Not in our name!
In a move that many regard as an unhinged betrayal of Israel, Sir Keir Starmer has announced the UK’s recognition of Palestine as an independent state. No matter the fact ‘Palestine’ lacks both defined boundaries and a stable government, as required for recognition under international law, the Prime Minister apparently believes that this will assist world efforts to bring about peace between the Arabs and the Jews. Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the move ‘a huge reward for terrorism’, something robustly denied by Starmer, who claims that Hamas will be excluded from government, and that recognition of statehood will give stability and hope.
Let us examine this. The last election in the Gaza Strip was in 2006. At that time, 44.45% of the population voted for Hamas, giving them around a three percent lead over the rival Fatah party. Since then there have been no further elections, as the Islamic Resistance group has tightened its iron grip on power. On 7th October, it is reported that 71% of all Palestinians supported Hamas’ attack on Israel, and that support for the terrorist group has since grown.
There is undeniably growing opposition towards Hamas within Gaza – many are tired of the conflict and want to rebuild their homes. But the Hamas-run civil administration is still in control, and any belief their stranglehold has been broken is misplaced. They are said to be intent on maintaining post-conflict governance, and are still reckoned to have around 37% support of the population. While it is true that the Palestinian Authority is the governing body, under Israeli control, of the West Bank, if there were an election in Gaza tomorrow, there remains, therefore, a strong likelihood Hamas might still win. So exactly what planet does Sir Keir inhabit, when he imagines Western recognition of a Palestinian state will exclude this violent and hate-filled Islamic group from power?
The sad truth is that our revered Prime Minister is once again bowing to propogandist ideological pressure from supporters of Palestine, who seek the total destruction of the Jewish people. Hamas, a proxy for Iran that openly calls for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth, will never willingly release its vice-like grip on the Gaza strip and, while it remains, there can never be peace. The supposed recognition of Palestine as an independent state can serve only to legitimize terrorism and fuel further aggression.
Such recognition is at heart a perfidious and duplicitous abandonment of the Jewish people, who were attacked without cause on October 7, resulting in the murder of around 1200 Israelis and the taking of 251 people hostage, including the elderly, women and babies.
Britain should beware. Right at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 12:3, God says to the emerging nation, ‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ A few verses later, God expands on this, promising Abram that He will give the land, where he now finds himself, to his offspring. A promise that is repeated time and again throughout the Bible. In Genesis 17:8, for example, God pledges, “The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you (emphasis added).”
Tellingly, the peoples who inhabited the land before Israel have long since disappeared, but the Jewish people, despite military defeat, exile, universal hatred and attempted genocidal destruction, have remained. Now, in fulfilment of Biblical prophecy, they have returned to the land promised them by God as their eternal possession.
In a Godless age, we dismiss such divine covenants – but we do so at our peril. Whatever secularists may claim, God is ‘real’ and He is not mocked. In siding with Muslim counter-claims for possession of Israel and Jerusalem, we put ourselves in opposition to God. This is something God will not allow. By cavalierly abandoning our support for Israel when it has been so wickedly attacked, we place ourselves under a curse.
As result of our wrong and sinful choices, God has withdrawn His protection.
The growing shadow of war already looms large over the world, and the UK seems daily to plunge deeper into chaos. While we persist in our rebellion against God, this can only grow worse. The brutal truth is that, without God’s protection, our nation will be annihilated – so to have any chance of surviving the challenges that lie ahead, it is urgent we recover our Christian identity and roots. It is urgent we once again stand for Christ and for truth, as set down in the Bible, and that we take responsibility for the well-being and care of others – which includes supporting Israel in their defence against attack by those trying to destroy it.
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