Volume 18 Number 2
November/December 2001
Cheshvan/Kislev 5762

911, Israel and Some Tough Decisions

By Rabbi Barney Kasdan
 

As our country is trying to fully grasp the meaning of the tragic events of 911, it is becoming increasingly clear that the issues are growing even more complex. The initial attack on that fateful day has given way to a much broader attack on our western (mostly biblical) values by those who stand in opposition. While the USA deals with anthrax and the widening war in Afghanistan, there is another country that finds itself more and more involved in this battle of values. Israel, of course, is no stranger to this conflict. Since the founding of the modern state, she has found herself at the center of this ongoing controversy. There have always been a number of logical reasons. First, Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. While Israel holds open public elections and protects the religious sites of other faiths, the 21 Arab governments that surround it do business quite differently. One only needs to compare the status of Moslem sites in Jerusalem under Jewish control (post 1967) to the status of Jewish religious sites when the city was under Jordanian control (1948-1967). But it is not just the political differences that have fueled the conflict. No doubt the presence of 4 million Jews in the midst of over 200 million Arabs is a religious affront to many in the Middle East. To have such “infidels” currently in control of that little sliver of land weighs heavily on the goals of radical Islam.

It didn’t take long in the current war against terrorism for this to become clear. We all saw the video statement by Osama bin Ladin that his main issue with the west is that he and his co-religionist are not living in “Palestine.” While there are many people on both sides trying to convince the world that this current conflict is not a “religious war”, we should not be deceived. It may not appear on the surface to be such a battle, but this is no doubt part of the continuing spiritual battle that is as old as Jacob and Esau. Whatever the political rhetoric or UN resolutions, all of us are being forced to evaluate some of long held convictions about issues of faith. Is Allah the same as Elohim? Is the Jesus of Islam the same as the Jesus of the Bible? The USA, while far from being a believing Christian country, is nonetheless a people founded on biblical principles. This is why the historic connection between the USA and the modern state of Israel has usually been so strong. We resonate together on the common values of democracy, justice and freedom as found in our common Book of faith. But it ties to religion as well. Followers of Yeshua certainly have much more in common with Israel than Islam. For Jewish believers, this should be a given. But the New Testament also affirms that Gentile believers in Messiah are “grafted in among them and partakers of the rich root of the olive tree” [Romans 11:17]. Does this mean that New Testament believers have an excuse be intolerant or disrespectful of our Muslim friends? Of course not. Followers of Yeshua should be known for our love without compromising the truth. Does this olive tree connection with Israel mean that we must agree with every political decision of the modern Israeli government? Again, the answer is no. For that matter, most Israelis don’t necessarily believe in some of the decisions of their own government. That’s probably why there are some 27 political parties in Israel! Nevertheless, there is an unbreakable spiritual connection between New Testament believers and the olive tree that represents Israel. It seems there will be some tough political and spiritual decisions to be made at this time of testing for our country. I pray that our government as well as individual believers in Jesus will not forget the root from where they came.