregious error and that Israel should have remained in that part of the Gaza Strip instead of leaving it for Iran’s puppet, Hamas.
Israel expelled Jews, destroyed their homes and brought about the burning of their synagogues by rioting Arabs. Immediately afterwards, Israel became a target for missiles raining from Gaza. Over 10,000 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli cities as a result of this immoral and irresponsible decision. Our strategic, existential and security status have all become more vulnerable. We were forced to initiate the Cast Lead Operation to try to change the situation, but at great cost.
Israel yearns for peace, it is capable of overcoming past grievances. It has diplomatic, economic and even security relations with countries that took part in the destruction of the Jews only 70 years ago. Israel gives equal rights to all her citizens, even those who once fought against her, and even to those who work against her even at present – and announce publicly that they do so.
There is no Arab or Muslim country in the world whose citizens have the freedom that Israel’s Arabs have. They vote, are members of the Knesset, serve as judges on the Supreme Court and in any capacity they wish.
Our right to the land of Israel is inalienable. It is an historical right and is stated clearly in the Book of Books. G-d’s command is that the Jewish people be connected to the holy land forever and ever. We must do our best to rebuild its ruins and settle its desolate areas.
My grandfather, the gifted speaker and well known Zionist, Rabbi Natan Milikovsky-Netanyahu, may he rest in peace, was a good friend of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Avraham Kook. He traveled round the world at his behest, most especially to American Jewish congregations, during the 1920’s, to convince Jews to move to Israel and live their Zionism. Speaking in Rochester, New York in 1927, he said: “ We will not abandon our people to die. We must live. We have proven our integrity and just cause for two thousand years. We have our old weapons with us—justice and integrity—we will return to our homeland, our birthplace, our past and independence. The land awaits us.”
Dear Senators and Congressmen,
I wish to tell you that of some 7.5 million residents of the state of Israel, 6 million are Jews. 650,000 of them live in what is called “East” Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria – Israel’s heartland, the dwelling place of our forefathers, liberated in the Six Day War.
A good many places in the United States are named for Jewish holy cities: Beit El, Bethlehem, Shiloh and more.
The anti-Semitism always unleashed against the Jewish people, is now aimed at the Jewish state. It is inconceivable that 500 years after the Jews were expelled from Spain and suffered so many expulsions from the countries of Europe through the centuries, that Israel will be expected to expel 650,000 Jews from their ancestral homes, the cities of ancient Israel that have come back to life: Beit El, Hevron, Shechem, Elon Moreh, Kiryat Arba, Susiya, and above all, Jerusalem.
There is no doubt that the American people, who enjoy American’s freedom, who love and know the uniqueness of the Bible, will come to the aid of the millions of Jews who have renewed their lives in all parts of the holy land. You are the representatives of this wonderful nation and there is no doubt in our hearts that you will stand at our side and help defend our rights to live everywhere in biblical Israel.
At the present time, the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria are being led astray by leaders who are eaten up by hatred. Anti-Semitic caricatures in the PA press are an everyday occurrence. PA media, official textbooks, do not accept the existence of Israel and the Jewish people’s rights for a state in the holy land. Children are taught to be shahids from an early age, taught to kill as many Jews as possible. As long as this goes on, there is no way of talking to the PA. The treaty they signed with Hamas only makes this more obvious.
In exactly the same way we offered full citizenship to Israel’s Arab citizens decades ago, we are willing today to extend that gift to the Arabs of Judea and Samaria. Accept Israeli citizenship and become loyal to the state..
We are a peace loving nation. We will always be one. We never tried to undermine the countries in which we lived during our centuries of exile and always wanted peace. But peace is not derived from the destruction of another. Peace is the ability to live together.
Our integrity is reflected in our policies. I am the head of the Likud party, voted in on a platform that vowed to keep all of Israel in the hands of the Jewish people. I must tell you that in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria, not counting “East” Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, 26.5% of the voters chose me. They have not authorized me to destroy their homes, even had I wished to do so.
In the name of the Israeli nation that has sent me here, I ask you to help bring a painful issue that puts a pall on the quality of our relationship to an end. I am referring to Jonathan Pollard, and it seems to me that we must decide together, in the name of rationality as well as morality, to free him. He has paid a much higher price than anyone who has committed a comparable crime.
I turn to you to also help us gain freedom for our soldier Gilad Schalit from the hands of Hamas terrorists, the ones who expressed outrage and grief at the elimination of Ben Laden.
We in Israel have to learn from the United States, not to negotiate with terrorists. Gilad has not been visited by the Red Cross, has not seen a lawyer. Hamas ignores international principles of the freedom of mankind and commits crimes against humanity. We ask the world to raise its voice against this.
To close, I wish to pray that one day the world realize that the shared longing of the Jewish and American peoples for peace and liberty, is one that the entire world should share. May we pray together for world peace.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to address you. All of you are invited to visit the holy land, the land of the Bible, to enjoy her beauty, her rebuilding and progress.
ENDS
Dear Tony, Re your comment below, we did check it out beforehand, and many sources backed it up. However, in truth the speech as delivered was radically different (see the link at the top). I suspect this is a speech someone (perhaps many) wished he would have delivered. Happy to put the record straight. Thanks for your input.
- CHECK AGAINST RATHER DIFFERENT DELIVERY HERE!
What could (should?) have been...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Speech
To the joint session of US Congress 24th May 2011
Dear Friends, Senators and Congressmen, Representatives of the American people who are the best friend the Jewish people have had in all of history, The Jewish people and the state of Israel are honoured that the Prime Minister of Israel is invited to stand here before both houses of the American Congress. I wish, in the name of the Israel’s citizens, to thank you for this opportunity to talk to you.
In 1492, two events of great historical significance occurred.
An evil decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain brought about the expulsion of the 150,000 Jews of Spain from the country where they had once lived tranquilly and had had a semblance of civil rights.
Yet an act of deliverance preceded this debacle, when, in the same year, Christopher Columbus discovered America. This was the start of the American nation, the nation whose very existence is an act of grace for the entire world and for the Jewish people in particular.
America was fated one day to become a place of refuge and support for the Jewish people.
Our people feel great affection for the American nation, which became a safe harbour for us towards the end of our exile. We thank the Almighty for choosing the American people to be the best and most helpful friend in our efforts to establish a national homeland for the Jewish people.
From the very start, there has been a covenant of love and friendship between the American people and the Jewish people and its state. The United States of America has stood by Israel in the past, in the present and will, please G-d, stand by her forever.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Senators and Congressmen,
At the close of a forced, long and cruel exile, we returned to our land. During all the 1900 years of exile, we never forgot our land, the land of Israel, our birthplace, the land promised to us and our descendants by the Creator of the world, the land of the Bible.
Generations of Jewish children, young and old, studied and memorized the words of the Bible and our daily prayers, day and night, in hunger and thirst, cold and poverty, in secret and in the open, longing for a return to Jerusalem and the cities of Judea. Jerusalem is mentioned 21 times in a Jew's daily prayers.
The Passover Haggadah that is recited at the yearly Seder, the very same one we have said through the ages, in Casablanca, Paris, Fez, London, Tsana, Barcelona, Addis Ababa, St. Petersburg, Alexandria, G’erba, Munich, Rome, and New York—whatever place we were exiled to—ends with the song “Next year in Jerusalem”.
The pioneering spirits among our people attempted to found a Third Commonwealth, but the nations of the world prevented them from succeeding. A small number managed to actually reach the land of the Bible. They started an awakening. They were followed by successive waves of tens, then hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands who founded villages, communities, cultural institutions and spread throughout the holy land, but the land remained desolate looking as It had been since its destruction thousands of years earlier.
After 18 centuries of exile, bubbles of longing began coming to the surface of Jewish life, and in the last 300 years, a large number of Jews left their places of residence to return to Israel. Today, at the state of Israel’s 63rd birthday celebration, we can state with confidence that our land was glad to see us back. Israel is a beautiful country, has one of the most stable economies in the world, is blessed with investments, research and development—it is a beacon to the entire world—and this is in addition to the renaissance of Jewish culture and scholarship in the Jewish state.
In his book, “The Innocents Abroad”, Mark Twain describes journeying to the holy land with a group of pilgrims in the 1860’s. He describes a barren and desolate land, that contains nothing but deserts, wastelands, swamps, full of neglect and contagious diseases.
All this was before the Jews returned. Once they began coming, Arab tribes followed in their footsteps, so that Arab claims to being in the land from time immemorial are put to the lie even by Twain.
In the Passover Haggadah I mentioned earlier, we also say each year: “In every generation they rise to destroy us, but the Lord rescues us from their hands.” No one, not even today, has a rational explanation for the continued existence of anti-Semitism. We only know that it is there, kicking and screaming. It began with our becoming a nation, in Egypt, and continued all through the years of exile during which period most of our nation was systematically murdered. That is how we find ourselves, after 1900 years and after the Holocaust, approximately the same population size as we were when the long exile began.
Possibly, anti-Semitism is a product of Israel’s G-d-given task of being “a light unto the nations," commanding the Jews to set a moral example and to spread monotheism in the ancient world of paganism and cruel idol worship. That may have caused jealousy and hatred, mixed with admiration. Jewish tradition had it that the world was round 1200 years before Galileo was hounded by the Church for saying so. In Jewish law, women were called “daughters of kings” long before the world realized the basic rights of women. The Jewish people served as an island of culture, purity, charity and loving kindness, all found in the 613 commandments, those between man and his fellowman, those between man and his G-d. Although most of the world has abandoned idol worship by now, that hatred did not cease in the bitter exile with which we were subjected, but in which we never bowed. We remained stalwart spiritually and it is that strength that gave us the foundations for our national steadfastness.
On November 2, 1917, Lord Arthur James Balfour, Foreign Secretary and past Prime Minister of Great Britain, issued the famous Balfour Declaration, that posits the founding of a national home for the Jewish people in the land of Israel. Its authors were referring to the Biblical borders of Israel, with whose boundaries the English people were familiar from studying the Holy Book, that land which lay on both sides of the Jordan River, extending from the northernmost Golan Heights to Aqaba in the south, close to 116 thousand square kilometres.
In 1920, the San Remo International Conference confirmed the Balfour Declaration and gave Britain the mandate over both sides of the Jordan River. King Feisal of Iraq, in the name of the Arab delegation to the 1919 peace conference after WWI, wrote: “Our delegation here in Paris are fully aware of the suggestions the Zionist Federation made to the peace conference. In our eyes they are modest and fitting, and we will do our best to have them accepted. We will welcome the Jews warmly when they come home."
Two years later, the eastern bank of the Jordan, an area of about 90,000 square kilometres, was separated and closed to Jewish immigration. What remained for the Jews was the west bank of the Jordan, an area of only 26,000 square kilometres. The decision to hand over the land east of the Jordan to the head of the Saudi royal family, was decided on by Great Britain for political ends.
The plan to partition the land of Israel west of the Jordan River, as suggested by the Peel Committee in 1936, was called “a midget-sized Jewish country”, by revisionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky, in his 1937 speech before Parliament. The heads of Jewish settlement in Israel declared that even if the Jews are forced to accept the partition against their will, they see it as a temporary solution. Chaim Weizmann, later Israel’s first president, said:
“This is an arrangement that can last 25-30 years”, and David Ben Gurion, later to be Israel’s first Prime Minister, reacted: “I see our future as cancelling the partition, once we have become secure in our state”.
In 1947, the United Nations Assembly ratified the Partition Plan, a decision that led to the declaration of the state of Israel on the tiny bit of land left for the Jewish homeland. Our capital,Jerusalem, was divided in two, and her heart, the site of our Holy Temples, was outside our borders. All the parts of Israel that had been clearly promised to us by G-d were also outside these borders.
The Arabs never accepted the Partition Plan and, led by Amin El Huseini, continued their terror attacks against the Jewish people. Huseini met with Hitler in Bernlin at the height of WWII in order to plan the extermination of the Jews in Israel and the east.
Immediately after the declaration of Israel’s independence on May 15, 1948, the armies of 7 Arab states invaded the fledgling country to attempt to murder all its Jewish residents. For the next 19 years, we lived while paying for our existence in unending bloodshed. In the War of Independence alone, 6000 soldiers and civilians were killed, that was 1% of the population at the time. God helped us defeat our enemies and we succeeded in building a wonderful country despite its narrow borders and their limitations.
Then began the infamous announcements of President Nasser of Egypt in 1967, who, together with Syria’s ruler Hafez el Assad, and Jordan’s King Hussein, decided to invade tiny Israel and wipe it off the map. Israel’s boundaries were the indefensible Green Line, called “Auschwitz Borders” by then-Foreign Minister Abba Eban. In the June 1967 war that ensued, the state of Israel and its heroic soldiers, defeated Egypt in six days and freed the remaining sections of Israel on the west of the Jordan River.
From the beginning, the Arab countries have engaged in anti-Israel incitement. Israel, for its part, has always yearned for peace with its enemies but was always given the cold shoulder—and worse, unceasing terror attacks and bloodshed.
In 1993, a minority Israeli government signed the Oslo Accords with the PLO terrorist leader Yasser Arafat. The US government had reservations about the agreement limits at various stages of its development. The immediate result of these agreements was the terrorist murders of over 1500 Israelis, most of them civilians: the elderly, women, men, children – in the city centers, on buses, at restaurants and shopping centers. The PLO broke the Oslo Accords and forced Israel to engage in a military operation to re-establish full security control in PA cities, an act that was taken to prevent terror in Israel today.
It is no secret that of the 120 members of the United Nations General Assembly, 57 are Islamic, and that they vote automatically against Israel no matter what the issue. The United States of America, along with several other countries, have led the fight against anti-Israel activities in the UN for the 63 years since Israel’s establishment.
We are immeasurably grateful to the Presidents, Cabinet Members, Senators and Congressman who kept the hate and anti-Semitism in check, not allowing them to win another war waged against the Jewish people who have come home after thousands of years in exile.
In recent years, another enemy of the Jewish people has arisen, one who reminds us of Adolf Hitler, an enemy who does not hesitate to declare that he wishes to complete the genocide that Hitler planned. Israel, the entire world and especially the United States must make the battle to eliminate this ruler, who is developing non-conventional weapons of destruction and preparing his army to destroy Israel, a top priority.
We must act towards Ahmadinejad as the United States did successfully and so bravely against archterrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Six years ago, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided on a “Disengagement Plan” and expelled 10,000 Jews from the Katif Bloc. Although I was in the coalition when this was decided, I realized my mistake and left the government. Today, in retrospect, almost everyone admits that this plan was an egregious error and that Israel should have remained in that part of the Gaza Strip instead of leaving it for Iran’s puppet, Hamas.
Israel expelled Jews, destroyed their homes and brought about the burning of their synagogues by rioting Arabs. Immediately afterwards, Israel became a target for missiles raining from Gaza. Over 10,000 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli cities as a result of this immoral and irresponsible decision. Our strategic, existential and security status have all become more vulnerable. We were forced to initiate the Cast Lead Operation to try to change the situation, but at great cost.
Israel yearns for peace, it is capable of overcoming past grievances. It has diplomatic, economic and even security relations with countries that took part in the destruction of the Jews only 70 years ago. Israel gives equal rights to all her citizens, even those who once fought against her, and even to those who work against her even at present – and announce publicly that they do so.
There is no Arab or Muslim country in the world whose citizens have the freedom that Israel’s Arabs have. They vote, are members of the Knesset, serve as judges on the Supreme Court and in any capacity they wish.
Our right to the land of Israel is inalienable. It is an historical right and is stated clearly in the Book of Books. G-d’s command is that the Jewish people be connected to the holy land forever and ever. We must do our best to rebuild its ruins and settle its desolate areas.
My grandfather, the gifted speaker and well known Zionist, Rabbi Natan Milikovsky-Netanyahu, may he rest in peace, was a good friend of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Avraham Kook. He traveled round the world at his behest, most especially to American Jewish congregations, during the 1920’s, to convince Jews to move to Israel and live their Zionism. Speaking in Rochester, New York in 1927, he said: “ We will not abandon our people to die. We must live. We have proven our integrity and just cause for two thousand years. We have our old weapons with us—justice and integrity—we will return to our homeland, our birthplace, our past and independence. The land awaits us.”
Dear Senators and Congressmen,
I wish to tell you that of some 7.5 million residents of the state of Israel, 6 million are Jews. 650,000 of them live in what is called “East” Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria – Israel’s heartland, the dwelling place of our forefathers, liberated in the Six Day War.
A good many places in the United States are named for Jewish holy cities: Beit El, Bethlehem, Shiloh and more.
The anti-Semitism always unleashed against the Jewish people, is now aimed at the Jewish state. It is inconceivable that 500 years after the Jews were expelled from Spain and suffered so many expulsions from the countries of Europe through the centuries, that Israel will be expected to expel 650,000 Jews from their ancestral homes, the cities of ancient Israel that have come back to life: Beit El, Hevron, Shechem, Elon Moreh, Kiryat Arba, Susiya, and above all, Jerusalem.
There is no doubt that the American people, who enjoy American’s freedom, who love and know the uniqueness of the Bible, will come to the aid of the millions of Jews who have renewed their lives in all parts of the holy land. You are the representatives of this wonderful nation and there is no doubt in our hearts that you will stand at our side and help defend our rights to live everywhere in biblical Israel.
At the present time, the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria are being led astray by leaders who are eaten up by hatred. Anti-Semitic caricatures in the PA press are an everyday occurrence. PA media, official textbooks, do not accept the existence of Israel and the Jewish people’s rights for a state in the holy land. Children are taught to be shahids from an early age, taught to kill as many Jews as possible. As long as this goes on, there is no way of talking to the PA. The treaty they signed with Hamas only makes this more obvious.
In exactly the same way we offered full citizenship to Israel’s Arab citizens decades ago, we are willing today to extend that gift to the Arabs of Judea and Samaria. Accept Israeli citizenship and become loyal to the state..
We are a peace loving nation. We will always be one. We never tried to undermine the countries in which we lived during our centuries of exile and always wanted peace. But peace is not derived from the destruction of another. Peace is the ability to live together.
Our integrity is reflected in our policies. I am the head of the Likud party, voted in on a platform that vowed to keep all of Israel in the hands of the Jewish people. I must tell you that in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria, not counting “East” Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, 26.5% of the voters chose me. They have not authorized me to destroy their homes, even had I wished to do so.
In the name of the Israeli nation that has sent me here, I ask you to help bring a painful issue that puts a pall on the quality of our relationship to an end. I am referring to Jonathan Pollard, and it seems to me that we must decide together, in the name of rationality as well as morality, to free him. He has paid a much higher price than anyone who has committed a comparable crime.
I turn to you to also help us gain freedom for our soldier Gilad Schalit from the hands of Hamas terrorists, the ones who expressed outrage and grief at the elimination of Ben Laden.
We in Israel have to learn from the United States, not to negotiate with terrorists. Gilad has not been visited by the Red Cross, has not seen a lawyer. Hamas ignores international principles of the freedom of mankind and commits crimes against humanity. We ask the world to raise its voice against this.
To close, I wish to pray that one day the world realize that the shared longing of the Jewish and American peoples for peace and liberty, is one that the entire world should share. May we pray together for world peace.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to address you. All of you are invited to visit the holy land, the land of the Bible, to enjoy her beauty, her rebuilding and progress.
ENDS
Dear Tony, Re your comment below, we did check it out beforehand, and many sources backed it up. However, in truth the speech as delivered was radically different (see the link at the top). I suspect this is a speech someone (perhaps many) wished he would have delivered. Happy to put the record straight. Thanks for your input.
Monday, 23 May 2011
DORRIES BILL RUNS OUT OF TIME
Nadine Dorries's Ten-Minute-Rule Bill to include teaching on abstinence for girls in sex education, has run out time and will not now become law, one of our members has discovered.
The Government have said that there is not enough time for the Bill and that this was known three weeks ago, when the Bill was debated.
Minister of State for Health Simon Burns MP (Chelmsford) was asked by a constituent to support the Bill and help it become law. He replied:
I apologise for misleading members by suggesting they write to their MPs asking them to support the Dorries Bill in the hope that the Government would give it time. Another Christian lobby group proclaimed 'Victory' and said Nadine Dorries' 'proposals are unlikely to become law without the Government’s backing.' I took that to mean that all that was lacking was Government time. My mistake.
If Simon Burns MP is correct, and he is a government minister after all, the proposals in the form in which they exist in the Bill will not become law at all. If we are three weeks too late that takes us back to before the Bill was even debated. Her Bill is dead.
We need to be clear that the only way for Nadine Dorries's proposals to become law now is for the Government not merely to back them but to adopt them by including them - or being forced to include them by Parliament - in a Bill of its own.
If that is to happen, then either the Government must frame its own clause to put the proposals into effect, or - more likely - a backbencher, and Nadine Dorries would be the obvious candidate, will have to put them down as an amendment to a Government Education Bill.
The perfect Bill in which to table the proposals was the Government's Education Bill, which is wide enough in scope to deal with the matter, and which had its Report Stage on 11th May, a week after Nadine Dorries' Bill had its Second Reading.
The Hansard record shows that although Nadine Dorries voted at Second Reading, and at the Report Stage and Third Reading of the Education Bill, she did not speak at any stage nor was she a member of the Bill's Committee
Why, we must ask, did Mrs Dorries not speak on such an important issue during the progress of this Bill? Why, following her Ten Minute Rule Bill debate, did she not immediately table her proposals as an Amendment to the Governments' Education Bill? Not for the first time, Christians working in Parliament have missed an opportunity which we can be sure the other side, in similar circumstances, would have jumped at.
I was involved in the successful campaign to get Section 28 on to the Statute Book in 1988. Dame Jill Knight MP (now Baroness Knight of Collingtree) agreed to put down the amendment to the Government's Local Government Bill at Report Stage as it passed through the Commons. The Government opposed it (as they do) and it failed. When the Bill went to the Lords, the Earl of Halsbury was encouraged by the debate in the Commons to table the same amendment. The Government still opposed it but this time it passed and became part of the Bill. The Government made a half-hearted attempt to throw the clause out in the ping-pong stages (where Lords and Commons have to agree) but there it stayed.
That is what should have been done this time. It is possible that one of their Lordships may adopt the Dorries proposals but a significant element of the momentum for that would have been a tabling of the amendment and a further debate in the Education Bill at Report Stage in the Commons.
Sadly, Christian Voice does not have the resources to mount lobbying, research and support campaigns in Parliament at the moment. We can only pray for wisdom for those who do and pray the Lord will release the resources to us to mount these sort of campaigns in the future.
Content of Nadine Dorries's Ten-Minute-Rule Bill:
Sex Education (Required Content) Bill
A Bill to require schools to provide certain additional sex education to girls aged between 13 and 16; to provide that such education must include information and advice on the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity; and for connected purposes.
The text of her Bill has not been published on the Parliament website.
The Government have said that there is not enough time for the Bill and that this was known three weeks ago, when the Bill was debated.
Minister of State for Health Simon Burns MP (Chelmsford) was asked by a constituent to support the Bill and help it become law. He replied:
Thank you for your email but I am afraid you are almost 3 weeks too late. The Ten Minute Rule Bill was debated on 4th May and I am sure you will be pleased to know that it past (sic) the first hurdle but it will not become law as Ms Dorries has named 12 January 2012 for a second reading debate and there is not enough time in this session for the Bill to progress to the statute book.
Yours sincerely,
The Rt Hon Simon Burns MP
I apologise for misleading members by suggesting they write to their MPs asking them to support the Dorries Bill in the hope that the Government would give it time. Another Christian lobby group proclaimed 'Victory' and said Nadine Dorries' 'proposals are unlikely to become law without the Government’s backing.' I took that to mean that all that was lacking was Government time. My mistake.
If Simon Burns MP is correct, and he is a government minister after all, the proposals in the form in which they exist in the Bill will not become law at all. If we are three weeks too late that takes us back to before the Bill was even debated. Her Bill is dead.
We need to be clear that the only way for Nadine Dorries's proposals to become law now is for the Government not merely to back them but to adopt them by including them - or being forced to include them by Parliament - in a Bill of its own.
If that is to happen, then either the Government must frame its own clause to put the proposals into effect, or - more likely - a backbencher, and Nadine Dorries would be the obvious candidate, will have to put them down as an amendment to a Government Education Bill.
The perfect Bill in which to table the proposals was the Government's Education Bill, which is wide enough in scope to deal with the matter, and which had its Report Stage on 11th May, a week after Nadine Dorries' Bill had its Second Reading.
The Hansard record shows that although Nadine Dorries voted at Second Reading, and at the Report Stage and Third Reading of the Education Bill, she did not speak at any stage nor was she a member of the Bill's Committee
Why, we must ask, did Mrs Dorries not speak on such an important issue during the progress of this Bill? Why, following her Ten Minute Rule Bill debate, did she not immediately table her proposals as an Amendment to the Governments' Education Bill? Not for the first time, Christians working in Parliament have missed an opportunity which we can be sure the other side, in similar circumstances, would have jumped at.
I was involved in the successful campaign to get Section 28 on to the Statute Book in 1988. Dame Jill Knight MP (now Baroness Knight of Collingtree) agreed to put down the amendment to the Government's Local Government Bill at Report Stage as it passed through the Commons. The Government opposed it (as they do) and it failed. When the Bill went to the Lords, the Earl of Halsbury was encouraged by the debate in the Commons to table the same amendment. The Government still opposed it but this time it passed and became part of the Bill. The Government made a half-hearted attempt to throw the clause out in the ping-pong stages (where Lords and Commons have to agree) but there it stayed.
That is what should have been done this time. It is possible that one of their Lordships may adopt the Dorries proposals but a significant element of the momentum for that would have been a tabling of the amendment and a further debate in the Education Bill at Report Stage in the Commons.
Sadly, Christian Voice does not have the resources to mount lobbying, research and support campaigns in Parliament at the moment. We can only pray for wisdom for those who do and pray the Lord will release the resources to us to mount these sort of campaigns in the future.
Content of Nadine Dorries's Ten-Minute-Rule Bill:
Sex Education (Required Content) Bill
A Bill to require schools to provide certain additional sex education to girls aged between 13 and 16; to provide that such education must include information and advice on the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity; and for connected purposes.
The text of her Bill has not been published on the Parliament website.
Friday, 20 May 2011
ALIMENTOS HALAL EN WEMBLEY
Entradas:
¡Boicotea los alimentos "halal" en el Estadio de Wembley!¡Di NO a la ley de la Sharía!¡Come fuera del Estadio!¡Llévate un prospecto!Después de todo, ¿por qué el estadio nacional de un país cristiano vende comida islámica?
Prospecto:
BOICOTEA LA COMIDA HALAL EN EL ESTADIO DE WEMBLEY
El estadio deportivo más famoso de Gran Bretaña está vendiendo comida "halal" en sus puestos y espera que no te dés cuenta.
Un portavoz de la Liga de Fútbol nos dijo que si compras pollo frito o productos derivados del cordero en el estadio de Wembley, fácilmente podrías estar comiendo carne de un animal sacrificado ritualmente en el nombre de Alá.
Le pedimos a la Liga de Fútbol que confirmase por escrito si las hamburguesas de carne en Wembley son o no halal. Ellos denegaron respuesta.
En el nombre de Alá
Ni siquiera confirman la forma en que el pollo, cordero y carne de vacuno halal a la venta ha sido sacrificado. En todo caso, no es lo peor. Un matarife musulmán entona 'Bismilá Alahu Akbar" (que significa "En el nombre de Alá, Alá es el más grande") por cada animal halal que sacrifica, ofreciéndoselo expresamente a Alá. Cualquier persona que compra carne "halal" está comiendo la ley de la Sharía.
"Halal" es una palabra árabe que significa "legal" en términos de comida para musulmanes. Es lo opuesto a "haram", que significa ilegal. (El alcohol y el cerdo son siempre "haram" para los musulmanes.)
Ninguno de los alimentos "halal" en Wembley está etiquetado. La comida islámica se está sirviendo en secreto en nuestro estadio nacional de fútbol.
"Halal" es una palabra árabe que significa "legal" en términos de comida para musulmanes. Es lo opuesto a "haram", que significa ilegal. (El alcohol y el cerdo son siempre "haram" para los musulmanes.)
Ninguno de los alimentos "halal" en Wembley está etiquetado. La comida islámica se está sirviendo en secreto en nuestro estadio nacional de fútbol.
Ellos confían en nuestra ignorancia
Pero incluso si se etiquetara, seguiría siendo un caso de "si quieres, lo tomas y si no, lo dejas". Suponiendo que no puedas hacerte con un perrito caliente o un sandwich de bacon.
Wembley se fía de la ignorancia general para salirse con la suya. Si empezamos a cuestionarlo y hacemos boicot a lo que pueda ser "halal", la cosa cambiará.
Si hubiera algo de comida "halal" en Wembley, al menos debería ser bajo petición expresa.
Wembley se fía de la ignorancia general para salirse con la suya. Si empezamos a cuestionarlo y hacemos boicot a lo que pueda ser "halal", la cosa cambiará.
Si hubiera algo de comida "halal" en Wembley, al menos debería ser bajo petición expresa.
El Corán niega las verdades del Cristianismo
El Corán niega la Crucifixión de Jesúcristo, niega que Jesús puede perdonar los pecadosy niega que Cristo deba adorado o que se le pueda rezar.
El Corán sostiene que Dios no ha engendrado ningún Hijo. Sin embargo, la Biblia recoge lo que Dios Todopoderoso dice de Jesús: "Este es mi Hijo amado, en quien tengo puesta toda mi complacencia. Escuchadle". Obviamente, Alá no es el mismo que nuestro Dios Todopoderoso.
El Corán sostiene que Dios no ha engendrado ningún Hijo. Sin embargo, la Biblia recoge lo que Dios Todopoderoso dice de Jesús: "Este es mi Hijo amado, en quien tengo puesta toda mi complacencia. Escuchadle". Obviamente, Alá no es el mismo que nuestro Dios Todopoderoso.
La carne halal es sacrificada a un ídolo
Para los cristianos, la carne halal se ha ofrecido a otro dios - o ídolo - y la Biblia advierte gravemente contra ello. Rechazar la carne "halal", para los cristianos, es un acto de testimonio frente a aquéllos que no creen.
Pero también aquellas personas que no tienen Fe con razón pueden oponerse a que esa comida se venda en Wembley por haber sido previamente objeto de sacrificio a Dios, de acuerdo a la ley islámica.
El problema es la actual islamización discreta y progresiva de Gran Bretaña. ¿Por qué una minoría de 4% -5% de la población ha de dictar cómo se sacrifica nuestra carne? ¿Por qué se impone secretamente a la población la aplicación de la Sharía (la palabra árabe que quiere decir "Ley")?
Pero también aquellas personas que no tienen Fe con razón pueden oponerse a que esa comida se venda en Wembley por haber sido previamente objeto de sacrificio a Dios, de acuerdo a la ley islámica.
El problema es la actual islamización discreta y progresiva de Gran Bretaña. ¿Por qué una minoría de 4% -5% de la población ha de dictar cómo se sacrifica nuestra carne? ¿Por qué se impone secretamente a la población la aplicación de la Sharía (la palabra árabe que quiere decir "Ley")?
Al Islam se le otorga concesión tras concesión
Nos estamos acostumbrando demasiado a escuchar cómo conductores musulmanes de autobús se niegan a permitir que suban perros para ciegos, a que las cajeras musulmanas de los supermercados cojan bebidas alcohólicas o a que la Biblia sea calificada como algo "sucio", a que las piscinas públicas se reserven para sesiones sólo de mujeres musulmanas y a zonas enteras de nuestros pueblos y ciudades que son sólo de y para musulmanes.
Estamos escuchando que la carne "halal" se está dando a todos los alumnos en las escuelas, hospitales y prisiones, y ahora la carne "halal" se impone en secreto a los aficionados en Wembley.
Estamos escuchando que la carne "halal" se está dando a todos los alumnos en las escuelas, hospitales y prisiones, y ahora la carne "halal" se impone en secreto a los aficionados en Wembley.
¿Qué salvará a nuestra nación?
Tenemos que defender la herencia cristiana de Gran Bretaña y orar para que Dios pueda detener la ola de inmoralidad y al Islam en nuestro país.
Queremos una nación en la que nuestros políticos sean hombres de honor, donde los niños respeten a sus mayores y los jóvenes respeten la vida humana, donde los hombres y las mujeres se responsabilicen de la promesa que hacen el día de su boda, donde la perversión no sea parte de nuestra cultura, donde nuestras calles sean seguras para caminar y donde el útero de la madre vuelva a ser el lugar más seguro en la tierra creada por Dios.
Queremos una nación en la que nuestros políticos sean hombres de honor, donde los niños respeten a sus mayores y los jóvenes respeten la vida humana, donde los hombres y las mujeres se responsabilicen de la promesa que hacen el día de su boda, donde la perversión no sea parte de nuestra cultura, donde nuestras calles sean seguras para caminar y donde el útero de la madre vuelva a ser el lugar más seguro en la tierra creada por Dios.
Todos somos responsables ante Dios
Creemos que Dios hizo el mundo y dio leyes a la humanidad para poder vivir. Pecamos cuando violamos los mandamientos de Dios, ya sea por asesinato, robo, mentira, adoración de ídolos, blasfemia, falta de respeto a los padres, adulterio, envidia, lujuria y aberración sexual.
Todos somos responsables ante Dios por la manera en que vivimos nuestras vidas. Cuando trabaja, esperas que se te pague un salario, puesto que te lo has ganado. Pero también la Biblia dice: "El salario del pecado es la muerte".
Todos somos responsables ante Dios por la manera en que vivimos nuestras vidas. Cuando trabaja, esperas que se te pague un salario, puesto que te lo has ganado. Pero también la Biblia dice: "El salario del pecado es la muerte".
Jesús es el hombre entre los hombres.
Estamos demasiado acostumbrados a ver imágenes de un Jesús manso y humilde sosteniendo un cordero. Sí, Jesús es compasivo y bondadoso, misericordioso y que perdona, pero éstas son cualidades de un hombre.
Jesús fue un hombre y es el hombre entre los hombres. Invitó a un grupo de pescadores a seguirlo y lo hicieron. Echó a los cambistas del templo en Jerusalén a latigazos. Al final, sabiendo que la única manera de obtener el perdón para la humanidad era entregarse por nuestros pecados, Jesús permitió ser crucificado, clavado en una cruz y colgado hasta morir en agonía. No hay hombre que aguante aquello.
Jesús fue un hombre y es el hombre entre los hombres. Invitó a un grupo de pescadores a seguirlo y lo hicieron. Echó a los cambistas del templo en Jerusalén a latigazos. Al final, sabiendo que la única manera de obtener el perdón para la humanidad era entregarse por nuestros pecados, Jesús permitió ser crucificado, clavado en una cruz y colgado hasta morir en agonía. No hay hombre que aguante aquello.
Poder de resucitar de entre los muertos
Jesús dijo que Él tenía el poder de dar la vida y el poder para reclamarla de nuevo. Y lo hizo, resucitando de entre los muertos en el primer Domingo de Resurrección. Eso demostró que era Dios de carne y hueso, y que él tenía el poder de perdonar los pecados y darnos una vida nueva. La Biblia dice: "El don de Dios es la vida eterna en Cristo Jesús, Señor nuestro."
'El camino, la verdad y la vida'
Tú no puedes tapar tu propio pecado o confiar simplemente en el bien que haces. Sólo Jesucristo es el camino al cielo. Él dijo: 'Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida: nadie viene al Padre sino por mí."
¿Dónde vas a pasar la eternidad? Porque Dios es bueno, no se tolera pecado alguno en el cielo. Todos hemos pecado. Sólo Jesús puede perdonar tus pecados y salvarte del infierno. Conviértete hoy a Él.
Reclamar a Wembley
¿Dónde vas a pasar la eternidad? Porque Dios es bueno, no se tolera pecado alguno en el cielo. Todos hemos pecado. Sólo Jesús puede perdonar tus pecados y salvarte del infierno. Conviértete hoy a Él.
Reclamar a Wembley
Ver la hoja de atrás para que quejarse por la comida "halal" en Wembley. Nuestro consejo es que si no recibes garantía por parte del personal de restauración de que la comida a la venta no es "halal", no la comas. Y diles por qué no lo haces.
Citas de la Biblia, de la Versión Autorizada:
Lucas 9:35; Juan 14:6; Romanos 6:23
Citas de la Biblia, de la Versión Autorizada:
Lucas 9:35; Juan 14:6; Romanos 6:23
Página de atrás:
BOICOTEA LA COMIDA HALAL DEL ESTADIO DE WEMBLEY
Si usted compra pollo, cordero o incluso carne de vacuno en Wembley, lo más probable es que usted está comiendo carne 'halal', sacrificada en honor a Alá por un matarife musulmán, entonando 'Alahu Akbar' sobre ella.
Nuestro consejo es que si usted no recibe garantía del personal de catering de Wembley de que los alimentos a la venta no son "halal", no los coma. Y le explicamos por qué.
Lea más en el interior ...
Qué hacer:
Reclama ahora al personal de catering del estadio de Wembley y luego también a la siguiente dirección: Director Gerente, Mr. Roger Maslin, Wembley Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 0WS. Teléfono: +44 20 8795 9000.
Correo electrónico: roger.maslin@wembleystadium.com
Vea nuestros videos "halal" con toda esta información en www.youtube.com, canal: christianvoiceuk
Visita: http://.christianvoiceuk.blogspot.com/
y http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/
Teléfono / txt: +44 7931 490050 / +44 1994 484544
Correo electrónico: info@christianvoice.org.uk
Primavera de 2011
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