September 2005
It is now "put up or shut up" time for the Palestinians and all their ideological hangers-on.
It’s Show and Tell Time for the Palestinians
by Dennis Peacocke
I do not claim to be an expert or have special insight on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and frankly, I have heard the "experts" on both sides disagree to such an extent I wonder if any human is truly objective concerning these issues. From a theological point of view, this is what I do hold rigorously to be true. All of Israel’s covenants, indeed all of humanity’s "rights" in God, are fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone. He is the Alpha and Omega of all any human being is entitled to by faith in accordance with God’s demands. It is of note that the Jewish writer of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament not only fully agrees with these statements, he nowhere focuses on what so many "modern-day" theologians focus on concerning secular Israel’s "rights."
Not only do I believe these things, I also believe that Israel’s promises in the Old Testament do not excuse or exempt them in any way from being led of God to represent His name and character to all mankind, including the Palestinians. Race does not trump righteousness, nor does it trump faith or obedience.
Having said that, permit me to speak from a more geo-political point of view. Israel has as much right to exist as a nation as any other people group who now possesses land that once "belonged" to another people group who took it from another people group. To deny this reality is to necessitate the breaking up of virtually every modern nation, beginning with the United States, Mexico, Germany, Turkey, China, and the list goes on and on. Most people groups inherit lands they "stole" from, or absorbed from, another people group. Just because it was done "a long time ago" does not relativise truth. That Israel did so "recently" and that there are a host of other arguable points surrounding the demographics of the whole Mideast region do not sort Israel out for special punitive sanctions. If that kind of logic be true, let’s begin with the case of the Kurds and their right to lands taken from them.
Israel exists and will exist. To remove them or attempt to extinguish them would prompt a global conflict. Their recent removal of the Gaza Strip settlers now forces the issue in point, and everything else being said, notwithstanding, takes me to the centering point of these short comments. It is now "put up or shut up" time for the Palestinians and all their ideological hangers-on. They must prove that as they "take back" this land that it will not become another anti-Israeli terrorist launching pad. If it does, it will once and for all prove two things: 1) Their people and government cannot control terrorism, which means they are a threat to all other nations with whom their terrorist citizens disagree, and 2) To give them "back" the West Bank or any other disputed territory will only enlarge their terrorist base. This really is it - end-game; check-mate; old game over.
Do I really expect them to stop? Do I really expect the Fascists of the left in the West to agree? I have hope, but little faith. Why? Because this isn’t really about land, it’s about hate, and that is...
the bottom line.
