Paradox: A Commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

A personal statement by Tony Higton, former General Director of CMJ

Why "Paradox"? Because it will seek to hold together two truths that are apparently contradictory, namely the needs, fears and pain of both sides in the dispute.

Although this is a personal newsletter, and the views expressed are my own, I am the Director of CMJ (in Israel: Christ Church Ministries, Jerusalem; in the UK: Church’s Ministry among Jewish People), most of which is located in Israel. I myself live in the Old City of Jerusalem at the interface of the Jewish and Arab communities. It is the calling of my ministry to stand with the Jewish people, after almost two millennia of shameful Christian anti-Semitism, which has created enormous barriers between Jewish people and the church.

However, I cannot do this in a way which ignores the needs, fears and pain of my Palestinian and Israeli Arab neighbours and colleagues. Half of my local staff at Christ Church Jerusalem are Jewish and half are Arab. Living here in the land, amidst the two people groups, has a profound effect. I started from a position which largely ignored the needs of the Palestinians, and focusing only on the terrorists among them. I can no longer do that. I am deeply involved with Jewish Believers in Jesus but many of my immediate Christian neighbours are Arab. Both groups have been badly treated at times, even by neighbours.

More important, I am obliged to aim at a godly approach and God clearly loves each side equally.

Here are some of the main considerations in my approach:

1. My primary aim is to stimulate prayer, which is perhaps the only thing most readers can do to change the Middle East situation for better. However I also aim to remove prejudice (anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinianism) judgementalism and lack of compassion for either side. The church is far too polarised on this issue, hindering rather than helping.
2. I am seeking to convey the truth in a balanced way, which is very difficult, and I shall not do it perfectly. If any reader can send me documented clarification or correction on any matter, I shall be glad to read it. "Paradox" is a search for balanced truth.
3. "Paradox" will take seriously the fact that, underlying the political conflict is a clash of theologies. Many Jewish people believe God has given them the land forever. Many Muslims believe that a land which was once under Muslim rule remains perpetually Islamic. On the one hand, Jewish fundamentalists believe that no land, including the West Bank, should be given away. The most extreme believe that Arabs should be removed from all of the land. On the other hand, Muslim fundamentalists are working, not for peace, but for the destruction of Israel.
4. I hope to encourage prayer for peace with justice and dignity for both sides in the conflict. There are different political opinions, even amongst Palestinians, about what that means for the Palestinian people – a two state solution or a single-state solution. It is clear however that the Jewish people need a safe homeland, especially in the light of resurgent anti-Semitism in many parts of the world. I firmly believe what the Society of which I am Director states: "We see the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel as a sign of God’s faithfulness as revealed in Scripture." Many Christians believe this is a fulfilment of predictions by the great biblical prophets. But those same prophets clearly called for justice and compassion to be shown equally to both Jewish and non-Jewish people. I cannot ignore the fact that the return of the Jewish people to the land was accompanied by great suffering on the part of the Arab inhabitants, including some of my colleagues and friends.
5. God is certainly faithful to his promises (although some of them are conditional on obedience). This includes his promises to Israel. As Paul makes clear in Romans 11, he has not given up on the Jewish people, or replaced them with the church. But there are promises of blessing to the Arab world, as well (Isaiah 19).
6. To love someone will, at times, require constructive criticism of that person. To love people groups will require the same. Condemnation of either side by Christians does little, if any, good. If it is biased – as much Christian comment is – it can do harm. It also raises the possibility of hypocrisy. Our own nations are far from perfect. Any criticism can exacerbate historic hurts. The Christian Church has little credibility in criticising because of anti-Semitism. Also Arabs and Palestinians feel misunderstood and let down by the West. So any constructive criticism in "Paradox" is intended to help Christians to pray in an informed way, not to condemn. Those who claim to love Israel must pray about her faults and the same is true for those who claim to support the Palestinians.
7. Both the Holocaust and the Crusades are well-remembered in the Holy Land, but we must resist any pressure, based on those terrible events, to keep silent in our prayers over the ethical issues involved in the present conflict.
8. However it is wrong to be anti-Israel or anti-Palestinian, because God is pro-Jewish, pro-Israeli and pro-Arab, pro-Palestinian. Rather we should be anti-violence, anti-oppression, anti-corruption, anti-prejudice and pro-reconciliation. That does not mean that we should not be discriminating. For example, there is a moral difference between terrorism, the deliberate mass murder of innocent civilians, and "collateral damage" the unintentional killing of innocent people as a result of responsible military action.
9. "Paradox" will, of course, take political issues seriously. Some people think Christians should keep away from politics. But politics is an important part of life and the old saying seems relevant: "If Jesus is not Lord of all, he’s not Lord at all."
10. In the end, the only real hope for total peace in the Middle East is the return of The Prince of Peace. But our eschatological hope should not cause us to ignore the prophetic call to promote justice and peace now. It must also be remembered that God’s sovereign purposes are worked out in complex ways, through both the good and bad actions of human beings. Therefore some events which seem to contradict God’s purposes might, in reality, be serving those purposes. We must not be simplistic in applying eschatological beliefs to the current political situation. It would be arrogant to think our application of biblical eschatology to current events is infallible. Rather we should approach current events in humility and prayer.