A Cease-Fire, But Only Until...

I awakened this morning to news that Israel and Hamas have agreed on an open-ended cease-fire.  Several cease-fires have been declared before, but each was broken by rocket fire from Gaza into those Israeli communities along the Israel-Gaza border.  Each cease-fire infraction was met by an Israeli response with air-strikes upon Hamas targets.  Now there is a cease-fire of an undeclared duration.  I am not holding my breath that this will last long.


What is the purpose of a cease-fire?  It is a declaration by both sides that fighting will stop, at least temporarily.  It was a cease-fire that brought Israel's War of Independence to an end.  It was another cease-fire that brought both Israel's Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 to an end.  The stated purpose for this cease-fire is to provide humanitarian relief to the people living in Gaza.  An estimated 100,000 Palestinians were left homeless in Gaza.  And thousands of Israelis living along the border were forced to evacuate from their homes.  According to news sources, under this Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, Israel agreed to ease some of its import restrictions to Gaza, including materials needed for reconstruction of infrastructure and homes.  Israel also agreed that, after thirty days, they will meet in talks aimed at some of the major issues - Hamas' demand to construct a seaport and an international airport in Gaza.  Israel's only demand is that Hamas and Gaza become a demilitarized zone - a demand that Hamas has consistently said it would not do.   I keep wondering why Hamas gets to call all the shots when clearly they were the losers.  Sometimes I have to admit that I simply do not understand politics.


I was reading in the paper this morning a quote from Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader , who promised to rebuild homes that had been destroyed in this seven-week old war.  He then said, "We will build and upgrade our arsenal to be ready for the coming battle, the battle of full liberation."  Other reports indicate that the government of Qatar is sending money to help Hamas rearm itself.  Hardly sounds like Hamas is intent on this being a long-lasting cease-fire or that they are very interested in improving the lot of the people living in Gaza.


I was troubled with the statement this past week from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. He stated rather strongly that he was not inclined for the United States to do too much against IS (the Islamic State - formerly known as ISIS or ISIL) because he did not see them as a threat to the American homeland.  To me, that is head-in-the-sand thinking.  Making the front page of this morning's "Minneapolis Star-Tribune" was an article about a 33 year old, Douglas McCain, a graduate from Cooper High School in Robbinsdale, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis) who was killed in Syria fighting for IS.  He is the first known American to die fighting for this terrorist state.  And, from all indications and intelligence reports, he is not the only American fighting for IS. 


Back to General Dempsey's statement.  If you remember back in the late 1990's, Americans thought that al-Qada would never reach the homeland.  Bin-Laden was just some crazy terrorist there in the mountains of Afghanistan.  But then 9-11 happened and suddenly Americans took a deeper interest in Bin-Laden and al-Qada.  Is it going to take another 9-11 event for us to wake-up and realize that IS is a real threat to America and the civilized world?  Are we prepared for another 9-11 event and for the response that will be necessary afterwards?  In a recent conversation I had with a retired colonel, he sadly shared with me that the status of America's armed forces today would make any type of response nearly impossible.  Instead of strengthening our military, this administration has chosen to reduce its strength both in numbers, in leadership positions, and in armaments.  We have forgotten those words from President Theodore Roosevelt - "speak softly, but carry a big stick."  Instead we draw lines in the sand and then take away the "big stick." 


Recently, while listening to a talk-show while driving home from the office, I heard an expert on terrorism make the statement that America's inner-cities are the perfect breeding ground for terrorist recruiting.  Pretty scary!


But there is hope - it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Not in Washington politics.  Not in cease-fires.  Not in armed forces.  Only in Jesus.  And that is the message the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5 that we are to take to a lost world: there is reconciliation between sinful man and a holy God, but only through the Lord Jesus.  So, let's not be children filled with despair or fear.  Let us be ambassadors of reconciliation, of love, and of hope.  Remember: we are on the winning side!