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Israel's Gaza Withdrawal On
the surface, Israel's forceful withdrawal of Jewish settlers from their homes
and its abandonment of settlements in Gaza looks reasonable. But
is it? Military
experts will confirm that the Gaza settlements were a military liability. Withdrawal represents implementation of
sound tactical doctrine, which propounds abandonment of indefensible and
exposed positions and shortening of battle lines whenever possible. Nobel
Peace Prize winners will applaud the withdrawal as a real opportunity to
'give peace a chance' through Israeli concessions to the Palestinian
people. Such concessions give the
Palestinians a contiguous homeland.
It disengages Jews and Palestinians from thirty years of
confrontation. World
political and religious leaders will herald the withdrawal as a vital step to
implementing any roadmap to peace in the Middle East. They will insist that it was long overdue,
and that the withdrawal is absolutely essential to solving a plethora of the
region's problems. However,
there are risks associated with withdrawal.
The
withdrawal creates dissention and strife among Israelis. Many sincerely believe that Gaza is part
of the land promised to them by God through their ancestor Abraham. Many others openly dismiss any
consideration of God's will in the matters of land, of security and
ultimately of peace. The
withdrawal gives radical Palestinians a much-needed victory over Israel. It rewards terrorism with land. It validates the long, violent and bloody
'war' the Palestinians continue to wage against the Jews. The
withdrawal leads Israel further down the pathway of seeking a peace on terms
ultimately guaranteed by something other than a position of national unity
and strength. Still,
all this was prophesied long ago.
There will come a time (if it has not already come) when Israel as a
nation entrusts its security to something other than God. Israel will one day believe - - falsely -
- that it dwells in peace and safety. Ezekiel
38: 10 – 11 This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: On
that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil
scheme. You will say, "I will
invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting
people - all of them living without walls and without gates and bars." I
Corinthians 3: 18 – 20 Do
not deceive yourselves. If any one of
you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a
"fool" so that he may become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the
wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the
thoughts of the wise are futile." |
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