Palestinian Pastor Munther Isaac recently posted, “The irony for us Palestinian Christians is that evangelicals, with their overemphasis on prophecy, have lost the capacity of being prophetic. You want to prove that the Bible is right? You don’t do this by pointing to self-fulfilling prophecy or by pointing to world events as prophecy fulfillment. This is not how you prove that the Bible is right. We prove that the Bible is right by radical obedience to the teaching of Jesus—by proving that Jesus; teachings actually work and that they can make the world a better place. Let us love our enemies. Forgive those who sin against us. Let us feed the poor. Care for the oppressed. Walk the extra mile. . . . Turn the other cheek. And maybe, and only maybe then, the world will start to take us seriously and believing in our Bible.” (Instagram post Nov 2024)
In my last three posts, I noted that I remain deeply concerned about the war on Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians. The end of the Biden administration and the beginning of the Trump administration may well mean the end of the war in Ukraine, but I am not convinced that it will entail the same fate for the war on Gaza.
To date, 43,665 Palestinians have died, and another 103,076 are injured—with tens of thousands still missing. The number of Israeli deaths is likely well over 2,000. Most of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed. Approximately 80% of Gazans are under forced displacement orders, and 90% of the population has been displaced—many of them have been displaced multiple times.
NB: The recent Humanitarian Access Snapshot 7 report (Nov 13, 2024) details the humanitarian concerns
Hunger and famine are ever-present concerns
Before the outbreak of the present war, an average of 500 trucks of humanitarian aid were needed to enter Gaza daily. In October, only 37 trucks, many of which were not completely full, entered Gaza. this number increased to an average of 69 trucks per day during the first week of November; still well below the threshold of what it needed.
There are multiple reports that the Israeli IDF refuses to stop the looting of the trucks. Israel has also been blocking aid organizations from providing aid in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Because of the continued assault on Gaza by the IDF, the Gaza Civil Defense was forced to cease operations, and as a result, some areas of the strip have responders. This means that rescuers are unable to rescue those trapped under the rubble.
Mike Huckabee
The announcement that Trump plans to appoint Mike Huckabee as the ambassador to Israel suggests that the role of the US in supporting Israel’s destruction of Gaza will continue.
Though it is hard to imagine that Trump will be as ardent a supporter of Israel as Biden was, the appointment of Huckabee does not bode well for the Palestinians.
There is no such thing as “Occupation.”
Huckabee incredulously holds to the conviction that all of the land belongs to the Jewish people. Now, I don’t mean that he holds to a theological conviction about the land—which I am sure he does. I mean that he believes this is a geopolitical reality.
Thus, even though the entire world, including the US and Israel, recognizes that the West Bank is occupied territory, in Huckabee’s assessment, it is Israel.
Consequently, Huckabee asserts, “There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
It is not the “West Bank” it is “Judea and Samaria”
Huckabee also believes that there is no such thing as the West Bank. For him, it is “Judea and Samaria” (See “Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria”).
NB: the term the “West Bank” refers to the land given by the 1948 UN resolution that resulted in the establishment of Israel. The resolution gave Jordan control of the land west and east of the Jordan River. The area to the west was aptly named “the West Bank.” In 1967, Israel attacked and gained military control of the West Bank. They annexed parts of East Jerusalem and became the occupying power for the rest of the West Bank. Since the West Bank has not been annexed (yet) by Israel, then Huckabee’s notion that there is no such thing as the West Bank is absurd.
The significance of this nomenclature is that it is one-sided. Instead of adopting the terminology the entire world uses, Huckabee prefers an intentionally partisan term. I’ll address the significance of this below.
There is no two-state solution
Because Huckabee believes that all of the land is Israel’s, he concludes, “The two-state solution is irrational if you mean two states on the same land.”
Now, I must ask: “Who means this? Where would he get such an idea?”
The answer is that because Huckabee begins from the premise that all of the land belongs to Israel, the idea of giving the Palestinians land for a state would necessarily entail either taking land from Israel (please tell me that you see the deep irony here) or asking Israel to share the land with the Palestinians.
NB: I am sure Huckabee’s theological convictions come into play here. Thus, for Huckabee, the idea of Israel giving up its “Divine right to the land” is nonsensical. My new book, The Land of Contention, explores the theological questions surrounding Israel, the land, and the realities of war.
For Huckabee, a Palestinian state could exist somewhere; it just needs to be outside the state of Israel. This is why he can make the audacious claim that there is plenty of land in the world, so perhaps we can find a place for them.
NB: Again, I do hope you see the deep irony here
There are no settlements
Huckabee also claims that “there’s no such thing as a settlement. Instead, he prefers to call them “communities,” “neighborhoods,” and “cities.” This is a simple deduction from his conviction that all the land belongs to Israel.
Huckabee’s views are extreme, even for most Israelis.
Why is this so problematic?
One of the primary requirements for obtaining a just peace between two or more sides in a conflict is the need to recognize the claims of each group. Sure, one group may have to concede more than the other—especially when the balance of power favors the other.
A lasting peace, however, cannot be achieved when one party receives all its needs while the other receives nothing. This only lays the foundation for a future conflict. As long as one people remain oppressed and fail to receive basic human necessities, let alone human rights and the hope of freedom, the conflict will continue.
In fact, we should expect more violence once the militant factions among the Palestinians realize that the US policy is becoming even more one-sided. They will continue seeking desperate means if they see no hope for survival.
As an ambassador, Huckabee’s role is to establish and maintain peace for the host nation. His views, however, suggest that establishing peace is not on the horizon. If Huckabee believes that all of the Palestinians should be shuttled elsewhere, the question arises as to how this will establish a lasting peace for Israel. After all, will not displacing people serve as the fuel for violent reprisals?
This is certainly not the way of peacemaking for which Jesus calls us to advocate for.
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