The official statement
"On the instructions of the political echelon... 4,000 dunams at (the settlement of) Gevaot is declared as state land," the army department charged with administering civil affairs in occupied territory said, adding that concerned parties have 45 days to appeal."
The expansionist statement
The Etzion settlements council welcomed this expansion of the current Gevaot settlement as it:
"Paves the way for the new city of Gevaot."
The response from the US State Department:
"Counterproductive to Israel's stated goal of a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians".
The response from Abbas:
This 'land grab' will “lead to more instability” and “inflame the situation after the war in Gaza."
Expected response from Palestinians:
The Bible assessment (Micah 2):
What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans.
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.
When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it.
When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence.
You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance.
But this is what the LORD says:
“I will reward your evil with evil; you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose.
You will no longer walk around proudly, for it will be a terrible time.”
In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you:
“We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us.
He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”
Others will set your boundaries then, and the LORD’s people will have no say in how the land is divided.
For those of us who are Christians - pray for peace in Jerusalem and for right-thinking on the part of those who govern the nation state of Israel.
Pax
1 comment:
I am afraid that I reckon that many in the leadership on each side know exactly what they are are doing, and are getting pretty much the sort of results that they want.
From the Hamas side, it runs:
OK, time to fire a few dozen rockets into Israel again. The Israeli military will response with massive force just as surely as if they were marionettes with us pulling their every string, and we will have lots of martyrs, widows and orphans, perfect soil for a fresh crop of recruits - after all, suicide bombers don't last long.
For some on the other side, I offer the following quote, and make no apologies whatsoever for its source:
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. it works the same in any country."
To me, unless we recognise that many of the leaders on either side are barely more interested in the wellbeing of the ordinary people of their own side than of the other side, we will not make any sense of the conflict: They define themselves by their enemy.
If that sounds cynical, you are probably right, but try that perspective and it might look clearer.
Now, what we can do to Change it, that is another thing entirely.
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