Tipping Point Quick Hits (12.14.23)

The UN turns against Israel, a new AI "species" and clashes with China

The United Nations Has Turned Against Israel

Last week, a non-binding resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was brought to the United Nations. The resolution failed after the U.S. vetoed it. Then, Tuesday, another resolution was introduced, and the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to demand a “humanitarian cease-fire” in Gaza.

Only 10 members of the 193-member body voted against the cease-fire: Israel and the United States, along with Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.

We are headed toward the world described in Zechariah 12, which describes Jerusalem as a “heavy stone” that drags down and damages every nation on the planet.

I am glad that the United States has, so far, been swimming against the tide, supporting Israel as the rest of the world turns against her. Honestly, I have been surprised by President Joe Biden’s very outspoken and steadfast support of Israel in the weeks since the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas. His advocacy hasn’t been perfect, but it has been encouraging.

Recent comments, however, seem to indicate that the Biden administration’s stance alongside Israel is beginning to soften. This is likely because of the growing death toll in Gaza and the gradual shift away from Israel that we saw in Tuesday’s U.N. vote. Separate from major public votes by that body, the United States quietly appears to be pressuring Israel to ease up in its response to the attacks.

On Tuesday, Biden told reporters that he had warned Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s bombing in Gaza was at risk of alienating the international community:

Speaking at a 2024 re-election campaign fundraiser in Washington, the US president ramped up pressure on Israel over any post-hostilities deal. He said the Israelis “can’t say no” to a Palestinian state, and urged Netanyahu not to repeat the mistakes made by the US after 9/11…

Israel “has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them, but they’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”

At that fundraiser, Biden also indicated that he still believed a two-state solution was a future reality for Israel. He called for Netanyahu to maintain better control over government figures like security minister Itama Ben-Gvir, who opposes a two-state solution.

While I appreciate Biden’s support for Israel, his ongoing desire for a two-state solution is wrong. That’s no true solution. It will take land away from Israel—land God has sovereignly granted to Israel by covenant—and is the political objective Hamas was probably hoping to achieve with their original attacks. Unrest will always force concessions from Israel and move Hamas closer to its goal of an internationally recognized Palestinian state.

And once that state exists, Israel will be in even more danger. As we wrote in What’s Next?, a two-state solution will only create a platform for Hamas to attempt to take over Israel and drive out or kill the Jewish people.