Power and peace
There is no question that the President of the US and the Congress are hamstrung when it comes to providing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is also no question that they have (or had) the power to impose a solution.
The problem is that power and politics demand that the status quo remains the status quo.
I have personally attended several Congressional dinners where congressperson after congressperson (Republicans and Democrats) explained their predicament.
They all knew exactly what the problem was. And they knew that the US had the power to help bring about a lasting peace in the land: a peace that would benefit Israelis and Palestinians.
Yet, they all knew that to move forward was to commit political suicide.
This is because too many US voters—heavily influenced by evangelicals—would be outraged if Israel was forced to make concessions: concessions which of course are necessary for peace.
The self-preservation of these congresspersons took precedence over human suffering.
NB: The is part 5 of my series on the present status in Israel-Palestine. Things may seem calm, but that is just how Israel wants it. Here are the links to the previous 4 posts:
My experience in the West Bank: Why I’ll never be the same: status quo: #4
this is the fifth post in a series that began in May-June of 2022 (here is the first post).
How political systems work.
Power and politics work for themselves as a matter of first concern.
I cannot say I blame them. This, after all, is the nature of politics.
It is easy for us to cry out against injustice and demand that they bring it about. But this is not how political systems work.
Political systems are in power to keep those in power in power.
NB: I just wish my evangelical brothers and sisters understood this.
In the fall I will post a series on understanding the Bible and governments. The wedding of Christians with a political party—left or right—fails to reckon with what the Bible says about governments and power. This doesn’t mean that we do not try to seek justice, it just means that we have corrupt systems to work against. And when they do not act justly it is the fault of the system and not necessarily the fault of those who run the system.
Trump and Peace?
In Feb 2017, Just a few weeks into the Trump presidency, I was again in Washington DC for a conference on Israel-Palestine: there were Israelis, Palestinians, political leaders, leaders of NGO’s, human rights activists, celebrities, and various clergy (including Jewish and Muslim leaders) in attendance.
I was taken aback by some of the hopeful optimism that was in the room. Just a few years earlier we were told that the hope of a two-state solution was dead. The growth of the settlement movement had encroached so deeply into the Palestinian territories that there was no hope for a future Palestinian state.
NB: settlements are illegal cities built in the Palestinian territories by the state of Israel for Israeli citizens. It would be like the US taking part of Canada or Mexico and claiming it as their own and building cities on that land and then moving its population into those cities:
Sounds like I just described the US and its confiscation of land from the Native Americans and Mexico!
The irony is indeed great!
Nonetheless, the room of the conference was filled with a reserved optimism. Political insiders began to explain that perhaps the self-acclaimed “greatest land broker” might actually broker a deal in I/P. The thought was that if Trump could secure a peaceful solution, which no one before him had been able to do (Clinton’s Oslo accords didn’t work), then perhaps Trump could secure his legacy.
Unfortunately, Trump simply chose to pacify his evangelical constituency—to whom he owed his presidency. Eventually, he decided to move the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This only served to further the divide between Israelis and Palestinians[1] and to confirm that a just resolution was not in sight.
Why not broker a deal that benefits everyone? This is not how politics work. Politicians do what furthers their support and their self-interest.
Biden and peace?
When Biden took office, it was made very clear that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not on his radar. As it was Biden had very little support among evangelicals. The little that he had he needed.
Politics would not allow him to negotiate a solution in Israel-Palestine.
The status quo remains.
There is something you should know about the status quo. It is not static.
Israel continues to confiscate more and more land in the West Bank (Palestinian territories). With the confiscation of lands, they continue to build settlements—i.e., cities for their own people on Palestinian land.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to peace in Israel-Palestine is the incursion of Israeli settlements that do more than just dot the Palestinian territories with Israeli cities. They deprive Palestinians of the opportunity to farm their own lands.
Israel also continues to provide an “infrastructure” in order to support the settlements in the form of highways that enable Israelis safe passage through the Palestinian territories. This results in the confiscation of more Palestinian lands.
This too further restricts Palestinians from using their own land. Their land has either been seized by settlements or is rendered inaccessible because bypass highways dissect their land and restrict their access.
And as long as the status quo remains, the Palestinian people will continue to suffer under the oppression of Israel’s occupation. And more and more Palestinians seek refuge outside the land. In doing so, Israel wins.
As long as the status quo remains, Israel continues to increase its settlement activity. There are currently 600,000 Israelis living in settlements in the West Bank.
As long as the status quo remains, and Israel advances its settlement activity. Slowly, the Palestinians are being uprooted from their lands and Israel takes more and more control of more and more of the land.
Soon, it will all be Israel’s. And there will be no need for a peace agreement.
our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.
Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.
If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app simply download the “tithe.ly church” app on your smartphone and insert “determinetruth” as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the “blog” icon and it will automatically load.
If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me tab on this site.
[1] I was part of a contingent of evangelical leaders who met with Trump’s advisor on religious affairs just weeks before the slated moving of the embassy. We were told in no uncertain terms, “that’s a done deal? Is there anything else you would like to request?”
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In