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Date Posted: 17:38:10 02/03/03 Mon
Author: editorial from Bill Koenig
Subject: Perspective: The Columbia Tragedy

Perspective: The Columbia Tragedy
over Palestine, Texas � Bill Koenig

February 2, 2003

Yesterday�s tragic Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the loss of lives of an Israeli, a woman from India (who is now an American citizen) and five other Americans in the United States is a great tragedy for our nations and especially the astronauts� families and friends. Very few can fully comprehend the trauma these families and friends must be experiencing. The nations of Israel, India and the US are in mourning, too.

I marvel from time to time on how safe the world�s commercial air travel is, with all the elements of risk in the air and on the ground, yet with so few annual casualties. There is an even greater risk in placing men and women into space, which seemed so routine until the Challenger accident of 1986 and now Columbia. But somehow God protects us in these and many other earthly endeavors, but at times we have human tragedies that are so hard to understand and fully comprehend.

Initial Report Had Center of Focus on Palestine, Texas

Ironically, the first report from MSNBC declared that the initial search area was around Palestine, Texas. We have provided at our web site maps from MSNBC and USA Today with Palestine, Texas, in the center of the breakup area.

The Houston Chronicle provides a National Weather radar image of Columbia, showing the majority of the debris falling just east of Palestine between Nacogdoches and Lufkin. Click here.

The �pride of America� (our nation�s space program) and the �pride of Israel� (Colonel Illan Ramon) tragically broke up over Palestine, Texas. Is it symbolic that the �pride of America and of Israel� broke up over Palestine [Texas]? Is this a warning sign to our nations that Palestine could break up our nations, too?

Also, the debris was spread over Texas, the home state of President Bush. One item was found 75 miles from his Texas ranch.

The residents of Houston, the employees of NASA, were devastated, as well as the citizens of Israel and India. Many watched the final minutes of Columbia�s flight and its eventual demise. Yes, this was especially a tragic day for Israel and America.

Two Major Events With Palestine Connections

Below are two major US air tragedies with tie-ins to the Middle East peace talks, a Palestinian state and with Iraq.

November 10-12, 2001

On November 10, 2001, President Bush spoke the following words in the middle of his major UN address on the war on terrorism. This was the first time a US President had every publicly stated the word Palestine.

"The American government also stands by its commitment to a just peace in the Middle East. We are working toward a day when two states, Israel and Palestine, live peacefully together within secure and recognized borders as called for by the Security Council resolutions. We will do all in our power to bring both parties back into negotiations. But peace will only come when all have sworn off, forever, incitement, violence and terror."
On Sunday, November 11, 2001, Secretary Powell said that Bush's use of �Palestine� in his speech on Saturday was �deliberate and reflected administration policy.� Speaking on NBC's �Meet the Press,� Powell said, �If one is moving forward with a vision of two states side by side, it's appropriate ... to call those two states what they will be, Israel and Palestine.� No United States president � Republican or Democrat � has ever made such a statement, according to Powell.

On Sunday, November 11, 2001, the Middle East Newsline reported that United States intelligence agencies and the Pentagon agree that Saddam Hussein has made the most explicit threats since the 1991 Gulf war and that he is ready to use nuclear weapons. The assessment is that Iraq is threatening nuclear retaliation for any attack on the regime of President Saddam Hussein.

On Sunday, November 11, 2001, in his address before the General Assembly, Palestinian Authority Chairman, Yassir Arafat, asks the U.N. to send international peacekeepers to Israel to protect his people from the �aggressors.� Additionally he calls for Israel to fulfill U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338, calling for �the evacuation of all settlers from the settlements on occupied land.� Other Arafat demands included the establishment of a Palestinian state with �Holy Jerusalem� as its capital. Powell also met with Chairman Arafat after President Bush�s speech. Arafat left New York late Sunday.

On Monday, November 13, 2001, within 24 hours of the Powell-Arafat meeting and within 48 hours of the Bush Palestine state statement, American Airlines Flight 587 exploded and broke apart over Queens in New York City, a short distance from the UN, which was evacuated for a short time. (Note: This tragic accident didn�t occur in any other city in the world but New York City, the city where Israel�s covenant land and future had been discussed all weekend by the UN General Assembly. The tragedy also occurred on American Airlines, the pride and symbol of American commercial aviation. This was also the third plane American had lost in eight weeks.)

The exact cause of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 remains a mystery to this day, mechanical failure having been given as the leading possible contributing factor. Could the information reaching the public have been incomplete or skewed at the time? There was certainly a lot riding on the answer, affecting the already-financially-strapped airline industry and the soundness of our nation�s economy.

Whatever the real cause, the fact remains that the crash happened in New York City, it was American Airlines and it happened right on the heels of the United States President formally acknowledging his approval of a Palestinian state on God�s covenant land in Israel.

Friday January 31, - February 2, 2003

On Friday, January 31, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell said President George W. Bush will become more deeply involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than he was in his first two years in the White House.

Also on the same day President Bush and Britain�s Prime Minister Tony Blair met at the White House over the pending Iraq war. They agreed to give Iraq six more weeks to comply. Ironically, this was the same amount of time President Bush had just agreed to give Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to form his coalition government and for his formal response to the Quartet Road Map. (Iraq War timing and Israel�s Road Map timing continue to coincide.)

Then Saturday morning, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Palestine, Texas.

Is more tragedy coming to Israel and America? History would suggest it will, unless the US stands with Israel and stops forcing Israel to participate in the �land for peace� process with her enemies.

Eventually, President George W. Bush will see the significance of the covenant land � I believe the Lord has shown me that � but only the Lord knows when and what will precipitate that. Will it be soon or will it be after another major 9-11-type event in America?

In the meantime, we will continue to lobby the Bush administration and others in Washington to stop the US peace effort as a key sponsor of the Middle East peace plan and a Palestinian state. However, we will also pray that God�s will be done in these times. As watchmen, we have a responsibility to fulfill to warn our leaders, but we also realize the Lord has a divine plan, and it is about souls!

The bottom line: Israel and the United States� national pride and resilience won�t provide perpetual security, for it could continue to develop into the type of pride that goes before a fall.

Loss of Life in Israel

The monthly loss of life on the streets of Israel is a tragedy, too. And, not to be insensitive to the space shuttle tragedy, but the US�s continued role in the Israeli-Palestinian talks has helped bring much of that disaster and loss of lives through the failed and flawed peace process. We have documented this pattern in great detail in our book, �Israel: the Blessing or the Curse,� as well in my many commentaries.

Over 700 Israelis and almost three times as many Palestinians have died tragically in Israel since the Intifada began on September 28, 2000 (and more since the beginning of the peace process in Madrid in October, 1991), with many more Christians dying at the hands of Muslim fanatics around the world.

Our policies of appeasing Arab nations must end or there will be even greater tragedies.

The God of Israel is trying to get our attention and His fury continues to build. We plead that Israel and America wake up before it�s too late!

Israeli Pride

Colonel Illan Ramon was a very special and gifted human being. Many of us heard so many heart-warming stories about Israel�s national hero in the last 24 hours. The tears of his father, trying to process the fact that his only son was gone, were heart-wrenching. What agony Israel went through again as they were watching TV, preparing for Columbia�s landing in Florida sixteen minutes later, only to see its breakup over Texas. Instead, we all watched the tragic loss of an Israeli, an astronaut from India and five of America�s best.

Jews from around the world were proud of Illan Ramon, and rightly so. Illan is gone from us today, but not forgotten, and many lives will be impacted by his tragic loss of life.

This tragedy certainly provides another time of reflection for us. Yes, all of our lives have a purpose, but for whom do we live? Do we live for man�s accolades and acknowledgment or for God�s? Our life is not about our glory or our country�s glory, but for the glory of God.

Lets all strive for the day when we hear these words, �Well done, my good and faithful servant.�

Soon we will know whether the Messiah who arrives in Jerusalem is coming for the first time or for the second. For those of you who may not be sure, ask Him to reveal the truth to you. Don�t wait any longer, for this moment is all we can count on.

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