NO PEACE IN PIECES

As I began writing this article, Parliamentarians from nations as diverse as Finland and Uruguay were gathered in a location just outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City in Jerusalem to deliberate the future of the World. These political leaders discussed how conflict between Israel and surrounding Arab States effects the entire international community of nations.  They discussed potential solutions for some of the world’s most difficult issues such as the refugee status of both Palestinians and Jews and the threat of dividing Jerusalem into two capitals instead of one.

Why gather in Jerusalem? It is simple, even a casual perusal of worldwide media reveals that Jerusalem is the epicenter of modern conflict. There is a gathering storm across the globe. Islamic extremism is sweeping the Middle East and emerging in Europe, Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Anti-Semitism is also rising among increasingly secular Western Societies and governments.

As long as the Jews exist as a people, as long as they govern a sovereign nation in the land promised to them in the Bible, Israel’s very existence threatens every social, political or religious viewpoint that does not consider the Bible to be true. Forces as opposed as Secular Humanists and Islamist Extremist find common ground in their determination to deny Israel a right to exist as a State with secure borders with Jerusalem as its undivided capital.

The past provides a road map for the future. There has been human conflict throughout history. Every conceivable way has been tried to bring peace between nations at one time or another and peace has been achieved many times and in many ways. History is also littered with disastrous failures from which we can learn.

One of the most glaring mistakes attempted by peacemakers is the dividing of cities. My childhood was filled with constant exposure to photographs and news clips of the divided cities of Berlin, Beirut and Belfast. “Green Lines” of razor wire, fences, land-mine fields, walls and guard posts become a no-man’s land where prosperity and freedom cannot exist. The last thing that the Jewish people, the Palestinian people and the multitude of other cultures residing in Jerusalem needs is further complication of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is no sustainable peace obtained by dividing a city into pieces.

My take-away from the gathering of Parliamentarians and Government Leaders in Jerusalem this past week is clear: More than ever, we must pray for the peace of Jerusalem.