Sharon and the peace process
I asked Mark Sills of FaithAction International House, the local award-winning nonprofit that tries to build community across all lines, about Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who clings to life at this very minute, and the peace process in the Middle East. Is peace possible?
Here are his thoughts -- what do you think:
"I have a strong faith in the evolving wisdom of humanity, and I believe that a time will come when we can all live in peace together.
Ariel Sharon is a good example of that faith. He was once a very violent man, a man who sought justice only through violence. As he matured and gained wisdom, he began to realize that violence is not the answer. His commitment to finding justice through peaceful means was still evolving. It was not yet perfected. I hope and pray that his example will inspire his successors to devote themselves to finding a just, lasting, and fully inclusive peace in that very important region of the world."
Comments (2)
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My son was born the day of the massacre at the refugee camps in southern Lebanon... killings of women and children in addition to any insurgents who lived there. I remember it because I bought an evening paper that day (the Greensboro Record in those days) and this was the headline for that paper. And that atrocity was ordered by Sharon.
Had he been sent to an international court to stand trial, as he should have been in a sane world, he would have ended up spending his life behind bars.
His story does give credence to the idea that people can indeed change their spots, even if only a little. There has been a lot of debate about his dedication to the peace process, and what his ultimate motives might be.
Be that as it may, I expect his days of active participation in Middle East politics are over now. If he gets out of the hospital, he will doubtless end his life in far easier circumstances than many people he caused to leave this life long ago.
Posted on January 9, 2006 1:06 PM
Sharon is no different from multitudes of military/politcal leaders in a time of war and national survival. 9/11 thrust our own nation and leadership into a emergency mode of protection and survival – even foreign wars. And excesses and missteps are commonplace as well. Certainly Yasser Arafat committed more than his share of murders and atrocities; yet received accolades from many in the world community. I guess it all depends on where your sympathies lie. If your pro the guy, he did what was necessary. If con, he’s a monster. Sharon, like most in Israel/Palestine today sees peace in totally pragmatic terms. Things will truly change only when peace is a living reality under the Prince of Peace.
One can hardly blame the Jews for wanting the glory of David and Solomon to be revived in modern times. But the reason that God bequeathed the Promised Land to Israel was not so that they could continue in unbelief and secularism; but that they would honor Him and His Law. Israel is far from that ideal at present. As a Messianic (Christ –ian), I do not believe that Israel can fulfill God’s appointed purpose (after the Resurrection) except by honoring and acknowledging their Messiah, Yeshua. Not that they have to become fundamental Baptists or something, but that they see the risen Christ for who He truly is – THEIR redeemer and Lord. But Israel’s salvation is God’s business. The Promised Land today is a vulnerable and dangerous and confused piece of real estate; but God has a grand design in the midst of all the travail. And it is all bound up in His glorious and victorious Son.
Posted on January 17, 2006 8:06 AM