Last week we all woke up to the shocking news reports of Israel being attacked by Hamas. And it was not an attack on the political leaders or military bases; but on festival attendees, on civilians in their homes, on regular people. Stories of beheadings and children taken as hostages tell a tale that shocked the world. Yet equally appalling has been the Israeli response, missile strikes on apartment blocks and ambulances. The cut off of food, water and electricity supply to the Palestinian people means hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk in an area where the majority of the population are children. 1 million residents, in one of the most crowded places on earth, were given 24 hours to evacuate their homes yesterday, those who return will come back to nothing.
It’s been a long time since I blogged on anything. This for me was a way of laying out my thoughts and processing them. And that’s why I have returned today, I’m not an expert on the Middle East, I know a little, not a lot, and if the experts have not managed to bring peace what do my words mean? Nevertheless, I am here because what I see on Facebook and other social media makes me uncomfortable. There seems to be unwavering support for Israel simply because they’re the Bible nation, usually with a verse like Genesis 12:3 attached, “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you”.
Let me say first off that I get that they have peoples living on their doorstep that do not recognize their right to exist, peoples that have threatened to wipe them from the earth since before I was born, this conflict is not new and I understand the need for secure borders and checkpoints. But there is more to it than that isn’t there? I can’t help but feel that the latest attacks, while inexcusable and unjustifiable, were nevertheless inevitable. If you treat people like they are animals, don’t be surprised when they bite you, Israel may have been the victim of a monster that they themselves created.
Growing up in a Westernized Christian culture, I was very much fed a one sided story about Israel, who was the victim, who was the perpetrator? It was always presented as good vs evil. Of late though I’ve been trying to read up and watch some documentaries, like Palestine is Still the Issue (available in full on YouTube and I'd recommend it) to hear the other side of the story. What I learned were the stories of people forced off of their land, treated as subhuman not only in Israel but in occupied Palestine where Jewish settlers and soldiers live segregated from their neighbors. They have different roads, different schools, different benefits. Every aspect of the Palestinians lives are controlled, from who they can marry to what areas they can travel to and from, this should sound familiar to my fellow South Africans.
Of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza 1.7 million are refugees, more than 500 000 of them live in 8 crowded camps located across the strip. I’ve watched videos and heard the stories of brutal executions and tortures to the more common, but daily, simple humiliations suffered at checkpoints.
As last weeks attacks unfolded, I wondered to myself, what was Hamas trying to achieve? Surely they knew the backlash would be more severe than the damage they themselves inflicted? If Israel is the gasoline they themselves were the match that ignited the chaos that would reign down on not just Hamas but on all Palestinians. The only conclusion I can draw is that these were the actions of not only the hateful, but the hurt and the hopeless. The reality is that some have been radicalized by the oppression, poverty and death around them, they lash out, and Israel retaliates. Violence begets violence. Its an unending loop.
Many will support Israel unwaveringly on religious grounds. Facts are inconsequential. Let me point out though that a large part of the Bible is prophets speaking out against Israel, calling her to repentance for many things, chiefly among them was the manner in which they treated widows and orphans and the sojourner in the land. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m not an expert, I can only offer my own opinion. The conflict in the Middle East will never die until all rulers and authorities lay their weapons down. Violence can’t be cured with violence. Peace will only be possible when Israel becomes a blessing to other nations, which is how the rest of Genesis 12:3 goes, when your enemy is treated as a neighbor, a brother and his humanity is respected and recognized. Chances are he will not be radicalized and rise against you.
As the various messages on FB say, pray for Israel, pray for her peace, their loss was great, this was and is a major tragedy. Over 1000 people lost their lives because of the sins of their rulers. But pray for Palestine too, 2.2 million people are paying for the sins of 30 000 fighters right now. Before this week had even started most of them had already known more suffering than we ever could imagine.
