Secular commentary and political posturing on the Israel-Hamas conflict has got bogged down in discussions about a ceasefire versus a humanitarian pause, the legality of a pro-Palestinian march on Remembrance Day, and, at times, whether Israel’s actions in Gaza are legal.
Doing the ‘right’ thing
What is less discussed are the implications of the military campaign. Not so much whether Israel has the ‘right’ to retaliate – that much is clear to anyone who takes a clear-headed approach, rather than being taken in by Islamist rhetoric of a ‘genocide’ against Gazans. But rather, are they doing the ‘right’ thing – are they taking the best actions to bring about peace?
America rushed in to invade Afghanistan following the Twin Towers attack of 2001. It was indeed an act of self-defence, with ‘right’ on its side – the attack was so audacious, so devastating, that a robust response was inevitable. But by going in with no clear plan for a way out, they found themselves, and us, embroiled in a never-ending conflict, buying peace for a time, even implementing improvements for the Afghan population – but which all ended in an embarrassing withdrawal two years ago, leaving Afghans back where they started.
Clifford Hill wrote soon after the terrible events of October 7 that the nation of Israel needed to seek God for His way forward.
Clifford Hill wrote soon after the terrible events of October 7 that the nation of Israel needed to seek God for His way forward. Many Israelis did indeed find their way to synagogues to pray, but there has been no evidence of a concerted seeking after the wisdom of God by those in charge. Yet it’s apparent to many believers that the IDF are not battling a conventional enemy, but are facing a spiritual battle, as the forces of Islamism – the same forces behind ISIS, and probably the Taliban – seek to destroy all that does not fit into their deranged view of the world.
Military tactics
Ancient Israel found itself frequently at war, sometimes battling similar pogroms to the one we saw last month. The times when they saw success were often when God gave them battle plans.
Yet in today’s world of heightened public relations, three quarters of the battle has to be for hearts and minds. I’m not just talking here about those of the soft-hearted, undiscerning liberals of the West. It has to be for the hearts and minds of their fellow inhabitants of the Holy Land. Can such a thing be accomplished by such large-scale bombing?
I am no military expert, and even those few people that are, point to the immense challenges of this campaign. How can Israel fight Hamas without causing significant civilian deaths and suffering? Especially as Hamas callously uses every civilian death as propaganda in their worldwide mission to undermine Israel, with their diabolical use of civilian ‘human shield’ cover to launch attacks.
It has been suggested that Israel should have focused on counter-terrorism rather than a full-scale invasion. Some even think that Israel should do nothing at all, just sit back and take it, almost as punishment for being a ‘colonial’ state. Neither of these options would change the reality of the situation – intelligence-based counter-terrorism, for example, has been tried for years, and has only succeeded in damage limitation.
it’s certainly not too late to seek God for His guidance, going forward.
And if Israel failed to respond at all, it would be seen as a conspicuous weakness to be exploited, emboldening Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Yet the current strategy risks much – in terms of radicalising Gazans even further, and bringing further, (mostly unfair) international opprobrium upon them.
But we are where we are, with (targeted) bombing ongoing, and a ground offensive that has captured and destroyed some of Hamas’ notorious tunnel network, so there is little point trying to go back in time.
Yet it’s certainly not too late to seek God for His guidance, going forward.
Learning from the Word
What can the Scriptures teach us?
First, that vengeance is God’s. Israel needs to be highly aware that it is not its role to exact revenge. Generally, they are aware of this, though in the heat of battle, along with mourning and grief, it will always be much more difficult to avoid. There is, though, clearly a place for defence, and also for justice. Justice would see appropriate punishments for Hamas terrorists (those not killed in the war). But it would also look to see where genuine grievances that have fed into the proliferation of Islamism could be resolved.
Second, we can infer from Scripture that anti-Semitism and Islamism are a spiritual, satanic ploy. Of course, that does not mean that all Muslims are satanically-inspired. There are many who seek peace, and who live out their lives and express their faith peacefully. They are not the enemy. Indeed, before last month, many Arab Muslim states were seeking rapprochement with Israel, preferring peace and prosperity to any hardened ideology. Our best response to this is prayer and fasting – battling on our knees.
Third, and most significantly, that forgiveness and reconciliation constitute the only true way forward. And to be fair, Israel has offered numerous concessions to the Palestinians over the years – not least in its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2003.
Reconciliation
In the Old Testament, in the time before Jesus, the group most determined to wipe out Israel, as a nascent country, were the Amalekites. God later instructed Israel to destroy them. Yet this proved impossible to enact entirely. A line was left, one that reared its head, determined once again to destroy the Jewish people – in the person of Haman, a descendant of the king of the Amalekites (see the book of Esther). There is indeed a place for force, but this story shows us how force alone cannot eliminate hatred.
There is only one thing that can achieve this outcome – forgiveness. Jesus knew that the law alone could not bring justice. He came to show us that forgiveness was essential. Post-war, any peace process has to have this at its core. And Christian leaders, both Arab and Israeli, supported by others, need to lead the way in it, allowing space for people on both sides to express their pain and hurt, listen to the pain and sorrow of the other, then seek to find a way through, putting grievances behind them.
There is indeed a place for force, but this story shows us how force alone cannot eliminate hatred.
Whether this is remotely realistic or not is debatable; the grievances go back decades, and even the latest events have left both Israelis and Gazans traumatised. Forgiveness is clearly not something people can do alone – indeed, God alone can work such a miracle. It will require a change of heart of the nation’s leaders – though Christian influencers must also promote it. For the Christian message is, at its heart, about forgiveness – and for good reason, as without it, wounds fester and continue to destroy all that is good.
The need, and challenge, to forgive is even greater on the side of the Palestinians. For while the threat of terrorism remains, it is impossible to change the security measures, which sadly exacerbate the situation. Yet, while Islam teaches that Allah is forgiving and merciful and that they should try to be too, the religion is widely regarded as one of vengeance, retribution and intolerance. A complete change of heart is needful here, too – which, once again, only God can achieve – currently Palestinians are indoctrinated from a very early age with teaching that all Jews are to be despised.
Politically, Israel must pull out of Gaza the instant it is able, handing over to a neutral coalition of nations for peacekeeping and governance. But the spiritual work is even more important. Force may win the battle; the IDF may destroy the tunnels; Israel may destroy Hamas’ capabilities for a season. But, ultimately, only love, which comes from our God of love, will win the war.
All this may seem unthinkable - but Germany was forgiven for its role in the Second World War. And South Africa achieved a level of peace following decades of brutal oppression of blacks through a similar process – though clearly not all is perfect there. Through God, nothing is impossible.
Christ-like response
Everywhere the gospel is on the advance; and where we see God’s purposes working towards fulfilment, we can also see the work of the enemy. How do we know it is the work of the enemy? Because it brings fear, division, hatred and violence – and we see that echoing across the world following last month’s events. We can seek to combat that.
It will require a change of heart of the nation’s leaders – though Christian influencers must also promote it.
As Christians, we can firstly seek peace in our own neighbourhoods. We can promote forgiveness and understanding. We can recognise that both sides in this conflict are struggling with grief, trauma, and hurts that go back decades. In our prayers, we can focus on “the peace of Jerusalem”, the protection of civilians, comfort for the bereaved, the prevalence of justice, the release of the hostages, and forgiveness and reconciliation. And we must pray for the love of Yeshua to defeat the powers of darkness that are threatening to overshadow the whole world.
Am I being unrealistic? Can this possibly occur? Can the prayers and love and grace and power of the kingdom of God overcome darkness in our time? Or are we seeing an escalation of a never-ending conflict, one which could eventually lead to Armageddon?
Only God knows. Yet whatever the outcome, we must trust in Him, and act as He taught us in every way, seeking to bring God’s kingdom into all areas of this world that we can influence.
