Who Blames Israel for Counterattack? So Far Only a Few Nations -

Photo: Osps7

WHO BLAMES ISRAEL? Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to mobilize against the “terrorist state” Israel. But among them only Afghanistan has yet responded. South Africa and Belize are among the few other nations who blame Israel for retaliating against Hamas in Gaza.

The conflict began on May 6 with a violent clash between Palestinians and Jews in East Jerusalem. The Israeli Supreme Court was considering the eviction of four Palestinian families there. The violence spread to other mixed Arab-Jewish communities. Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque where it suspected a riot was being planned.

The Supreme Court sought to reduce tensions by postponing its eviction ruling for 30 days. But on May 10, Hamas and associated Islamic militants started firing rockets from Gaza into Israel. And Israel began counterattacks with airstrikes on apartment buildings where Hamas allegedly operated.

1600+ Hamas rockets launches

More than 1600 Hamas rockets launches later, 149 Palestinians and 10 Jews have died. Israel claims that 75 of those Palestinians were militants, and others died from Hamas rockets falling on Gaza. Now Israel is bombing tunnels in Gaza where militants are taking shelter and planning more attacks.

Hamas has advocated the destruction of Jerusalem for decades. So has its sponsor Iran. What If a neighbour of Belize, or Turkey, or South Africa, sought to destroy that nation? And then fired 1600 rockets against it? Would it not fight to survive and defeat its foes?

But Belize condemns the Israeli police actions against the alleged ringleaders at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. South Africa calls on Israel to end the “barbaric attacks” on Palestinians. In contrast, the US affirms Israel’s right to defend itself, while lamenting the number of civilian casualties. Also, the US insisted on the safety of the media, after Israel bombed a media house with one hour’s notice. In response, Israel said that Hamas was using the civilian journalists there as human shields.

Tomorrow the UN Security Council will hold a virtual meeting on the escalating violence. Two of its current member nations, Niger and Tunisia, are Muslim. Turkey says that any Muslim nation that does not unite against Israel is “effectively party to the conflict.”

The fullness of the Gentiles must come in

Yet Trump’s Abraham Accords succeeded in defusing the Palestinian issue for many Muslim nations. Better relations with the non-Muslim world will open more Muslims to the gospel. This must happen for “the fullness of the Gentiles” to come to salvation before Christ returns. “And so all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25-26).

More than any Muslim nation except Iran, Turkey keeps opposing Israel and the gospel. Because PM Erdogan wants to rebuild the Turkey-centered Muslim-caliphate, which would extend not only to Israel and North Africa, but all the Sunni Muslim nations of the world.

With Russia’s help Erdogan seeks to best Iran, which wants its own worldwide Shiite caliphate. This latest desperate display of Iran-backed Hamas violence, only shows Iran’s stubborn hatred of Israel. Pray that the gospel of the kingdom will overcome all the kingdoms of the world.