To: Senator John Thune
From: Paul B. Cohen
Rapid City, SD
May 23, 2024
Re: Trip to Israel
Greetings Senator Thune,
A couple months ago, before a six week sojourn in Israel ending on May 6th, I met with Phil Rokus in your Rapid City office to discuss my upcoming trip and the letters I had previously written to your office regarding the US/Israel situation.
Phil was both knowledgeable and helpful. I notified him of the upcoming report I’m now submitting to you, written in the hope it will help you serve our country in this momentous, critical time. (Your May 9th statement regarding the Biden administration’s devious backpedaling on armament commitments to Israel was clear and strong.)
Some people say that we, the United States, should provide no financial support to the Israeli military. This reminds me of the saying, “I know how to make an omelet out of eggs, but I don’t know how to make eggs out of an omelet.” We already have many commitments and moving parts in the Middle East that have wide-ranging ramifications, so withdrawing is easier said than done and not necessarily wise.
No doubt you know all this very well and more. What I want to provide in this report are valuable insights that don’t come through your normal sources in the government, but come from a unique perspective given to me by the God of Israel over many decades.
My first visit to Israel for 3 months came shortly after I was called by our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, at His initiative and will, in 1978. I lived in Israel for 14 months several decades later, in 2017-2018, and returned for a follow up visit in 2019. What I’m relating now of my recent visit is in context of all that went before.
Israel is a divided country. While there’s a multiplicity of viewpoints, there are essentially two sides vehemently opposed with no apparent basis for moving forward constructively. Externally, these appear as “left” and “right,” – the left being primarily secular and the right, religious. But this is only a generalization that obscures the reality of a sifting process that ultimately ends in two camps – one for what is true, right, and good in the sight of God and one that opposes God, determining good and evil by their own corrupt minds.
In Israel, there are weekly “leftist” protests in the major cities, ostensibly calling on the government to “Bring Them [the hostages] Home Now,” but realistically it’s a campaign to unseat the Netanyahu coalition. These protests sow discord in a populace that’s almost universally aligned with Israel’s war aims. The protesters weaken the effort of the critical mission of defeating Hamas while strengthening the hand of this lethal enemy that only needs to survive to emerge victorious.
The US has been a potent deleterious influence by supporting the ill-informed and misguided, if not malicious actors involved in these protests. Through its repeated attempts to malign and destabilize the Netanyahu coalition by mischaracterizing its prosecution of the war and vilifying those in its ranks, the US stands on the side of Islamic jihad.
An example of the effect of this crippling activity: The huge sign I saw hung over Begin Boulevard in Tel Aviv: “Tony Blinken: We Trust You – Women Waging Peace”.
Blinken and the Biden administration are sabotaging Israel’s prospects for peace by giving credibility and impetus to this kind of seditious protest movement that distracts from and weakens the necessary war campaign to destroy Hamas and demilitarize Gaza. These “peace” activists strengthen the hand of Hamas to resist releasing the hostages, the very thing this misnamed group claims as its goal.
The only way to move Hamas to release the hostages it to apply extreme pressure on Gaza. The US stalwartly opposes doing this and thereby propels the efforts of misguided women to unseat the leader of their country and its war effort.
I met the American parents of one of the American Israelis being held hostage, a young man named Omer Neutra, who was serving in a tank battalion near the Gaza border on October 7th.
How can America help with a possible release or rescue of this young man? Is it not by completely removing pressure on the Israeli government? And then applying maximum pressure through the various means available (of which there are several) on Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, Fatah, Iran, and every hostile entity using this predicament to weaken Israel and the US?
What can you say about this situation and how it can be turned around? What is the course of action now being taken to right the ship of state?
The general divisiveness in the US on the political scene has been brought to a fever pitch with the Israeli war with Hamas, Iran and its proxies. Israel is the center of the world’s attention for one prominent reason: it is ground zero for God’s work of redemption of the world. And the world, in it’s enmity with God, resists His solution and expression of sovereign control in the restoration and reconciliation of His historical people, the Jews.
Satan is here to oppose this work of God, sorting out who is on who’s side. There’s no solution without recognizing the reality of this spiritual warfare as the underlying issue.
If we know the Truth that others can’t and don’t see, it won’t serve well to go on ignoring that of which they’re ignorant. We are much more responsible for the evil that ensues if we don’t act and speak as we have been given sight from Above.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
I see great evil unleashed against Israel, a worldwide phenomenon unlike anything ever before. This isn’t “business as usual.” This is an extraordinary blow-off of pent-up lawlessness and hatred that must be countered and defeated by an extraordinary power and means. This power can only come from Above, and calls for utter reliance on and adherence to God Almighty in all that He stands for and requires.
If He is raising you up at this time, you will know what to do as you heed His call. I for one will pray for your wisdom and steadfastness in fulfilling your commission.
In the worldwide clash of good and evil, of which Israel is a central focus, there’s a momentous internal battle coming to the fore in Israel, one that has been simmering for decades but has yet to be waged decisively. The matter to be decided: Will the children of the Pharisees continue to spiritually rule from their illegitimate religious throne, enforcing a false and antichrist Judaism on the populace, or will the religiously-disenfranchised Israelis overthrow this tyranny?
I saw this religious divide in play in Israel pertaining to the Temple Mount. There are religious Israelis whose hearts are set on rebuilding the “Third Temple.” These are animated by a fervor that is irrational and irresistible. They are equally opposed by the immovable object of Muslims overseeing the Temple Mount with their religious cohorts throughout the world.
But the Temple enthusiasts planning to implement their dream of rebuilding are also opposed by fellow Israelis who don’t have the same desire and oppose going to war with the Islamic world over something they see as unnecessary and which is, for many, repugnant. They don’t want the orthodox religious controlling the steering wheel of the country, subjugating the rest of the population to their man-made laws and mandates that lead to a senseless “holy” war.
As one Israeli friend, born and raised in an orthodox village but now non-practicing, said to me: “Unlike the Temples before, God isn’t telling them to build another Temple.”
He’s right. And there is one issue, of which I have personal knowledge and experience, that must be faced in order to resolve, not only the matter of the “Third Temple,” but of the fate and salvation of Israel being enacted by God. This issue is the denial of citizenship under the Law of Return to Jews who believe in Yeshua HaMashiach, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I’ve surprised and even shocked some Israelis when I tell them this denial was enforced against me in 2018. They don’t know the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in 1989 that a Jew who believes in Jesus is now another “religion” and therefore doesn’t qualify to be a citizen of Israel. They’re shocked because they don’t believe this is right.
They’re correct; it isn’t.
The original charter and approval of Statehood for Israel by the UN was based on being a home to the children of Abraham through Jacob, by definition a race of people considered Jews and by the world at large.
As for the religious aspect, there’s no standard among religious Jews by which to judge who is “kosher,” to say nothing of the many who are non-practicing or atheists.
Israel cannot afford to continue refusing Jews who believe in Messiah Yeshua. In so doing they slam the door in the Face of their God, Who has been gracious in their return. The religious who spearhead this action against believers in Christ are perpetuating what they’ve called the “baseless hatred” among brethren that led to the destruction of the Second Temple and diaspora that followed. It’s exactly what they did to their physical brethren, Yeshua and His disciples, whom they persecuted to death.
What has been sown, has been reaped. Israel is in the terrible position of being blamed for things of which it is innocent by the ones guilty of those very crimes because that’s exactly how it went down with Yeshua. Israel blamed the innocent, persecuted Him, and shed innocent blood of the sinless Lamb of God and His followers. And this had to be – for the world’s sake and Israel’s ultimately. Now is the time for recognition of this sin and repentance by God’s grace.
God restored Israel in unbelief, with the spiritual Sanhedrin of old ruling over it in order to deal with their baseless hatred against the One Who laid down His life for them. This isn’t the Catholic Church or any other coming against the Jews with condemnation and the heavy hand of forced compliance. This is the prescriptive truth that sets free and will bring peace, within and without.
And this peace isn’t only for Israel. This is the key to peace for whole world. When the Prince of Peace is at home in Israel, there is nothing He won’t do for them and humanity.
“For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15).
So it is recorded in the Tanakh:
“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us his ways and that we may walk in His paths.’
“For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
“O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isa 2:1-5).
The house of the Lord is a people, the believers in Christ, Jew and Gentile, who walk by faith in His Spirit – a house built without hands, which overcomes and fills the whole earth.
“The God Who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands…”(Act 17:24).
“As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35).
As a friend of God, it’s time as an American public servant to press Israel on reversing the matter of rejecting Jews who believe in Messiah Yeshua. Israel shouldn’t be ignorant of the fact that their country wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the actions of God-fearing Christians who received the revelation and understanding that it was His will to bring the Jews back into their land as promised millennia ago. These Christian “Zionists,” acted contrary to the advice and “common sense” of the carnal man (i.e. US State Department). Now what was begun in faith must be finished by faith.
Due to the present blindness God has imposed on Israel, they’re unable to effectively counter the spiritual underpinnings of the war against them and humanity waged by Islam. Islam makes dual false claims that annul both the Old and New Testaments, the foundation of all that is good in our world. Jews of the Spirit can readily deal with these pernicious Islamic falsehoods. When these lies of Muhammad are exposed and addressed by a love of the Truth, then the Arabs and other peoples taken captive by this lethal virus can be freed from the unquenchable hatred and illicit claim to superiority that animates their jihad for world domination.
There will be no peace without a national change of heart in Israel towards their God and Messiah. And this begins with admitting Him into Israel through Jews professing His Name.
Let it be noted that Jews who believe in Jesus are among the most vocal defenders of Israel and are thereby targets of the violent antisemitism surging around the world.
What I saw and heard on this trip, from Jews and Arabs, is that the Muslims are a ticking time bomb, particularly in Judea and Samaria. Giving the Muslims a state in this land, which they have proven to be incapable of living in peaceably with Israel, will only make matters far, far worse.
In Jerusalem, for example, I saw many Arabs coming into the predominately Jewish western part of the city, but the Jews don’t go to the eastern part, which the Palestinian Authority insists on having as their capitol. It is unsafe and they are unwelcome. How can another Arab state be placed in the heart of Israel, even within its Capitol? It will be Hamas all over again with Israel in a much more dangerous position, and the Israelis know this.
There’s no way Judea and Samaria can be a separate country run under the auspices of Arab Muslims, who are the real proponents of apartheid as demonstrated in all the Arab countries that expelled Jews after expropriating their property following the advent of the State of Israel.
And it’s not only Jews driven out. The same has been happening with Christians. Certainly you know these things, Senator, but I relate what I saw, heard, and felt – the enmity is palpable and cannot be ignored or “agreed” away.
All of what is called the “West Bank” should have been annexed after the ’67 war, which is the way it normally works when countries suffer unprovoked attacks from an adjacent territory (“Palestinian” Jordan never granted national status to Arabs in Judea and Samaria) and countries.
The “Two-State Solution” has never been anything other than a type of Trojan horse strategy to eliminate Israel and establish Muslim control over all the land. This “final solution” can never be tolerated, much less proposed and supported by friends of God.
Israel for now must fight Islamic jihad with the present weapons at its disposal and those who oppose this battling, like Joe Biden and Barack Obama, are enemies of humanity who bring destruction on the heads of everyone – especially the Arabs. The numbers of Arabs killed from Islamic strife dwarfs whatever Israel has inflicted on them during its campaign of self-defense over the past 76 years. None of this would have happened had the Arabs accepted the benevolent rule of Israel that replaced the British and Ottoman colonizers.
Hamas must be put away along with the notion that its evil and barbaric attacks and strategies will be rewarded with positive incentives such as the granting of sovereignty to them and their supporters. Otherwise, every other Islamic and lawless renegade outfit in the world takes note and is emboldened to follow suit. Anarchy and mayhem on a scale not seen, without and within the US, will ensue. It’s already happening.
A bit more about my encounters:
One of the Israelis I met with, Dror Avisar, a University department head and veteran of 3 years combat in Lebanon during the early 80’s war with the PLO and now having a son serving in Gaza, said the following to me about Americans protesting Israel’s war against Hamas: “I would like just one bomb to fall in their neighborhood, just one. Then see how they react.”
He wasn’t speaking out of embitterment. It was an expression of bemused frustration at how out of touch the world is with what is actually going on in Israel.
Dror also told me that October 7th fundamentally changed him and his outlook on the future. He and his friends all have a new sadness and concern. They are strong, yet the way forward is clouded for them.
Gili Levin, another scientist, business owner, and veteran from an elite combat unit, was also at this meeting. He can’t even talk about politics or matters of state, so useless and unreasonable it all seems.
I spent a day with Amichai Carnebach, co-owner of the organic market farm I lived and volunteered on for most of 2018. He is also a changed man. He was called up as a reservist on October 7th, and went into Gaza with the Sayeret Matkal as a tracker, serving ever since in that capacity. He was finishing wounded leave when I visited with him.
He told me that he doesn’t know who to trust or believe. I saw the change in his demeanor from the apparent uncertainty of it all and lack of vision. It would have been darker yet if not for his joy interacting with this three young children.
I met with Ron and Alana Keidar, owners of an innovative water business, who had relocated to Netanya in what should be a temporary living and office arrangement after vacating their home in the north because of Hezbollah bombings. They still pay rent on the office in the north, not to mention all the other costs and inconveniences resulting from the aggression from a neighboring country that allows a hostile army to sit on Israel’s border contrary to a UN mandate.
Israelis just do what they have to and soldier on, as always. No other countries talk about the costs to Israel from all the unprovoked aggression. The talk is about feeding and protecting Israel’s enemies who want to genocide Israel. That’s where things are at in our insane world and the sane know it.
Israel contributes much to the welfare of the world – all have benefited from their innovations in many fields. I worked for a South Dakota company, B9 Creations, that had two of our top 3D printers in an Israeli company developing novel human tissue replacements from the tobacco plant. One of their Israeli scientists who visited us is now serving in the army. Many in Israel must stop their work to fight those committed to the destruction of not only Israel, but the Western world that has been the fount of many advancements making life better for everyone.
Yet this same Western world has many within it supporting those calling for Israel to disappear “from the river to the sea.” What will the world be like if Israel is replaced by another Syria, Iraq, Lebanon or Egypt? The replacement was never meant to stop there, either. The US will not escape the consequences of continuing to side with the evil forces of Islam and its coalition of UN degenerates seeking to destroy Israel, though God will save Israel.
I also met with Moshe Feiglin, who served in the Knesset several years ago and still has ambitions to become the Prime Minister of Israel. He said that Israel, in recent years, has traded the British Mandate for the American Mandate and is no longer a sovereign country. He has a point, to a point. I will be writing to him, God willing, and will see to it that you get a copy of that letter, along with a few others.
Paul Cohen