Israel.

It’s been a busy week – and, for some reason, nothing has come to mind that seemed to be worth posting! (Yes, I know. There are probably those who are of the opinion that nothing I have ever posted has been worth posting!!)
One item on which I have wanted to post has been the current Israeli-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. My problem has been that I am unable to totally condone the activity of either side and, of course, I totally condemn the level of civilian casualties.
So what can anyone, so far away from the conflict, and with no direct involvement in it, say about the situation? From the point of view of the Palestinian (Biblical Philistine) people, it is a traumatic, painful and, for too many, fatal experience. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering terribly from horrific injuries; those who have been bereaved as a result of the Israeli bombardment and incursion. But it must not be forgotten that Hamas militants have been bombarding Israel for years, and that they have an ultimate goal of the total destruction of the Israeli State.
On the other hand, Israel is seen, by some, as having over-reacted. We are told that their action is “disproportionate”. What seems to be forgotten is that war, by its very nature, tends to be disproportionate. I think of the numbers who died in Dresden, or at Hiroshima. Yet few objected to the defeat of Nazism, or of those deemed to be responsible for the atrocities of Japanese POW camps. The nation was classed as one with the individual perpetrators.
It is a sad fact of life that, until the return of the Prince of Peace, there is going to be war, and violence; death and injury. It’s all part of the fallen world in which we live. So what do we do? What practical action can we take? The Psalmist exhorts us to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Ps.122:6), and it is right and proper that we should do so. But let us remember that any interim “peace” to which Hamas, Iran, Syria, and/or Hezbollah might agree would only be a temporary, tactical truce to allow them to re-group, re-arm, and consolidate.
And let us keep our eyes focussed on Jesus “the Author and the Finisher of our faith” (Heb.12:2), looking forward to His Second Advent, when He will usher in His rule of perfect peace.