Forget the Left. Their minds can’t be changed.
However as a Jew who long ago placed his faith in Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah (the Christ) I am so troubled when I meet younger followers of Jesus (as well as younger Jews not yet following Yeshua) who do not believe Israel has a definitive right to exist. They’ve bought into a gross revision of historical facts.
Let’s simply start by reviewing the secular history.
The first reason that Israel has the right to exist is because of a plethora of archeological evidence. Every time there is a dig in Israel it does nothing but confirm the fact that Jews have had a presence in that region for over 3,000 years. The coins, the pottery, the historical buildings, the cities, and the culture indicates that the Jewish people have been dominated that region. From thousands of years ago to present there has always been an uninterrupted population of Jews residing in within the current borders of Israel. In fact, when Israel was granted its independence in 1948 nearly all of land had been legally purchased and settled by Jewish people.
Prior to 1948 the region was known as Palestine. When Jews from all over the world began immigrating to Palestine in large numbers in 1882 fewer than 250,000 Arabs lived there and the majority of them had arrived in recent decades. Palestine was never an exclusively Arab country, although Arabic gradually became the language of most the population after the Muslim invasions of the seventh century. No independent Arab or Palestinian state ever existed in Palestine.
Since its independence in 1948, Israel has fought four wars: The 1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai campaign, the 1967 Six Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In all four cases, Israel was attacked. They were not the aggressor. They also won all four wars against impossible odds.
And then there is the Biblical history.
I believe Israel has a right to the land because God says so. In Genesis 13:14-17, we read:
The Lord said to Abram, “Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, southward, eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever… Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.”
That’s God talking, not me. The Bible also says that Abram dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in present day Hebron, and built an altar before the Lord. Hebron is in the West Bank. It is at this place where God appeared to Abram and said, “I am giving you this land.”
This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether history means anything and whether or not the word of God is true.
Thanks for bringing this to us who are not so well informed!
I have an idea, how about you consider a situation in which your family is forcibly removed from you home because, let’s face it, you weren’t really here first.
Doesn’t sound like a good idea? Probably didn’t sit too well with the Palestinian people who were kicked out of their homes where their families had lived for CENTURIES. Probably doesn’t sit to the Palestinian folks who are battling for their ancestral lands against a nation that is so heavily supported by the most powerful country in the world. Probably doesn’t sound too hot to the folks whose homes are being bulldozed for new settlements that are against treaty and are housing Jews who are COMPENSATED BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL, PROBABLY MADE POSSIBLE BY US TAX DOLLARS, TO RELOCATE TO SAID SETTLEMENTS.
You actually make me feel sick.
This is not about the word of God. How dare you call yourself a follower. If you truly believed in Jesus, you would check yourself because you are actively supporting the disenfranchisement of a people (who are, children of God too, right?). If you logic runs, we should all just walk away from our homes because the Native Americans were here first. But something tells me you would fight if someone tried to take away your home.
I’m sorry you’re feeling ill. That often occurs when we’re confronted by the truth.
Upon reading the Bible for the first time I was struck with the fact that I was a sinner deserving of death. It was awful. But that sickening feeling was followed by absolute joy when I realized Jesus is the way, truth, and life (he said it, not me), and he died for my sins.
Ariel, I pray you too will come to know the only God represented in His only son, Jesus.
By the way, thanks for using your real email address. Most of my critics are too cowardly to do that.
Peace,
Brian