A time for moral clarity

In the Middle East - A time for moral clarity

Gaza-Israel.  That tip of land called Gaza south of Israel has been controlled by many peoples.  In ancient times it was an Egyptian base, then a royal city for the Philistines, and also the place where the Bible story of Samson, betrayed by Delilah, met his death.

It was part of the Ottoman Empire for most of the period from the 16th Century up to the end of World War 1, when Britain took temporary control over Gaza and other territories of the region.

The coastal region is named for its historical centre: The word Gaza comes from the Hebrew Azzah, loosely meaning 'strong city.'

The modern Israel derives its name from the Biblical land of the Israelites.  Recorded in the Bible, they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  In the book of Genesis, Jacob wrestled with an angel and having held off, Jacob was renamed Israel, a word generally interpreted as “one who prevails.”   Scripture records God giving land to the Jews.

The small region from the southern border of Lebanon, southward to Egypt was historical Israel.  During the Iron Age, the Israelites controlled most of the region, while the Philistines occupied its southern coast (Gaza).

The Assyrians conquered it in the 8th century BC, then the Babylonians in c. 601 BC, followed by the Persians who conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC.

Then the Greeks, then the Romans for several hundred years followed by the Byzantine Empire until 634 CE, when it was taken by invading Muslim armies from Arabia. The Ottomans ruled the region from at least 1566 CE.  The crusades in the Middle Ages tried to take the land back from the Muslim invaders.  But through it all, Jews continued to live there over the centuries. Despite occupation by others, there was always a Jewish remnant living in the land,

Now the area is at war again, provoked by the Hamas Islamic Jihadist massacre of October 7 2023; the greatest single loss of life since the Nazi Holocaust.  Indeed, the whole world is in play, as threats have been made against Jews in many countries. Even in Canada, Jews are feeling renewed waves of antisemitism.

There must be a desire for truth. With conflicting stories, there is the challenge to find the truth.  False narratives, repeated often enough, come to be believed. The quest for truth must be paramount.  Psalm 144:11 says, “Rescue me and deliver me out of the power of hostile alien tribes whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands raised in taking fraudulent oaths.”

Can discernment and moral clarity be found? The war narrative has a combination of truth and propaganda.  The rational uninvolved person would think of three parts: end hostilities; resolve the issues of the conflict; and; perhaps restore a relationship.

However, the conflict between Israel and Gaza does not fit this template.  Politicians and diplomats who attempt to do so will not be successful.  The war is a phase of a very long conflict.  For everything there is a season.  To seek understanding and wisdom about the season concerning Israel and Gaza, we must recognize the secondary factors at play.

Hamas is not an isolated actor in the war.  There is a larger coordinated effort involving both Hezbollah and Iran, as well as a global network of antisemitic actors.  The current phase has been planned for at least two years. It was no spontaneous uprising.

What is meant by moral clarity? It means that one cannot reconcile with evil. It can only be exposed and defeated.  But how does one determine who is evil?  As the saying goes “one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter.”  However, from a faith-based perspective of the Abrahamic tradition, evil is clearly defined as a settled opposition to God’s plan and purposes.

Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, there is a consistent theme Israel is at the heart of God’s plan and purposes to reconcile the world with God and with one another. This is the meaning of being a light to the nations.  To stand against Israel is to stand in opposition to God’s purposes.

It does not mean romanticizing Israelis or agreeing with every intent of the Israeli government.  It doesn’t mean loving Jews and hating Palestinians. It means aligning oneself and one’s nation in a posture of blessing Israel rather than cursing Israel. 

Genesis 12:3 says, “And I will bless those who bless you, who confer prosperity or happiness upon you and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed and by you they will bless themselves.”

This means to set one’s heart and society on the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people would be to oppose God’s purposes which is the embodiment of evil.  Hamas in its founding charter made the destruction of Israel and the extermination of Jews its reason for being.  Its goal is not advocacy for the needs or rights of the Palestinian people. Its goal is not to seek a two-state solution. It is the eradication of Israel -- full stop.

In Canada, the supporters chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” which is calling for the extermination of the Jews.  The violence has exposed Hamas for who they truly are at the core of their belief system.

The war has shone a light to reveal an unholy alliance of antisemites from Islamists to Western progressives to Neo Nazis to radical black activists.  These groups are not concerned with the plight of Palestinians; they are motivated by hate for Israel.

In years of various “peace talks” and accords, it is clear that for the Palestinian leadership, two states side by side was never their goal, but rather the eradication of Israel.  One has to appreciate the full meaning of “the right of return” and its real implications.  Hamas is outspoken about what is unspoken by the Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to represent people in the West Bank east of Jerusalem.

Palestinian leaders are foremost in their embrace of political-religious myth-making.  Palestinian school textbooks in the West Bank show maps of the region in which Israel doesn’t exist.  The perpetuated myth is the whole region is Palestine with no mention of Israel.

This is a time for moral clarity, where the nations of the world are faced with a choice. The choice is between standing with Israel or standing with the enemies of Israel; there is no third option.  Many have tried to straddle the fence and play it safe by issuing innocuous statements that fail to grasp the moral imperatives.

The designation 'Radical Islam’ is meant to distinguish the global Islamist and Jihadi network as separate from the millions of Muslims.  The worldview of Radical Islam envisions Islamic supremacy, not coexistence. For them, Israel doesn’t exist. It is part of Dar-Al-Islam and must be subdued to Islamic religious rule. Therefore, what we observe is not an 'Arab-Israeli' conflict, but an 'Islamic-Jewish' struggle

Hamas cannot be managed or accommodated with a peace deal, it must be defeated and it must be seen to be defeated by the Arab and Muslim world. In the Muslim world, strength is respected and weakness is despised. 

At this moment, moral clarity is the key, to either stand with Israel and God’s long-term purposes or stand against them. It is the Valley of Decision.  We pray that truth would shine in the darkness, piercing the veils of lies and untruths that lead to deception and confusion.  We pray for leaders and all involved to see and be guided by truth. Expose any lies that seek to create deception and negative consequences.  Draw all people to truth.