With the recent news of the UAE normalizing ties with Israel and the signing of the Abraham Accord between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, one thing we continue to hear a lot about is the two-state solution. On the day of the signing itself Bahrain’s foreign minister marked the occasion as a “first step” towards peace but touted the two-state solution as the “bedrock” or foundation for any chances of lasting peace stating, “A just, comprehensive and enduring two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be the foundation – the bedrock – of such peace”.
Meanwhile at the UN, the king of Bahrain – King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa – and the king of Jordan – King Abdullah II – called for a two-state solution in order to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. With all this news, what’s the majority response from the Christian community (that I’m at least seeing)? That this is all a great thing for Israel and that mention of a two-state solution is merely simple lip service to the Palestinians in an effort to appease them.
Meaning, that many Christians truly believe that the current talk of a two-state solution in reference to President Trump’s Deal of the Century Middle East Peace Plan and the latest peace/normalization agreements with Arab nations are words strategically being used and is not actually being worked towards. I beg to differ. It very much seems to me that Israel is being led down the road of a two-state solution whether they themselves believe so.
Even the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, France, and Germany (who also met with the Jordanian King) urged for talks to resume between Israel and the Palestinians for the same reason. If you still believe this is only being used as lip service, you may want to think again.
During the meeting between the ministers it was stressed that “under the deal with Abu Dhabi, the Jewish state pledged to suspend its planned annexation of lands in the West Bank. ‘This suspension should become permanent,’ the ministers said Thursday, stressing the ‘importance’ of the UAE and Bahrain deals”.
Did you catch that? Do you see where this could be headed? I noted my original misgivings concerning the normalization between the UAE and Israel due to the annexation suspension (here).
Although Netanyahu and much of the Christian world played it down as truly being temporary, at the time, it seemed obvious to me that the idea of having it become a permanent reality was feasible. And now we’re seeing this thought process slowly come out. It should also be noted that both the UAE and Bahrain made peace with Israel (at least partly) to halt annexation.
The UAE itself still insists “on a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the pre-1967 lines in spite of the peace deal it signed with Israel earlier this month”. Jared Kushner himself is on record stating that Trump’s peace plan is an effort to “save the two-state solution” and that Israel was “eating up the land”, “What we did with our plan was we were trying to save the two-state solution, because… if we kept going with the status quo… ultimately, Israel would have eaten up all the land in the West Bank”.
You mean eating up land that originally belongs to Israel? Knowing all of this, I’m not sure how we can still look at these facts honestly and continue thinking to ourselves that nothing more is going on here or that other nations don’t have their own agenda. Unfortunately, it seems that even many Israelis “want negotiations with the Palestinians based on two-states” which caught me by surprise.
Bahrain king calls for ‘intensified efforts’ to implement two-state solution
From the Times of Israel: Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa on Thursday hailed his decision to normalize relations with Israel but also called for the establishment of a Palestinian state based on previous peace plans.
“From of our keenness to preserve the security and stability of the region, and as an embodiment of our resolute approach to openness and coexistence with all, we have announced the establishment of relations with the State of Israel, sending a civilized message affirming that our hand is extended for a just and comprehensive peace, as it is the best guarantee for the future of all peoples of the region,” he declared in a taped speech screened to UN delegates in New York.
The monarch welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ “courageous” decision to establish full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state “in exchange for stopping Israel’s annexation of the Palestinian lands.” With this step, Abu Dhabi has “enhanced opportunities for peace, reduced tensions, and given the people of the region a new era of understanding, rapprochement and peaceful coexistence, while preserving its firm position on the Palestinian issue.”
The UAE signed a full peace treaty with Israel at the White House on September 15. At the same Abraham Accords ceremony at the White House, Bahrain, a tiny island nation close to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, signed a Declaration of Peace with Israel that provides for the two countries to establish full diplomatic relations. Bahrain calls for “intensified efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the two-state solution,” King Hamad went on in his UN address.
“We consider this a cornerstone for achieving a just and comprehensive peace leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, in order enter a new stage of work in which we extend bridges of good neighborly relations to build and develop the common interests of the countries of the region.” Read More
Prophetic Implications
Why should we care if a two-state solution is mentioned? Why should we as believers be against any attempt to divide God’s land via a two-state solution or any other type of deal or initiative? Simple. It’s because Jesus himself will judge the nations at his return and one of the reasons given for that is because they divided God’s land. We see this fact expressed clearly to us in Joel 3:2
For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. (Joel 3:1-3)
This event (known as the judgment of the goat and sheep nations) is later elaborated on by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. I go into further depth on what this judgment entails in my article A Rapture Study: Rapture vs Second Coming II. When we understand that God is against the division of his land, we should also be against the very same thing. To be clear, I’m not stating these peace agreements include a two-state solution nor am I stating that a two-state solution is what ultimately divides Israel.
What I’m trying to show is the general thought process that is going into these deals. I firmly believe it’s something to look out for. What I commonly hear as part of this discussion is that Israel doesn’t have all of their land yet anyways. This is true because Israel will get all of the land promised to them in the millennial reign of Christ. However, God forbid we use this as an excuse to grow comfortable with the idea of God’s land being divided in any way! Ultimately, we can see that even this is setting the stage prophetically and that should tell us how close our redemption is!
Sources
- UAE: Palestinian state at ’67 lines a must despite peace deal with Israel (September 29th, 2020) – The Jerusalem Post
- Bahrain king calls for ‘intensified efforts’ to implement two-state solution (September 24th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Bahrain to UNGA: Peace with Israel was in exchange for halting annexation (September 24th, 2020) – The Jerusalem Post
- Jordan, Egypt and EU urge renewal of Israel-Palestinian peace talks (September 24th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Israelis want two-state negotiations, prefer next deal with Arab state (September 23rd, 2020) – The Jerusalem Post
- At UN, Jordan’s king calls for two-state solution (September 22nd, 2020) – The Times of Israel (Live Update)
- Full text: Bahrain foreign minister’s speech at Abraham Accords signing ceremony (September 15th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Kushner: Our plan is bid to save 2-state solution; Israel was eating up the land (September 10th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
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