What to Make of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
This page was posted after the tragic deaths of three Jewish teens who were murdered by Hamas.
Please keep Israel in prayer during this very difficult time. Be in prayer for the families that have lost loved ones. There are casualties amongst the Jews and Arabs and we need to pray for peace, salvation, and genuine reconciliation that, I believe, can only come through the Messiah.
While we mourn for losses on both sides, it is important that in our compassion we don't paint Israel and the Palestinian governments as moral equivalents. Israel does all it can to minimize civilian deaths when retaliating against Hamas, while many Palestinian leaders (especially in Hamas) justify or even celebrate the deaths of Jews. Israel shows great restraint in the midst of daily barrages of missiles from Gaza - probably much more restraint than the US would show if one of our cities was being fired upon.
Antisemitism is one of the world's oldest hatred and it clouds the minds and hearts of many. Despite the clear and documented rights for Israel's existence legally, morally, and biblically, the world, and even some parts of the Christian Church, continue to dog Israel for what is merely self-defense against those who have a religious agenda of hatred to see Israel's destruction. This negative focus on Israel is often under the guise of simply being critical of Israel's politics, but the truth is that it is often anti-semitism in disguise. Israel is not perfect, and there have been instances of abuse, but here are the facts...
*Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. It allows all citizens to vote (including the Arabs) and even has anti-Israeli Arabic members in its Parliament (Knesset). Not only do Jews have no representation in Arab governments, but most Jews were forced to leave Arabic lands due to intense persecution.
*Israeli settlements are not built on Arab lands nor are they on territory claimed by any Arabic government. Many Palestinians are upset by Israeli settlements because they are on territory that they would like to govern (however, many Palestinians are happy that the settlements are being built because it gives them jobs). In 1948, when Israel became a nation, the Palestinians were offered those lands as part of a 2 state solution. Instead of accepting those lands, they chose war and vowed to "drive Israel into the sea" (this only 3 years after the Holocaust). Because of those hostilities, the Arabs' refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state, and hostilities that continue to this day, Israel must have defensible borders, so they procure parts of unclaimed (though disputed) territory on which to build settlements for its growing population.
*Israel has the military might to vanquish the Palestinians, but instead it continues to hope for peace and keep its force in check. Israel has no desire to rule the Palestinians, while the Palestinians continue to hope for the day in which Israel does not exist as seen by their maps that don't show Israel, and their training of children to hate Israel. The truth is this - if the Palestinians were to lay down their arms, there would be peace. If Israel were to lay down her arms, there would be a bloodbath. Why? Because even though many Israeli Jews are secular and very few know Messiah Yeshua, they are still influenced by their inheritance of the Hebrew Scriptures which gives them a heart to seek justice, compassion, and peace. The Muslims, on the other hand, are guided by the Koran's call for jihad.
*Israel is a true friend to America and stands for many of the same freedoms and morals.
*There are many historical, legal, and ethical issues that justify Israel's existence; however, the most important thing is that God has declared Israel to be a nation close to His heart, an eternal people that will be a blessing to the earth. Israel's existence is miraculous and a fulfillment of prophecy. Now is the time that we need to find ways to make our voices heard for the sake of justice and God's desire.
Genesis 12:3 (God speaking of Abraham and his descendants, i.e. Israel) - My desire is to bless those who bless you, but whoever curses you will I curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Genesis 12:7 - Then ADONAI appeared to Abram, and said, "I will give this land to your seed."
Jeremiah 31:35 - Thus says ADONAI, who gives the sun as a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars as a light by night, who stirs up the sea so its waves roar,ADONAI-Tzva'ot is His Name: "only if this fixed order departs from before Me" -it is a declaration of ADONAI- "then also might Israel's offspring cease from being a nation before Me-for all time." Thus says ADONAI: "Only if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then also I will cast off the offspring of Israel-for all they have done." It is a declaration of ADONAI.
Ezekiel 36:24 - 25 - "For I will take you from the nations, gather you out of all the countries and bring you back to your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols."
Notice in Ezekiel 36 (as well as in Ezekiel 37) that the physical restoration to the land precedes the spiritual renewal of the "clean water". We have seen Israel restored to the Land, now we pray for and await her return to the Lord through Yeshua so that the descendants of Abraham, those who gave us the Bible and the Messiah, may once again be a spiritual blessing to "all the families of the earth" (Genesis 12:3) as they welcome back Messiah with shouts of "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (Matthew 23:39). All quotes from the Tree of Life Version of the Bible.
Please remember to keep Israel in prayer. If you belong to a Church, consider asking your pastor to have me come and speak about how the Church can bless Israel.
Shalom Alechem,
Rabbi Josh
shalom850@yahoo.com
This page was posted after the tragic deaths of three Jewish teens who were murdered by Hamas.
Please keep Israel in prayer during this very difficult time. Be in prayer for the families that have lost loved ones. There are casualties amongst the Jews and Arabs and we need to pray for peace, salvation, and genuine reconciliation that, I believe, can only come through the Messiah.
While we mourn for losses on both sides, it is important that in our compassion we don't paint Israel and the Palestinian governments as moral equivalents. Israel does all it can to minimize civilian deaths when retaliating against Hamas, while many Palestinian leaders (especially in Hamas) justify or even celebrate the deaths of Jews. Israel shows great restraint in the midst of daily barrages of missiles from Gaza - probably much more restraint than the US would show if one of our cities was being fired upon.
Antisemitism is one of the world's oldest hatred and it clouds the minds and hearts of many. Despite the clear and documented rights for Israel's existence legally, morally, and biblically, the world, and even some parts of the Christian Church, continue to dog Israel for what is merely self-defense against those who have a religious agenda of hatred to see Israel's destruction. This negative focus on Israel is often under the guise of simply being critical of Israel's politics, but the truth is that it is often anti-semitism in disguise. Israel is not perfect, and there have been instances of abuse, but here are the facts...
*Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. It allows all citizens to vote (including the Arabs) and even has anti-Israeli Arabic members in its Parliament (Knesset). Not only do Jews have no representation in Arab governments, but most Jews were forced to leave Arabic lands due to intense persecution.
*Israeli settlements are not built on Arab lands nor are they on territory claimed by any Arabic government. Many Palestinians are upset by Israeli settlements because they are on territory that they would like to govern (however, many Palestinians are happy that the settlements are being built because it gives them jobs). In 1948, when Israel became a nation, the Palestinians were offered those lands as part of a 2 state solution. Instead of accepting those lands, they chose war and vowed to "drive Israel into the sea" (this only 3 years after the Holocaust). Because of those hostilities, the Arabs' refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state, and hostilities that continue to this day, Israel must have defensible borders, so they procure parts of unclaimed (though disputed) territory on which to build settlements for its growing population.
*Israel has the military might to vanquish the Palestinians, but instead it continues to hope for peace and keep its force in check. Israel has no desire to rule the Palestinians, while the Palestinians continue to hope for the day in which Israel does not exist as seen by their maps that don't show Israel, and their training of children to hate Israel. The truth is this - if the Palestinians were to lay down their arms, there would be peace. If Israel were to lay down her arms, there would be a bloodbath. Why? Because even though many Israeli Jews are secular and very few know Messiah Yeshua, they are still influenced by their inheritance of the Hebrew Scriptures which gives them a heart to seek justice, compassion, and peace. The Muslims, on the other hand, are guided by the Koran's call for jihad.
*Israel is a true friend to America and stands for many of the same freedoms and morals.
*There are many historical, legal, and ethical issues that justify Israel's existence; however, the most important thing is that God has declared Israel to be a nation close to His heart, an eternal people that will be a blessing to the earth. Israel's existence is miraculous and a fulfillment of prophecy. Now is the time that we need to find ways to make our voices heard for the sake of justice and God's desire.
Genesis 12:3 (God speaking of Abraham and his descendants, i.e. Israel) - My desire is to bless those who bless you, but whoever curses you will I curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
Genesis 12:7 - Then ADONAI appeared to Abram, and said, "I will give this land to your seed."
Jeremiah 31:35 - Thus says ADONAI, who gives the sun as a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars as a light by night, who stirs up the sea so its waves roar,ADONAI-Tzva'ot is His Name: "only if this fixed order departs from before Me" -it is a declaration of ADONAI- "then also might Israel's offspring cease from being a nation before Me-for all time." Thus says ADONAI: "Only if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then also I will cast off the offspring of Israel-for all they have done." It is a declaration of ADONAI.
Ezekiel 36:24 - 25 - "For I will take you from the nations, gather you out of all the countries and bring you back to your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols."
Notice in Ezekiel 36 (as well as in Ezekiel 37) that the physical restoration to the land precedes the spiritual renewal of the "clean water". We have seen Israel restored to the Land, now we pray for and await her return to the Lord through Yeshua so that the descendants of Abraham, those who gave us the Bible and the Messiah, may once again be a spiritual blessing to "all the families of the earth" (Genesis 12:3) as they welcome back Messiah with shouts of "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (Matthew 23:39). All quotes from the Tree of Life Version of the Bible.
Please remember to keep Israel in prayer. If you belong to a Church, consider asking your pastor to have me come and speak about how the Church can bless Israel.
Shalom Alechem,
Rabbi Josh
shalom850@yahoo.com