THE ROAD MAP TO NOWHERE

April 2007 article by David Sanders

What on earth has happened to The Middle East Road Map? Has it faltered? Have President Bush and Prime Minister Blair forgotten all about it? Just as it appears very quiet on this front, Mr Bush sends his Secretary of State, Condoleza Rice, to see Mr Abbas of the Palestinians and Mr Olmert the Israeli Prime Minister. Abbas can’t deliver on the first phase of the road map with the dismantling of terrorist groups, Olmert can’t deliver on the pursuing of a Palestinian state. Both of them have a problem, not just in trusting each other but with the people they represent. Former Secretary of State James Baker talked about “land for peace”, Yasser Arafat spoke of the “peace of the brave”, Shimon Peres coined the words “New Middle East”. It’s all words putting on a brave face, a bit of spin here and there.

It is now more than 3 years after the announcement of this roadmap and nothing seems to be happening fast. Condoleza Rice however after a whistle top tour said she was not bringing a new initiative because the old one is good enough. She later said “My discussions we hope, will lead to further work on a political horizon …. that would lead ultimately to the establishment of a Palestinian state. This for the world at large would be the answer to the Middle East problem, and the culmination of their peace initiatives.

This is the world’s thinking and not how God thinks. What does God say? The book of Leviticus tells us: The land shall not be sold for ever for the land is mine; for ye (Israel) are strangers and sojourners with me. Even the prophet Joel talking of the last days tells us that God will also gather all nations … will enter into judgement with them for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the nations and parted my land.

These verses along with many others tell us that the land belongs to God, Israel are strangers and custodians of the land. The Jewish people have learned from the past that you cannot treat God’s Land with disdain and get away with it. The nations will also learn such lessons if they believe that they can divide God’s Land for the sake of “peace”. Since 1916 there have been 14 partition plans put forward. How many more have to be realised before there is a solution? Surely if it hasn’t been resolved over the last 90 years, what chance is there of solving it now?

Man isn’t going to sort out this problem which started some 4000 years ago with Abraham and his 2 sons Isaac and Ishmael.

God has the solution, for He is about to send His only begotten Son back to this earth to set up the Kingdom of God where the Lord Jesus Christ will sit upon the throne of his father King David in Jerusalem . This has been promised by God, along with many other promises to which we can be included if we are prepared to follow the Lord Jesus. If you wish to know more about these promises and God’s road map for peace, visit this web site for details of our Sunday evening talks.