Trump, Israel and Palestine

I believe President Donald Trump’s policies toward Israel have been misguided by his belief that most Christians buy into an odd theory about end times that requires modern Israel to occupy all the territory in the boundaries of ancient Israel, among other requirements, before the second coming of Jesus. It is a convoluted theory pieced together by taking odds and ends of scripture from various places and cobbling them together. Some call this Zionism, but “Zionism” is an emotion laden word with several different meanings, so I am not using it in this context.

There are a few very vocal Evangelical Christian religious leaders who do indeed subscribe to these beliefs and who make a lot of noise about it. They have been some of President Trump’s ardent supporters. But they do not represent most Christians.

The modern movement to reestablish a nation of Israel tracks to 1897. The current Israeli/Palestinian conflict though began in 1948 with the establishment of what is now the State of Israel in territory that had been occupied by Palestinians. Ever since, Israel has been expanding its borders into previous Palestinian territory. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are the two primary areas still held by Palestinians that are constantly being encroached upon by Israel. President Trump has exacerbated the situation by strongly supporting Israel’s establishment of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory for religious reasons rather than legitimate political ones.

Moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was another way in which President Trump supported Israel against the wishes of the United Nations and the international community. Both Israel and Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capitols, but most other nations consider Tel Aviv to be Israel’s capitol and keep their embassies there. Charlene and I were in Jerusalem on the day the American Embassy moved there. American flags were flying from every light post.

You can be a supporter of modern Israel and not support the politics of some Israeli leaders who are trying to bully the Palestinians out of the country. Most reasoned observers favor what is called a “two state solution” to the conflict, working out permanent boundaries and ceasing encroachment from either side into the territory of the other. Israel to date refuses to participate in the development of such a plan.

Some would call me anti-Semitic for suggesting that Israel’s leaders are wrong to continue to bully the Palestinians. Not so. When I was working for the State of Florida, I called a juvenile half-way house director in Miami to tell him that unless he changed some of his procedures, we were going to jerk his license. A couple of days later I got a call from the Jewish Anti-Defamation League saying they had received a complaint that I was harassing this young half-way house director because he was Jewish. I explained that I had not realized that he was Jewish and told the caller about the policies at the half-way house that were in violation of state laws and regulations. She thanked me for my time. She went on about her business and I went on about mine.

I am hopeful that the United States can now take a more reasoned and balanced approach to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.