Gaza War

My Dear Fellow Sojourners,
There is a cease fire and withdrawal in Gaza right at this time but I thought I’d share with you how I responded to the question “What are your thoughts on the Gaza –Israeli war?” The following was my answer at the time and holds true to other conflicts as well.......................................

My views on the Palestinian Arabs and Israel conflict? As I think you know I’m anti-war. The reasons are many but mainly because of my Biblical worldview (not necessarily the Church’s view) and even from what I think are simply logical reasons. I have never been a soldier but Dwight D. Eisenhower ( as well as many other soldiers also) expressed pretty much my view, he said, “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”
People in power, on either side of a conflict, tell us that we must make the sacrifice for the sake of peace. They tell us that death is necessary for peace. This is a profound propaganda deception. Even the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said: "Enough of blood and tears. Enough!" Let us echo that demand and value human blood and tears too precious to be shed through war.”
But now, as I see it, the politicians in power in Israel and Gaza have lost their way! Similar to what has happened here in America. None seem to understand war is not the answer. War cannot bring peace! I personally cannot justify the Arabs, Israelis or us to willingly violate human bodies and souls; spill blood and tears via the extreme violence of war for some (usually) political end. They, as well as us, obviously value the end higher than the blood and tears, higher than the damage and destruction to property, bodies and souls. Expressing myself Biblically here I frequently ask---“Did Jesus advocate for the overthrow of the despotic Roman rule?” Or sometimes “Doesn’t anyone hear the voices of the poor children? I perhaps should quickly add here though that I don’t put the entire blame on politicians and capitalists but also on what’s taught and not taught in the churches, synagogues, mosques, and schools; which throws some blame as well on the adult citizenry. But it is the powers that be that send young men to die for politics.

.... The Bible teaches "God so loved the world." God loves and cares for all people; people on both sides of the fighting; the innocent civilians both in Israel and in Gaza. My compassion is equally distributed in Israel and Gaza in proportion to the number of injured non-combatants and innocent civilians in both locations.
I heard a woman on the radio say “When we are told that rockets ought to launch to keep our enemy wary, we ought to say the cost is too high and the goal unachievable. And when we are told that bombs must fly and fall in densely populated areas to weaken a terrorist organization, we ought to say that the blood of the innocent as well as those of the terrorists is too high a price to pay.” I don’t know if she was Israeli or Arab but I will say this is a person that knows that all these wars only lead more to the moral bankruptcy of all of humankind.
One last thing here, (a little bit off the subject though} our culture of consumerism, materialism, greed, pride, dishonesty, unaccountability, pornography, abortion on demand, filled jails, loss of the arts, and watch a movie or TV show and see how many times you hear God's name taken in vain, and see how the women dress. I bet that you won't find that in Arab countries like it's found in the USA. Yet with all these imperfections (we don’t call them sins anymore) we somehow think we are privileged to tell them how to run their country........ Because we are so good at it?........ What do you think?
I’d be interested in hearing from you as to what you thought of my response concerning the war in question. Also let me ask you; what effect on the suffering young knowing the world from its very cruelest side, do you think this will have on this and the next generation?

Thanks............Al T.