I had an interesting experience at the weekend. In both services I told about a petition I wanted to collect signatures for. This was about the plans of the Palestinian leaders to ask for UN recognition of a Palestinian state on pre-1967 lines without negotiation with Israel.
In the Saturday service only one younger person signed, plus a couple of older people. No one else showed any interest. In the Sunday service many people signed, most of them older. This leaves me wondering why the difference? Do we not follow the news?
If we are to raise up a new generation that will change our city, we must take an active interest in world issues not just those in our church. We have been talking about human slavery and trafficking and how Fair Trade can help. Social justice is important to God and should be to us.
What about Israel and the Palestinians? Don’t the Palestinians have a right to a state of their own? Why is it that at least four times since 1948, Palestinian leaders have rejected the chance for a negotiated settlement with Israel and for most of the past two years they have refused to negotiate with Israel at all? Because they do not accept the permanent existence of Jewish state. They want a one state solution with all Jews out.
This is as much an issue of injustice as human trafficking or slavery. We Christians share a special responsibility because for most of the past 2000 years Christians have persecuted and murdered Jews. Only last century did others take the lead in attacks against Jews. Jesus and the apostles were all Jews. As Gentile believers we have been brought into a Jewish root as Paul explains in Romans 11. We have a special responsibility to Jews.
I am not saying that Israel never mishandles situations and unfortunately non-fighters do get hurt but as the only properly democratic state in the area Israel has the checks and balances to deal with things that go wrong. As a democratic state it also has the right to protect its own people from attack and to negotiate its own agreements with its neighbors without being forced into solutions by the UN.
A UN resolution will most likely be followed more boycotts against Israel when it does not comply with the demand to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. Thus any state that votes in favor of the UN resolution is supporting a process that will increase the threat to the people of Israel. I don’t want Finland to have that guilt before God. Finland should support a negotiated solution. That is what the petition is about. Think about it and if you want to get the email version contact me at gturner@netti.fi.
If you wonder why the pre-1967 borders are unacceptable for Israel look at the map in http://www.youtube.com/user/shaharclips#p/a/u/0/k2hZ6SlSqq0
Let us really be aware of the issues in our world and do what we can in both prayer and action to proclaim the gospel and fight for justice.
Graham
