Peace? A false hope?

While everyone would like to see a sustainable peace in the middle-east is it reasonable to expect that this will ever happen?

Some 4,000 years ago God made a covenant with Abraham, “…The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Canaan then included modern-day Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan and Syria.  While God has never revoked this covenant, wilful disobedience on the part of his Chosen People has meant that the Promised Lands have never been fully possessed and continue to be contested today.

Does Israel have a moral or legal right to the disputed territories?  Trying to answer this question opens up a Pandora’s Box of arguments. Leaving God out of the conversation for just a moment - throughout history the conqueror has been the one to dictate the borders and rule over the conquered people.  Canada and the USA are no exception.  To argue that Palestinians have a right to any of the disputed lands is the same as trying to make the case that the First Nations people have rightful title to all the lands of North America.  Reality has shown that ownership becomes ninety percent of the law.

700-Years BC Isaiah the prophet foreshadowed the re-birth of Israel which happened in a single day. “Who has ever heard of such things?  Who has ever seen things like this?  Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?  Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.”  When reading Isaiah 66:7-8, it is important to keep in mind that Israel's status as a sovereign nation was established and reaffirmed during the course of a single day, May 14, 1948, and that it was born of a movement called Zionism, and that its declaration of independence was not the result of a war but rather the cause of one.

It is also worth noting that the Hebrews have never been a colonial power, they have always been content to live within the borders of the lands covenanted by God.  Yet the ancient Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persian empire, the Greek empire, the Roman empire, the Byzantine empire, the Crusaders, the Spanish empire, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union have each, in turn, tried to destroy the Jewish people.  Each one of them gone.  The Iranians and Hamas are now vowing to have their kick-at-the-can. History does repeat itself, often, and nothing is learned.

When Hagar bore Ishmael, from whom Moslems claim their [faith] descent, God prophesied that, “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” This prophecy could not be more accurate as one observes this truth, especially from radical Islamists, towards those of contrary beliefs.

Will there ever be peace?  Yes, but it’s not necessarily all good news.  The Apostle Paul prophesied, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3.

Peace?  We must never stop trying.  Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."