Israeli official uses Bible to claim right to land

Israel's top diplomat recently used the authority of the Bible to incite other Israeli diplomats to stand by Israel's claim to its land.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely stressed that the officials should never apologize when explaining to other nations that it has a moral right to the Holy Land — including the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).

The Likud Party's Hotovely, who serves under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made Israel's prescribed stance on the issue quite clear last week before other members of the nation's foreign ministry.

"Of course the world understands Israel's security needs, but arguments of ethics and justice will trump security arguments," the foreign minister emphasized, the Times of Israel reported.

Hotovely reportedly also appealed to an acclaimed Bible scholar from centuries ago to prove her point and instill a new boldness in her colleagues when discussing Israel's claim to its highly contested land in the Middle East.

"During her presentation, Hotovely quoted analysis by the famous 11th-century biblical commentator Rashi, who wrote that the Torah begins with a description of the creation of the world," TheBlaze reports. "If Jews were accused of stealing the land of Israel, they could explain that the entire world belongs to God, who gave the land of Israel to the Jews."

Israel's top diplomat used Rashi's ages-old argument to show her fellow Israelis that the land of Israel was given to them by God and did not bestow it upon them to give away.

"Rashi says the Torah opens with the story of the creation of the world so that if the nations of the world come and tell you that you are occupiers, you must respond that all of the land belonged to the creator of world and when he wanted to, he took from them and gave to us," Hotovely expressed, according to Israel's daily, Haaretz.

Stand up for God and country

Hotovely contended that Israel should boldly assert its claim, no matter how unpopular or politically incorrect its stance on the issue is deemed by the world.

"It is important to say that this land is ours, all of it is ours," Hotovely emphasized, the conservative Arutz Sheva news service reports. "We didn't come here to apologize for this."

Apparently, Hotovely's unabashed approach to Israel's new foreign policy surprised her colleagues. "[Israeli diplomats] noted that her remarks raised eyebrows among many in the audience," Haaretz reported.

In fact, it was noted that Hotovely has ushered in a new phase of Israel's foreign relations, using the Bible, Torah and scholars on Scripture to justify Israel's position in the Middle East.

"People were in shock," a diplomat indicated to Haaretz. "It's the first time they have asked us to use a Torah commentary for purposes of public diplomacy around the world."

Give back what's rightfully ours

Hotovely's revolutionary handling of Israel's border situation departed from its conventional approach even more when she talked about Israel's millennia-old interest in the West Bank.

"Israeli government officials frequently cite the security hazards of handing the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority, because it would establish what have been described as indefensible borders," TheBlaze stated. "More rarely heard from secular, left-wing politicians is the historical connection of Jews to Judean cities, such as Hebron, as described in the Bible."

Hotovely said it is time to put an end to making concessions to the Palestinians and the world when it comes to Israel's property rights. "We sought to present arguments that would play well diplomatically, but currently, it's important to be right," Israel's chief diplomat argued. "We need to get back to the basic truth of our right to this land."

While Netanyahu has yet to assign a foreign minister — a role he assumes until he appoints a new one — Hotovely continues to head up Israel's foreign ministry.

Not supportive of Netanyahu's two-state solution, Hotovely still pledged that she would not fail to express his take on the issue.

With escalating anti-Semitism and pro-Palestinian sentiments abounding, a great majority of nations — including the United States, which was Israel's strongest ally before the Obama administration — is pushing Israel to cede in the near future the lands it captured in the Six Day War of 1967.

Dating back many years, Israel has been pressured by the United Nations and many nations around the globe to come to an alleged "peace accord" with the terrorist-run Palestinians. This agreement would call Israel to give the West Bank and half of Jerusalem to its militant neighbors led by the jihadist Hamas organization and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Under their care, Gaza militants launched a missile into Israel earlier this week.