One Hundred Eyes for One Eye

by Alex Awad 01-06-2009

One hundred tons of bombs are Israel’s way of saying to the captive citizens of Gaza, Merry Christmas, Happy Eid (feast), and Happy New Year. These “gifts” that were showered from U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets demolished government buildings, mosques, a university, hundreds of homes, and snuffed out many lives — among them scores of children.

Like many in this part of the world and around the globe, my heart aches when I read and see pictures of the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and likewise when I see Israelis killed or injured by Qassam rockets. However, I have a special love for Gaza and its people. Before the strict closure of Gaza , Bethlehem Bible College used to have an extension there. I went to Gaza once every Thursday to teach our students, and often I stayed the night there. Interacting with Gazans in class, in church, and in the community, I learned much about the kindness and the hospitality of the people of Gaza, both Muslims and Christians.

The majority of the people of Gaza are not Hamas militants. They are people like you and I who long to live in peace day in and day out. Regretfully, everyone in the Gaza Strip — men, women, children, civilians, and fighters alike — are now feeling the horrible impact and devastation caused by the newest and deadliest Israeli incursion over the Strip in many years.

There is no doubt that the Qassam rockets launched against the western Negev and Ashkelon by Islamic militants linked to Hamas cause great pain and anxiety for many Israelis. Most people agree that Israel, like any other country, has the right to defend itself from outside attacks. However, in this unequal conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel, as usual, has overdone it. When it comes to dealing with its enemies, Israel has a pattern of being extreme. “An eye for an eye” does not satisfy. It has to be more like one hundred eyes for one eye and one hundred teeth for one tooth.

When the Israelis attacked Lebanon in June 2006, they sprayed the country with millions of cluster bombs (which are now internationally banned), and these bombs continue to kill innocent people even today. What troubles me most in this current war is that many of the victims of this Israeli incursion on Gaza are average people — men, women and children — who are struggling just to survive under the extreme and harsh conditions that the Israeli siege has created. For 40 years the Gaza Strip has been under Israeli occupation, and during the last few years, although the Israelis redeployed their troops from Gaza, they never withdrew the symbols of their dominance and occupation. They continue to control the borders, which means controlling food, medicine, fuel, and goods going in and out of the Strip. In essence, they have turned Gaza into the largest open-air prison in the world.

If the Israeli leaders assume that they can assure the security of their citizens by the might and the power of their superior army and air force, they are mistaken. The outrage caused among the peoples in the Arab and Islamic world by these horrible attacks will most likely blow dark clouds over the skies of Israel or elsewhere in the world.

Israel should implement U.N. resolutions, end the occupation of the West Bank, open the borders of the Gaza Strip to the rest of the world, and stop military incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The rise of Hamas and militancy in Gaza is directly related to a vacuum that Israel and the United States have created by dragging their feet in never-ending and fruitless peace negotiations with moderate Palestinians. As long as Israel continues to place obstacles on the path of the peace process, and as long as the U.S. continues to allow it to do so, we can expect new outbursts of violence in the Middle East that will cause more horrors and waste more lives on both sides of the political divide.

The Israelis have the right to live in peace and security and so do the people of Gaza. I call on you, friends, to pray for the civilians on both sides who are caught in this nightmare. In addition to praying, let us protest these lethal bombs with a barrage of our own letters to our elected leaders calling for an end to this human tragedy.

Alex Awad is dean of students at Bethlehem Bible College.

Categories: Global Issues, Human Rights, Violence and Nonviolence, War & Peace

Tags: Arab, Children, Christ, Christmas, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Hamas, Islam, Israel, Israeli, Middle East, Military, Muslim, occupation, Palestinians, Qassam, security, United States, Violence, War, West Bank

jurisnaturalist

I don't see why Christians should take sides on this issue at all. I never expect retributive action to be on the same scale as the provocative action. Israel is suggesting similar terms of negotiation to what the Allies offered the Axis in WWII: Absolute Surrender.
They don't necessarily want to eradicate the Arabs, just to have a monopoly on control. This is what pagan nations everywhere do, including the US. There is no right or wrong to it.
If we really cared for the innocents, first, we would have opened our borders to European Jews two generations ago. Now, we can open our borders to the Palestinians.
Don't waste your time lobbying the US government to intervene in the Israeli governments affairs regarding their actions in Palestine.
Insist:
1. That the USG open the borders to innocents in danger abroad.
2. That the USG close its overseas military bases. I suggest they close all of them.
3. That the USG stop sending support to foreign governments. No guns. No aid. No money. Zero. The government is not a charity organization. It is a monopoly of force.
4. That the US church open its purse-strings and pay for relocation of willing innocents.
5. That the US church offer to house and care for the innocents.

Finally, it must be reminded that the Bible does not say we must support the government of Israel, only the people. There is a difference.
Nathanael Snow

Palosaari

Christians should take sides on an issue when it is a matter of justice. This is the Politics of Jesus. To not side with the oppressed, the outcast, and the poor is to deny the entire ministry of Jesus Christ. Your post is part of the call to Jubilee.

RightDialogue

Justice? Justice will be their eternal sentence if they do not convert. We should be less worried about politics than their eternal salvation.

Your 'post' or what traditionally might be referred to as a vocation, is to share the Gospel. Christ did not call the Roman soldiers to abandon their post, but to embrace His Truth.

Palosaari

Actually, as Christians, we are called to usher in the Kingdom of God.

And on the internet, the word "post" refers to a short piece of writing, such as on a blog, or in comments.

erbe

Yitzhak Rabin – former Israeli leader – father born in the Ukraine, mother born in Belarus.

Shimon Peres – fromer Israeli leader – born in Poland.

Ariel Sharon – former Israeli leader – both parents from Russia.

Benjamin Netanyahu – former Israeli leader – grandparents from Lithuania.

Ehud Olmert – current Israeli leader – parents from the Ukraine and Russia.

Tzipi Livni – probably the next Israeli prime minister – Father from Poland – both of her parents were prominent members of the Zionist terrorist organization, Irgun.

How did the parents and grandparents of these people get to Palestine and what were they doing there?

Were they trying to help the Palestinian people or were they there to establish a Jewish state?

Shekhinah

But in the beginning the Israelis truly wanted Israel to be beneficial for both Jews and Arabs - they really hoped for that, and made it so that Arabs could either be citizens of Israel or could form their own state. It was some of the Muslims who wanted it to be all or nothing, either-or.

And I think the Israelis still want Palestinians to live long and prosper, it's just that when they withdraw from territory like Gaza, the disappointment is great when the Palestinians elect groups like Hamas, who have in their charter the same-old, same-old goal of destroying Israel, rather than building something good for the Palestinians.

erbe

Not if you read about what the Zionist intended. They never intended to live amongst the Palestinians. What they wanted was a homeland for the Jews...that excluded the indigenous Palestinians.

Shekhinah

Hi - I respectfully submit that - no, I think the Zionists intended for there to be a democracy inside Israel, which included and still includes Arab members of the Knesset and Arabs' attending universities if they wanted to, and working, AND the other option from the U.N., which was that the Palestinians would have their own state alongside of Israel.? So while it is true that the Zionists did want a Jewish state, this homeland did not exclude Arabs.?

I know that it wasn't perfect - not everybody was all warm and fuzzy all the time but I also know that David Ben-Gurion, the leader of the Haganah and first prime minister of Israel, went to great lengths to rein in other Jews and other Jewish militias - like the Stern "Gang" - which is what Israel needs the Palestinians to do, if they really are sincere about living in peace - rein in their militant, more violent members - and give more power to people who can talk to Jews/Israelis rather than just wanting to destroy Israel.?

So yes, they wanted a homeland for the Jews, but I think it is really true and ought to be acknowledged that the Zionists weren't only for themselves, and against the Arabs.? The early Zionists were capable of caring about themselves and others, and they were willing to operate according to the United Nations' mandate for a two-state solution.? If the Palestinians and the Muslim states had only gone with that, Palestinians would be in good shape now, and would have been thriving since 1947!

And the sad thing is that with Hamas we have a continuation of the attitudes and behaviors that have not served the Palestinians well, and which (in my opinion) don't serve "the Muslim world" well - violence, and making members of other religions - Christians, Jews, Hindus - second-class citizens to be subjugated to Muslims.

erbe

This concept of homeland did exclude the Palestinians. No matter what some Zionists said about letting the indigenous people live amongst them, the driving force of the Zionist leadership was to create a state for Jews immigrating from Europe and Russia. And in order to do so they had to buy up the land and control the government which was not what the Palestinians wanted to happen. Guess who prevailed...the illegal immigrants from Europe and Russia..the Zionists.

The Zionist managed to assassinate the United Nations envoy in the Saint George Hotel bombing and they were constantly smuggling in weapons for the Haganah, the Irgun and the Stern gang. Israel was founded on terror and deceit and it has infected their relationships ever since.

Shekhinah

This is a very one-sided picture, with - it seems to me - a great deal of bitterness and?anger affecting your view of Zionists.? Are you aware that Western powers gave?the vast majority of the land in the Middle East to Arab groups - that they created Jordan out of the British Mandate?- that they gave a much smaller portion of the land to the Jews???Are?you aware of how many?countries in the U.N. voted for there to be a state for the?Arab Palestinians and a state for the Jewish Palestinians? ?I do not think "terror and deceit" truly characterize the idealism and loving-kindness of the Zionists, or their desire to be ethical and to see both sides of a conflict.? I think as Christians it behooves us to at least try to see both sides of a conflict.?

littleroundtop

Perhaps a better way to put this is perspective is taking the population of Gaza , which is about 400,000 . The 400 plus deaths would be like about 30,000 Americans being killed if population ratio was the ame in total to percentage of deaths .

Electing Hamas into office was a major blunder , but I voted for Bush and I do not expect to be bombed on because of it .

kevin47

The title of this thread would make sense if this were about eyes, which it is not (literally or metaphorically).

The calls for a proportionate response are senseless. Israel's enemies outnumber its citizens. An "eye for an eye" is exactly what Islamic extremists (and their pr shills at the UN and among the American left) want.

Palosaari

You are lumping all Arabs into one group. That's just not very appropriate. Different ethnic groups are heterogeneous. If you want to make the argument that there is a united Arab front against Israel (which is the only way that your statement would make logical sense), then you have to explain where the Arab countries are, as they do not seem to be raising a finger to defend Ghaza. Oh, and you must use arguments from today, not from 40 years ago and the 6 Day War.

Israel's enemies at the moment are Hamas and groups like al Qa'ida. The enemies they are working very hard to create are the entire population of Ghaza. That still is a drop in the bucket compared to the 7 million living in Israel.

kevin47

I am not lumping Arabs into one group. In fact, I am not suggesting that all of Israel's enemies are Arab. That said, Iran's population alone is 70 million. If even one percent of the population of that nation opposes Israel's right to exist, then your point is ridiculous.

But yes, if you are construing the term "enemies" so narrowly as to pretend that only those who have fired rockets at Israel are enemies, you are correct, and will be for quite some time.

Palosaari

Yes, I thought you'd bring up Iran. Which would force me to remind you of the subject of this post and thread- the bombing of Ghaza (and the rocket attacks by Hamas). If you're wanting to include people who have made threats against Israel as enemies, or people who don't like Israel's policies (since Iran has never overtly attacked Israel), then I guess you live in a world where a couple billion people are America's enemies. That's one scary-a** world.

kevin47

"Yes, I thought you'd bring up Iran."

Then why didn't you bother to anticipate the argument?

"Which would force me to remind you of the subject of this post and thread- the bombing of Ghaza (and the rocket attacks by Hamas)."

Your choice of punctuation illustrates my problem with this post.

"If you're wanting to include people who have made threats against Israel as enemies,"

I do.

"or people who don't like Israel's policies"

A broader group than the aforementioned, which I was not crtiquing at large.

"(since Iran has never overtly attacked Israel),"

The fact that you need not only to parenthetical the argument that Iran has never attacked Israel, but also add the "overtly" caveat speaks volumes.

"then I guess you live in a world where a couple billion people are America's enemies. That's one scary-a** world."

It is. But we're discussing Israel. Whether Israel's enemies are attacking its citizens covertly or overtly is irrelevant. So long as large nations are willing to conduct proxy wars (which is how nations conduct war without being overt) then a proportional response by Israel inherently constitutes suicide.

Palosaari

Because I am imperfect. (Shocking, I know.)

littleroundtop

The only real problem I had with your view is using Jesus in picking a side . Most people realize Hamas is a Terrorist Organization , and most people realize innocent people are being killed . Hamas from what I have learned gained power through the ballot box because of the corrupt government it replaced . Hamas used money it was getting for hospitals and care , thus even gaining greater support .

But to use Jesus as being on the side of Hamas in this conflict I found quite contrary from everything I know about the Lord .
It appears to me Hamas picked a fight with a bigger enemy, and instead of turning the other cheek , they took a pretty good shot at Gaza .
Perhaps you could explain why you said that Christ was on the side of a terrorist organization , or perhaps that is not what you meant . .

Palosaari

Then I am afraid you misunderstood my post. (I assume you refer to the one on top, and not the one you replied to.) I am not saying Jesus is on the side of Hamas, for unfortunately, it is not Hamas that is being attacked in Ghaza. Jesus is on the side of the oppressed, the outcast, and the downtrodden.

On a side note, most international observers felt the elections were on the up-and-up, though, I agree, the PLO was quite corrupt. And I agree, Hamas has gained the affection of the people by helping them, something Israel should have done long ago, if for no other reason than the pragmatic.

As for picking the fight, that goes back to the questions of the origin of this conflict. The most recent God's Politics article has some insightful ideas on that. However, I don't expect the concept of "turning the other cheek" from Jews or Muslims. Not to say that they don't at times, and more magnificently than many Christians- just that I don't expect it, as it's not part of their teachings or belief system- especially true for the Muslims.

Now, there are certainly arguments for Hamas being terrorist or not. I myself would lean towards that they are, but am aware that the US is in the minority for believing this, and I know of many organizations that the US government thinks are terrorist which decidedly are not. Be that as it may, let us remember, that just as there is that of God in George Bush, so there is that of God in Osama bin Laden. This is not to say that Jesus is on the side, in the sense that he is oppressed, but more, that Jesus still desires to bring Osama to him, as much as he still desires to turn George Bush around. And in both, there is that of God in them, for they are both in the image of God.

littleroundtop

Thanks for your renounce . The article from the Palestinian you refer to I
found quite bias from one side . But his over all tone I agreed with for
seeking a workable solution . For one thing Britain promised many things to
the Palestinians , while they were promising many things to the Jews . Both
sides felt betrayed . From the very start their has been confusion . Their
are indeed two sides and the essay writer you refer to left out a bunch .
Hatfield and the McCoy's from my perspective . Hamas being a terrorist group
I believe you are mistaken in that it is a minority view . Many Middle East
countries wish they were gone also .
Much in the same way that perhaps you my find someone agreeing with your
overall convictions on many issues , but goes way overboard in how they
present them so it actually does more harm to your view then good . Hamas
is the Robin hood of the Middle East , but their tactics and religion is
cultish.
If indeed you are correct then peace has less of a chance . For to
negotiate with a person who believes anything is permissible in your
destruction , giving concessions makes no sense at all to that mentality .
Egypt respects Israel borders , and I believe that has what has promoted
that peace to exist . Israel respects Egypt's borders . Thanks for
responding , I disagree with some of your views , but indeed they have
substance . It appears Israel has decided to end this now in regards of
not giving up the assault . , No more Hamas in Gaza I believe is the goal .
. Suffer the international rage , and then I believe work with the new
government towards a solution that insures their safety and allows
liberation of Gaza . That my view anyway . I try to put myself in the shoes
of both , consider say Canada taking some shots at Detroit . We have been
feuding a long time and Canada will not negotiate with a promise of stopping
the killing . Not much damage , but their tactics was just to intimidate
and kill without rhyme or reason . What would we do ? Like Before WW!
invade Mexico to catch the bad guys ? Or would we flatten the sites we
believe were being used to shoot at Detroit by airplane ? Either way I
believe the outrage from the American people of a foreign power taking shots
at us would weigh heavy on our leadership to attack .
The poor civilians in Canada of course being left out of the situation till
peace . The world will be better if Hamas went away regardless.