Historically, it was on 31 October that Great Britain answered God’s call to be the ‘Cyrus nation’ that would facilitate the restoration of the nation of Israel in her ancient homeland (much as the Persian King Cyrus the Great facilitated the return of the Jews from exile in the 6^th Century BC). The year was 1917.

Our nation then could be called a ‘Christian’ nation, and the realisation of God’s purposes to restore the Jewish people to their ancient homeland had been alive in Great Britain for at least 200 years. The Church in Britain at that time understood that God had covenanted the Land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as an everlasting possession (Ps 105:8-11, among many, many other scriptures).

Important Milestones

31 October is the anniversary for a number of significant events. But as far as our role as a ‘Cyrus nation’ is concerned, 31 October 1917 is very significant. On that day two events happened simultaneously, the fact of which can only point to the sovereign hand of God. At home the War Cabinet met and decided on the final wording of what became known as the Balfour Declaration. In the Land of Israel itself, the nations of the British Empire – notably Britain, Australia and New Zealand – liberated the biblical town of Beersheba from Ottoman Turkish control, which was the first stage in liberating the Land of Israel so that the exiles could freely return.

A little over two years later, on 25 April 1920, the San Remo Resolution raised the Balfour Declaration to the level of an international treaty. And so the rights given to the Jewish people to reconstitute their ancient national home were enshrined in international law, in fulfilment of God’s covenant promises. Our nation of Great Britain was the Lord’s chief instrument in achieving that.

But, sadly, in the end Israel was reborn in spite of Britain rather than because of us. Tragically, since early on during the Mandate Britain has turned her back on God by failing to fulfil his purpose for us to be that ‘Cyrus nation’.

Because of God’s great mercy, we face the possibility of another important milestone in the history of our nation in just a few days from now, on 31 October 2019: our prospective exit from the European Union. What could this mean, potentially, for the calling that we reneged on regarding Israel?

In the end Israel was reborn in spite of Britain rather than because of us.

Pro-Palestinian European Policy

In the 25 years following independence in 1948, Israel fought three wars that could have resulted in the annihilation of the Jewish state – but for God. The third of those was the Yom Kippur War of 1973. From that point onwards the Arab nations’ strategy to get rid of the Jewish state changed. Instead of trying to defeat Israel by military brute force, they began using the nations of the West, and particularly the United Nations and the European nations, to undermine the Jewish state politically. The OPEC nations who were members of the Arab League imposed an oil embargo, holding the nations of the West ‘over a barrel’.

The EU, which was then the European Economic Community (EEC), and which Britain was in the process of joining, was one of their main targets, and the result was devastating. The price for the restoration of the oil flow was capitulation to the Arab political agenda (though it should be said that some European nations, especially France, were already sympathetic to the Arab agenda). An official Euro-Arab Dialogue (EAD) was started and an agreed common EEC Foreign Policy regarding the Middle East was established during the 1970s and into the 80s.

This policy is obligatory on member states of the European Union to this day, if they are to have favourable economic relations with the Arab world. In a nutshell the EU agreed:¹

1. To ensure a positive coverage of Arabs and Muslims, as well as their causes, in the Western media;
   
2. For the European nations to recognise ‘Arab sovereignty’ over ‘East Jerusalem’;
   
3. For Israel to withdraw to the ‘pre-1967 borders’;
   
4. To force Israel to accept the rights of a Palestinian Arab state to exist in Gaza, and the entire ‘West Bank’ including ‘East Jerusalem’;
   
5. To recognise the PLO, under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, as the sole representative of the Palestinian Arabs;
   
6. To favour Arab/Muslim immigration into European countries, and for these immigrants to have the same rights as their own citizens.

Basically, the European nations decided that there had to be a Palestinian state with ‘East Jerusalem’ as its capital, no matter what, even if it meant the demise of the Jewish state.

In Europe, the price for continuing oil flow has been capitulation to the Arab political agenda against Israel.

Euro-Arab Lies

The most recent meeting of the League of Arab States and the European Union was held in February this year in Sharm El-Sheikh, at which former Prime Minister Theresa May was present. Item 7 of the Joint Communiqué that resulted stated (in part):

We reaffirmed our common positions on the Middle East Peace Process, including on the status of Jerusalem, and on the illegality under international law of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories…²

I am often reminded of Josef Goebbels’ assertion that if a lie is repeated often enough, then the people will believe it. The above EAD communiqué contains three lies. First, the settlements are not illegal under international law. Israel has a perfectly legal sovereign claim to all of Judea and Samaria as a result of the San Remo Resolution, as well as other instruments of international law.

Second, the territories referred to are not “occupied” under the Law of Belligerent Occupation – particularly in reference to Article 49(6) of the Geneva Convention. Third, because the Final Status Agreement under ‘Oslo’ has stalled, there is no binding agreement in international law that designates the ‘disputed territories’ as belonging to ‘the Palestinians’.

The overall deception here is that European Union policy is portrayed as being ‘international law’. International policy is not international law.

Looking Ahead

If Britain is to have any chance of both repenting of our betrayal of the Jewish nation and adopting a policy that is in line with God’s purposes, our political and spiritual ties with the European Union need to be completely severed. I believe that means a ‘no deal’ exit.

I also believe it is the Lord’s desire for us to return to the ‘Cyrus call’ that he gave us so many years ago. If this is to happen, or begin to happen, on 31 October, only the Lord can bring this about. If ever there was a time we need his grace and mercy, it is now!

Hugh Kitson is Writer, Producer and Director of the documentary film 'Whose Land?' which examines the legitimacy of Israel and her domicile in all of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria in International Law. His previous films include ‘The Forsaken Promise’, ‘The Destiny of Britain’ and ‘Jerusalem, The Covenant City’.

Notes

1 See Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye’or (2005, Fairleigh Dickinson).

2 Read the full text here.