OPINION:
As the war against Hamas in Gaza rages with hundreds of Israeli soldiers killed on top of the 1,200 massacred on Oct. 7, and with 134 hostages kidnapped from Israel still being held in captivity, Israel is being pressured for a plan, and a solution for “the day after” the war ends.
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What will be in Gaza? Who will be in control? Who will rebuild? Who will be responsible for ensuring that neither the physical terrorist infrastructure that Hamas built there nor the genocidal Islamic ideology that it represents, will ever threaten Israel and the well-being of Gaza’s Palestinian Arabs?
It’s counterintuitive that anyone would pressure Israel for a long-term immediate solution for a war that’s been going on for almost five months which Israel didn’t start, and didn’t want, while during active combat to destroy Hamas.
The idea of imposing a “two-state solution” is also not a solution as it would gift Palestinian Arabs a state unilaterally as a consequence of their decades of terror and incitement, rather than through negotiations which would require recognizing Israel’s legitimacy. In this circumstance, it’s foolish to link that creating a Palestinian state, would or should be a foundation for a broader peace with the rest of the Arab world. It’s foolish because it hasn’t ever worked despite numerous offers going back to 1947. The root of the problem is not about the creation of a Palestinian state, but the existence of the Jewish state.
Other than a two-state solution being an inappropriate reward for terror, it’s impractical because the Palestinian Authority (PA) has no authority over the areas that it was created to govern. The PA is inept, corrupt, and only slightly less hostile to Israel’s existence than Hamas.
Some suggest other Arab states should take responsibility for Gaza’s future, something none are willing to do publicly. It’s not a solution because, for decades, the Arab world has funded the Hamas infrastructure, turned a blind eye to and even facilitated the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, and continues to use the status of Palestinian Arabs against Israel rather than seek a genuine solution. No single Arab or Islamic state can be trusted or relied upon to take responsibility. The last thing Israel and Gazans need is the rebuilding of their extremist Islamic ideology and the resumption of terror. If there’s ever hope for a lasting peace, there needs to be an overhaul of more than the physical infrastructure. There needs to be a radical change of heart.
With no good solutions based on past failed models and unreliable partners, it’s time to think out of the box, to look at a solution not through a prism of how we want it to be, but based on reality. I have a solution that’s as radical coming from an Orthodox Jew as it is one, perhaps the only one, that can bring genuine peace.
The solution for long-term peace in Gaza is Jesus.
In the past one might think that the Arab-Israel conflict was about land. It’s not. It’s a religious conflict fueled by an Islamic ideology that the sole Jewish state is by definition illegitimate. Islamists like Hamas and their Iranian backers which embody that ideology seek Israel’s annihilation, not to live side by side with it.
The solution is to counteract that, to upend the failures that extremist Islam has caused in Gaza.
With the destruction of Hamas in Gaza and the suffering that Palestinian Arabs have endured as human shields at the hands of Hamas, it’s legitimate for Gazans to see that theirs is a fake ideology that offers only suffering and that Allah has failed them.
To change the hearts of 2 million Palestinian Arabs in Gaza from revering an intolerant, hateful, extremist and genocidal ideology that has failed them, Christians play a pivotal role in Gaza’s physical and spiritual restoration. With exposure a Christianity that embraces the God of Israel, Gazans will begin to love the people of Israel and understand the prophetic significance of the State of Israel.
To implement this, Gaza needs an army of tens or hundreds of thousands of Christians who will be responsible for its complete reconstruction. Gaza’s Christian army will include professionals in engineering and construction, and all aspects of human welfare. They will spend months among the population, helping rebuild their lives, and creating a foundation upon which to build their future. When Gazans are offered a diet of Christian faith and love to counteract the buffet of hate that they have ingested, they might have the opportunity to prosper.
Gaza’s destruction has been commensurate with how deeply Hamas embedded itself among the population and within civilian infrastructure such as schools, mosques, hospitals, United Nations facilities, and residential areas.
Rebuilding needs to start from under the ground and up. Anything left of the underground maze of terrorist tunnels along with the evil Islamic ideology that birthed Hamas originally, and nurtured from Iran all these decades, needs to be purged. Perhaps this time, Gazans will want to get it right. If rebuilt properly, purging the terrorists, and supervised responsibly, Gaza can become a thriving society.
Christians will bring the greatest ability to rebuild Gaza by both genuinely loving and caring about Israel and its safety, and also about the well-being of Palestinian Arabs. They will not allow the restoration of a massive terrorist infrastructure under their noses as the United Nations, Red Cross, and other “humanitarian” groups have allowed over the decades.
Nobody wants to live in peace more than the Jewish people. But to really bring lasting peace, we need a Christian Gaza.
It may sound crazy for an Orthodox Israeli Jew to propose peace not based on a faulty formula of two states but for our neighbors living in spiritual darkness to become theological allies. With anger among Gazans toward Hamas growing, if presented a viable alternative, one based in morality that can bring prosperity and hope, the ground is fertile for such an opportunity.
Let’s pray that Gazan’s dissatisfaction with Hamas increases and that they all get a little Jesus.
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Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians and serves as president of the Genesis 123 Foundation (www.Genesis123.co). He writes regularly about Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He is host of the popular Inspiration from Zion podcast and publisher of www.IsraeltheMiracle.com. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
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