I am writing this on May 15th, which is Nakba Day for Palestinians, the day they commemorate al Nakba, or “the catastrophe”. That is what they call the end of the Palestinian State and the creation of Israel in its place. That event resulted in the forced exile of the Palestinian people from their homes, confiscation of their land, and elimination of their freedom. I’ve been watching the news, and I just finished listening to The Telos Channel podcast featuring a couple of friends who are right there in the middle of the current violence and chaos. I felt like I needed to share some of my own thoughts on what’s going on over there right now. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. I am very much Pro Israeli AND Pro Palestinian. But the Israeli state and Israeli citizens will never be able to thrive until the Palestinians do as well, which is what everyone seems to be ignoring.
There are real people on both sides of this conflict. All of them deserve to be heard and understood. While I will never condone violence as a solution to any problem, much of what is happening right now is no surprise to anyone who has been to Israel / Palestine. Those of us who have seen the West Bank walls, visited Yad Vashem, and spent time in Palestinian refugee camps have seen this coming.
There are very good Palestinian people who are making some very bad decisions right now because they feel like they’ve been ignored for over 70 years. They feel like they have no other choice because nothing else has worked. There are some very good Israeli people who are making very bad decisions right now because they are afraid. They see no other options for keeping their families safe. Both sides have people doing the wrong things for what they believe are the right reasons. There are undoubtedly bad people on both sides as well, but they are very much in the minority.
Don’t believe that this is a Holy War between Muslims and Jews. It’s not. Nearly half of the Jews living in Israel are secular, and around a quarter of the Palestinian population is Christian. This is not a religious holy war. This is about two different groups of people who both have very valid claims about what they believe they are entitled to, with neither side willing to budge.
This brings us to Nakba Day. At the center of this conflict are human rights violations that have been ignored by the world at large for decades. Americans wonder why the two sides can’t just get along. Unfortunately, that’s impossible without addressing the way the Palestinian people have been and continue to be treated. Our country must shoulder some responsibility for failing to do anything to address those issues. Israel must also accept a share of the responsibility for the rise of Hamas, as their origin in Gaza was directly related to the way Palestinian people were being treated in the region.
If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, take a few minutes to REALLY consider how he would look at this conflict. Make no mistake, Palestine is under occupation. Very similar to the way the Jews were under occupation by the Romans in Jesus’ time. The Jews were very much looking to Jesus to lead a revolt that would overthrow the Romans and liberate the Jews. But Jesus didn’t come to save the Jews…he came to save EVERYONE. I believe we, as Jesus followers, must take the same stance. One side cannot thrive at the expense of the other. Both sides are important, and we should be open to hearing and understanding the stories, the histories, and the fears of both.
I hope you’ll take some time to form your own opinion about what’s going on over there. Please take the time to do your own research. You cannot get the whole story by watching the American news or reading articles from the New York Post. Think about why Israel would strategically bomb a building full of journalism offices in Gaza. Please balance that information with other sources. I highly recommend The Telos Group as a first step. If you want more information on the Palestinian occupation and why they are so angry, check out Amnesty International. If you’re looking for more information from the Israeli or Palestinian perspective, check out the resources page from Telos Group. If you want to hear a bit more about some of the real people from both sides of the conflict, I wrote about some of them after my trip in 2019.
While not unexpected, this escalating conflict is nothing short of tragic. The worst thing we can do right now is to take sides. Don’t let American media dictate the narrative. Educate yourself. If you feel compelled to take action in some way, contact your congressmen about your concerns and make it clear to them how much you want them to be concerned. Be open to hearing and befriending the ‘others’ around you. Pray for the very real people in the middle of this conflict, and remember that they were ALL made in the image of God and they ALL deserve our love and compassion. We should all be Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian, and Pro-Peace.
