A Terrible Tragedy occurred last night.

 

Here is the background

A terrorist walked into a synagogue (a house of worship) and started shooting innocent civilians as they were getting up to leave the building at the end of the service. This incident falls on the heels of other terrorist attacks and a growing movement towards violence led by extremists.  Earlier in the day, Hamas (the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip and it's 2 million people) fired a rocket at civilian populations in Israel.  Over the past several months, they have restrained themselves and others, but the fact that they claimed responsibility for the terror and rocket attack seems to indicate that they are now looking for an escalation.  

What are False Equivalencies.

One of the common and false responses to such attacks is to make false equivalencies. It is often said in the global press, that "the Jews and Arabs have been killing each other for centuries," or "they Arabs are responding to Jewish aggression." These false equivalencies actually often start either from ignorant bias or sometimes from the pro-Palestinian terror supporters themselves.  Don't fall for these misleading statements. The supposed (false equivalency) reason for the recent terror attack, is because Israel killed 9 Palestinians yesterday. In truth, Israel did kill 9 Palestinians yesterday, but that is only a small portion of the story.  Here's the rest of the story that puts it in context.  Israel discovered an imminent terror attack being planned by a group of terrorists. In order to stop the attack, the Israeli army covertly entered Jenin, a hotbed of terror since the days of the British rule over the region. As they approached the house where the terrorists were hiding, with orders to arrest the terrorists, they were spotted and there was a major gun fight.  Terrorist from around Jenin ran to the location and started to attack the unit that was there to arrest the terrorists.  Of the 9 people killed, most were terrorists - and perhaps one civilian was killed in the crossfire.  This incident hardly justifies a response of walking into a house of worship with the goal of murdering innocent civilians. So please, listen carefully to the news and identify these statements of false equivalency.

You may have heard that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) have entered the West Bank, recently, and many similar operations have been taking place.  That is also true.  The Palestinian Authority, has been excusing terror attacks because of these half truths, even though they know that the IDF has been trying to arrest many active terror cells. The surge in terror attacks probably stems from the fact that the Palestinian Authority keeps making false claims that Israel has been "assaulting," and "invading," the temple mount and changing the status quo. Of course there is no basis for these claims, but since most Palestinians with terror connections have no ability to visit the temple mount, due to security concerns, they easily fall for this incitement. 

How to respond

In light of the terrible loss of civilian lives, the first and most important prayer request is for comfort for the families who lost their loved ones. Pray also, for the many Israelis who might now be in great fear for their lives. Terror strikes at the heart of ones feelings of safety and security. Israelis are far more resilient than so many nations, because of the history of terror attacks, however, every incident is a new challenge that must be met with new resolve. So please for the Israeli people to be resilient, steadfast and most importantly, that they would trust their safety and security to the God of Israel.

Pray for the salvation of the Palestinian and Jewish people. Let's be honestly, as Israeli believers, we know Palestinian believers and we call them, brothers. We would never hurt each other. Our mutual faith, binds us together.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (ps 122:6)

Pray for the Palestinian civilians who are mostly peaceful people, but who are controlled by corrupt and violent leaders. 

Pray for the safety of our soldiers who are often on the front lines of the terror attacks.  We know many believers in their mandatory army service at the borders and checkpoints.  Just yesterday, a found out that a friend of mine has a son serving in such a location. Pray for them.  We probably have dozens of believers in the army right now, that call on the name of Yeshua (Jesus) as their Lord and Savior.

Pray as you feel led, but remember to pray compassionately. Even those who seek to kill the Jewish people, are blind of the truth and need the Messiah to open their eyes.