The credit for this statement can be given to several people who have been saying this for a long time. I hear it from Santita Jackson, daughter of civil rights leader the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who points this out as something her father says frequently, and supports with Biblical principles that are part of the value system of the Christian gospel. Last week, on her early morning talk show in Chicago, she had several guests, among them a professor from Ohio State University, who gave a crystal clear rundown of the history that led to the existence of the modern country of Israel. going back to its roots in British imperialism following the first world war.
There are elements in the establishment of Israel that resemble most British imperialism. Great Britain came to control the Middle East, from the Mediterranean to Iran, following the disastrous Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. It had been part of the Ottoman Empire, which sided with the Central Powers during the war against the interests of its enemy, Russia and the Czar. To the victors go the spoils, and this oil and mineral rich territory, controlling trade routes between three continents, went to the British and French who then, in true imperialist fashion, proceeded to administer it in accordance with their own interests, and with little consideration of the interests of the inhabitants.
The entire history of European imperialism, with the British Empire at the top of the list, is one of political upheaval for imperial interests, which includes treating native populations everywhere with a racism that brands them as uncivilized, uneducated and unworthy of any kind of life except one that works for the benefit of their "masters." Much of the exploitation was done under the claim of "civilizing" the uncivilized and "Christianizing" the heathen. It suited their interests to consider the growing Zionist movement among European Jews, with little to no consideration given to dispossessing the Arabic population of the region in order to facilitate the settlement of European Jews.
That's a brief history of the region, not anywhere near doing it justice in terms of explaining all of the nuances of the wars, political maneuvers, outright destruction and the turning out of several million Palestinian Arabs from the homes and land their families and ancestors had occupied for two thousand years. They had accepted the small Jewish community that already existed among them, and had generally accepted the small trickle of Jewish immigration that had occurred for centuries as Jews sought refuge from European pogroms aimed at keeping them segregated and limiting their economic influence. But when this new development occurred, the only Arab leaders consulted were those who were backed by the financial benefits of being part of the empire.
The Holocaust, of course, turned world attention, and sympathy, to Jewish survivors who decided to "return home" rather than continue to live in what appeared to be a very hostile, anti-Semitic environment in Europe. Most westerners and Americans were completely ignorant of the fact that there had been no Jewish state in Palestine since the Hasmonean Dynasty fell around 37 B.C. and the events that transpired as a result of the establishment of the modern state of Israel, pushed and supported by world powers who had just won the Second World War, were the inevitable result. Hence, the hostility and animosity of the surrounding Muslim populations toward Israel's presence. They have a different perspective.
Imperialism is difficult to resist, and impossible to undo. The result of the powerlessness felt by those whose lives were discounted and disrespected in order to achieve the ends of foreign interests is that the oppressed eventually rise up and fight. The last resort, when feelings of despair and futility blend with poverty and economic depravity is terrorism. That's what we have seen in the development of militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, who only enjoy popular support because there appears to be no other way to get relief. And as long as that futility, poverty and oppression exist, it will breed and produce terrorism that will always be a security threat to Israel.
Bernie Sanders also puts this idea into understandable terms. "For the sake of the Palestinian people, and for the people of Israel, we must create a process which ends the hatred, the cycle of violence, and allows all to live in peace and security," he said.
There are some factors and influences in this that make finding any kind of solution an extremely difficult job.
Christian Zionism
"Eschatology" is that part of Christian theology which deals with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. Starting in the early 20th century, just before the First World War and the events leading to the emigration of European Jews to Palestine, a distinctive cluster of "end times" prophets began springing up, putting a futurist interpretation on the passages of the New Testament that they claim describe events leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the end of the world. Within this interpretation are various perspectives related to what I call an "Armageddon Calendar" which outlines specific events leading up to the second coming, including what some believe will be a disappearance of Christians from the earth known as the "rapture," and speculation about whether Jesus will come back before a seven year period known as "The Great Tribulation," in the middle of it, or after it is over.
One of the key components of futurism, which is accepted by a majority of conservative Evangelicals, is that the political state of Israel, ruled over by Jews, within the historic boundaries of the tribal allocations of the Old Testament, must be in existence in order for the second coming to take place. It must recognize Jerusalem as its capital, and there must be a restoration of the Jewish Temple at its original site.
The problem with this view of eschatology, is that it is completely erroneous, contrary to even literal interpretations of the book of Revelation, from which most of it is drawn. It ignores the author's clear contexts in setting the timetable for the prophecy in the book, and it ignores the words of Jesus himself, when it blends similar apocalyptically-worded passages from the Old Testament book of Daniel, incorrectly applying his prophetic words, which Jesus clearly says he fulfilled by his first coming, to the second coming and the end times of the world.
What allows those who hold to this view to set aside the core values of the Christian gospel and lose their claim that all human life is sacred, and that all human beings are created by God in his image and are, therefore, the children of God, is a heresy known as "dispensationalism." This compartmentalizes interpreting various parts of the book of Revelation, claiming that God put human history into specific periods with boundaries around them, known as "dispensations," and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is set aside in the last dispensation in order to bring about his second coming. It provides justification for the destruction of the enemies of Israel, as being God's judgment. So, in their mind, there's no need to consider the oppression of the Palestinians as anything but a necessity to usher in the return of Jesus.
Not all Christians share that view of eschatology. However, it does have an influence on American politics, with the United States being the primary world power supporting Israel, and that affects the ability to provide the kind of justice for Palestinians that would bring peace and security to Israel. It's an influence on the root problem.
No Justification for Terrorism
There's no justification whatsoever for the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October 7. The attack achieved its purpose. It created surprise, inflicted pain and suffering, it created a renewed sense of insecurity and fear across the whole country of Israel, and it got the attention of the world focused on Gaza. Under Netanyahu, the planners expected a quick and violent retribution, missiles raining down on Gaza, and a military invasion at a high cost of civilian lives, and a hopeful turn of world opinion away from favoring Israel.
It was an exhibition of complete evil through everything that it accomplished, including the brutal deaths of more than a thousand Israeli civilians, the capture of hostages for whatever purpose deemed necessary. It was a demonstration of contempt for the people of Gaza, knowing the past history of such attacks, Hamas made absolutely no provision for the protection of the people, half of whom are children. If they are the governing authority in Gaza, then their failure in all aspects of protection, provision and safety is as criminal as their attack on Israel. They bear the responsibility for the killing of innocents on both sides.
Hamas would have no base of operation, nor would Hezbollah, if there were, as Bernie Sanders says, a "process that would end the hatred, the cycle of violence, and allows all people to live in peace and harmony."
So how does that happen?
An Appeal to Higher Values
Earlier this week, Santita Jackson's early morning talk show featured an interview with a Jewish woman and a Palestinian Muslim man, both in Oregon, both part of a group that comes together for solidarity and encouragement. Both were mourning the story of this man's family, many of them killed at once when a missile hit their home in Gaza. That conversation exhibited a very high level of understanding on the part of both people, almost miraculous when the circumstances are considered.
The group featured in the link above is in Oregon, too, not Israel or Gaza. It's a long way away from the violence, physically, but there are connections there to people on both sides. The fact that these people can exhibit that high level of understanding, come together, and have a civil discussion about what it will take to end the terror and violence is, in the political atmosphere we now live in, remarkable, and if I may say so, miraculous.
We have an imperial problem which cannot be undone. So we must figure out how to live with it. My responsibility, as an American, who doesn't experience the deprivation and despair of the Palestinians in Gaza or in the West Bank, and who doesn't experience the fear of an Israeli, is to support peace and contribute to security. In the middle of this awful episode, there have been strong voices come out in favor, not of promoting things that lead to violence, but of promoting unity that neutralizes terror groups like Hamas and lets people live in peace. If we're not willing to trust that's going to happen, instead of always believing the worst, then there is no hope for any of us.
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Jesus Christ, so that together with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. Apostle Paul, Romans 15, various verses.
I don't believe God, as revealed by the writers of the Bible, is in or behind any theology that would lead to the kind of violence and terrorism we've seen. Unfortunately, some people who claim to be his are behind it. Most of us aren't in a place to have an effect on what's going on in the middle east, but we can affect what's going on here, and for us, this is where it starts. Look what's happening in Oregon. Three weeks ago, a young, six year old Palestinian boy was murdered in a Chicago suburb because of his race. Jewish rabbis approached his family and asked to come to his funeral as a statement of solidarity with the family.
It does, indeed, start with us.
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