This may be a silly question to ask, but is Jerusalem in Israel, or is it in Palestine?
What language is considered the official language of Palestine? Is it Hebrew or Arabic?
What is the official currency in Palestine? Is it the Jordanian dinar, is it the Egyptian pound, or is it the Israeli Shekel? Currently, the Bank of Jordan, the Arab Bank, and the Cairo Amman Bank all dispense money in Jordanian dinars.
What about the legal system in Palestine? Is there a court system? If so, who governs it? The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) represents Palestinians on the international level, but locally, the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) oversees the citizens in Gaza and the West Bank. Fatah governs these areas.
I ask all this because trying to divide Jerusalem or to separate Jerusalem from Israel is a much more complicated topic than I believe many understand. Yet, many people, including the United Nations, wish to do this.
The Land of Palestine
Some social media users have posted claims that Yasser Arafat was the first person to ever refer to the land of Israel as Palestine. Those posts may be someone’s opinion, but what is the history behind Palestine? Are you aware that the word “Palestine” is not Arab or Middle Eastern in origin? It dates back almost 1,900 years when, in 135 A.D., the Roman Emperor Hadrian, out of spite because of a Jewish revolt, changed the name of a Roman province from Judea to Palestine. It came from the word Philistines, who were Israel’s enemies. So, out of spite, the Roman Emperor referred to the Israelite’s homeland as the land of their enemy. I guess some things never change!
When the Roman Emperor did this, those “Palestinians” of any ethnic or religious affiliation. The term Palestine did not describe any one ethnic or religious group. In fact, for decades, it was common for the international press to call those living in Palestine Jews, not Arabs.
CBS News
Now 76 years removed from 1948, the year Israel was recognized as a state, the term Palestine is once again causing a stir. The New York Post recently reported that a CBS News executive, the network’s senior director of standards and practices, emailed all CBS employees telling them ‘Do not refer to Jerusalem as being in Israel.” The Post reported the email reminded all CBS News employees to “be careful with some terms when we talk or write about the news from Israel and Gaza.”
It is being reported that this note sent to thousands of journalists at the network said: “Yes, the U.S. embassy is there, and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital. But its status is disputed. The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel regards Jerusalem as its ‘eternal and undivided’ capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem—occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war—as the capital of a future state.”
Declining to refer to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is one thing but denying that it is in Israel is crazy. Jerusalem is where the Israeli Knesset—its Parliament—is located. Jerusalem is where Israel’s prime minister lives. Jerusalem is where Israel’s President lives. This would be like saying Washington, D.C. is not in the United States. It makes no sense.
The 104th Congress of the United States of America
And this is not just a matter of opinion. On October 23, 1995, the 104th Congress of the United States of America passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. The Senate, by a vote of 93-5 in favor of and the U.S. House, by a vote of 374-37, in favor of, adopted S.1322—the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Here is the official record from the Congress.gov website:
S.1322 – the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995
Public Law – 104th Congress
An act to provide for the relocation of the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.
SECTION 1: This Act may be cited as the “Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995.”
SECTION 2: FINDINGS. The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Each sovereign nation, under international law and custom, may designate its own capital.
(2) Since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital of the State of Israel.
(3) The city of Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s President, Parliament, and Supreme Court and the site of numerous government ministries and social and cultural institutions.
(4) The city of Jerusalem is the spiritual center of Judaism and is also considered a holy city by the members of other religious faiths.
(5) From 1948–1967, Jerusalem was a divided city, and Israeli citizens of all faiths, as well as Jewish citizens of all states, were denied access to holy sites in the area controlled by Jordan.
(6) In 1967, the city of Jerusalem was reunited during the conflict known as the Six Day War.
(7) Since 1967, Jerusalem has been a united city administered by Israel, and persons of all religious faiths have been guaranteed full access to holy sites within the city.
Act S.1322 states that Jerusalem should remain a united city, be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel, and have the U.S. Embassy moved there from Tel Aviv no later than May 31, 1999.
The Act was passed on October 23, 1995, and became law on November 8, 1995. The measure includes a stipulation allowing the President to issue a waiver every six months to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv if he determines and reports to Congress that such a move is necessary to protect the United States national security interests. President Barack Obama issued his final waiver preventing the move during his administration on December 1, 2016.
Presidential Proclamation – Federal Register Vol. 82, No. 236
A Presidential Proclamation was issued on December 6, 2017, recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel and acknowledging the relocating of the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This proclamation was issued by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. This Presidential document can be found on the Federal Register.
Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel
We have the 104th Congress of the United States recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the 45th President of the United States recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and more importantly, the God of creation recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But now, apparently, a major U.S. network, wanting to inform the American audience, is telling its staff not to refer to Jerusalem as being in Israel.
I must wonder at what point will God say, “Enough!” No one knows the day or the hour, nor should anyone try to put a date on acts of God. I understand God is patient, and I understand He is sovereign, and nothing happens without His hand of approval. But I also know that the day will come when God says, “Enough!”
People need to decide which side you want to be on. It’s to the point that America is becoming as ungodly as any pagan nation from days gone by. God is very clear in His word how He has responded and how He will respond to nations that abuse and neglect the apple of His eye—Israel.
I have said for a while that America has reached the point of no return. I say that as a nation, I still believe there is hope for individuals. But now you have a major television network proclaiming they will no longer recognize Jerusalem as being part of Israel. I’m afraid to ask what’s next.
