JERUSALEM, Israel – At the United Nations, Israel is bracing for more than a dozen countries to announce their recognition of a Palestinian state during the annual General Assembly. However, Israel has announced plans on the ground that would stop a Palestinian state from becoming a reality.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to build a large number of housing units just outside of Jerusalem in a largely open area known as the E-1 Corridor. It’s a move many believe would effectively prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.
“This thing is about to bring about a doubling of the city of Ma’ale Adumim. There will be 70,000 people here within five years,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “This is a huge change, and we know there’s another change here, or more precisely, another fulfilment of promise, not a biblical one but a present one. We said that a Palestinian state will not be established, and indeed a Palestinian state will not be established.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest alerts from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Israel also held a 9-11 memorial on Thursday. Hundreds gathered to remember those who died on September 11, 2001.
Jewish National Fund-USA President Deb Lust declared, “This memorial, which was built in part through the generosity of Jewish National Fund-USA, is important for several reasons. The first one is that it’s the only memorial outside of the United States that lists every single victim from that horrible day. And it also represents the strong bond between the United States and Israel.”
Zaluda sees a profound connection between 9-11 and October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas massacre and kidnappings of Israelis and foreign nationals.
“The connection is you had people who just were living their lives, and they were killed by terrorists who came and killed these people because they were just living their lives. recalled. “You know, in the United States, it’s just because we were a Western country. In Israel, frankly, it’s because we’re Israel and we’re Jews. And, the number of people that were killed on those days was horrific in both instances.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was at the 9-11 memorial and told CBN News, “We never should forget what happened to America on 9-11, as surely as Israel will never forget October 7th and the Holocaust. This was an attack on the United States – its sovereignty, its security. It was a shock to us. And I think the images of 9-11, particularly in New York, seeing the World Trade Towers come down, are images we’ll never be able to unsee.”
Huckabee also told us about his long relationship with slain Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk.
“Charlie was a friend. I knew him since he was probably 18 or 19,” Huckabee noted. “And when I left the U.S. to come here, he took the slot for my television show on my daily show that aired every evening, Monday through Friday. I was with him in Phoenix at his headquarters just before I came to his room. One of the most brilliant young men I’ve ever known in my life. Gentle, kind. Why anyone would want to kill Charlie Kirk just shows a level of evil that makes no sense. He was not an angry man. He was not a hateful man.”
Huckabee continued, “Where does America go from here? America’s got to turn to the Lord. Our only hope is a spiritual renewal and revival. What happened to (Kirk) was not just a political calculation. It was an act of demonic evil. And all we really have to hope for is that there is a spiritual renewal in our country that will awaken people to once again treat each other with respect. That doesn’t come from somebody from the outside, and it comes from the inside out. It’s a soul issue. It’s not a political issue.”