Things had gotten so quiet on the Israeli border with Gaza that we almost came to think that something good had happened. Then reality returned this past Sunday. An undercover Israeli commando force traveling within the Gaza Strip was discovered. A firefight ensued in which seven Palestinian militants and one Israeli officer were killed. What followed next was one of the most massive rocket attacks upon Israel from the Gaza Strip in recent memory. Over four hundred rockets and mortar rounds were fired from within the Gaza Strip into Israeli communities across the border. Over 100 of those rockets were shot-down by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. But those rockets that penetrated that barrier caused damage within some Israeli communities. Once again Israeli citizens living in places such as Sderot and Beersheba heard the sounds of air-raid sirens. Fear once again became a reality.
Israeli war planes responded with over 160 missions over the Gaza Strip attacking those strongholds of Hamas and its sister organization Islamic Jihad. Yesterday both Hamas and Israeli leaders accepted a Egyptian-brokered cease fire. As of this morning it was still holding, but is extremely fragile. We have witnessed previous attempts at a cease fire only to have both sides shooting at each other in a matter of days.
What makes this attack difficult to understand is that both the Israelis and Hamas were actually in negotiations over a long-term peace agreement. The citizens living within the Gaza Strip are among the most impoverished people in the world. Unemployment is very high. Corruption among governmental authorities is well documented. Hamas leadership certainly knows that it would only take a few days for the IDF to completely overwhelm Gaza and bring the entire region back under Israeli authority - much as it was before the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza.
Yet I don't believe that Israeli leadership desires to have a military intervention in Gaza. But they would like to strike some type of accord whereby the people living in Gaza would be benefited economically and the Israelis living in those border towns would experience security. But, in order for this type of accord to be reached, Hamas would have to give up its rockets and its rocket-manufacturing entities. Hamas would have to turn away the military hardware provided by Iran and Hezbollah. In other words, Hamas would have to give up its stated purpose which is the total destruction of Israel. Is the situation within Gaza desperate enough that Hamas would consider such drastic steps? Only time will tell. And, if such an accord is made between Israel and Hamas, how would it be monitored? What guarantees would Israeli leaders have that Hamas would keep the accord? There certainly is no level of trust that has been created since 2007 when Hamas wrestled the leadership of Gaza away from the Palestinian Authority.
Underlying all this is the shadow of Iran which has used Hamas as a proxy to provoke Israel, thus keeping Israel away from attacks on Iran itself. How much longer will Hamas continue saluting the Iranian flag? The Iranians could care less about those people living in Gaza. They are mere pawns in a greater contest. Will the leadership of Hamas wake up to the realization of how they have been used by Iran to accomplish another purpose? These are questions that linger in the fragile stillness of this cease fire.
And, as Israel keeps a watchful eye on Gaza, it cannot dismiss the existential threats that lie at its northern borders from Hezbollah and Syria. Tensions especially remain high along the Golan Heights as Iranian backed Syrian forces battle rebels. Israel has warned Syria and its coalition partners - Russia and Iran - of the dangers of any type of offensive excursion into Israeli territory.
As a believer I do keep my eyes focused upon what is happening in the Middle East. What happens there has a significant prophetic bearing as we anticipate the arrival of the King.
Meanwhile, the midterm elections are now a week into our rearview mirror. Once again two counties in Florida have the final outcome of the election hanging in the balance. I have not heard the term "hanging chads" as was heard following the 2000 election, but mysterious boxes of ballots seemingly appear out of nowhere. They are found in closets and even in cars. Why is it that the majority of Americans can go to the polls, cast their vote, and there is very little voter irregularity reported, yet for two counties in Florida, voting becomes a challenge? Perhaps it is not the system that needs changed so much as it is the personnel operating the system that need changed.
Here is what I am very interested in observing. Many of those Democrats who were elected to the House a week ago are rookies. This will be their first time in Washington. Many of them ran as centrists and moderates. Some of them even sounded somewhat conservative in their attitudes about the economy, etc. Now they come to Washington and into a House that will be lead by "the old guard" under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and others. They have already indicated that their agenda will be to issue subpoena after subpoena against the President and the Administration. They have indicated very little interest in working with the President to help better the plight of American citizens. Americans don't want an impeachment, but they do want a solution to the immigration crisis and how our borders can be made more safe and secure. Americans don't want Congress to conduct a "witch hunt," but they do want Congress to tackle the issue of healthcare. Americans don't want litigation, they want legislation. So, will these rookie House members stand up for those promises they made to their constituents that caused them to get elected, or will they buckle under the pressures of party loyalty and become mere pawns in the game being played? If they will repudiate Nancy Pelosi and her team and take a stand for what they promised, then I believe our President will be able to work in a bipartisan way to accomplish great things for the American people.
How interesting the world is becoming! I believe God is in the final preparations before the stage is set for the entrance of the King. How exciting will that day be! Perhaps it will happen before this year draws to a close. "Come, quickly, Lord Jesus."
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