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Our
part in helping to reconcile Jew and Arab in
Israel
Richard
Gibson, Editor of Chai
Ephesians
2:14
For He Himself is our peace, who has made
both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.
As
we approach this subject, there are a couple of issues that need to be dealt
with as we lay the foundation for our thinking.
Firstly,
we are often so Euro-centric in our view of the world that we can think that the
only things that are happening in the world are those we know about and are
involved with. Often, our perception is that unless an organisation we are
aligned to or support is doing something, then nothing is being done at all. How
wrong we are.
Both
politically and spiritually, we are still chained to a view of the world that
sees the rest of the world being dependent on the West to solve its problems.
Secondly,
many Christians have become so politicised in the way they view the world, and
in particular the
Middle East
conflict, that they no longer think
spiritually about the situation. Christian opinion on the Israeli-Arab conflict
is informed more by the BBC than the Bible! It is stating the obvious to say
that only when the whole truth is known about any situation can a fair solution
can be found. This is true about helping Jews and Arabs in
Israel
to be reconciled. Are we therefore being
arrogant and Euro-centric when we ask how we can help to reconcile Jews-namely
Israeli Jews-and Arabs? Are we, in fact, being rather patronising when we ask
this question? Do we believe that we really have anything to offer to one of the
most debated and analysed problems of the world?
In
this article I am not seeking to be Euro-centric, arrogant or patronizing;
instead, I hope to find a way by which we can see our
responsibility under God regarding this controversial conflict.
The
arithmetic of pain
Growing
numbers of Christians are buying into the idea that
Israel
is an illegitimate state and, seemingly,
that the Jewish people have no rights apart only from the right to die as a
consequence of terrorist atrocities. Many Christians seem to think the only way
to "help" this situation is to adopt a vigorous anti-Israel position.
Not only nominal cultural Christians,
but also real born again Christians
have been sucked into this way of thinking and have, in effect, become long-distant-militants
by adopting the methodology and practice of the political left wing. They thus
become ill-informed, armchair social
revolutionaries. Honest debate is stifled as opinions are polarized
by the latest trendy cause on which the media chooses to turn its spotlight. The
men behind the news cameras bear a great deal of blame for making a bad
situation much worse by continuing to feed the terrorists with the oxygen of
publicity. The success of the terrorists' cause depends on media coverage and
the world's newsmen unhesitatingly comply with and partake in their strategy.
Arafat
has mastered, as one politician put it, the "harsh arithmetic of pain"
as his habitual negotiation strategy. Palestinian casualties and Israelis
casualties play in his favour. Violence pays. For many the simple math is that
because more Palestinians than Israelis are dead, therefore
Israel
is the villain and the Palestinians the
righteous oppressed. This naïve view ignores the fact of intention. Though we
may have mixed feelings about the Israeli government's policy of targeting
terrorist leaders and killers for assassination, the fact is that
Israel
has not set out to kill innocent
civilians.
Israel
has thwarted literally thousands of bomb
attempts. Therefore, instead of 3,000 Jews being murdered,
Israel
's death toll has been less than 1,000, as
opposed to approximately 2,000 among the Palestinians. Ironically, the
statistics of
Israel
's success at saving the saving the lives
of its own people are used as “proof” of the claim that
Israel
is the all-powerful Goliath oppressing the
little Palestinian David.
Benjamin
Disraeli wrote that "There
are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." All death is
tragic but, however cold this may seem, we must look at the facts as they are.
The Palestinian death toll is the emotional engine that drives anti-Israel
feelings in the West and has resulted in the demonization
of
Israel
in the
public mind. However, we must not forget, that the figure of 2,000 Palestinian
dead includes the suicide bombers themselves, bomb-makers, bomb throwers,
terrorist commanders, militants killed in shoot-outs with Israeli troops as well
as those murdered by their fellow countrymen for being "collaborators"
with Israel. There is also a significant statistic that is largely unknown or
ignored, which is that more Israeli than Palestinian innocents have been killed.
Israel
has
killed fewer civilians during the decades of fighting terrorism than any other
nation in history faced with comparable violence. Palestinian innocents who have
died were the tragic, unintended consequences of
Israel
's war
against terror; they were not the direct object of Israeli violence.
A
hopeless story?
Could
the present world opinion be an extension the medieval superstition that the
Jews were to blame for everything: plague, too little rain, too much rain etc?
Within days of September 11, the Jewish State was being blamed for Islamic
extremism. Conspiracy theorists see the shadowy hand of the Jews behind all the
other woes in the world.
None
of those who question
Israel
's right to exist as a sovereign state ever
question the legitimacy of
Australia
or the
United
State
to exist as nations.
America
and
Australia
butchered the native inhabitants and stole
their land, yet no one calls for those two countries to be dismantled. There is
no comparison with the founding of those countries and the establishment of the
state of
Israel
. Contrary to popular opinion, the Zionist
pioneers did not slaughter the native inhabitants of
Palestine
, nor did they seize Palestinian land. The
Zionists legally bought huge areas of British Mandate Palestine from absentee
Arab landlords.
There
has been a continual Jewish presence in
Israel
since Bible times. When the Crusaders
attacked
Jerusalem
in 1099AD the native Jewish population
fought with the Moslems to defend the city; this was also true of
Haifa
in 1100AD. In Safed alone in 1500, there
were 10,000 Jews. Only in 637AD did the Moslem Arabs take control of biblical
Israel
and
Judea
. The native Jewish populations were
sometime treated well but were at other times mistreated. In the sixteenth
century, according to British reports,
Jerusalem
,
Hebron
and
Acre
and many other towns were predominantly
Jewish. Auni Bey Abdul-Hati, a prominent Palestinian Arab leader, told the Peel
commission in 1937: “There is no such country…
Palestine
is a term the Zionists invented… Our
country was for centuries part of
Syria
."
How
words can change their meaning. I wonder where we'd be if the founders of the
modern state of
Israel
had chosen to name their country
Palestine
.
Are
you depressed by all this? Many are; many lose hope; many never had any hope.
But we have always had hope; Messianic hope.
A
quiet revolution
For
well over fifty years, Israeli Messianic Jews have been in fellowship and in
partnership in ministry with Arab believers, both Israeli and Palestinian.
So
much goes on at a grass roots level that is not reported. What follows is just a
few examples of Jewish and Arab believers working together.
·
I
have had direct experience working with Israeli Arabs witnessing to Israeli Jews
in mixed Jewish/Arab towns.
·
There
is an Israeli Arab pastor who ministers to several scattered house groups
consisting of Russian Messianic Jewish immigrants.
·
The
National Evangelism Committee in
Israel
has co-operated in national outreach
ventures with Arab congregations.
·
Every
year there was an outreach to an Israeli New Age festival, during which an
Arab
Baptist
Church
made its building available as the centre
of activities for all the volunteers. When I was there, half of the volunteers
were young Israeli Arab men from the Brethren Assemblies in the north of
Israel
.
·
Jewish
and Arab pastors exchange pulpits and many Arab believers find a welcome home at
Messianic Jewish congregations. A Messianic Jewish congregation in
Haifa
has even appointed an Arab pastor.
·
One
congregation even had an Israeli Arab woman as the treasurer. Who ever heard of
four hundred Jews trusting an Arab with their money!
·
The
Messianic Action Committee in
Israel
was made up of Messianic Jews and Israeli
Arab believers who campaigned together against the threat of anti-missionary
laws.
·
The
national youth conferences include Messianic Jewish and believing Arab young
people.
·
Jewish
Congregations share visiting foreign speakers with Arab congregations and one
congregation shares visiting seminary professors with the
Bethlehem
Bible
College
.
·
Israeli
Messianic congregations gather aid to help their Arab brethren.
·
Israeli
Messianic Jews serving in the army struggle with their consciences. They seek to
honour Arabs coming through check-points as bearers of God's image, while at the
same time knowing that Palestinian ambulances are often used to smuggle weapons
and suicide bombers into
Israel
.
·
Messianic
Congregations are required, as are most gathering places, to provide security
against terror attacks. Despite the fact that at least two Messianic Jews have
been murdered as the result of suicide bombings, Arab brethren are welcomed into
Jewish congregations with open arms and hearts.
When
I was in
Israel
, I became very excited about these things.
Why didn't anyone outside
Israel
know about these wonderful evidences of
God at work? As I enthused about what was happening believers looked at me as
though I was slightly mad. "As followers of Yeshua, isn't this, after all,
the very least we should do for each other?" It was a glorious response,
and all the more impressive for its simplicity. Jewish and Arab believers in
Jesus were doing something that Israeli politicians and world leaders had failed
to achieve; and they didn't think there was anything special about it! What a
challenge that was to me. It proves that in many ways the indigenous Israeli
congregations have a level of spiritual maturity far greater than ours.
What
comfort is this, we may ask, when for decades Israelis and Arabs have stumbled
along a blood-drenched, tragedy-strewn road. There is still so much further to
go, but we should thank God for the start that has already been made by these
dear brothers and sisters in
Israel
.
How
can we best help?
Be
better informed. Stand up for the truth. Write letters to Christian journals and
newspapers. Correct preachers after they make erroneous statements. Pray
privately. Pray publicly in church prayer meetings. Distribute good literature.
Effect a grass roots change, starting with your immediate family and friends.
Write articles for your church newsletter or magazine. Influence your pastor and
elders (but don't be a boring nag!). Encourage pastors and preachers when they
get it right. Empower the indigenous Israeli congregations to do what they are
already doing by financial support. Organise an Israeli Information evening at
your home or church. Respond to erroneous articles and comments in your local
fellowship magazine. Stir up people's concern so they may weep over
Jerusalem
and pray for the salvation of "all
Israel
". Most important of all, support
evangelistic ministries in
Israel
.
The
best way to help reconcile Jew and Arab in
Israel
is quite simple: proclaim the Gospel. It
is so obvious, but many followers of Yeshua have forgotten it. Let's remind
ourselves of it continually. Do all of the above but make Jewish evangelism the
priority. It is only Yeshua who brings real Shalom.
Originally
delivered at a workshop at this year's BMJA annual conference
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