The Primate starts out with this:
To seek the prosperity of Jerusalem is to seek a just and lasting peace that recognizes the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis—Christians, Jews and Muslims—in this land.
A statement that is designed to sound high-minded, right thinking – virtuous. Who, after all, doesn’t want lasting peace and justice in the Middle East?
Regrettably, it doesn’t end there. Nicholls goes on to prove a point that I’ve thought for a while: it is impossible not to take a side in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The difference between those who take sides is this:
Those who side with Israel admit it. I am one of them because Israel, the only democratic, free, civilised country in the region, is in a conflict with a group of people who will not stop attacking it until it ceases to exist. It has an obligation to protect its citizens and it is doing so.
Those who side against Israel pretend to be impartial, but they are not. This is a deceit that becomes transparently obvious as soon as they voice their opinions. Or, if they are clerics, threaten to pray for justice.
This is the duplicitous camp into which Nicholls has placed herself. She would like us to believe she is above the conflict, an impartial ecclesiastical arbiter unmoved by bias or irrational animus: in other words, a typical liberal. But her words betray her:
Request the implementation of UN resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 194 (1948)
Call for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories and the end of illegal Israeli settlements
Call Israel, as an occupying power, to respect the 4th Geneva Convention
Request measures by the Palestinian Authority to reduce poverty and unemployment, and to improve services to Palestinians
Recognize the city of Jerusalem as a shared holy place for Christians, Muslims and Jews
Recognize the need for trade between Palestine and Canada
Entirely right David. Those who claim to be high minded in this dispute, do not hesitate to put the Israelis in a position in which their very survival would be in doubt. To this group, if the Israelis were to perish, that would be regrettable but, really, only collateral damage.
Since Gaza sent rockets over the border, they initiated the confrontation with all all their tunnels full of rockets. They can’t seem to teach their children to live in peace. Israel and it’s Prime Minister, has a duty to its citizens in the country to protect them from any rocket attacks and their country. When I was in Israel, before Covid, several years ago, I went through the checkpoint into Bethlehem by the Palestinian Authority. 18 year old boys were waving their machine guns in my face on the bus as a Canadian citizen crossing the border. What kind of of world are Anglican Bishops advocating by advocating Palestinian rights? Rights to what? You don’t kill people and fire rockets to gain territory. To Kill people to achieve their political aims? Too long a post, probably for this site, but there are people who believe that Hamas is an evil organization.
Why won’t Gaza elect some people or a different party who will work for peace and harmony?
For a Primate who has placed herself above The Scriptural Law of The Anglican Church in Canada re .the Christian marriage canon, by permitting the lawless “local option” conceived in camera by the Niagara Diocese pre the July 2019 General Synod, to operate as a parallel system hardly can appeal to any institution seeking lawful remedy:
not least of all concerning the ongoing crisis in Israel vs. Gaza/Hamas/PA/Lebanon and their Islamic and Iranian enablers + Psalm 83.
Such lawful remedy was set out by Michael Chenkin at ‘Israpundit’ on March 30, 2011 (v. anglicansamizdat, May 29, 2020):
Yet to be honoured by The United Nations per its League of Nations predecessor… these “sacred trusts” tragically interrupted by the Shoah 1930 -1945;
but not abdicated by The LORD of Hosts Who is The One and Only True GOD in His “City of The Great King”
+ Psalm 48:2 + Matthew 5:35 Amen.
Global communications allow us to see atrocities as they happen. In the Old Testament times, the Jews had again and again killed God’s messengers. Thus, God allowed the Babylonians to discipline the Jews. Please note that Arabs and Jews are descendants of Abraham, and the earthly Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, Muslims, and Christians. As Christians we must continue to pray for justice and peace in the whole world, including the Middle East. Christians also believe that God will bring heaven to earth in the New Jerusalem where He will dwell with His own people (Revelation 21). All true followers of Jesus will be saved. Praise the Lord!
Part of the problem is that the media here are not telling both sides of the story: they are consistently following the Palestinian line. I have only seen one story that even attempted to be balanced since the conflict began, and that was on the National last night. For the record, I worked in the British TV industry for 22 years before I moved to Canada, so I have a degree of insight into how the media works.
Corrective to this chronically biased and in some cases blatantly anti-Semitic coverage is ‘Israel National News’;
v. ‘The Real Cause of The Long Arab War, May 14, 2021, by esteemed journalist, historian and author, Caroline Glick;
and here in Canada, Mike Fegelman’s ‘Honest Reporting’;
both of whose content and articles take up this vexed issue, as well as the historical roots of this century-old plus conflict re. Balfour Note/ November 2, 1917.
Current cases in point: the UK ‘Guardian’, which in the misguided spirit of our anti-historical time, would cancel ‘Balfour’;
The Moderator of Canada’s PCC in Marxist concert with the ACC,UCC and ELCA, as directed by the Marxist/anti-Scriptural World Council of Churches.
One may try to cancel ‘Balfour’; one cannot cancel The Holy Bible – Israel’s Magna Carta – on whose irrevocable and inalienable foundation both its Divine Creation and Prophesied Ingathering are based:
+ Isaiah 11:11,12 “…The LORD shall set His Hand again the second time to recover the Remnant of His People…from the four corners of the earth.” Amen.
May 14 1948 confirmed this amazing Biblical fact which is unfolding in our time as it ought and as it will.
Good comment Abigail!
There are no perfect nations on earth. Do I want to live in today’s Palestine?
Whatever happened to religious leaders simply praying for peace and for all those suffering because of a conflict without regard to secular politics and sectarian arguments?
Guess I’m too much of an idealist.
John Stott’s comment on Zionism is still relevent today. Stott stated: “Political Zionism and Christian Zionism are anathema to Christian faith … The true Israel today is neither Jews nor Israelis, but believers in the Messiah, even if they are Gentiles …” (Donald E. Wagner’s Anxious for Armageddon, 1995, pp. 80-84). Israel will be a diferent nation if its people turn to Jesus, the Saviour of the whole world.