[This message was written during the unrest in Israel during the spring of 2002.]
Our Goal: “Being aware of the situation when you ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem.’”
The Two Major Combatants:
1. Israel.
- almost exclusively Jewish.
- the vast majority of its people have returned to the area since 1948.
- its biggest ally is the United States.
2. The Palestinians.
- primarily Muslim.
- they were the possessors of this area for centuries before 1948.
- their biggest ally is the rest of the Arab world (Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.).
The Three Particularly Important Areas:
[For this section, you definitely need to have a map showing these areas.]
1. The West Bank.
- it was not part of Israel in 1948.
- it was ruled by Jordan until 1967, when Israel captured it.
- includes portion of Jerusalem.
- now divided between Arafat’s Palestinian Authority and Jewish settlement and military
positions.
2. The Gaza Strip.
- it was not part of Israel in 1948.
- it was occupied by Egypt until 1967, when Israel captured it.
- largely Palestianian-controlled, but with numerous Jewish settlements.
3. The Golan Heights.
- it was not part of Israel in 1948.
- it belonged to Syria until 1967, when Israel captured it.
Why Are These Three Areas So Important?
1. They were not part of Israel’s original 1948 borders.
2. Israel occupied the land in a disputed military action.
- the disputed military action is the Six-Day War of 1967.
- “disputed” in that Israel calls their actions “pre-emptive” while the Palestinians call Israel’s
actions “aggressive.”
3. There are still Palestinians living in these areas, which have been for most of the years since
1967 “occupied” by Israel.
- the Palestinians feel they’re under foreign occupation, which leads to a situation that breeds
resentment and anger.
How Did The Middle East Get To The Mess It Is Today?
1. Late 1800s - Early 1900s - The rise of the Zionist movement.
- the Zionist movement pushed the idea of restoring a Jewish nation to the Holy Land.
- this idea was not met with immediate enthusiasm, but slowly did begin to win followers.
2. 1948 - The creation of the nation of Israel.
- coming toward the end of World War II, the British controlled the Holy Land. They tried to
broker an agreement that would create separate Arab and Jewish states out of the Holy Land.
The Arabs rejected the proposal.
- with no political solution possible, the British forces withdrew on May 14, 1948. The Jews
declared Israel a nation and Arab forces invaded.
- by November 1948, the better-trained Israeli military had prevailed. Israel had, during this war,
increased its land holdings by one-half (compared with the original British proposal).
- Israel considers this event a war of independence for the creation of their homeland.
Palestinians call this Al Naqba (or, “The Catastrophe”), when more than 700,000 Arabs were
driven from their homes.
3. 1967 - The Six-Day War.
- fearing an imminent attack from Egyptian and Syrian forces, Israel struck first.
- six days later, Israel had gained control of (“occupied”) the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the
Golan Heights, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
4. 1979 - The Camp David Accords.
- during negotiations led by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Israel agrees to return control of the
Sinai peninsula to Egypt in return for Egypt’s recognition of Israel.
5. 1987 - Intifada.
- this Arab uprising against Israeli rule in the occupied territories involved terrorist military
activity by Palestinians, resulting in escalating tensions and more violence.
- Israel viewed this as Arafat choosing violence over peacemaking; the Palestinians viewed this
as an overdue response to twenty years of Israel building settlements in the occupied territories.
6. 1993 - The Oslo I Agreement.
- Israel agrees to withdraw its forces from Arab territories seized during the Six-Day War; Arab
states agree to recognize Israel’s statehood and right to security.
7. 1995 - The Oslo II Agreement.
- Israeli forces are to withdraw from six Arab cities and 400 villages in the West Bank by early
1996. Both sides blame the other when it doesn’t happen.
8. 2000 and continuing now in 2002 - The Second Intifada.
- more Palestinian violence is met by a hard-line response by Prime Minister Sharon.
Why Is There So Much Hatred?
1. The animosity goes back to Abraham.
- Genesis 16:1-4.
2. Both sides claim ownership of the same land.
3. This isn’t just any land - it’s considered holy by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
4. The Palestinians are rapidly growing in numbers.
- in Israel (when you include all of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza), the Jews make up 51%
of the population and the Arabs 49%.
- these numbers are shifting as Israeli women on average are having 2.6 children while
Palestinian women on average are having 6.1 children (stats from Newsweek).
-this obviously serves to heighten tensions in looking toward where the situation will be in
twenty years.
5. The two sides have very different standards of living.
- the average monthly wage for a Israeli is $1,500; the average monthly wage for a Palestinian is
$360.
- the Gross Domestic Product for the Palestinians is $1,680 per person; the GDP for Israel is
$18,900 per person (stats from Newsweek).
- this economic inequality obviously exacerbates the problem.
6. Both sides think God is on their side.
Why Are Christians Generally So Pro-Israel?
1. We believe God is currently working primarily through the church, but that Israel plays a key
role in end-times prophecy.
- Romans 11:1-2, 25; Jeremiah 31:35-37; Zechariah 8:13; John 1:11.
2. We believe that, as part of those end-time events, the Bible speaks of a return of the Jews to
their homeland.
- Jeremiah 23:7-8; Ezekiel 36:24.
3. Because of that, the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in the Holy Land in 1948 was
considered by many to be the “sign of all signs.”
4. Therefore, rumblings in Israel raise expectations that we may be close to the return of Christ.
The big idea here is: If modern Israel is biblical Israel, you want to be on their side.
Words Of Caution:
1. Being Israel doesn’t give you the right to do wrong.
- we cannot suspend our ethical awareness and go along with everything Israel does just because
they’re Israel.
- in the Old Testament, God’s blessing upon Israel was dependent upon their obedience - so even
God did not unconditionally support Israel’s actions no matter what they did.
2. Christians have already made some major mistakes on this subject.
- see the section on “The Protocols Conspiracy” in Timothy Weber’s excellent article “How
Evangelicals Became Israel’s Best Friend.” This article is available by searching the records of
www.christianitytoday.com and will provide a good general overview of the entire situation in
Israel.
3. Only God knows the timetable and all the prophetic details.
- Matthew 24:36-51; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10.
Some Certainties In The Midst Of The Mess:
1. There will be peace in Jerusalem someday.
2. That peace will be established by Jesus.
3. I want to be a part of it.
