"Palestinians across the West Bank, in Jenin and Bethlehem, now wonder if they will face a similar genocidal onslaught to the one Gazans are enduring". Well, the plan was that the West Bank would be first while Gaza was tightly contained. Now it is quite evident that following the switch of focus, if the IDF can achieve its aims in Gaza, the West Bank will be next. However it goes, the IDF Gaza operation will be expensive, and the returns will be marginal. So Israel will be looking to recoup its investment by taking over the West Bank in toto. The Palestinians on the West Bank have no reason to wonder. They should know what lies ahead of them if the Gaza genocide is fully accomplished.
Christian theology in the west is struggling to respond rationally to the events in Gaza. I was in church a few weeks ago when a minister used Romans 13:1 and Mark 12:17 to make the case that the British Crown in New Zealand and the State of Israel had been "put there by God". When I asked whether Adolf Hitler had also been put there by God, the minister answered in the affirmative (he was at least being consistent), which caused some consternation in the congregation. It seems to me that the only rational interpretation of those scriptures is remarkably simple and common sense, yet people who should know better are out there causing confusion among the laity.
Just when it seemed that things could not get any worse for the people of Gaza there is news out of Moscow indicating that Russia will support the Israeli military operation in Gaza in return for the United States winding down military assistance to Ukraine. In broader terms Russia and the US will return to their old mutually recognised spheres of influence. The US will abandon Ukraine and Russia will not seek to frustrate American ambitions in the middle east. The obvious losers will be the Zelensky government in Ukraine, the Assad regime in Syria and most probably the Iranian regime as well as the Palestinian Arabs. But this pending return to detente between Russia and the US will also concern China and other nations which have opposed US global hegemony as well as, ironically, those nations which have supported it. If Ukraine can be abandoned after expending so much blood and treasure for the sake of NATO, then what fate awaits other putative blood brothers of the United States? New Zealand should take note. A desperate President Zelensky is reported to have phoned Prime Minister Christopher Luxon seeking assurance of continued support, which of course was given, while both men know very well that New Zealand of all countries can do nothing to save Ukraine from a looming defeat. Meantime, the people of Palestine will be collateral damage as the major powers trade their interests in each other's sphere of influence.
"Palestinians across the West Bank, in Jenin and Bethlehem, now wonder if they will face a similar genocidal onslaught to the one Gazans are enduring". Well, the plan was that the West Bank would be first while Gaza was tightly contained. Now it is quite evident that following the switch of focus, if the IDF can achieve its aims in Gaza, the West Bank will be next. However it goes, the IDF Gaza operation will be expensive, and the returns will be marginal. So Israel will be looking to recoup its investment by taking over the West Bank in toto. The Palestinians on the West Bank have no reason to wonder. They should know what lies ahead of them if the Gaza genocide is fully accomplished.
Christian theology in the west is struggling to respond rationally to the events in Gaza. I was in church a few weeks ago when a minister used Romans 13:1 and Mark 12:17 to make the case that the British Crown in New Zealand and the State of Israel had been "put there by God". When I asked whether Adolf Hitler had also been put there by God, the minister answered in the affirmative (he was at least being consistent), which caused some consternation in the congregation. It seems to me that the only rational interpretation of those scriptures is remarkably simple and common sense, yet people who should know better are out there causing confusion among the laity.
Thank God for Munther Isaac - and "In Context".
Just when it seemed that things could not get any worse for the people of Gaza there is news out of Moscow indicating that Russia will support the Israeli military operation in Gaza in return for the United States winding down military assistance to Ukraine. In broader terms Russia and the US will return to their old mutually recognised spheres of influence. The US will abandon Ukraine and Russia will not seek to frustrate American ambitions in the middle east. The obvious losers will be the Zelensky government in Ukraine, the Assad regime in Syria and most probably the Iranian regime as well as the Palestinian Arabs. But this pending return to detente between Russia and the US will also concern China and other nations which have opposed US global hegemony as well as, ironically, those nations which have supported it. If Ukraine can be abandoned after expending so much blood and treasure for the sake of NATO, then what fate awaits other putative blood brothers of the United States? New Zealand should take note. A desperate President Zelensky is reported to have phoned Prime Minister Christopher Luxon seeking assurance of continued support, which of course was given, while both men know very well that New Zealand of all countries can do nothing to save Ukraine from a looming defeat. Meantime, the people of Palestine will be collateral damage as the major powers trade their interests in each other's sphere of influence.