On July 8th, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, a military response to rockets fired from the Gaza Strip by Hamas. The operation is currently in its 50th day. If you watch the news, you’ve heard about the strikes back and forth between Israel and Hamas. You’ve heard about the deaths of civilians and the destruction of property on both sides. You’ve heard many condemn Israel as being disproportionate in its use of force; you’ve heard many defend Israel for its use of force. Whatever the case, emotions are high and battle lines have been drawn.
In America, especially in Christian circles, it seems that the lines are drawn rather simplistically. Dennis Prager summarizes the conflict between Israel and Palestine as “one side wants the other side dead.” The glaring problem with such a statement is that there are more than two sides involved. When we think of the conflict as “Israel vs. Palestine” without distinguishing the Palestinian Authority from Hamas, or the West Bank from Gaza, we’ve accepted a false narrative. Prager uses general terms such as “Palestinians,” “Palestinian people,” or “Palestinian leadership” when describing the side that wants to kill the other. This causes his audience to see no distinction; they are left to assume that all Palestinians are thirsty for Israeli blood. Some clarifications are in order. (more…)
