The most challenging issue for Israelis right now is weighing the importance of getting our living hostages home (as well as those deceased) against the need to destroy Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization that not only kills Israelis but puts their own people in the line of fire. On Friday, President Biden released a three-phrased plan that would get our hostages home and lead to an end of the war. The sticking point for both Israelis and our government is whether or not Hamas would still be in charge.
While I would prefer for Hamas to be destroyed and another entity to take charge of Gaza (not Israel! Maybe a pan-Arab coalition from the sane countries), I would take the deal. Get our people home. Before we know it, we will arrive at the one-year anniversary of their brutal captivity. The responsibility of the Israeli government is their survival. If, after our hostages return home, Hamas continues to be belligerent, there is no reason we cannot conquer them again.
[UPDATE: Egypt reports that Hamas views latest hostage-truce deal ‘positively,’ and is waiting for the Israeli response]
No Threat of Oct. 7- 2.0
While Hamas has stated that they want to repeat October 7 over and over again, if we’re honest, there is no threat of another October 7. What happened last October was a result of the most significant intelligence failure in the history of Israel. Our government ignored the warnings, which we now know were abundant. We could’ve easily stopped it before it ever happened. We got lazy. We won’t again.
While sometimes war is necessary, war is horrible. I’ve lived right next to it since October 7, listening to the bombs explode. Death and destruction are everywhere. The people of Israel are exhausted. And indeed, the people of Gaza want this to end. The two men in our government, Smotrich and Ben G’vir, who say that they will quit the government if we take the deal, ironically, did not serve in the army. I personally believe that the presence of these two extremest warmongering men in our cabinet opened the door in the spirit for us to be attacked. If they leave the government, it will be a blessing for the nation.
Imagine 4 Million Americans Marching
Roughly 120,000 Israelis marched Saturday night, demanding that the government get our hostages home. That would be the equivalent of nearly 4 million Americans marching—something that has never happened. My heart breaks for the hostages and their families. Several of the female hostages are most likely pregnant with the babies of their terrorists. We have to get them home!
Prime Minister Netanyahu will have to choose between saving his government and saving the hostages. I was encouraged to read this morning that PM Netanyahu, though having issues with the deal, plans to accept it. There are reports that he plans to meet with the vitriolic Ben G’vir today, no doubt, to try and win his support.
Let God’s Will be Done
Let's be clear, there's no good deal. Hamas is evil. The students who support them have no idea who they are—they're simply ignorant, jumping on the cause de jour. But my humble opinion is that we must prioritize getting our hostages back. That is what makes us different than Hamas. We do not sacrifice our own people for political or religious goals.
And having said that, who am I to know the will of God? Will you join me and pray over Israel with the very prayer that Yeshua taught us: “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done (in Israel) on earth, as it is in heaven.”
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