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Roots of the Present Conflict

Because of technical difficulties, I was unable to do a weblog earlier in the day. I only have a short time in the afternoon, because I am a conference speaker this week end. Yet in view of the current Middle East crisis, in which the Israelis are viewed as the victims and all others as aggressive terrorists, I thought it would be appropriate to remind our readers of the roots of this conflict.

This conflict did not come about when Palestinians immigrated to Europe and took over an European nation or Jewish property there. It began when Zionists immigrated to Palestine to take the personal property of Palestinian families who had lived there for many centuries. The Zionists treated them as if the PEOPLE did not even exist just because an independent Palestine did not exist earlier. Prime Minister Golda Meir made a well-known statement that "Palestinians don't exist."

The Zionists were the aggressors. The Palestinians fought back and are still fighting back. The Zionists did not represent the majority of the world's Jews in 1948, and world Jewry is still split over the issue.

Christian Zionists often say that I am "cursing" Jews (based on their view of Gen. 12:3) for opposing Zionism, because they assume that all Jews are Zionists. This is simply not the case. I could just as easily make the case that Christian Zionists are cursing Jews for supporting Zionism.

It is really a question of WHICH JEWS do we side with? The Zionists or the non-Zionists? I happen to side with the non-Zionists in this issue. If this is interpreted as "cursing Jews," that is the interpreter's problem, not mine. If they want to side with Jewish racism, theft, and murder, and can do it with a clear conscience, that is between them and God. As for me, I cannot do so with a clear conscience.

Here is what one non-Zionist Jewish rabbi has to say about Zionism. Rabbi Michael Ber Weissmandel wrote an article May 26, 2000 saying,

“. . . We should avoid the untenable position of the robber who prays for Divine help in carrying out his crime. We should pray that Zionism and its fruits vanish from the Earth, and that we be redeemed by the Messiah with dispatch.

“A prisoner is released only when he has served his time, or if he is pardoned by the President for good behavior. If he attempts escape and is apprehended, his term is lengthened, besides the beating he receives when he is caught.

“. . . We have been sentenced to exile by the King of Kings because of our sins. The eternal, blessed be he, has decreed that we accept the exile with humble gratitude until the time comes, or until we merit His pardon through repentance. If we seek to end the exile with force, G-d will catch us, as our sages have forewarned, and our sentence becomes longer and more difficult.

“Many times in the past have segments of our people been defrauded by false messiahs—but none of the false messiahs has been as fallacious and delusory as the lie of Zionism. . . . If we wish our exile-sentence commuted, we must appeal through repentance . . . Let it be clearly understood that never in Jewish history (even in the time of Jeroboam or Achav) have such hostile atheists stood at the helm of the Jewish people as today.” [End of quote]

This rabbi understands the law of tribulation and the fact that God put them into captivity according to the law. I explained this law in my book, The Struggle for the Birthright. In my view, as a Christian, the Jews could end their tribulation by accepting Jesus Christ, rather than by being more religious in their Judaism. Not because Christians would then treat them better, but because they would be able to enter into the New Covenant through its Mediator. It is not man, but God that they must deal with.

But the rabbi is absolutely correct when he points out the ridiculous view that Zionists can steal from others and then pray for God's protection when their victims strike back.

As a Christian, I do not support returning evil for evil. But I do support the rights of victims to receive restitution from those who have stolen from them--regardless of who those victims are: Jewish, Palestinian, or anyone else. I am a firm believer in equal justice before the law, and I do not believe that anyone is above the law. I do not believe that some are more equal than others.

Let me turn this around for a moment. Christian Zionists, in my view, ought to stop cursing non-Zionist Jews, lest God curse them.