‘Arabs must acknowledge Jerusalem is holy to Jews’

December 20, 2017 — Israel National News reports: “Saudi researcher Abdelhameed Hakeem, General Manager of the Jeddah-based Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies, said recently that the Arabs must acknowledge that Jerusalem is ‘as holy to the Jews as Mecca and Medina are to the Muslims.’

Hakeem spoke on the Saudi-based Al-Hurra TV on December 15. The interview was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

‘We need to realize and acknowledge that Jerusalem constitutes a religious symbol for the Jews, and that it is as holy to them as Mecca and Medina are to the Muslims,’ he said, adding that ‘Arab mentality must be liberated from the heritage of political Islam – both Sunni and Shiite – which, for purely political reasons, have sown the seed of the culture of hatred towards the Jews, and of denial of their historic rights in the region.’

‘The Jews are an integral part of the history of this region, and Israel is the product of the Jews’ historic right in the region. If we meet with the Israeli negotiators, believing them to be partners to the history of this region – whether the leaders, the peoples, or the intellectual elites – this will facilitate matters and provide flexibility in the peace process,’ he continued.

‘We should learn from our history in order to be able to make the right decision. In the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arabs have missed many opportunities,’ said Hakeem…”  (“…when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever…And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” – II Samuel 7:12, 16.  “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,  Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations” – Psalms 89:3-4.  “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”—Luke 1:32, 33.  Jerusalem is the Eternal Capital of Israel, and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign from David’s Throne in Jerusalem for ever and ever.  See the next two reports.)

Saudi academic calls on Arabs to recognize Jewish connection to Jerusalem

December 18, 2017 — The Jerusalem Post reports: “A Saudi academic has voiced backing for US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and called on Arabs to recognize the city’s sanctity to Jews.

Abdulhameed Hakeem, head of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in Jedda, told US-based Alhurra television on Saturday that Trump’s move, which touched off protests across the Muslim world from Tunisia to Indonesia, constitutes a ‘positive shock’ to the peace process.

Hakeem added: ‘We as Arabs must come to an understanding with the other party and know what its demands are, so that we can succeed in peace negotiation efforts, so that negotiations not be futile. We must recognize and realize that Jerusalem is a religious symbol to Jews and sacred to them, as Mecca and Medina is to Muslims.’

Hakeem – who in a March article for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy stressed that Israel and Saudi Arabia face a common Nazi-like threat in Iran – said the ‘Arab mind must liberate itself from the legacy of [former Egyptian President] Gamal Abdul-Nasser and the legacy of both the Sunni and Shi’a sects, which has instilled for political interests the culture of Jew hatred and denial of their historic right in the region.’

The London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed website reported that Hakeem’s comments touched off an angry response on social media. One user, A. Elmhay, wrote, ‘The Zionizing Arabs are a greater danger than the Zionists themselves.’…”

Two more nations to move embassies to Jerusalem

December 26, 2017 — Israel National News reports: “Following an announcement Sunday by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales that his country has begun work to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the capital of Jerusalem, two more Latin American countries are poised to announce similar plans.

Since President Trump’s historic December 6th declaration formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city and announcing plans to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, several other countries have expressed interest in following suit.

A day after Trump’s announcement, Czech President Milos Zeman suggested his country might also relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.

‘[President] Trump’s decision makes me happy because when I visited Israel four years ago, I said that I would like to transfer the embassy, and that if that happens, we will be the first to do so,’ said the Czech president in a television interview.

While the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis later nixed the proposal, the Czech Republic joined with Hungary announced they recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and blocked attempts by the European Union to publish a joint statement of foreign ministers lambasting Trump’s December 6th declaration…”