Palestinians ask the Vatican to push Jerusalem position

Mahmoud Abbas and Pope Francis

The Catholic News Agency reported the following:

The Palestinian Foreign Affairs minister, Ryadh al Maliki, met officials of the Vatican Secretariat of State Feb. 16, asking the Holy See to amplify its voice defending the status quo in Jerusalem.

“It is important to understand that the situation of Jerusalem also deals with Christians,” the minister told CNA after the meeting, during a short briefing with journalists in the State of Palestine’s recently opened embassy to the Holy See.

“We would like the Holy See lead a conference of Christians in the Middle East, in order to make their voice stronger.”

Minister al Maliki met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and then with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican “minister for foreign affairs.

Al Maliki reported that the meetings “shed light on the implication of President Trump’s decision to ‘award’ Jerusalem as capital of Israel, with the decision to transfer the US Embassy to Israel to the city.”

Trump’s decision, al Maliki said, “had the effect of connecting the city with only the Jewish world, setting aside the city’s connections with Christian and Muslims.”

This “also jeopardizes the negotiations,” concerning peace between Israel and Palestine, “because the issue of the status of Jerusalem was put off the table,” he said.

Al Maliki maintained that Palestine “wants to keep the conflict a a political level,” while Trump’s decision brings the issue to “a religious level.” He said the status of the city is relevant to all religions which “recognize themselves in the city of Jerusalem.”

According to al Maliki, the Holy See expressed concern during the talks, and both parties agreed that the status quo of Jerusalem should be respected, and that the future of Jerusalem “must be negotiated and not imposed.”

The Holy See has made several recent statements regarding Jerusalem: Pope Francis made his latest appeal to respect the status quo in Jerusalem at the end of his Dec. 6, 2017 general audience. 02/16/18 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/palestine-asks-vatican-to-defend-jerusalems-status-quo-27887

Notice also the following:

February 17, 2018

United Nations: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will denounce President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to occupied Jerusalem before a gathering at the United Nations this week. …

He’s pressing anew for nations to recognise a Palestinian state, and he’s vowing to preemptively reject a promised peace proposal from the Trump administration amid concern it would dash hopes for a two-state solution.

The aim is to isolate the Trump administration, said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN. …

Abbas “wants to internationalise the peace process,” said Robert Danin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former State Department official. http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/palestine/abbas-will-have-to-contend-with-haley-at-un-1.2174921

Pope Francis denounced the U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He recently met in Rome with Erdogan, an Islamic extremist who covertly supported ISIS before turning his back on the terrorist group. Top on their agenda, according to news reports, was the future status of Jerusalem.

Is the Vatican becoming part of a new axis of anti-U.S., anti-Israel and anti-liberty evil in the world? http://www.wnd.com/2018/02/vatican-embraces-china-turkey-palestine-disses-u-s/#gEvaYkfPCQfdJuZ2.99

To address part of that last question, yes, the Vatican is becoming part of the developing anti-USA axis, an axis that will be anti-Israel and anti-liberty according to prophecies in Revelation 13 and Daniel 11.

The Vatican has an ecumenical and interfaith agenda that involves Islam. The Palestinians realize that, to a degree, and thus have expected the Vatican to help them.

As far as internationalizing the peace process that Mahmoud Abbas has called for, according to biblical prophecy, that will happen (Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

Jerusalem will be affected.

Some may be surprised to realize that the Jews were not the original inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Bible tells that King David had the city of the Jebusites, now called Jerusalem, taken over:

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

8 Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

9 Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. 10 So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. (2 Samuel 5:6-10)

Now after Zedekiah later rebelled, King Nebuchadnezzar’s forces took it over and destroyed it in the sixth century B.C.:

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. (Jeremiah 52:1-13, ESV)

So, the Jebusites were there before the Jews.

What may this have to do with the Palestinians?

Notice also the following:

The politicians Yasser Arafat and Faisal Husseini among others have claimed that Palestinian Arabs are descended from the Jebusites, in an attempt to argue that Palestinians have a historic claim to Jerusalem that precedes the Jewish one, similar to the more common Palestinian Arab claim that they are descended from the Canaanites. Thus, the 1978 Al-Mawsu’at Al-Filastinniya (Palestinian encyclopedia) asserted, “The Palestinians [are] the descendants of the Jebusites, who are of Arab origin”, and described Jerusalem as “an Arab city because its first builders were the Canaanite Jebusites, whose descendants are the Palestinians. (Jebusite. Wikipedia, accessed 12/12/17)

While many do not believe the above is accurate, consider also the following from the Bible:

15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations. (Genesis 10:15-20)

So, we do see a biblical connection between Jebusites and the various Canaanites–and that there was a tie to Gaza. Palestinians dominate Gaza.

There was also Melchizedek king of Salem (Genesis 14:18), to whom Abraham paid tithes to (Hebrews 7:2). Salem appears to be a reference to early Jerusalem. This is well before there were any Jews as Judah was the great-grandson of Abraham.

The Jews were certainly not the first peoples in Jerusalem.

Although Jerusalem became the capital of Judah, he Jews were basically pushed out of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. by the Assyrians. And from then, until its destruction in 70 A.D. and then again later in 135 A.D., Jerusalem was under the authority of Gentile governments. When the Jews were forced out in 135 A.D. and the city was renamed Aelia Capitolina.

So, obviously Jerusalem was NOT the capital of the Jews for 3000 years.

In 1517, the Turks gained control for 400 years.

The Turks surrendered Jerusalem to the Brits in 1917.

The current Jewish state formed in 1948 with part of Jerusalem. The next year, David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, said, “For the State of Israel there has always been and always will be one capital only — Jerusalem the Eternal. Thus it was 3,000 years ago — and thus it will be, we believe, until the end of time.”

Israel got the rest of Jerusalem through the war in 1967.

Jesus says changes will happen:

24 … And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)

Notice also something from the Book of Revelation:

2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:2)

Anyway, the Jews are not Gentiles, but the Palestinians are.

God says that the Gentiles will gain Jerusalem.

Currently there already is a social division of Jerusalem–there are essentially four sections.

A political division is also likely, probably ultimately enforced by outside armies.

The Bible also shows that half of the city will be taken captive:

1 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:1-2)

The above seems to be saying that the Israeli or perhaps end time Palestinian half will be taken captive, but there will still be some, perhaps including Christians, in or near the city, just before Jesus comes.

If the above battle is before the Day of the Lord, this would seem to be a separation between the Jews and Palestinians. If the above battle is during the Day of the Lord, it could be a division between those who support the end time Beast power and those that do not.

But either way, Jerusalem is not prophesied to be the eternal capital of the state called Israel.

The Bible further shows that a ‘new Jerusalem’ will come down from heaven and that God will rule from it (Revelation 22).

The Palestinians will make gains in the area according to various scriptures (see also Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy). The Vatican may be involved in that.

The current world order is changing and will change further–the final time of the Gentiles is coming (Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:1-2; see also The Times of the Gentiles).

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