Give us Back the Occupied Territories Now!

We need a Leader like 

“*Yiftach, from the Tribe of Gilead”

(Judges 11:14-15, 21-24)

יד וַיּוֹסֶף עוֹד, יִפְתָּח; וַיִּשְׁלַח, מַלְאָכִים, אֶל-מֶלֶךְ, בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן. 14

And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon;

טו וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, כֹּה אָמַר יִפְתָּח: לֹא-לָקַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-אֶרֶץ מוֹאָב, וְאֶת-אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן. 15

and he said unto him: 'Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon.

כא וַיִּתֵּן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-סִיחוֹן וְאֶת-כָּל-עַמּוֹ, בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל--וַיַּכּוּם; וַיִּירַשׁ, יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵת כָּל-אֶרֶץ הָאֱמֹרִי, יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא. 21 

And the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

כב וַיִּירְשׁוּ, אֵת כָּל-גְּבוּל הָאֱמֹרִי--מֵאַרְנוֹן, וְעַד-הַיַּבֹּק, וּמִן-הַמִּדְבָּר, וְעַד-הַיַּרְדֵּן. 22 

And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.

כג וְעַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הוֹרִישׁ אֶת-הָאֱמֹרִי, מִפְּנֵי, עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְאַתָּה, תִּירָשֶׁנּוּ. 23

So now the LORD, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them?

כד הֲלֹא אֵת אֲשֶׁר יוֹרִישְׁךָ, כְּמוֹשׁ אֱלֹהֶיךָ--אוֹתוֹ תִירָשׁ; וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מִפָּנֵינוּ--אוֹתוֹ נִירָשׁ. 24

Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.

In Parshat Chukat

JPost Article by Ariel Natan Pasko:  This past week saw the economic component of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,”unveiled in Bahrain. Kushner presented the administration’s ideas on how to “economically rehabilitate” the “Palestinians,” nothing new there. The political component, the part that presumably will deal with borders, sovereignty, etc. is being held off until after Israeli elections in September.

The Palestinian Authority refused to participate as anticipated and squawked about the meeting, give us back the occupied territories now!

Its a common refrain of the “Palestinians,” and in parts of the world today; but truth be told, it goes all the way back to the beginning of the Jewish people.

This week’s Torah reading is Chukat, and at its end, we find the story of Israel’s conquest of the East Bank of the Jordan river. The nation had skirted Edom and Moab, then requested from Sihon and then Og, Amorite kings, permission to peaceably pass through their territory.

Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites: “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”


They refused and decided to go out to war against Israel. Moses, as any good Jewish leader would, ordered the IDF of the time, to counter-attack full force and, “Israel put him [Sihon] to the sword, and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok...Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding towns. Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.” (Numbers 21:21-26)

Actually, quite similar to modern Israel’s peace overtures to Egypt and Jordan after the 1948 war, being ultimately met with the 1967 war thrust upon Israel. Unplanned, Israel’s victory then led to possession of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Part of the Jew’s ancient homeland, which Israel then began to repopulate.

Give us back the occupied territories now!

We then find in the Haftarah reading, Judges Chapter 11, three hundred years after the Torah story above, the king of Ammon making war against Israel, on behalf of his kinsmen Moab, in an attempt to reclaim the lost territory. The elder’s of Gilead appoint Yiftach to lead the military resistance.

Yiftach sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?” The king of the Ammonites answered Yiftach’s messengers: “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably.” (Judges 11:12-13)

יב וַיִּשְׁלַח יִפְתָּח מַלְאָכִים, אֶל-מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי-עַמּוֹן לֵאמֹר: מַה-לִּי וָלָךְ, כִּי-בָאתָ אֵלַי לְהִלָּחֵם בְּאַרְצִי. 12 

And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying: 'What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land?'

יג וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי-עַמּוֹן אֶל-מַלְאֲכֵי יִפְתָּח, כִּי-לָקַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-אַרְצִי בַּעֲלוֹתוֹ מִמִּצְרַיִם, מֵאַרְנוֹן וְעַד-הַיַּבֹּק, וְעַד-הַיַּרְדֵּן; וְעַתָּה, הָשִׁיבָה אֶתְהֶן בְּשָׁלוֹם. 13 

And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah: 'Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; now therefore restore those cities peaceably.'

By the way, what took them three hundred years to try and reclaim it?

Unlike Peres, Rabin, Barak, Sharon, Olmert,

 ”how did a real Jewish leader respond to claims 

of returning so-called “occupied territory?”

“Yiftach sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, saying...Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.”

He then recounted all the history from leaving Egypt, to asking permission to cross territory, and being attacked, “Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel’s hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.”

But, Yiftach doesn’t make a historical claim, or say that Israel’s right to the land comes from capturing it after being attacked. He ends with absolute faith in the God of Israel and clearly states Israel has no right to give it away, “Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess.” (Judges 11:14-15, 21-24 above)

End of discussion…

Maybe if Israeli leaders today, would deal with the Arab world and “Palestinians” the same way, they would get the same results as Yiftach’s leadership achieved, “And Ammon was subdued before the Children of Israel.” (Judges 11:33)

לג וַיַּכֵּם מֵעֲרוֹעֵר וְעַד-בֹּאֲךָ מִנִּית עֶשְׂרִים עִיר, וְעַד אָבֵל כְּרָמִים, מַכָּה, גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד; וַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. 33

And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Give us back the occupied territories now!

Yes indeed, Sinai, Trans-Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, etc. are all parts of the Promised Land of Israel! (Deuteronomy 11:24)

א וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ; וְשָׁמַרְתָּ מִשְׁמַרְתּוֹ, וְחֻקֹּתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וּמִצְוֺתָיו--כָּל-הַיָּמִים. 1

Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and ...

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.