Preventing Annexation
Every year, when Israel commemorates the founding of the nation, the Palestinian people commemorate the Nakba, which in Arabic means “catastrophe.”
Over 70 years ago and in just a few weeks time, over 500 Palestinian villages were depopulated, and about 750,000 people made homeless. Neither that generation nor any of its descendants have been allowed to return to their homes or villages.
At the seventy-second anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, a catastrophic decision has been made by the new Israeli government, a coalition of the right-wing Likud party led by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the “centrist” Blue and White party led by Ganz.
A major agenda item of this new government, one encouraged by the current U.S. administration, is the annexation of over thirty percent of the West Bank — an area that is home to hundreds of Palestinian communities. Of course, thousands of acres of homes and land and resources that belong to Palestinians will be confiscated at the moment Israel declares its sovereignty over them.
As an Evangelical leader that was born and raised in this conflict-torn land, it grieves me deeply to see how many opportunities have been missed during my lifetime to achieve agreements that could lead to peace and justice for all in the Holy Land. It is also very painful to see how many Evangelical leaders take an oppositional stance towards any agreement leading to a just peace for both nations.
By Rev. Dr. Jack Sara
President, Bethlehem Bible College
(excerpted from a larger letter found here)