Pray for the Peace between Israelites and Palestinians


“The festival site - with three stages, a camping area and bar and food area - was in the Negev desert, near Kibbutz Re'im. It was not far from the Gaza Strip, from where Hamas fighters crossed over at dawn to launch their attack. They infiltrated towns and villages, taking dozens of people hostage.”

The violent conflict in the contentious Gaza strip has restarted as a result of the Hamas's unexpected attack on an Israeli music celebration.  Israeli reports claim that Hamas is holding 150 hostages at now. This unexpected attack has exposed Israel's intelligence shortcoming and destroyed its sense of invincibility. Even though this conflict has been ongoing for a while, every time it flares up, it stings the residents of Gaza and Israel alike. This time, Hamas and Israel are both threatening to annihilate one another.

This surprise attack by the Hamas on an Israeli music festival has resumed a violent war in the disputed Gaza strip. According to Israeli reports, Hamas is holding an estimated 150 hostages.

This surprise attack on Israel also exposes an intelligence failure by Israel that has shattered their invincibility. Though this conflict is long-drawn, each time it starts, there is a venomous sting on the people of both Israel and Gaza. This time, both Israel and Hamas are threatening to wipe out each other.

In this current situation how should we Christians respond?

Christians have a great love for the Israel and Palestine because it is the land where our Lord Jesus Christ was born, served, died, and rose again. This is why it is referred to as holy land. However, we have to keep it very clear in our minds “The country of Israel today was created by the United Nations in 1947 from Palestine. Thus, the country of Israel today is not to be confused with, and has no connection to, the word “Israel” of the Bible.”

We can observe that the Israel-Palestine Conflict has stirred up strong emotions in a large number of Christians today. Christians are urged to pray for Jerusalem's peace as well as the peace in Israel. The prophecies and biblical passages that urge all Christians to support Israel wholeheartedly in the ongoing battle are frequently disseminated on social media. To further confuse matters, I learned that a Methodist minister had described the singing of the national song by Israeli soldiers on his Facebook page as "Soldiers praying before going to war." Does pleading for Jerusalem's peace entail retaliation and the murder of infants and unarmed civilians? Does praying for the peace of Israel imply preventing access to electricity, water and humanitarian help?

There are Christian people, churches, and organizations that believe all Christians must support the modern state of Israel. This is because In the Old Testament, the Israelites are declared as God’s chosen people. My understanding of the Old Testament is that the Jews misinterpreted it and still they misinterpret it. The ultimate goal of Jews being declared as His chosen people was to produce the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be the Savior of the world. God specified that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12). Later still, He narrowed the Messiah’s ancestry to the line of David (2 Samuel 7). "Throughout the Old Testament, the people of Israel were made aware and reminded of their “chosen” status before God. It entrusted them with the responsibility of keeping and preserving the law (Joshua 22:5) to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). It was Israel’s responsibility to bring “renown, praise, and honour” to the Lord. They were to do that by becoming the pipeline of God’s blessing to the other nations. Their high calling to be God’s chosen out of all the nations of the earth was to bring God’s love and blessing to all nations.

If we are sincerely praying for the peace of Israel and Palestine, we need to do so with discernment rather than be moved by our emotional stirs.

The use of sophisticated arms and equipment by both Israel and Hamas against each other will never end with peace. This has to be understood by both sides. The international community must move in not to provide more arms but to bring these two sides together to understand the folly of war and sit down together to seek a negotiated settlement. Both sides must accept that they cannot have their “pound of flesh.”

Both Israel and Hamas are responsible for the present saga. It is very common  for violence to break out between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. It typically goes like this: Hamas throws rockets over the Gaza border into Israel. Then Israel retaliate with airstrikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip. Both sides are shedding innocent blood in the name of the same God. While Israel is setting deadlines for the civilians in Gaza to move out, Hamas is using the civilians as a human shield by not allowing them to leave the battle area. If Israel begins a flushing-out operation after the deadlines, civilians will be trapped in a killing field, while the armed rebels of Hamas will most probably sneak into the bordering Arab countries as a tactical withdrawal. They will wait for another opportunity to attack Israel. This is a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped.  

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have had strong religious ties to the ancient city of Jerusalem. Each of these religions has controlled all or part of the city over the past few thousand years. The most unique reality we must accept is that these three religions have claims to the blessing God pronounced on Abraham, as understood according to the scriptures of their faith. Isn’t it sad that these three groups with such rich inheritances have sought to kill and annihilate each other? Until the Jews, the Christians and the Mohammedans learn to accept the rights of the three religions to exist in the same land the praying and working for peace between Israel and Palestine must go on.

 As a Christian, I firmly believe that our call is not to be pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. We are called to be pro-peace.  Let us pray and work for the peace of the Israelis and Palestinians.

 

Rev. Asiri P. Perera
Retired President Bishop
Methodist Church Sri Lanka

 

October 17, 2023

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