May 18, 2003

An Enemy of the State of Israel?

[Bethlehem, West Bank] An enemy of the state of Israel? Me? Good grief, I'm missing something. I recently came across a Zionist website that listed my site as an "enemy" of the state of Israel. I wasn't really bothered -- more amused than anything. Listen, I just try to share what I see. I just tell you what's going on in my neighborhood -- which now happens to be in the West Bank of Palestine. I share the struggles of the people. If I see a bulldozer tear up a road through the middle of Bethlehem, I'll show you the photo. If I see Israeli soldiers throwing gas grenades at a group of ladies waiting for the bus, I'll let you know. If all area residents are under 24-hour curfew, you should know. And if there's a suicide bomber from town, I'll tell you about that too. (By the way, there was another suicide bombing in Jerusalem this morning. Almost every time there's a high profile meeting here regarding Palestine, there's a bombing. And these bombings are incredibly unhelpful to the peace process.) Does sharing this information make me an enemy of the state?

But since it was brought up, is the state of Israel above criticism? They constantly advertise that they are the only democracy in the Middle East. Doesn't a democracy invite critical review? Wouldn't this contribute to building a stronger nation? Wouldn't it be far worse if people were not allowed to question government policies? In the interest of building a better country, Israel should welcome dissenting opinion. Censoring what residents say -- or what visitors are allowed to report -- shows a lack of confidence in their democratic state.

In the Bible it says that God will bless those who bless Israel, and God will curse those who curse Israel. What does this mean for Christians? Does God mean that we should just blindly go along with those who are running this current state called Israel? Regardless of what they say and do? I think some Christians think so. Or at least a vocal minority who constantly send me email -- which I welcome, by the way. Is there a limit to what Israel can do? Has God gifted the Israeli Prime Minister and his contemporaries with flawless vision and foresight? Ummmm...maybe... but wouldn't a real blessing be to point out the potential flaws in the policies of a government so they could improve the situation? A change for the better would be a blessing, right? A curse would be to allow them to continue down the wrong path, making the same wrong decisions. Yes indeed, I think that would be a curse. So anyway, as long as I'm here, I'll still keep trying to bless Israel (and Palestine) by sharing what goes on in my neighborhood.

Double-roadblock in Beit Sahour. Used to be a major route through town, but not anymore.
Just thought you should know.