Palestinians: Sand in the Eye of the Mideast

By Eric Margolis, May 26, 2018

To date, 62 Palestinians have been shot dead in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army and over 5,500 wounded by gunfire. Their crime: protesting the loss of their ancestral homes in the West Bank.

Here was an example of Gandhi-style passive resistance that failed. Israeli sniper teams just fired at will at the protestors, some of who were throwing rocks or firing slingshots. High concentration tear gas was dumped by drones on the demonstrators. Israel claimed it was killing ‘terrorists.’

The United States, Israel’s patron and financier, reveled in the move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The American Republicans, who have become a far-right theocratic party, cheered this good news. The Trump administration, by now an extension of Israel’s hard right Likud Party, was cock-a-hoop.

There was no joy in Gaza. This miserable, squalid human garbage dump is a giant open-air prison packed with 2 million Palestinian refugees driven from the newly created state of Israel in 1948. Israel and its close ally Egypt keep Gaza bottled up on its land and sea borders. Palestinians are only allowed to fish along the shore. Coastal gas and oil reserves have been expropriated by Israel and Egypt.

Gaza’s two million people subsist on the edge of starvation. Israel openly boasts that it allows just enough food into the enclave to prevent outright starvation. Chemicals to treat water are banned. Electricity runs only a few hours daily because the power plant was bombed by Israel’s US-supplied air force. Hospitals have almost no medicines. In short, wartime conditions in the open-air prison. Even the wretched animals in Gaza zoo are starving.

The intensive punishment of Gaza, a crime under international law, began after its people voted in a free election for the Hamas movement over the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which is more or less run by Israel and the United States. Israel helped found Hamas in 1987, but then sought, with the US, to destroy the organization, branding it ‘terrorist.’

Israel has extensively used US-supplied arms and money to fight Hamas in Gaza, a clear violation of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 that bars the use of American weapons against civilian populations.

The question remains, where did all the Palestinians come from? Israel long claimed there were no such people, or a made-up nationality. This was a pretty rich claim coming from Israelis, many of whom hailed from Russia, Poland and Eastern Europe and who had assumed biblical identities and asserted a direct link to the Hebrews who had lived two thousand years earlier in the Levant.

When Israel was created by the US and UN (with Soviet support) in 1948, from 750,000 to one million native Palestinians were driven from their ancestral home at gunpoint or panicked to flight by massacres and ethnic cleansing. Their villages were bulldozed.

When Israel conquered and annexed the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, another 500,000 Palestinians were made refugees. Some 50,000-250,000 Syrians were driven by Israel from the strategic Golan Heights. Bedouins were driven from Israel’s Negev Desert.

By our era, the number of homeless Palestinians has grown to 5 million refugees helped by the UN and at least another million scattered about the Mideast. The actual number could reach as high as 8-9 million thanks to the Palestinian’s high birth rate and strong family values.

Half of Jordan’s people are Palestinian refugees. Kuwait had 400,000 Palestinians until they were expelled in 2002-03 after their leader, Yasser Arafat, foolishly backed claims by Saddam Hussein that he was occupying Kuwait in order to trade it for a Palestinian state. This was the biggest Palestinian expulsion since 1948. Egypt’s brutal dictator, Gen. al-Sisi, is now the biggest persecutor of Palestinians after Israel, keeping them locked away in the Gaza prison.

The Arab states have done very little for the Palestinians save slogans and hot air. The Saudis are now in cahoots with Israel to repress the Palestinians lest they spread modern secular ideas in the medieval Mideast. Palestinians remain some of the best educated and most commercial of the Mideast’s peoples. For a long while they ran most of the Gulf Emirates until replaced by Indians.

‘Sand in the eye of the Mideast’ is what I called this oppressed people without a home. Their plight could be greatly eased by the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank. But this would interfere with plans for Israel’s right-wing government for planned expansion. So, the future for Palestinians is bleak.

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Why are we drawn to the sea and the mountains?

As the sun’s morning rays broke across the cloudy sky, I ran along the beach front near to our house. It was quiet. My daughter had just left by the first morning bus to school. I had earlier driven my older son to the bus stop in the next town so that he, too, could catch his bus. Now, it was time to get my morning exercise, while at the same time pray for my loved ones and reflect upon and seek His guidance for the day. 

It’s a lovely time in the morning in the early quiet, before the hustle of the day is upon us. Some fisherman were preparing the boat to enter the sea and I watched as they performed their early morning vigil of putting the boat into the water and then up and away onto the sea. A few other early morning risers walked along the front, some scurrying off to work, while others meandered along in what seemed like a more meditating mood. A friend of mine had bought his morning paper and stood gazing out to the sea before turning and heading off to his local café for the day’s work ahead. 

Why is it we are so drawn to the quiet of the seaside or stillness of the mountain? I have recently joined a trailblazer’s club. Once a month they organize a hiking event in the mountains. The scenic views are indescribably beautiful. They are breath-taking. In the group you find people of all walks of life; parents with their young teens or older children, lawyers, teachers, hair-dressers, students, retirees etc, all drawn to the mountain. 

Why is it we yearn for the quiet places like mountains and early morning walks along the beach? What are we yearning for? What is it that we desire? What is it that we are lacking within ourselves that drives us to get up early and sacrifice to climb that mountain trail or walk along that beach? 

As the psalmist wrote, “As the hart (deer) pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”[1] Is it that we are searching for God? That we are seeking His presence, His benediction on our weary lives? When I was young, I remember going into the church and feeling God’s presence in the quiet and stillness of the great ornate building. But today, those old building do not have the same affect. Today’s generation is looking elsewhere. 

People are trying to become one with nature, to become one with the universal life force. But what exactly are they seeking? Is it that they want to become one with God, the creator of the universe and the creator of nature itself, but they do not know how to? Or are they worshipping the creature instead the creator? Has their rejection of institutionalized religion led them away from the true God of the Bible and into the arms of the New Age philosophies? 

I believe the human heart of this generation longs for God just as much as any generation has before us. God himself has put that longing for His presence within us so that our spirit yearns for reconnection with Him. As the Bible says, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”[2]

Perhaps the gadgets, the iPods, the phones and computers, the television and radios drown out the voice of God, drown out His presence. We walk like zombies, not knowing where we are going or why. We do not want to think seriously about life and answer the big questions, but would rather eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die. Yet death is a terror to us. We do all that is possible to avoid its presence. 

The Lord says, “Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him.”[3] Do you have a fear of God, a respectful awe-inspiring admiration for His creation, for His presence? Are you seeking God during that early morning walk or nature walk in the evening or on the weekend? He is not far from you, as Paul has so wisely said. 

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”[4]

Are you seeking for that universal life force, the power of love? He is not far from any of us. He waits patiently at our heart’s door, waiting for us to ask Him in. His name is Jesus. You can find his testimony in the New Testament. He not only performed miracles to verify His divinity, but spoke words of life and love that have been an encouragement to countless millions for hundreds of generations. He is the great “I Am,”[5] The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.[6]

Like Einstein said, “I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”[7]

We walk along the beach or in the mountains; we walk in nature, because we sense the presence of God. We sense his eternal perfection and love. Jesus is the ultimate manifestation of God’s eternal perfection and love. Through Him we regain our connection with God, we regain God’s presence in our life. That’s why He said, “he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst.”[8]

In the Old Testament we read, “Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and you labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”[9] Jesus is the everlasting covenant; He is the sure mercies of David. 

“Behold, I have given him (Jesus) for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knows not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel (Jesus); for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”[10] Will you call upon Him? Or will you spend your time and money on things that ultimately do not satisfy that deepest yearning of your soul? 

Jesus loves you and wants to help put real meaning into your life. He wants you to experience a love that will never let you go, never disappoint you, never betray you. Will you open your heart’s door? Will you let Him in? You could pray a little prayer like this from your heart: 

Jesus, I am not sure you are what you say you are, I am not even sure you are there, but I am seeking. I am tired of this life I have without meaning, without answers. Modern philosophies have left me empty and confused. The things I have tried have left me dry and in want. If you are there, come into my heart, help me. I cannot go on any longer. I need help. Jesus, forgive me for ignoring you. Please, help me, manifest yourself to me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen 

Or maybe, you know the Lord, but have let the cares and riches of this present world choke out His presence in your life and you need to renew your relationship with Him. The Bible says, “Seek and ye shall find.”[11] It says, “Ye shall seek me and find me when you shall search for me with all your heart.”[12] “Call unto me, and I will answer thee.”[13] If you have called, God will answer. Not only will He answer, but He will show you great and mighty things, which you knew not. May God bless you and keep you and help in your relationship with Him. If you need my help in any way, please feel free to write me at  dennismedwards@gmail.com. Love, Dennis

copyright@DennisE.Molinski

Notes

[1] Psalm 42:1-2
[2] Galatians 4:6
[3] Psalm 103:13
[4] Acts 17:24-28
[5] Exodus 3:14
[6] Isaiah 9:6
[7] http://gentleislam.com/love/pages/einstein.htm
[8] John 6:35
[9] Isaiah 55:1-3
[10] Isaiah 55:4-6
[11] Matthew 7:7
[12] Jeremiah 29:13
[13] Jeremiah 33:3

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"What Is Truth?" or Does it Really Matter?

Dennis Edwards

Perhaps you might not recognize that the title above is a quotation from a famous man. He is famous for the compromise that he made. He is famous because he sacrifices the life of an innocent man. He is famous because he yields to influential political, financial and religious powers for fear of his position, for fear of not being found loyal to his party, for fear of unpopular public opinion. 

Here we see his famous words, words that are so often repeated today by those claiming to be politically correct, neutral or open minded. “What is truth?” Or as often put today, “There are many truths.” Or, “You can’t be so dogmatic.” Or, “You need to be more open-minded.” Or, “Truth is relative.” Let us put these words in context so we can try to understand what was meant by them. 

John 18:28-38 

Then led they (the Jewish religious leaders) Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover. (What hypocrisy. Here the religious rulers stay outside of the judgment hall, a Roman building, because if they entered it, they would not be unable to eat the Passover meal as they would be considered unclean.) 

Pilate then went out unto them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 

They answered and said unto him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have delivered him up unto you.” 

Then said Pilate unto them, “Take him, and judge him according to your law.” 

The Jews therefore said unto him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:” that the words of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke signifying what death he should die. 

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 

Jesus answered him, “Are you asking this of yourself, or did others tell it of me?” 

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you unto me: what have you done?” (It sounds here that Pilate is a little annoyed at Jesus’ reply.) 

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” 

Pilate therefore said unto him, “Are you a King then?” 

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.” 

Pilate said unto him, “WHAT IS TRUTH?” And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and said unto them, “I find in him no fault at all.” [End of Bible quotation]

“What is truth?” The response of Pilate rings of today’s “open-minded” generation, a politically correct generation that denies that there is “a truth,” because there are many “truths” and one cannot be so narrow-minded to think his view is “the truth.”

It reminds me of what Allom Bloom wrote in his book, The Closing of the American Mind. "Openness used to be the virtue that permitted us to seek the good by using reason. It now means accepting everything and denying reason's power."

Some will tell us that as there are many colors in the rainbow, but all are part of what makes up “white” light, so the truth can have many colors. And I agree with that. Of course, there are often many different aspects of a question. Different sides may have different ways of looking at things. They see things differently and bring different “truths” to the equation and situation. That is all well and good. 

But ultimately, we come to the question of Jesus. Was he the King of the Jews? Was he the expected Messiah for whom the Jewish people waited patiently for his coming in hope that he would free them from their servitude to the Romans and bring in a righteous government and world peace? Is he the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? 

What was Pilate saying when he says, “What is truth?” I propose that he was saying, like many do today, that the truth is relative, that there are many aspects of truth. “You cannot be so dogmatic, Jesus, or narrow minded. We, Romans, have our truths, also,” may have been the tone of Pilate’s response. Or maybe his tone was sarcastic and he was saying, “You want to get philosophical with me? Well, I know philosophy, also. I studied the Greek philosophers. What is truth? It’s all relative.”

  

C.S. Lewis made a famous statement about Jesus of Nazareth in his book Mere Christianity. He said,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

Jesus has not given us the option to be neutral, politically correct, or “open-minded.” He is either the Son of God, or he is not. He either rose from the dead or he did not. It’s just that simple and it’s a question we all need to resolve because it could have eternal consequences.

  

Pilate missed his chance. Here he was in front of the very man who had performed amazing miracles which as Paul said later to one of the Jewish political leaders, “This thing was not done in a corner.”[1] In other words, everyone knew about it or had heard about it. Pilate even sends Jesus to Herod the Jewish ruler of Galilee who is visiting Jerusalem at the time of the Passover an important Jewish holiday. In Luke we find the data. 

Luke 23:1-12 New International Version (NIV) 

Then the whole assembly rose and led him (Jesus) off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” 

So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. 

Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” 

But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” 

On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a miracle or sign of some sort.  He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 

That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies. [End of Bible Quotation]

So we see that Pilate blew it. He was more interested in pleasing the local political and financial leaders who helped him in controlling and ruling the local people than he was in instituting just and righteous judgment. He was more interested in keeping their favor than in doing what was right. Perhaps he was afraid that word might get back to Tiberius Caesar that he had been too soft on a local criminal who had exalted himself to the rank of “King of the Jews.” 

The Jewish leaders used this tactic when they saw that Pilate was set on releasing Jesus. They said, “If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend: whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”[2] Pilate also dismissed the warning message sent to him from his own wife, which said, “Have nothing with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day a dream because of him.”[3] Even though he knew that it was for envy that the Jewish leaders had delivered Jesus to him, he allowed an innocent man be condemned to death contrary to Roman law.[4]

Let us read from Matthew 27:12-25  New International Version (NIV) 

When he (Jesus) was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. 

Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. 

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. 

“Barabbas,” they answered. 

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. 

They all answered, “Crucify him!” 

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. 

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 

All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 

In Mark we find “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”[5] [End of Bible quotation]

Let’s read the rest of the information in Luke. 

Luke 23:13-25  New International Version (NIV) 

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” 

But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) 

Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 

For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” 

But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.  He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. [End of Bible quotation]

How did Pilate’s decision affect his life? Let’s look at the different historical accounts of the life of Pilate after the death of Jesus. Catholic tradition has it that Emperor Tiberius Caesar became serious ill. Having heard that in Jerusalem there was a physician named Jesus who could miraculously heal all infirmities, he sends a trusted friend Volusianus to Jerusalem to fetch him. On arriving in Jerusalem, Volusianus finds out the sad news that Jesus has been crucified. As he returns to the inn where he is staying, he meets Veronica a disciple of Jesus who has a cloth on which Jesus’ face has been miraculously imprinted. She travels with him to Rome with the cloth and Tiberius gets miraculously healed from gazing on the cloth. However, he learns how Pilate had incorrectly condemned Jesus to death and orders for Pilate to return to Rome. 

On hearing that Pilate is in Rome Tiberius becomes increasingly angry, but when Pilate appears before him, he loses his anger and treats him kindly. When Pilate leaves his presence, Tiberius is again overcome with extreme anger against Pilate and cannot understand why he could not manifest the anger in Pilate’s presence. Pilate, knowing that his life was in Caesar’s hands, had come to Rome with Jesus’ seamless tunic which had already manifested miraculous powers. He wore it when he went in to see Caesar. Caesar does not understand what happened and calls Pilate back once again and again the same thing happens. Somehow he realizes that the tunic may have something to do with it and has it removed from Pilate. Pilate is condemned to a horrible death which he avoids by committing suicide.[6]

Some other accounts suggest that Caligula ordered Pontius Pilate to death by execution or suicide. Others say he was sent into exile and committed suicide of his own accord. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, they believe Pontus Pilate was converted to Christianity and he is considered a saint. Eusebius reported that Pontius Pilate committed suicide during the reign of Caius or Emperor Caligula. Eusebius records the following for us, 

It is worthy of note that Pilate himself, who was governor in the time of our Savior, is reported to have fallen into such misfortunes under Caius, whose times we are recording, that he was forced to become his own murderer and executioner; and thus divine vengeance, as it seems, was not long in overtaking him. This is stated by those Greek historians who have recorded the Olympiads, together with the respective events which have taken place in each period.[7]

One thing we know for sure is that Pontus Pilate existed. In 1961 an archaeological dig led by Dr. Antonio Frova in Caesrea Maritiama found a piece of limestone with Pilate’s name inscribed in Latin, linking Pilate to Tiberius’s reign.[8]

Whichever account is the truth, we do not know. However, more accounts seem to indicate that Pilate committed suicide; a sad ending for a man of authority who because of the pressure of others misconstrued the importance of the judgment he was making against Christ. 

Instead of having Godly convictions and following Roman law, Pilate compromised to please the local powers for fear of being reproved from the higher powers. Truth was relative and not that important, or so he thought. He let himself be influenced by others whom he knew to have alternative motives. In the end, even with a warning from his wife, he thought Jesus was not such an important issue and condemned him to death. 

And what about each of us? Have we gone the way of modern man and decided that it’s all relative and Jesus is not that important? Yes, we used to believe in Jesus when we were young, but now we have decided He’s not that relative to our lives. As long as we live a good life and do not harm others, isn’t that enough? 

Jesus said, “He that is not for me is against me and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.”[9] If we have accepted Jesus as our savior by asking Him into our hearts, we have our sins forgiven and have the hope of eternal life. In thanksgiving for the free gift we have received, we should be willing to confess Christ. Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”[10] 

Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” [11]

There is something about declaring our faith in Christ that God blesses. No matter if we are working in fulltime service for God or in some other type of work, God expects us as Christians to let our light shine amongst men by sharing our faith with words and example whenever we have the chance. Let’s not be ashamed to share our faith in whatever way we can and share it as much as we can with our speech, our good conversation and our loving sample to others. Let's stand up for our convictions. We need to know what we believe and study to “be ready to give an answer to everyman that asks us of the hope that is in us with meekness and fear.”[12]

I’ll end here with a quote from Keith Ward professor of Philosophy at Biola University in California. He has made the following statement about modern relativism's truth claims. He says, 

“It is a central heresy of our culture to say that all truth is relative; that one thing may be true for me and quite another may be true for you. This absurdity destroys the very notion of truth … and is the result of muddled thinking. No one can seriously believe that a belief which contradicts his or her own is just as true. The expression “It is true for me” is self-confuting. Either a thing is true or it is not. … Can we imagine saying, “Well, the earth is round to me; but it may be flat to you”? The earth is either round or flat; it cannot be both; and what you or I think about it is irrelevant. You may claim that religion and ethics is not a matter of truth at all. Very well, do not use the word “true”; but if you use it, do not render it unintelligible by adding that empty phrase, “for me.””[13]

So don’t tell me that “Jesus is true for you, Dennis, but not for me.” The question is whether Jesus is really who he said he was or not. Is he the Christ, the Son of the living God? Is Jesus the Truth, or is he false? That’s the question we all need to answer through open and honest enquiry. 

Notes

[1] Acts 26:26
[2] John 19:12b
[3] Matthew 27:19
[4] Matthew 27:18
[5] Mark 15:15
[6] http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0812.htm
[7] http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/corner/read2/r00886.html
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate
[9] Matthew 12:30
[10] Romans 10:9,10
[11] Mark 8:36-38
[12] 1Peter3:15
[13] Ward, Keith; The Turn of the Tide, pg. 144. http://existenceofgod.org/relativism-the-redefining-of-tolerance/

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The Day of Shame

By Uri Avnery, CounterPunch, May 21, 2018

On Bloody Monday, when the number of Palestinian killed and wounded was rising by the hour, I asked myself: what would I have done if I had been a youngster of 15 in the Gaza Strip?

My answer was, without hesitation: I would have stood near the border fence and demonstrated, risking my life and limbs every minute.

How am I so sure?

Simple: I did the same when I was 15.

I was a member of the National Military Organization (the “Irgun”), an armed underground group labeled “terrorist”.

Palestine was at the time under British occupation (called “mandate”). In May 1939, the British enacted a law limiting the right of Jews to acquire land. I received an order to be at a certain time at a certain spot near the sea shore of Tel Aviv in order to take part in a demonstration. I was to wait for a trumpet signal.

The trumpet sounded and we started the march down Allenby Road, then the city’s main street. Near the main synagogue, somebody climbed the stairs and delivered an inflammatory speech. Then we marched on, to the end of the street, where the offices of the British administration were located. There we sang the national anthem, “Hatikvah”, while some adult members set fire to the offices.

Suddenly several lorries carrying British soldiers screeched to a halt, and a salvo of shots rang out. The British fired over our heads, and we ran away.

Remembering this event 79 years later, it crossed my mind that the boys of Gaza are greater heroes then we were then. They did not run away. They stood their ground for hours, while the death toll rose to 61 and the number of those wounded by live ammunition to some 1500, in addition to 1000 affected by gas.

On that day, most TV stations in Israel and abroad split their screen. On the right, the events in Gaza. On the left, the inauguration of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

In the 136th year of the Zionist-Palestinian war, that split screen is the picture of reality: the celebration in Jerusalem and the bloodbath in Gaza. Not on two different planets, not in two different continents, but hardly an hour’s drive apart.

The celebration in Jerusalem started as a silly event. A bunch of suited males, inflated with self-importance, celebrating–what, exactly? The symbolic movement of an office from one town to another.

Jerusalem is a major bone of contention. Everybody knows that there will be no peace, not now, not ever, without a compromise there. For every Palestinian, every Arab, every Muslim throughout the world, it is unthinkable to give up Jerusalem. It is from there, according to Muslim tradition, that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, after tying his horse to the rock that is now the center of the holy places. After Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem is the third holiest place of Islam.

For the Jews, of course, Jerusalem means the place where, some 2000 years ago, there stood the temple built by King Herod, a cruel half-Jew. A remnant of an outer wall still stands there and is revered as the “Western Wall”. It used to be called the “Wailing Wall”, and is the holiest place of the Jews.

Statesmen have tried to square the circle and find a solution. The 1947 United Nations committee that decreed the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state–a solution enthusiastically endorsed by the Jewish leadership–suggested separating Jerusalem from both states and constituting it as a separate unit within what was supposed to be in fact a kind of confederation.

The war of 1948 resulted in a divided city, the Eastern part was occupied by the Arab side (the Kingdom of Jordan) and the Western part became the capital of Israel. (My modest part was to fight in the battle for the road.)

No one liked the division of the city. So my friends and I devised a third solution, which by now has become a world consensus: keep the city united on the municipal level and divide it politically: the West as capital of the State of Israel, the East as capital of the State of Palestine. The leader of the local Palestinians, Faisal al-Husseini, the scion of a most distinguished local Palestinian family and the son of a national hero who was killed not far from my position in the same battle, endorsed this formula publicly. Yasser Arafat gave me his tacit consent.

If President Donald Trump had declared West Jerusalem the capital of Israel and moved his embassy there, almost nobody would have got excited. By omitting the word “West”, Trump ignited a fire. Perhaps without realizing what he was doing, and probably not giving a damn.

For me, the moving of the US embassy means nothing. It is a symbolic act that does not change reality. If and when peace does come, no one will care about some stupid act of a half-forgotten US president. Inshallah.

So there they were, this bunch of self-important nobodies, Israelis, Americans and those in-between, having their little festival, while rivers of blood were flowing in Gaza. Human beings were killed by the dozen and wounded by the thousand.

The ceremony started as a cynical meeting, which quickly became grotesque, and ended in being sinister. Nero fiddling while Rome was burning.

When the last hug was exchanged and the last compliment paid, Gaza remained what it was–a huge concentration camp with severely overcrowded hospitals, lacking medicines and food, drinkable water and electricity.

A ridiculous world-wide propaganda campaign was let loose to counter the world-wide condemnation. For example: the story that the terrorist Hamas had compelled the Gazans to go and demonstrate–as if anyone could be compelled to risk their life in a demonstration.

Or: the story that Hamas paid every demonstrator 50 dollars. Would you risk your life for 50 dollars? Would anybody?

Or: The soldiers had no choice but to kill them, because they were storming the border fence. Actually, no one did so–the huge concentration of Israeli army brigades would have easily prevented it without shooting.

Almost forgotten was a small news item from the days before: Hamas had discreetly offered a Hudna for ten years. A Hudna is a sacred armistice, never to be broken. The Crusaders, our remote predecessors, had many Hudnas with their Arab enemies during their 200-year stay here.

Israeli leaders immediately rejected the offer.

So why were the soldiers ordered to kill? It is the same logic that has animated countless occupation regimes throughout history: make the “natives” so afraid that they will give up. Alas, the results have almost always been the very opposite: the oppressed have become more hardened, more resolute. This is happening now.

Bloody Monday may well be seen in future as the day when the Palestinians regained their national pride, their will to stand up and fight for their independence.

Strangely, the next day–the main day of the planned protest, Naqba Day–only two demonstrators were killed. Israeli diplomats abroad, facing world-wide indignation, had probably sent home SOS messages. Clearly the Israeli army had changed its orders. Non-lethal means were used and sufficed.

My conscience does not allow me to conclude this without some self-criticism.

I would have expected that all of Israel’s renowned writers would publish a thundering joint condemnation while the shooting was still going on. It did not happen.

I would have expected that the dozens of our brave peace organizations would unite in a dramatic act of condemnation, an act that would arouse the world. It did not happen. Perhaps they were in a state of shock.

The next day, the excellent boys and girls of the peace groups demonstrated opposite the Likud office in Tel Aviv. Some 500 took part. Far, far from the hundreds of thousands who demonstrated some years ago against the price of cottage cheese.

In short: we did not do our duty. I accuse myself as much as I accuse everybody else.

But what topped everything was the huge machine of brain-washing that was set in motion. For many years I have not experienced anything like it.

Almost all the so-called “military correspondents” acted like army propaganda agents. Day by day they helped the army to spread lies and falsifications. The public had no alternative but to believe every word. Nobody told them otherwise.

The same is true for almost all other means of communication, program presenters, announcers and correspondents. They willingly became government liars. Probably many of them were ordered to do so by their bosses. Not a glorious chapter.

After the day of blood, when the army was faced with world condemnation and had to stop shooting (“only” killing two unarmed demonstrators) all Israeli media were united in declaring this a great Israeli victory.

Israel had to open the crossings and send food and medicines to Gaza. Egypt had to open its Gaza crossing and accept many hundreds of wounded for operations and other treatment.

The Day of Shame has passed. Until the next time.

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His Eye is on the Sparrow

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‘Zero. In fact, less than zero.’ Gazans say little gained in protests

By Declan Walsh & Isabel Kershner, Washington Post, 20 May 2018

Gaza City: After weeks of protest at the Israeli border fence peaked this week, Gazans returned to their daily lives of struggle, many wondering what, if anything, had been accomplished.

The cost was clear: More than 100 Palestinians killed by Israeli snipers, 60 of them on Monday alone, and more than 3500 wounded since the campaign began March 30, Gaza medical officials said.

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that governs Gaza and organised the protests, did score a victory in international messaging, with Israel widely condemned for what critics said was disproportionate use of force against mostly unarmed protesters.

In Geneva on Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted overwhelmingly to censure Israel and called for an inquiry.

But to many Gazans, the tangible benefits of so much bloodshed were hard to discern, with plenty of blame to go around–including for Hamas.

At a market near the main protest camp, Abdul Rahman, 59, a vegetable trader, called the effort a total waste. “Zero,” he said. “In fact, less than zero.”

He condemned the Israelis, the Arab allies who he said had betrayed the Palestinians, and the leadership of Gaza. “We didn’t open the fence, and the blockade has not been lifted. There was only killing.”

In his sermon at noon prayers on Friday, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, put a positive spin on the protests, called “The Great Return March,” a reference to the goal of Palestinian refugees to return to lands lost to Israel in 1948.

“We are living in the throes of victory and the beginning of the end of the humanitarian tragedy,” he proclaimed.

Haniyeh hailed Egypt’s rare gesture of goodwill toward Gaza in opening its border crossing at Rafah, on the southern edge of the territory, for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began a day earlier. The opening would ease the 11-year-old blockade of Gaza, he said, adding that the border protests would continue until the blockade was entirely lifted.

But many Gazans, having lost friends or suffered grievous wounds in the protests, feel cheated by Hamas.

The strains of the blockade on Gaza, which Israel and Egypt imposed, citing security reasons, have been obscured in recent years by other crises in the Middle East. Now Hamas hopes to capitalize on the widespread outrage at images of Gazans being shot by Israeli soldiers to pressure Israel into making some concessions.

The effort seemed to make headway Friday with the vote by the U.N. council.

“Those responsible for violations must in the end be held accountable,” Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, the head of the council, said in a statement Friday. “What do you become when you shoot to kill someone who is unarmed, and not an immediate threat to you? You are neither brave, nor a hero.”

Israel, which considers the council biased, said in a statement by the Foreign Ministry that the council “once again has proved itself to be a body made up of a built-in, anti-Israel majority, guided by hypocrisy and absurdity.”

As the Gaza protests evolved, they had a series of shifting goals in addition to casting Israel in a negative light: breaching the fence to symbolize the return to the lost lands; challenging the blockade to ease economic distress; and, ultimately, expressing Palestinian rejection of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israel said the protesters were being used as cover by militants who intended to attack its soldiers and nearby communities.

In any event, the “great return” did not pan out, given Israel’s determination to prevent any breach of the barrier. By the end of the week, the world’s attention had moved on to North Korea, the latest Trump administration scandal and Britain’s royal wedding.

And in the meantime, Hamas is no closer to improving the lives of increasingly restless Gazans. The group lacks money to even pay public employees’ salaries or other expenses of governing.

Its plight has been deepened by the faltering reconciliation efforts with its archrival, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority run by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

“Overall Hamas is in the same corner it was a month or two ago,” said Nathan Thrall, director of the International Crisis Group’s Israeli-Palestinian project. “It simply doesn’t have an answer about how to get out of this predicament or even how to capitalize on these protests.”

With Gaza unemployment at 43 percent and tens of thousands of employee salaries slashed by the Palestinian Authority sanctions, Egypt is encouraging a step-by-step approach to reconciliation that would see the Western-backed authority gradually take over governance of the coastal enclave.

The U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said the most urgent need for Gaza was to start development projects that were already approved. That would create jobs, increase access to potable water and electricity and create a more conducive atmosphere for reconciliation.

“The economy has disappeared,” he said. “Effectively, we need to revive life in Gaza.”

But after three international donor meetings in the past three months, and years of stalled projects, Mladenov said people had a right to be skeptical.

At Gaza’s main Shifa hospital, where entire floors were packed with young men recovering from gunshot wounds, many insisted they were happy to have paid such a high price. But other former protesters expressed bitter recrimination, blaming their own leaders as much as Israel.

“Our future is lost because of the Jews, and because of Hamas,” said Mahmoud Abu Omar, a 26-year-old with one arm wrapped in bandages.

He’d been shot, he said, as he aimed his slingshot across the fence. He had hoped the protests would somehow ease the frustrations of his life–his impatience to marry, to earn some money, to travel outside Gaza. They did not.

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Count Your Blessings!

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“On Faith vs Works”

Dennis Edwards

Thanks for writing. Don´t worry about running. If all you can do is walking, then that is all you can do. And that’s fine, so stop comparing what you can do with what I can do. We often push ourselves too hard by trying in our own strength. It is just like with Salvation. Paul writes, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”[1] 

In Ephesians he says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”[2] In his letter to Timothy he proclaims, “Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”[3]

That´s why Jesus said, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”[4] If the yoke is too hard and the burden is too heavy, maybe it is not His yoke but your own or someone else's that you have unwisely taken upon yourself or allowed others to place upon you. 

Maybe you are trying too hard in your own strength to save yourself, that you are not letting Him do it. You are not believing in His word like you should be, but are trying to earn your salvation with masses, and communions, and prayers, etc. Not that these things are necessarily wrong. But if you are trusting in them to save you, then you are working your way into God´s presence, when all He asks is that we call upon Him with all of our heart. 

In Jeremiah we read, “Call upon Me and I will answer you.”[5] “Ye shall seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me with all you heart.”[6] Notice that He said with all your heart, not all your works. 

Later in Romans Paul says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[7] This question of a second birth was even hard for Nicodemus to understand. He was the religious leader who came to Jesus in the cover of night to inquire more into Jesus’ teaching. But the truth is, we must be born again. That’s what Jesus said, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of Heaven.”[8]

Dear one, we can never earn our salvation through our own works of righteousness. In Isaiah we read, “Our own righteousness is as filthy (menstrual) rags.”[9] But God in His mercy sent us His Son to die on the cross that we might have the free gift of eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”[10] You see, salvation is a gift of God, but right from the beginning of time man has been trying to save himself through his own righteousness. 

Remember the story of Cain and Abel. Instead of offering a lamb as a sacrifice as God had requested, Cain offered the works of his own hands. God was displeased because He wanted obedience, not sacrifice. The lamb even there in the beginning of time typified the “Lamb of God which would take away the sins of the world.”[11]

Cain got so mad that he killed his brother Abel, whose simple faith and obedience had showed Cain up for the self-righteous religionist that he was. God does not want our religion, He wants our hearts. 

God has promised that if we open our hearts to Him and ask Him to come in, believe on Him by faith[12] that He was raised from the dead, He will come in and have fellowship with us and we shall be saved, or secured in His love and protection. 

In Romans Paul writes, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”[13] Notice he says that righteousness comes by belief, not by works.

 

That’s why Augustine in his Homilies on the Gospel of John wrote, “Understanding is the reward of faith: therefore, do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.”[14] So we see that faith comes before a proper understanding. In other words, faith is the key to a proper understanding of things here and now and here after. Solomon wrote, “ Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”[15] But in order to get that wisdom, we need faith. Not a blind faith, but faith built on reason and experience. That's why Peter tells us to give a reasoned defense of our faith, and Paul tells us to study that we might be approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Paul also talks a lot about the importance of faith in both Roman’s chapter four and Hebrews’ chapter four. By believing in Jesus we enter into rest through faith. We no longer struggle to save ourselves or to keep ourselves saved but rest in Him, believing on His word and precious promises. Remember that Mary, the sister of Martha, chose the good part and sat at Jesus’ feet to be ministered to by Him, while her sister Martha continued to serve. And the Lord chided Martha when she requested that Jesus make her sister go back to work. He said, “But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.”[16]

In the book of Revelation Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If any man hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.”[17] Pray this little prayer with me or something like it and have your sins washed away once and for all. 

“Dear Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and died for me and have taken upon Yourself the sins of the world including mine. Thank You for dying for me. I now accept You into my heart for eternity. I believe You rose from the dead and I trust in You for eternal life. Please forgive me for my sins and self-righteousness. Help me to rest in You and in Your love and mercy and freedom. Grant me an infilling of Your Holy Spirit so I too may have the power to walk with You. In Jesus name, I pray.” 

If you have sincerely prayed this prayer or one similar from your own heart you are saved. The fight for your eternal soul is over and you can rest in Jesus knowing that you are His for eternity. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father´s hand. I and My Father are one.”[18]

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

Notes:

[1] Titus 3;5
[2] Ephesians 2:8-9
[3] 2 Timothy 1:9
[4] Matthew 11:28-30
[5] Jeremiah 33:3
[6] Jeremiah 29:13
[7] Romans 10:13
[8] John 3:3
[9] Isaiah 64:6
[10] John 3:16
[11] John 1:29

[12] There are strong and reasonable arguments that support the claims of the disciples as the best inference from the evidence at hand, i.e., the empty tomb and the fact that neither the Jews nor the Romans produced a dead body to disprove the resurrection event, and that none of the disciples, who were eyewitnesses and knew the truth of the situation, recanted on their beliefs even in the face of severe persecution and martyrdom. Martyrdom does not prove truth, but it does prove sincerity. But the fact that the disciples were in a position to know the truth of the resurrection lends toward the conclusion that the resurrection was in fact true and not a myth developed later by them. 

[13] Romans 10:9-10
[14] Augustine, “Homilies on the Gospel of John” 29.6
[15] Proverbs 4:7
[16] Luke 10:42
[17] Revelation 3:20
[18] John 10:27-30

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Israel Celebrates Birthday With Gaza Massacre

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00:00

').appendTo(b);b.find(".mejs-time-buffering").hide();var d= this,g=b.find(".mejs-time-total");c=b.find(".mejs-time-loaded");var k=b.find(".mejs-time-current"),j=b.find(".mejs-time-handle"),m=b.find(".mejs-time-float"),q=b.find(".mejs-time-float-current"),p=function(h){h=h.pageX;var l=g.offset(),r=g.outerWidth(true),n=0,o=n=0;if(e.duration){if(hr+l.left)h=r+l.left;o=h-l.left;n=o/r;n=n<=0.02?0:n*e.duration;t&&n!==e.currentTime&&e.setCurrentTime(n);if(!mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTouch){m.css("left",o);q.html(mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(n)); m.show()}}},t=false;g.bind("mousedown",function(h){if(h.which===1){t=true;p(h);d.globalBind("mousemove.dur",function(l){p(l)});d.globalBind("mouseup.dur",function(){t=false;m.hide();d.globalUnbind(".dur")});return false}}).bind("mouseenter",function(){d.globalBind("mousemove.dur",function(h){p(h)});mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTouch||m.show()}).bind("mouseleave",function(){if(!t){d.globalUnbind(".dur");m.hide()}});e.addEventListener("progress",function(h){a.setProgressRail(h);a.setCurrentRail(h)},false); e.addEventListener("timeupdate",function(h){a.setProgressRail(h);a.setCurrentRail(h)},false);d.loaded=c;d.total=g;d.current=k;d.handle=j},setProgressRail:function(a){var b=a!=undefined?a.target:this.media,c=null;if(b&&b.buffered&&b.buffered.length>0&&b.buffered.end&&b.duration)c=b.buffered.end(0)/b.duration;else if(b&&b.bytesTotal!=undefined&&b.bytesTotal>0&&b.bufferedBytes!=undefined)c=b.bufferedBytes/b.bytesTotal;else if(a&&a.lengthComputable&&a.total!=0)c=a.loaded/a.total;if(c!==null){c=Math.min(1, Math.max(0,c));this.loaded&&this.total&&this.loaded.width(this.total.width()*c)}},setCurrentRail:function(){if(this.media.currentTime!=undefined&&this.media.duration)if(this.total&&this.handle){var a=Math.round(this.total.width()*this.media.currentTime/this.media.duration),b=a-Math.round(this.handle.outerWidth(true)/2);this.current.width(a);this.handle.css("left",b)}}})})(mejs.$); (function(f){f.extend(mejs.MepDefaults,{duration:-1,timeAndDurationSeparator:" / "});f.extend(MediaElementPlayer.prototype,{buildcurrent:function(a,b,c,e){f('

'+(a.options.alwaysShowHours?"00:":"")+(a.options.showTimecodeFrameCount?"00:00:00":"00:00")+"

").appendTo(b);this.currenttime=this.controls.find(".mejs-currenttime");e.addEventListener("timeupdate",function(){a.updateCurrent()},false)},buildduration:function(a, b,c,e){if(b.children().last().find(".mejs-currenttime").length>0)f(this.options.timeAndDurationSeparator+''+(this.options.duration>0?mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(this.options.duration,this.options.alwaysShowHours||this.media.duration>3600,this.options.showTimecodeFrameCount,this.options.framesPerSecond||25):(a.options.alwaysShowHours?"00:":"")+(a.options.showTimecodeFrameCount?"00:00:00":"00:00"))+"").appendTo(b.find(".mejs-time"));else{b.find(".mejs-currenttime").parent().addClass("mejs-currenttime-container"); f('

'+(this.options.duration>0?mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(this.options.duration,this.options.alwaysShowHours||this.media.duration>3600,this.options.showTimecodeFrameCount,this.options.framesPerSecond||25):(a.options.alwaysShowHours?"00:":"")+(a.options.showTimecodeFrameCount?"00:00:00":"00:00"))+"

").appendTo(b)}this.durationD=this.controls.find(".mejs-duration");e.addEventListener("timeupdate",function(){a.updateDuration()}, false)},updateCurrent:function(){if(this.currenttime)this.currenttime.html(mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(this.media.currentTime,this.options.alwaysShowHours||this.media.duration>3600,this.options.showTimecodeFrameCount,this.options.framesPerSecond||25))},updateDuration:function(){this.container.toggleClass("mejs-long-video",this.media.duration>3600);if(this.durationD&&(this.options.duration>0||this.media.duration))this.durationD.html(mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(this.options.duration>0?this.options.duration: this.media.duration,this.options.alwaysShowHours,this.options.showTimecodeFrameCount,this.options.framesPerSecond||25))}})})(mejs.$); (function(f){f.extend(mejs.MepDefaults,{muteText:mejs.i18n.t("Mute Toggle"),hideVolumeOnTouchDevices:true,audioVolume:"horizontal",videoVolume:"vertical"});f.extend(MediaElementPlayer.prototype,{buildvolume:function(a,b,c,e){if(!(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTouch&&this.options.hideVolumeOnTouchDevices)){var d=this,g=d.isVideo?d.options.videoVolume:d.options.audioVolume,k=g=="horizontal"?f('

').appendTo(b):f('

').appendTo(b), j=d.container.find(".mejs-volume-slider, .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider"),m=d.container.find(".mejs-volume-total, .mejs-horizontal-volume-total"),q=d.container.find(".mejs-volume-current, .mejs-horizontal-volume-current"),p=d.container.find(".mejs-volume-handle, .mejs-horizontal-volume-handle"),t=function(n,o){if(!j.is(":visible")&&typeof o=="undefined"){j.show();t(n,true);j.hide()}else{n=Math.max(0,n);n=Math.min(n,1);n==0?k.removeClass("mejs-mute").addClass("mejs-unmute"):k.removeClass("mejs-unmute").addClass("mejs-mute"); if(g=="vertical"){var s=m.height(),u=m.position(),v=s-s*n;p.css("top",Math.round(u.top+v-p.height()/2));q.height(s-v);q.css("top",u.top+v)}else{s=m.width();u=m.position();s=s*n;p.css("left",Math.round(u.left+s-p.width()/2));q.width(Math.round(s))}}},h=function(n){var o=null,s=m.offset();if(g=="vertical"){o=m.height();parseInt(m.css("top").replace(/px/,""),10);o=(o-(n.pageY-s.top))/o;if(s.top==0||s.left==0)return}else{o=m.width();o=(n.pageX-s.left)/o}o=Math.max(0,o);o=Math.min(o,1);t(o);o==0?e.setMuted(true): e.setMuted(false);e.setVolume(o)},l=false,r=false;k.hover(function(){j.show();r=true},function(){r=false;!l&&g=="vertical"&&j.hide()});j.bind("mouseover",function(){r=true}).bind("mousedown",function(n){h(n);d.globalBind("mousemove.vol",function(o){h(o)});d.globalBind("mouseup.vol",function(){l=false;d.globalUnbind(".vol");!r&&g=="vertical"&&j.hide()});l=true;return false});k.find("button").click(function(){e.setMuted(!e.muted)});e.addEventListener("volumechange",function(){if(!l)if(e.muted){t(0); k.removeClass("mejs-mute").addClass("mejs-unmute")}else{t(e.volume);k.removeClass("mejs-unmute").addClass("mejs-mute")}},false);if(d.container.is(":visible")){t(a.options.startVolume);a.options.startVolume===0&&e.setMuted(true);e.pluginType==="native"&&e.setVolume(a.options.startVolume)}}}})})(mejs.$); (function(f){f.extend(mejs.MepDefaults,{usePluginFullScreen:true,newWindowCallback:function(){return""},fullscreenText:mejs.i18n.t("Fullscreen")});f.extend(MediaElementPlayer.prototype,{isFullScreen:false,isNativeFullScreen:false,docStyleOverflow:null,isInIframe:false,buildfullscreen:function(a,b,c,e){if(a.isVideo){a.isInIframe=window.location!=window.parent.location;if(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen){c=function(){if(mejs.MediaFeatures.isFullScreen()){a.isNativeFullScreen=true;a.setControlsSize()}else{a.isNativeFullScreen= false;a.exitFullScreen()}};mejs.MediaFeatures.hasMozNativeFullScreen?a.globalBind(mejs.MediaFeatures.fullScreenEventName,c):a.container.bind(mejs.MediaFeatures.fullScreenEventName,c)}var d=this,g=f('

').appendTo(b);if(d.media.pluginType==="native"||!d.options.usePluginFullScreen&&!mejs.MediaFeatures.isFirefox)g.click(function(){mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen&& mejs.MediaFeatures.isFullScreen()||a.isFullScreen?a.exitFullScreen():a.enterFullScreen()});else{var k=null;if(function(){var h=document.createElement("x"),l=document.documentElement,r=window.getComputedStyle;if(!("pointerEvents"in h.style))return false;h.style.pointerEvents="auto";h.style.pointerEvents="x";l.appendChild(h);r=r&&r(h,"").pointerEvents==="auto";l.removeChild(h);return!!r}()&&!mejs.MediaFeatures.isOpera){var j=false,m=function(){if(j){for(var h in q)q[h].hide();g.css("pointer-events", "");d.controls.css("pointer-events","");d.media.removeEventListener("click",d.clickToPlayPauseCallback);j=false}},q={};b=["top","left","right","bottom"];var p,t=function(){var h=g.offset().left-d.container.offset().left,l=g.offset().top-d.container.offset().top,r=g.outerWidth(true),n=g.outerHeight(true),o=d.container.width(),s=d.container.height();for(p in q)q[p].css({position:"absolute",top:0,left:0});q.top.width(o).height(l);q.left.width(h).height(n).css({top:l});q.right.width(o-h-r).height(n).css({top:l, left:h+r});q.bottom.width(o).height(s-n-l).css({top:l+n})};d.globalBind("resize",function(){t()});p=0;for(c=b.length;p').appendTo(d.container).mouseover(m).hide();g.on("mouseover",function(){if(!d.isFullScreen){var h=g.offset(),l=a.container.offset();e.positionFullscreenButton(h.left-l.left,h.top-l.top,false);g.css("pointer-events","none");d.controls.css("pointer-events","none");d.media.addEventListener("click",d.clickToPlayPauseCallback);for(p in q)q[p].show(); t();j=true}});e.addEventListener("fullscreenchange",function(){d.isFullScreen=!d.isFullScreen;d.isFullScreen?d.media.removeEventListener("click",d.clickToPlayPauseCallback):d.media.addEventListener("click",d.clickToPlayPauseCallback);m()});d.globalBind("mousemove",function(h){if(j){var l=g.offset();if(h.pageYl.top+g.outerHeight(true)||h.pageXl.left+g.outerWidth(true)){g.css("pointer-events","");d.controls.css("pointer-events","");j=false}}})}else g.on("mouseover", function(){if(k!==null){clearTimeout(k);delete k}var h=g.offset(),l=a.container.offset();e.positionFullscreenButton(h.left-l.left,h.top-l.top,true)}).on("mouseout",function(){if(k!==null){clearTimeout(k);delete k}k=setTimeout(function(){e.hideFullscreenButton()},1500)})}a.fullscreenBtn=g;d.globalBind("keydown",function(h){if((mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen&&mejs.MediaFeatures.isFullScreen()||d.isFullScreen)&&h.keyCode==27)a.exitFullScreen()})}},cleanfullscreen:function(a){a.exitFullScreen()}, containerSizeTimeout:null,enterFullScreen:function(){var a=this;if(!(a.media.pluginType!=="native"&&(mejs.MediaFeatures.isFirefox||a.options.usePluginFullScreen))){docStyleOverflow=document.documentElement.style.overflow;document.documentElement.style.overflow="hidden";normalHeight=a.container.height();normalWidth=a.container.width();if(a.media.pluginType==="native")if(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen){mejs.MediaFeatures.requestFullScreen(a.container[0]);a.isInIframe&&setTimeout(function c(){if(a.isNativeFullScreen)f(window).width()!== screen.width?a.exitFullScreen():setTimeout(c,500)},500)}else if(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasSemiNativeFullScreen){a.media.webkitEnterFullscreen();return}if(a.isInIframe){var b=a.options.newWindowCallback(this);if(b!=="")if(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen)setTimeout(function(){if(!a.isNativeFullScreen){a.pause();window.open(b,a.id,"top=0,left=0,width="+screen.availWidth+",height="+screen.availHeight+",resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no")}},250);else{a.pause();window.open(b,a.id, "top=0,left=0,width="+screen.availWidth+",height="+screen.availHeight+",resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no");return}}a.container.addClass("mejs-container-fullscreen").width("100%").height("100%");a.containerSizeTimeout=setTimeout(function(){a.container.css({width:"100%",height:"100%"});a.setControlsSize()},500);if(a.media.pluginType==="native")a.$media.width("100%").height("100%");else{a.container.find(".mejs-shim").width("100%").height("100%");a.media.setVideoSize(f(window).width(), f(window).height())}a.layers.children("div").width("100%").height("100%");a.fullscreenBtn&&a.fullscreenBtn.removeClass("mejs-fullscreen").addClass("mejs-unfullscreen");a.setControlsSize();a.isFullScreen=true}},exitFullScreen:function(){clearTimeout(this.containerSizeTimeout);if(this.media.pluginType!=="native"&&mejs.MediaFeatures.isFirefox)this.media.setFullscreen(false);else{if(mejs.MediaFeatures.hasTrueNativeFullScreen&&(mejs.MediaFeatures.isFullScreen()||this.isFullScreen))mejs.MediaFeatures.cancelFullScreen(); document.documentElement.style.overflow=docStyleOverflow;this.container.removeClass("mejs-container-fullscreen").width(normalWidth).height(normalHeight);if(this.media.pluginType==="native")this.$media.width(normalWidth).height(normalHeight);else{this.container.find(".mejs-shim").width(normalWidth).height(normalHeight);this.media.setVideoSize(normalWidth,normalHeight)}this.layers.children("div").width(normalWidth).height(normalHeight);this.fullscreenBtn.removeClass("mejs-unfullscreen").addClass("mejs-fullscreen"); this.setControlsSize();this.isFullScreen=false}}})})(mejs.$); (function(f){f.extend(mejs.MepDefaults,{startLanguage:"",tracksText:mejs.i18n.t("Captions/Subtitles"),hideCaptionsButtonWhenEmpty:true,toggleCaptionsButtonWhenOnlyOne:false,slidesSelector:""});f.extend(MediaElementPlayer.prototype,{hasChapters:false,buildtracks:function(a,b,c,e){if(a.tracks.length!=0){a.chapters=f('

').prependTo(c).hide();a.captions=f('

').prependTo(c).hide();a.captionsText= a.captions.find(".mejs-captions-text");a.captionsButton=f('

• '+mejs.i18n.t("None")+"

").appendTo(b);for(b= c=0;b0&&b.displayChapters(c)},false);c.kind=="slides"&&b.setupSlides(c)},error:function(){b.loadNextTrack()}})},enableTrackButton:function(a,b){if(b==="")b=mejs.language.codes[a]||a;this.captionsButton.find("input[value="+a+"]").prop("disabled",false).siblings("label").html(b);this.options.startLanguage==a&&f("#"+this.id+"_captions_"+a).click();this.adjustLanguageBox()}, addTrackButton:function(a,b){if(b==="")b=mejs.language.codes[a]||a;this.captionsButton.find("ul").append(f('

'+b+" (loading)

"));this.adjustLanguageBox();this.container.find(".mejs-captions-translations option[value="+a+"]").remove()},adjustLanguageBox:function(){this.captionsButton.find(".mejs-captions-selector").height(this.captionsButton.find(".mejs-captions-selector ul").outerHeight(true)+ this.captionsButton.find(".mejs-captions-translations").outerHeight(true))},checkForTracks:function(){var a=false;if(this.options.hideCaptionsButtonWhenEmpty){for(i=0;i=b.entries.times[a].start&& this.media.currentTime<=b.entries.times[a].stop){this.captionsText.html(b.entries.text[a]);this.captions.show().height(0);return}this.captions.hide()}},setupSlides:function(a){this.slides=a;this.slides.entries.imgs=[this.slides.entries.text.length];this.showSlide(0)},showSlide:function(a){if(!(typeof this.tracks=="undefined"||typeof this.slidesContainer=="undefined")){var b=this,c=b.slides.entries.text[a],e=b.slides.entries.imgs[a];if(typeof e=="undefined"||typeof e.fadeIn=="undefined")b.slides.entries.imgs[a]= e=f('').on("load",function(){e.appendTo(b.slidesContainer).hide().fadeIn().siblings(":visible").fadeOut()});else if(!e.is(":visible")&&!e.is(":animated")){console.log("showing existing slide");e.fadeIn().siblings(":visible").fadeOut()}}},displaySlides:function(){if(typeof this.slides!="undefined"){var a=this.slides,b;for(b=0;b=a.entries.times[b].start&&this.media.currentTime<=a.entries.times[b].stop){this.showSlide(b);break}}}, displayChapters:function(){var a;for(a=0;a100||c==a.entries.times.length-1&&e+d<100)e=100-d;b.chapters.append(f('

'+a.entries.text[c]+''+mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(a.entries.times[c].start)+"–"+mejs.Utility.secondsToTimeCode(a.entries.times[c].stop)+"

"));d+=e}b.chapters.find("div.mejs-chapter").click(function(){b.media.setCurrentTime(parseFloat(f(this).attr("rel")));b.media.paused&& b.media.play()});b.chapters.show()}});mejs.language={codes:{af:"Afrikaans",sq:"Albanian",ar:"Arabic",be:"Belarusian",bg:"Bulgarian",ca:"Catalan",zh:"Chinese","zh-cn":"Chinese Simplified","zh-tw":"Chinese Traditional",hr:"Croatian",cs:"Czech",da:"Danish",nl:"Dutch",en:"English",et:"Estonian",tl:"Filipino",fi:"Finnish",fr:"French",gl:"Galician",de:"German",el:"Greek",ht:"Haitian Creole",iw:"Hebrew",hi:"Hindi",hu:"Hungarian",is:"Icelandic",id:"Indonesian",ga:"Irish",it:"Italian",ja:"Japanese",ko:"Korean", lv:"Latvian",lt:"Lithuanian",mk:"Macedonian",ms:"Malay",mt:"Maltese",no:"Norwegian",fa:"Persian",pl:"Polish",pt:"Portuguese",ro:"Romanian",ru:"Russian",sr:"Serbian",sk:"Slovak",sl:"Slovenian",es:"Spanish",sw:"Swahili",sv:"Swedish",tl:"Tagalog",th:"Thai",tr:"Turkish",uk:"Ukrainian",vi:"Vietnamese",cy:"Welsh",yi:"Yiddish"}};mejs.TrackFormatParser={webvvt:{pattern_identifier:/^([a-zA-z]+-)?[0-9]+$/,pattern_timecode:/^([0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}([,.][0-9]{1,3})?) --\> ([0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}([,.][0-9]{3})?)(.*)$/, parse:function(a){var b=0;a=mejs.TrackFormatParser.split2(a,/\r?\n/);for(var c={text:[],times:[]},e,d;b$1");c.text.push(d);c.times.push({start:mejs.Utility.convertSMPTEtoSeconds(e[1])==0?0.2:mejs.Utility.convertSMPTEtoSeconds(e[1]), stop:mejs.Utility.convertSMPTEtoSeconds(e[3]),settings:e[5]})}}return c}},dfxp:{parse:function(a){a=f(a).filter("tt");var b=0;b=a.children("div").eq(0);var c=b.find("p");b=a.find("#"+b.attr("style"));var e,d;a={text:[],times:[]};if(b.length){d=b.removeAttr("id").get(0).attributes;if(d.length){e={};for(b=0;b$1");a.text.push(d);if(a.times.start==0)a.times.start=2}return a}},split2:function(a,b){return a.split(b)}};if("x\n\ny".split(/\n/gi).length!=3)mejs.TrackFormatParser.split2=function(a,b){var c=[],e="",d;for(d=0;d