Day  4 of the Ceasefire.

 

In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
² Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.

³ For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
⁴ Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth

Psalm 31: 1-5 (NJKV)

When I pick up my Bible these days, its so like reading the latest news paper!

On Tuesday night of this week I opted to skip the city-wide prayer meeting that was being held here in Jerusalem to pray concerning  the current Israel-Hamas confrontation. It was Day 50 of  Operation Protective Edge, and rocket fire from Gaza was coming in fast and furious. Every two or three minutes the orange and blue popups were flashing onto my TV screen announcing yet another "Code Red" warning of incoming fire. Residents in the south were having to dive for cover every 10-15 minutes. It was quieter in the center but nevertheless residents of Ashdod, Asquelon, Beer Sheva and Tel Aviv and other central towns also were coming under periodic attack.

Just as rumors of an  imminent ceasefire were beginning to be heard, I watched in horror as mortar fire on Kibbutz Nikim, near the Gaza border, struck a team of men who were repairing an electrical transformer that had been struck by a rocket earlier in the day. Two of the team, kibbutz members,  were killed and several injured, bringing the toll of Israeli civilians killed during the Operation to 6.  Then the news came in - a ceasefire had been declared by both sides and the firing was to stop at 7PM. A steady salvo of rockets kept coming over Israel right up to, and even for a few minutes after, the 7PM deadline, but then all fell quiet. Was it a coincidence that just at that moment believers from all over Jerusalem were beginning their prayer meeting?

At first it was hard to believe that the rocket fire had stopped. I kept watching with bated breath as the minutes ticked by, one hour and the ceasefire was still holding, two hours and three. It was hard to know what to think. I kept having to remind myself to breathe!

Now 4 days have passed and the Ceasefire is holding. An uneasy calm has settled over the Land.  It is time to take stock. Who won this war? Did anyone?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565603,00.html

Of course, Hamas claims that it won. Minutes after the ceasefire, celebrations erupted on the streets of Gaza, proclaiming their victory over the 'Zionist Entity' (Israel). No one there was asking why Hamas had put the citizens of Gaza through 50 days of terror and bloodshed only to accept the identical terms proposed in the very first ceasefire suggested by Egypt and agreed to by Israel. Here is Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas Prime Minister of Gaza, giving the V sign of victory while standing in the ruins of his home.  Is this victory?  Or is this victory? See the article below for a video of an aerial view of  the ruins of the Gazan suburb of Saja'iyah? It looks like an earthquake hit it! There is hardly a building undamaged.  Is this victory?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565726,00.html

Hamas not only brought unimaginable suffering to  all Gazans, its attempts to wreak similar havoc on Israel were foiled over and over again.  During the 50 days of Operation Protective Edge  4564 rockets, mortars and missiles were fired at Israel, but only 224 of these struck built up areas, and  735 of the larger, longer range missiles were shot down by the Iron Dome System.  In spite of this heavy barrage of fire, 'only' 71 Israelis, including 64 soldiers, one soldier on leave, and 6 civilians were killed during the Operation, and 469 people wounded.

In contrast the Israeli forces  attacked  some 5,226 targets in Gaza, destroying 1,814 targets linked to rocket firing, 109 weapons depots, 85 weapon-making factories and  312 houses belonging to people who were involved in terrorism. The air force also carried out 840 strikes to support ground forces, and 192 attacks on Hamas military or training sites. 32 tunnels designed to carry out infiltrations and terror attacks in Israel, were also destroyed, and several attempted infiltrations blocked.  
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/50-days-of-Israels-Gaza-operation-Protective-Edge-by-the-numbers-372574
It is difficult to know just how many Gazans were killed, given the inflated figures reported by Hamas *, but it seems likely that around 1000 Hamas operatives and a similar number of civilians were killed. (* for more on this see http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/08/12/hamas-lies-about-the-gaza-civilian-death-toll-and-the-media-bought-it )

We could ask, "What was it that caused Hamas to call for a ceasefire that they had previously rejected?" Could it be that they were in dire straights? Their operational abilities were being drastically eroded and several of their leaders killed. Perhaps their rocket supply was running low? One thing is sure however, that whatever the reason, they called for the current ceasefire because they believe it to be to their advantage, and for no other reason. They do not care about the plight of their civilian population. Only one thing is important for them, and that is the destruction of the Zionist Entity, Israel, and Islamic Jihad. They would only agree to a ceasefire if it served that end. They wanted time to regroup and rearm so that they can continue the fight. Already they are boasting of the 'next round' with Israel.  On Thursday evening, just 48 hours after declaring the Ceasefire, Khaled Mashal, the Hamas political chief who sat out the war in his perch in a hotel in Qatar, had this to say,"This is not the end. This was not the last campaign to liberate Palestine – it was an important stop on the road to victory." http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4565395,00.html

Remember what is written in the Hamas Covenant  about negotiation:

'[Peace]  initiatives,   and   so-called   peaceful   solutions   and

international conferences are in contradiction to the  principles  of

the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than

a means to appoint the  infidels  as  arbitrators  in  the  lands  of

Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem  except  by

Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a

waste of time, an exercise in futility.' (Article 13)

 In a war against such an ideology there is no military solution.  The question we should be asking is  not who won the war, but what will happen now.

The mood in Israel is not one of victory celebrations. We mourn for our dead and suffering, and for those of the people Gaza.  We do not trust Hamas and do not believe the Ceasefire will hold long-term. At the same time events taking place  in the wider region  around us are of great concern. Even as we were getting used to the idea that the rocket fire from Gaza had stopped, for now,  a number of rockets were fired over the northern border from Lebanon and Syria. Israeli farmers were told to stay out of their fields and sirens blared in some northern communities. An army officer was injured. On Thursday Al Qaida affiliated rebels captured the Syrian side of the border crossing at Quneitra in the Golan Heights. This is getting too close for comfort. ISIL is promising to take Iraq and Syria and then Jerusalem, while the Western world is only just waking up to the threat on its very doorstep - perhaps too late.

As happens here after every war we are also indulging in a great deal of self criticism and the casting of recriminations. At the beginning of Operation Protective Edge Israeli citizens, well-known for their normally divisive and argumentative natures, were uncharacteristically united behind the war effort. We saw for the first time a real opportunity to crush Hamas once and for all. The international community seemed to be, if not behind us exactly, at least not very vocal in its opposition. We definitely had the military might to do the job, and felt we occupied the moral high ground. At this point polls showed 89% support for Netanyahu and his leadership.  As casualties rose in Gaza, and the international press began once again to present its lopsided 'take' on events, world opinion began, as always, to swing away from Israel. Even the USA, our only reliable friend in the past,  began to waver. Our leaders consequently hesitated to order another ground incursion, which seemed to be essential if we were to strike a fatal blow to Hamas. And then, just as such an incursion seemed to be about to happen, suddenly the Ceasefire was declared.

Many Israelis were shocked that we agreed to it. It seemed like failure. All those long days of fighting, destruction and death, and what did we have to show for it? Hamas was still in power and still armed. Although Netanyhu has repeatedly stressed that we have dealt Hamas a terrible blow,  we all know it was far from a fatal one. At this point, polls are showing only 39% support for Netanyhu's leadership. It is my feeling that most Israelis feel bitter disappointment that once more 'we didn't finish the job'. There is a lot of anger and a sense of betrayal.

I think we were caught up with a high degree of optimism at the beginning and it was not really based on reality. We dreamed of a Hamas-free Gaza, and one day a Gaza rebuilt and friendly, or at least not aggressive, towards us.  We wanted to totally destroy Hamas politically and dismantle its military apparatus. A bit of a pipe dream I think. Now we are beginning to realize that this was not really possible without the resolve and support of the rest of the world. There are those still hoping for the disarmament of Hamas when talks to bring about a permanent ceasefire begin in about a month, but this dream seems to be rapidly fading. The best we can hope for is a few months, perhaps years, of quiet before Hamas rearms and regroups and starts the next round of hostilitiesZ.

So where does this leave us, we who believe in the God of Israel and pray for His will to be done on Earth as in Heaven? We need to remember that the bottom line is that He is in total control. It is He who raises up leaders and kings, and brings them down. If he has spared Hamas for now, there is a good reason. It is  all part of His plan. We may not understand the timing or the details, but it is sure that He will bring about the final redemption of the world through the Messiah King, Jesus, and he will vindicate Israel in the end. Indeed in the spiritual realm he has already done so. It just needs to work its way out in the physical world.  This calls for much patience and longsuffering, and may test our faith to its limits. Please pray for all us who stand here on the front line of this battle, both physically and spiritually . We who live in the Land of Israel, and love her, face many difficulties every day . We need your prayers. However pray fervently for those others in the Land who do not yet know their God and do not have His comfort in these dark days. Pray that they will turn to God, acknowledge his sovereignty and find salvation through his Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), to the Jew first but also the Arab and all other Gentiles. Only when this occurs, and the Enemy Satan, manifesting in these days through the Spirit of Islam, is defeated, will the world know any peace.

I will finish with the prayer of  David, in Psalm 31 (NJKV), which seems so immediate and relevant to our situation today:

I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
¹³ For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.

¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
¹⁶ Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
¹⁷ Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Let them be silent in the grave.
¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence,
Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

¹⁹ Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
²⁰ You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
²² For I said in my haste,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried out to You.

²³ Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
²⁴ Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.