To Whom Does the Land of Israel Belong?
By Hal Lindsey
In 2007, the powers that run this world aimed their big guns at Israel… and shot themselves in the foot.
That year, the UN General Assembly voted for something known as The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, often shortened to UNDRIP. One hundred forty-four countries voted in favor, 4 against, with 11 abstentions. The US voted against it during those Bush years, but under the Obama Administration formally endorsed it in 2010.
Many had hoped to use UNDRIP as a means of leveraging power for the Palestinians. They should have realized there was a problem with their plan when Israel voted for the resolution.
Why? Because the Jews are the indigenous people in the land of Israel. It goes back 3,500 years. UNDRIP specifically says that it cannot be used for the purpose of racial discrimination. If anyone says this doesn’t apply to Jews, they are violating the resolution’s provision against discrimination.
Over the years, a series of international treaties have confirmed the historical right of the Jews as the indigenous people of the land, including Judea and Samaria (known in the media as “the West Bank”). Michel Calvo is a lawyer specializing in international law. Last month for the Gatestone Institute, he wrote, “After the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), British Mandate for Palestine (1922), San Remo Resolution (1920), and Treaty of Sevres (1920) created international law, and recognized and re-established the historical indigenous rights of the Jews to their land.”
In 1922, the League of Nations recognized and affirmed “the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.” The UN Charter specifically forbids the United Nations from undoing international law and agreements written prior to the formation of the UN. Article 80 says, “Nothing in this Charter shall be construed in or of itself to alter in any manner the rights whatsoever of any states or any peoples or the terms of existing international instruments to which Members of the United Nations may respectively be parties.”
Calvo also says, “Recent UN General Assembly Resolutions stating that the settlement of Jews in Judea Samaria is contrary to international law are no more than recommendations and have never led to amendments of existing binding treaties. UN Security Council Resolutions, stating that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are illegal, are not binding. Only resolutions taken under Chapter VII of the UN Charter are binding on all UN member states.”
In recent years, Israel has been depicted in the media as a rogue state, flaunting international law by allowing Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. But that simply isn’t true. International law gives them clear rights to all of the land. They are willing to negotiate with Palestinians and give up part of that land. But it isn’t something required by international law. It is a possible political solution to an ongoing political problem.
Not everyone accepts the authority of the Bible. But those people can simply look to international law and see the rights of the Jews to the Holy Land.
For those who believe the Bible, this issue shouldn’t even be a question. God gave title deed to the Holy Land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He reaffirmed it again and again. In this case, there’s no conflict between international law and God’s law. If you say you believe the Bible, it should be obvious. God gave the Holy Land to the Jews forever!
