In Abbas’ lengthy speech to the Palestinian Central Council, a decision-making body, he sharply escalated his rhetoric, saying “Shame on you” to President Trump for his treatment of Palestinians, in a speech that ABC News described as “rambling and invective-filled.” He pronounced the peace process dead, and accused Israel of killing it.
Reaching back to Israel’s founding, Abbas accused European leaders of attempting to gain a foothold in Palestinian regions through the movement of Jewish people to the area, in what he called “a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism.” He claimed Jewish immigrants were brought to Israel from countries they did not want to leave – including those occupied by Nazi German.
“The Jews did not want to emigrate … even during the Holocaust,” he claimed, according to The Times of Israel, which charged Abbas with “rewriting history” during Sunday’s speech.
A new report outlines the Palestinian Authority (PA) intentions, with the ultimate goal of redefining not only the future relations of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) with Israel and the United States, but also changing the status of the organization from a “transitional authority” to a “state under occupation.”
They will push to withdraw formal recognition of Israel and end the United States’ long-standing role as a mediator in the Mideast peace process. PLO leaders instead hope to pursue an “international formula” for achieving statehood, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a trip to India, reacted to Abbas’ remarks in a statement on Facebook. “The root of the conflict between us and the Palestinians is their continuous refusal to recognize the Jewish State,” he wrote.
Netanyahu went on to say he has worked for years to convey the truth that others have attempted to hide.
“The world has pampered the Palestinians, and not told them the truth,” he said. “For the first time, someone (President Trump) is telling them the truth.”
The PA was formed as an interim governing body under the 1993 Oslo Accords – signed by leaders at the time, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chief Yasser Arafat. The agreement was intended to be dissolved after no more than five years.
But 25 years later, the PLO is now threatening to do just that. In its view, this action would release the Palestinian people from political obligations outlined in its agreements with Israel.
What does it all really mean?
ABC News, in its analysis of Abbas’ speech, focused on his failures and frustrations: After 13 years as PA leader, he has made little progress toward his principal goal, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Abbas is unpopular with his own people, the news agency reported.
Additionally, many of the PA’s Arab allies have quietly moved closer to Israel or turned their attention to the growing threat of Iran. Abbas is perhaps most of all angered by President Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
This may just be the Palestinians’ attempt to better their negotiating position. But most observers don’t see any path to peace in the Middle East that does not include the United States.
Still, we who support Israel should take note of this new overtone of rage and desperation. We at Jewish Voice, as always, will monitor the situation and continue to bring you updates.
Meanwhile, I hope you’ll pray for the Jewish State during these times of turmoil – and certainly as we approach Israel’s 70th anniversary in May. It will be a happy celebration, even as we keep in mind the many challenges and threats facing the Jewish people.
We appreciate your love for Israel and for Jewish people throughout the world. Your gifts to this ministry help provide them humanitarian aid, and more importantly, the Good News with its message of eternal life and hope, found only in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
Jewish Voice's weeklong Medical Outreaches provide medical aid and spiritual care to thousands of people in poverty-stricken African Jewish communities. The only time many of these people will see a medical professional all year will be during our Outreach Clinics.
You could be a part of bringing critical medical care to these suffering people, as well as the life-changing Good News of Yeshua (Jesus), but only if you act now.
The deadline to get medical credentials for the April Outreach is approaching fast. We need to hear from you before Friday, January 25.
Not sure you want to join? Watch this short video to see how the Outreaches change lives.
Jewish Voice Ministries is happy to announce the fifth extraordinary volume in Jonathan Bernis’ Confessing the Hebrew Scripturesseries:
Adonai Roee – The Lord My Shepherd
A shepherd takes care of his flock.
He protects and meets the unique needs of his sheep.
God is our Good Shepherd. His love and provision are always available to us, and by faith we receive them.
Life is changing rapidly around us. The world is not the same as when we were young. We need God’s sure and comforting care to shepherd us through today’s challenges.
Do you want to expand your faith?
Faith comes by hearing.
Enlarge your faith to live in the promises God has given you. Receive strength and nurturing from key Scriptures conveying what the biblical concept of a shepherd means.
With The Lord My Shepherd, you’ll learn:
With the accompanying audio CD, you’ll easily pick up Hebrew pronunciation and quickly be able to confess the Hebrew Scriptures on your own.
Each Scripture is presented in English, Hebrew, the English transliteration, and audio form – making your progress quick and simple.
Stunning photographs accompany each Scripture. This book is truly lovely as well as an encouraging and practical tool for strengthening your faith.
Jewish Voice Ministries brings the Good News – the Gospel – of Yeshua (which is the Hebrew name of Jesus) to people whom are Jewish according to the flesh. That is, those who are descendants of Abraham through Isaac, whether through the blood line of the mother or father.
We help them understand that those who place their faith in Israel’s Messiah Yeshua will never disown or separate themselves from their Jewish identity or heritage. On the contrary, they remain sons and daughters of Israel.
Why reach the Jewish people with the Good News of Yeshua the Messiah? The Gospel is for everyone, but when it comes to sharing it, we have found that the Jewish people are one of the most neglected people groups.
Many Gentile Christians wrongly believe that the Jewish people have their own path to God and don’t need Jesus for salvation. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Not only do the Jewish people need the Messiah for salvation like everyone else, but Romans 1:16 tells us that the Gospel is to be preached “to the Jew first.”
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
Not all Jewish people reject Jesus as the Messiah. The truth is, many of them have no idea who He really is. We know that Christ is simply the Greek word for Messiah but sadly, when a Jewish person hears the name “Jesus Christ,” they think “the God of the Christians” rather than the Jewish Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Only about 10-15 percent of the Jewish community is orthodox and actively studies Scripture. The truth is, most Jewish people have never even read the Bible.
As we share with them key Messianic prophecies found in the Hebrew Scriptures – such as Isaiah 53 and Jeremiah 31:31-33 – we witness the miracle of Jewish people recognizing Yeshua as their Messiah. When the scales fall off their eyes, we hear many of them say, “Why didn’t anyone ever show me this before?”
We at Jewish Voice believe that the return of the Messiah is near. The Land of Israel and the City of Jerusalem have been returned to the Jewish people, and God continues to gather His people back to the Land from the four corners of the Earth. These are all signs given to us in prophecy that signal the onset of the Last Days. On top of these things, Jewish people are coming to faith in Jesus in increasing numbers. Right before our eyes, we are seeing End Time Prophecy being fulfilled in our own day.
It is Jewish Voice’s vision to take the Gospel “to the Jew first.” We focus our Medical Clinics in struggling and, in some cases, persecuted, Jewish communities in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and other locations. We focus our Festivals in worldwide city centers that have a large concentration of Jewish people. We give aid to and share the Good News with any who come to us, but it is the Jewish communities we’ve identified that draw us to each of our locations.
It is truly exciting to be a part of introducing God’s Chosen People to their Messiah, Yeshua! You can be a part of this exciting move of God by joining us on one (or more!) of our Outreaches, where we share the love and hope of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) “to the Jew first.”
In this inspirational DVD, filmed on location in Jerusalem in the Upper Room, Rabbi Jonathan Bernis teaches us how to observe the rich traditions of the Passover Seder — just as Yeshua (Jesus) did with His disciples over 2,000 years ago, known as the Last Supper.
