My grandfather came to Israel about 100 years ago, on foot, walking from Eastern Europe to what was then called “Palestine” in obedience to the heavenly calling to return to the Land God promised our people. Fleeing persecution in the Ukraine and walking for nearly one whole year, Grandpa crossed a hostile and dangerous continent with a group of about 20 other Jewish men in what is believed to be the last of the famous “‘Trumpeldor Groups,” arriving to Jaffa to reunite with Grandma, his young bride, who waited for him there, having arrived at the Jaffa port by ship a year earlier.
Grandpa served in key positions during the following 40 plus years, and I remember how there were always stories about ongoing friction and conflict with our Arab neighbors, no matter how much good was going on as the ancient nation was being reborn in the homeland. Sadly, Israel’s ancient biblical enemies seemed to have resurfaced alongside with the Jewish nation with hatred and violence typifying their general attitude towards their returning “historic Hebrew cousins.”
My Dad served in the IDF and fought in Israel’s wars, then my older brothers, then me, and now our son and son in law are serving in IDF combat units. And all this is to say that the present violence on Israel’s southern border with Gaza is nothing new or surprising to anyone with a realistic and biblical world view. Of course, we’d love to see a peaceful and tolerant Middle East, and we believe that one day we will see it, but that will take a miracle seeing millions of hearts and minds set free from the false and delusional aspirations of radical Islam.
For months now, the Hamas terror government (which was elected to power by the people of Gaza) has been escalating tensions on the Gaza border with violent demonstrations, mortar, sniper and rocket fire into Israel’s civilian communities. Naturally, these violent cross border acts were reciprocated by powerful aerial strikes by the Israeli Air Force destroying military targets in Gaza.
Hamas receives its orders from Iran who is the main sponsor of their terror and insanity, and their main “working hypothesis” is to build up pressure upon Israel as a negotiating tactic in preparation of the anticipated “cease fire” long term agreement that is on the horizon. Hamas is a vile and corrupt government who’s priorities are not the well-being of their own people but rather their own survival and the delusional religious aspirations which they promote. Hamas also understands that they are no match for the IDF’s full power should it be unleashed upon the Gaza Strip, yet they are pushing the envelope trying to gain as much psychological leverage as possible before “ceasing fire” and coming to terms with the hated “Zionist Entity” which they call Israel.
The problem is that in their folly, the Hamas leadership might push too hard this time, cross Israel’s red lines of tolerance and restraint, and trigger another regional border war like the ones Israel conducted on its southern border in recent years; a war that no one wants other then Hamas and Iran. Neither Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian population, Russia or anyone else in the region wants a war. However, the fact is, that with public pressure rising within Israel to bring the terror on our southern borders to an end once and for all, this coming war will not be a mere military operation to contain the Hamas problem, rather it will be the “last war” Hamas will ever fight and a total game changer for the Gaza Strip and its residents.
Naturally, Israel is not interested in assuming responsibility for the lives of 1.5 million additional disgruntled Palestinians in Gaza who have been used and abused by their own corrupt leaders for generations, so the tension and border friction might go on a while longer. But it can’t last like this for ever, and the Arabs might again find that they have misplayed the cards they were given only to lose the whole hand and find themselves on the short end of the stick once again.
Join us in prayer for God’s hand to perform His perfect will; to nullify the evil counsel of vile and violent men; to minimize suffering on both sides of the border, and to grant decisive and overwhelming victory to the IDF should it go to war.
God’s will be done. God’s Kingdom come!