There is much to study and digest in President Trump’s just unveiled “Deal of the Century,” but allow me here to offer some immediate reflections.
First, it is true that many evangelical Christians and Messianic Jews are dead set against a two-state solution (or a divided Jerusalem) in any sense of the word. They feel that to divide the land is to defy God and His Word (see Joel 3:2; another interpretation of this verse is that it refers to nations dividing up the land between themselves for their own use).
There are also pragmatic concerns about any type of two-state solution, as argued eloquently by Caroline Glick in her book The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East.
That being said, if this proposal has the enthusiastic support of Prime Minister Netanyahu, his rival General Benny Gantz and our ambassador David Friedman, then who am I to reject it? In the words of INSS (The Institute for National Security Studies), “This is the most favorable plan for Israel ever presented by an international player.” (See here for their detailed assessment.)
Overall, I know that lasting, true peace can only come to the region through Jesus the Messiah. But if there can be temporary respites that help all the inhabitants of the region, so be it.
Second, if I understand things correctly, what the Palestinian people as a whole want more than anything is personal dignity, self-respect, the right to self-determination, and good educational and vocational opportunities for themselves and their children.
To the extent the Trump plan can make this happen, it should be embraced by the Palestinians. (Again, there is much to digest in the plan, and these are only my immediate reactions to the announcement.)
What would they have to give up in exchange? Realistically, they would have to give up systemic hostility to Israel. They would have to accept Israelis living in their midst (just as roughly 2 million Palestinian Arabs currently live within Israel’s recognized borders). They would have to dismantle Hamas. They would have to renounce all support of terror. Will they?
SOURCE: Charisma News
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