Israel vs. Palestine: A Very Short Introduction to the Problem

Last week I posted on this Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the plight of Palestinian Christians who are persecuted at the hands of the Israelis. There’s been a lot of good discussion (and some not so good) on both that and an old post I’ve written on pro-Israel theology and why it’s biblically flawed.

While the conflict between the two sides is complex, it’s apparent in a lot of discussion that there’s often a lack of awareness of the global overview of the situation. And, I get it- many of us grow up with a false narrative about Israel and that’s all we know. It’s one of those classic situations where “it’s not our fault, but it is our problem.” There’s also a pro-Palestinian side to the debate that’s equally as unreasonable as the pro-Israel crowd, which further complicates our ability to discuss the topic in a reasonable way. My hope is that we can continue talking about this issue, and be honest about the brutal oppression Palestinians face at the hands of Israelis- who are often in violation of international law- without conversations spiraling into a cesspool of hatred.

I think many will benefit from reviewing the basic history of the conflict. While no short video will ever do justice to the complexity of the situation, I found this one to be a good historical overview (albeit simple) of the conflict between the two sides. I’d invite you to give it a watch:

If you find this topic interesting, there’s a few more I recommend:

– My highest recommendation is the documentary, With God On Our Side. You can see that here. This documentary is a “must watch” and I hope you’ll take the hour and a half to see it. This documentary further explores some of the errant and harmful pro-Israel theology and the plight of Palestinians.

– And here’s a good one on the violence often faced by Palestinian children, though some images on this one may be disturbing and viewer discretion is advised.

Later next week I’ll have an interview on That God Show with a Christian missionary who has lived in Palestine for the past decade, and we’ll talk about her first hand experiences living and serving alongside the Christians and Muslims who encompass the Palestinian people as we continue some blog discussion on this controversial, but timely and important topic. In the meantime, take some downtime this weekend and check out some of the documentaries above.