THE CURRENT CONFLICT AND “A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE”

Just like most of the Christians, I am too disturbed by all that is happening between Israel and Palestine. Every Christian on the face of the earth, is both troubled and concerned. Our positions may vary, but I am sure, as Christians, we all wish and pray for a peaceful resolution, and an amicable and harmonious end to this bloody war, where close to 1,500 innocent Israelis have died; about 15,000 innocent people died, and still counting – one third of them are, small children; while more than 30,000 are injured, and counting, with thousands upon thousands displaced. 

Just like most of us, I too was praying, and asking God to help us through these tough times. I was earnestly asking God – “how should we as Christians, understand this conflict, and how should we respond?” I am struggling with this question for more than three years now. Very recently I came across an article, by Ms. Peri Zahnd, the wife of an American Pastor, who organises, Holy Land visits to Israel, close to 30 years now, for Christians in the USA, since 1996.

I loved it personally. For the first time, in my opinion, I read a balanced and biblically sound article, with a deep love for God, the people of Israel, and the people of Palestine, which includes Muslims and many Christians. They are doing some wonderful work of the LORD, in the Holy Land, and doing their part for the peace and reconciliation, among the two groups. I will encourage you to read the full article “A Christian Perspective On the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” by Ms. Peri Zahnd, on 28 March 2015. Though written 8 years back, it is so very refreshing, and very much relevant, to the present conflict.

Ms. Peri Zahnd is the wife of Rev. Brian Zahnd, who is the founder and lead pastor of, Word of Life Church, a Christian congregation, located in the heartland of America, in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Here are selective excerpts from the article, for our reading and meditation, during these testing times. I will urge all of us, to read it with agape love, an open mind, and an open heart. This surely helps.

“CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION of JEWS” – “It is important that we never forget [holocaust] the unbelievable suffering inflicted [upon Jews] by what was considered the most educated, advanced Christian nation in the world at that time, Nazi Germany. It’s important that we never forget that those who claim to be followers of Jesus can be horribly deceived — can do horrible things. It’s important that we remember that it wasn’t just the Holocaust that led to the need for a Jewish homeland, but two thousand years of anti-Semitism and persecution of Jews throughout Christian Europe.”

THE DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE HOLY LAND – “There have always been at least a remnant of Jews living in this land, and there have always been Arabs. In 1900, Arabs made up well over 90% of the population….Today, the population of Israel is 8.2 million, 20 percent (1.6 million) of that population is Arab Israeli, mostly living in the Galilee and in mixed towns like Jaffa and Nazareth. Keep in mind that the 1.8 million people living in Gaza, and the 2.8 million living in the West Bank are NOT included in that number — they are NOT citizens; if they were, Arabs would be much closer to 50% of the total population. There are huge political implications to those demographics in a democracy.”
“There are four different political statuses that Palestinian people living in Israel and the occupied territory have:
1) ARAB ISRAELIS have citizenship and passport to travel, but feel like second class citizens…(1.6 Million people)
2) RESIDENTS of ARAB EAST JERUSALEM can vote in Jerusalem municipal elections, but not in national elections. They do not have citizenship or passport, just a green card-like status. They can work and travel freely within Israel, but if they go abroad to work or study, they risk having their rights revoked and not being allowed to return. (200,000 people)
3) WEST BANK PALESTINIANS are not free to travel in Israel, and must have papers to go through checkpoints within the West Bank. They can only work in or visit Israel by receiving a permit from the Israeli military. They cannot vote, and do not serve in the military. They are treated as a foreign and potentially threatening population. They have no political or civil rights in Israel. (2.8 million people)
4) GAZANS are essentially imprisoned within Gaza, and are only allowed to leave with military approval for extreme reasons. Israel grants very few exit permits. Gazans have very little access to the outside world, including the West Bank. Families have been separated for years. (1.8 million people)

THE LIVING CONDITIONS – “Most Palestinians live at a far lower standard of living than their Israeli neighbors. The provision of basic utilities, water and electricity, is extremely inconsistent. I visited a refugee camp in Bethlehem — it was cold…Imagine no water for days in a row — routinely shut off by the government…But imagine having to get up in the middle of the night when you once again hear the water running in the pipes, unexpectedly turned on by the authorities. You have to do your laundry right then, fill water pots right then, because you never know how long it will be on. Imagine raising your family in those conditions — not for a weekend, but a lifetime. And this is Bethlehem. Gaza is far worse. Brian and I were there in 2006 and it was awful.”

PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS – “When people talk about a two-state solution, they mean giving Palestinians the right to rule themselves independently, to have a nation of their own. When people talk about a one-state solution, they mean giving citizenship and equal rights to the Palestinians in Israel.”
“The status quo is that these people [the Palestinians, which includes many Christians] are without nationality, without rights, without representation. There are many, many Israelis who believe a two-state solution is the right way to go. There are those who believe in a one-state solution.”

ENCOUNTERS WITH MESSIANIC JEWS AND THEIR VIEWS ON PALESTINIANS – “One man who was trying to give us directions to a particular church asked if we were Christians, and when we said yes, he said enthusiastically that he was a Jewish believer in Jesus! That’s always exciting to hear. We talked about Jesus for a few minutes — and he told me his testimony of coming to faith in Jesus…. I said, with complete sincerity, “That’s so awesome, and now that you’re a follower of Jesus, tell me about the fellowship you have with your Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ?” The tone of the conversation immediately changed. He was no longer happy and excited, but angry. “
Second Messianic Jew – “We met a man on the street who identified himself as a Messianic believer. He was an old man, had lived in the Holy Land his whole life, even before 1948….And then I asked him the same question I’d asked the man yesterday — “now that you’re a follower of Jesus, tell me about the fellowship you have with your Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ?”
He stopped being smiley. He got angry. He said, “they’re not real Christians, they’re just fakes!” I said, “Oh, I know many wonderful Palestinian Christians — who have dedicated their lives to following Jesus.” He said it again — “Fakes!” and then he yelled it. “Fakes!!!” He was really working himself up, and I saw there was no arguing.”

ENCOUNTER WITH A PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN LADY – “But the hopeful thing is the wonderful people I met who are followers of the Prince of Peace. I met the president of the Arab Bible Society. She is a marginalized among the marginalized among the marginalized. What do I mean about that? She is a Palestinian in a Jewish state. She is a Christian in an ethnicity that is largely Muslim. And she is a woman in a world that frequently considers women to be inferior to men. She is a great woman of prayer and humility…”

THE DANGERS LURKING IN THE SHADOWS – OPINION OF A RETIRED MILITARY GENERAL – “There are those who say the only way Israel can be safe is for it to continue to keep Palestinian people under their control and that to give them more freedom is to threaten national security. There are those who say that the greatest threat to the viability of Israel is the continued oppression which will eventually end in war.
I met a retired Israeli military general who essentially said the same thing — failure to find a path to peace and a resolution to the conflict is the greatest threat to Israel’s viability. He was over 80 years old, and said it had been a long painful journey for him to arrive at the point of being critical of his government, but he is now.”

A HEBREW PROPHETIC TRADITION – “Does that make him [the retired Israeli military General] a traitor to Israel? No! He was simply speaking out of love in the tradition of all the Hebrew prophets who were constantly calling Israel to repent and forsake injustice. That is what a prophet is, that is what a prophet does — out of love for his people. A prophet criticizes from the inside, as one who belongs; a cynic criticizes from the outside, coldly and without love.”

PERSONAL STAND – “I want to reiterate how deeply I love Israel. I want to reiterate how shameful the fact that it was Christians down through the ages who have persecuted the Jews the most, setting into motion the need for a Jewish homeland. I want to set the record straight that I am pro-Israel. But I am also pro-Palestine. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Christians are not called to take Israel’s side, but to imitate Israel’s Messiah.”

May the LORD help us, the ‘Called-out people, the Christians, the disciple of Jesus Christ, the ambassadors of Christ, the ‘chosen generation,’ and the ‘royal priesthood,’ to be peacemakers, and not mischief makers, and certainly not warmongers. Even so LORD, help us.