Gaza is a small area in the southwest part of Israel, boardering the Mediterranean Sea. It's approximately twice the size of Washington, DC, with 1.5 million people living there. The unemployment rate is huge--nearly 50%. Mostly it's an agricultural land, producing olive oil and citrus fruit. Throughout its existence, Gaza has been controlled by Egyptians, Ottomans, Philistines, Jews, Turks, and British entities. Israel took control in 1967. Most recently however, Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but tension between the two peoples has not abated.
Unlike other Palestinian groups that fight against Israel, Hamas has been deemed a terrorist organization. Sadly, the militants of Hamas hide among the civilian population, making the number of casualties much higher than need be. The Gazans, like us, want to live in peace alongside their Jewish neighbors. It is the fundamentalist groups like Hamas that seek to stir up conflict and perpetrate war. They are determined, at cost to their own people, to follow after strife.
To be sure, God loves both the Israelis and Palestinians, and while there may never be love between the two peoples, we are instructed in God's word to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This means, of course, that we need to pray for the lives of civilians, government officials, and military personnel, whether Israeli or Arabic, Jewish or Muslim. Please join us in lifting up the nation of Israel in prayer, covering God's chosen people. Pray that the leaders of Hamas would be exposed. And for the salvation of souls on both sides of the conflict.
And please pray for us, Rodger and Greer, as will travel to Israel soon for business purposes. We will have photos in the next blog along with current information on what is happening in the Holy Land. Shalom.
Blessings!
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