Hatred Harms Our Humanity

Once again, our hearts have been shocked and devastated. A horrifying violence was unleashed by the Terrorist organization Hamas (an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya = “Islamic Resistance Movement”) upon Israel. Hundreds slaughtered mercilessly, and many taken hostage. Israel has responded with its own rockets and today, innocent civilians and vulnerable non-combatant human beings on both sides are caught in trauma and crisis. Welcome to the land of “Peace,” the land of Israel and Palestine.

I am saddened and sickened by war. I hate what the Russians have done in the Ukraine, and I hate what Hamas has now done in Israel. Solitary events are quickly taken out of context and easily judged with apparent sharp clarity. The trouble is, “un-provoked” events like this one rarely happen in an “Historical Vacuum.” The tragedy of recent days is only made more ugly and problematic by the long and complex history behind these two nations and peoples.

Post World-War-One brought forth new mandates and restructuring of lands and governments and peoples. Not unlike the moving of Native Americans from lands they possessed and owned so they could be settled and taken over by European Americans, so too the Palestinians were moved out to make room for the new nation of Israel for the Jewish people.

November of 1947, the United Nations voted to patrician off Palestine into two states: An Arab State and an Israeli State (55% of land to Israel, the smaller population). When Brittan pulled out, the Israeli army seized more land by force and pushed out the Palestinians. Three-quarters of Palestinians by then had become refugees in their own land. Israelis saw this as the beginning of their nation, while Palestinians saw this and named this moment as “THE NAKBA,” (The Catastrophe), the time they became a stateless people.

Each nation and people have a legitimate narrative and right to exist. Each has a right to claim land and security, freedom and autonomy. Yet terrorism and state policy divide them to this day.

Al Jazeer has produced this 14.5 minute short history of the founding of the nation of Israel which came about because of The Balfour Declaration (coming out of great Brittan). This was essentially a British promise to build a homeland for the Jewish people. You can learn more by watching this brief documentary.

Video: A British Promise: How Israel Was Created
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6foH3Zc82ZQ

John Green, teacher on YouTube “CrashCourse” channel, teaches about the conflict in Israel and Palestine in a historically accurate but somewhat tongue-in-cheek way. John says, “This conflict is often cast as a long-term beef going back thousands of years, rooted in a clash between religions. Well, that's not quite true. What is true is that the conflict is immensely complicated, and just about everyone in the world has an opinion about it.” This important 13-minute video helps us to grasp a greater complexity and conundrum of what we see today.

Video: Conflict in Israel and Palestine: Crash Course World History
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw

Let us pray for God’s grace and mercy to touch the hearts of peoples who have learned to hate and despise each other. Only the miracle of supernatural forgiveness and change this tragic story.

Come Lord Jesus!

David