Israel and Palestine - The Conflict

If someone came with a Bible in one hand and a rifle in another, knocked on your door and said, “according to the Bible, my family lived where your home is two thousand years ago, so get out, this is my home,” would you pack up your bags and leave?

That is the crux of the Israel-Palestine conflict. There are two peoples occupying the same region, with one of those peoples believing that they have a biblical and/or historical right to take the land of the other.

While the image presented to us is often one in which Palestinians are portrayed as terrorists and Israel as a hapless victim, the reality is considerably more complex. A crucial piece of context is usually left out, namely that Israel has been militarily occupying Palestinian territory for nearly six decades. The humanitarian consequences have been severe. While both sides have suffered, the casualty rates are overwhelmingly weighted towards the Palestinians. As a result of the occupation, Palestinians have experienced restrictions on movement, loss of land, home demolitions, arbitrary arrest, imprisonment and more.

Why is it important for Reformed Christians to be aware of what is happening in Israel and Palestine? For one, many millions of Christians in North America uncritically support Israel and they do so due to a distorted view of the covenant and biblical promises. ‘Christian Zionists’ fail to recognize that the Old Testament promise to Israel that the Promised Land would be theirs, are now through Christ in the New Covenant a promise to all believers of entrance into eternal life. Instead, Christian Zionists believe that Gods Old Testament territorial promises to the Jews still apply, and that Israel is entitled the land it illegally occupies, regardless of the consequences for the Palestinians, even Palestinian Christians. Moreover, Christian Zionists do not constitute a small group of odd thinkers– Christians United for Israel, the largest Christian Zionist organization in the United States, has a claimed membership of over 50 million.

Christian Zionism is right in our backyard– you can find it in churches right here in the Fraser Valley. The message is that bad theology has bad consequences, not only for the hereafter, but in the present. In light of the realities in Israel and Palestine, Reformed Christians should be thankful for their understanding of God’s covenant, and recognize their responsibility to speak out against all theologies which justify oppression.