This proverb/idiom is well suited to the conflicts that are taking place in Syria, Iraq and in the Gaza strip, including the West Bank. Things may seem quiet in Gaza and the West Bank, but be assured there is fighting; and lives are getting crushed.
Aleppo
Many are aware of what has taken place in Aleppo, but it seems the West is occupied with the presence of Russia and pointing blame. With the rebels being removed from Aleppo, the local Christians see President Bashar al Assad as their protector. This might not sit too well with western believing Christians, but the reality of life is that innocent people, especially children are getting hurt, maimed and killed. Before the civil war, there was just over 2 million living in Aleppo. The number of Christians was officially around 18%. The Christian community throughout Syria is predominately made up of various denominations. The orthodox church of Antioch and the Catholic Church are the two largest groups, followed by the Syrian Orthodox and Armenian apostolic church. There is a small minority of Protestants, members of the Assyrian church of the East. It is difficult to ascertain the number of evangelical Christians living in Aleppo.
We at Ezra are ecumenical regarding aid and support, irrespective of doctrine. Sadly human nature has a tendency to align an opinion based on tradition, culture, denominational tag or a particular political expression. It is from this, we can form a mindset and a misguided loyalty that is neither Christ-like nor biblical. We are seeking to aid and help Christians in Aleppo, irrespective of their denomination.
Israel
Things in the Gaza strip and West Bank are not as peaceful as commentators are making out. Also it is quite disturbing that vast numbers of Christians endorse the NZ government position with Israel. Of course there are faults with Israel and the way they are handling the Palestine issue, but moving towards a ‘Two State Solution’ is accelerating us closer to the prophecies in Daniel 9.
The two elephants that are fighting in the Gaza Strip and West Bank is not the government of Israel. Of course Israel is very much a potential elephant, and has been very heavy handed in the past. The conflict that is hurting the innocent is Hamas and Fatah. These two groups have one clear agenda and that is to establish an Islamic state in Israel. One would think there would be harmony between Hamas & Fatah, to reach their objective.
Hamas & Fatah
Hamas was founded in 1987. Its ideology is Sunni Islamism & Islamic Nationalism. Hamas has around 26,000 soldiers in Gaza. The ‘Hamas Covenant / Charter ‘identifies them as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. The ‘Covenant/Charter’ clearly states no solution for the Palestine except through Jihad and the removal of all Jews. It also states that Hamas is humanistic and tolerant of other religions and race, as long as the sovereignty of Islam is established.
Fatah – meaning ‘conquering’ or ‘victory’. It was formally known as Palestinian National Liberation Movement. Yasser Arafat established it as a political party in 1965. Their ideology is Palestine Nationalism with a clear uncompromising ‘Two State Solution’ for Gaza & the West Bank. Since Arafat’s death in 2004 Mahmoud Abbas has served as President and sought to end the conflict with Hamas by signing the ‘Doha Agreement’ in 2012. Within a few months the reconciliation process had stalled. Later that year Hamas & Fatah signed a further agreement, ‘The Cairo Agreement’. There have been further agreements between these two groups but with continuing conflict as both groups wrestle for power.
Hamas were elected to govern the Gaza strip in January 2006. Within the year there was civil war between these two groups. There has been a series of reconciliation attempts to resolve the hostility but with no progress. Many are unaware of the ongoing struggle with Hamas & Fatah, but resources and finances have been channelled to grab power while the Arab population suffer in many ways.
The Christian community on the West Bank is predominately Greek orthodox. The population on the West Bank is estimated around 1.7 million. Around 50,000 are Christian most of them living in and around Bethlehem. Of this number just around a few thousand would claim to be evangelical, who find themselves in constant conflict with the Roman Catholics & Greek Orthodox that express a replacement theology position to support the Arab cause. It is the evangelicals Christians on the West Bank that find themselves isolated and forgotten.
