Israel and the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas traded punches this month in a conflict that threatens to deepen into the first regional war in the Middle East since 1973. Israeli warplanes conducted strikes on Hezbollah targets near Beirut and in southern Lebanon, while Israeli ground troops pressed operations inside of Gaza.
Continued violence by both sides will not result in a solution to the problem, said Lebanon native Tony Maalouf, assistant dean and professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He said he is saddened because “leading powers in the region think that the show of force is going to bring security and peace.”
“Jesus said to Peter, ‘Whoever takes by the sword, by the sword will be taken,'” Maalouf said. “The cycle of violence in the Middle East for more than 50 years now is a vivid evidence of the truthfulness of the words of Jesus. There is no military solution to the conflict.”
The kidnapping of a Jewish settler and an Israeli soldier by Hamas at the end of June ignited the conflict and led to Israel’s latest incursion into Gaza, a territory it had withdrawn from last year as a concession to the Palestinians. Israel demanded the return of the kidnap victims, but the body of 18-year-old settler Elishu Asheri was later found in Ramallah.
Conflict with Lebanon began only days later when Hezbollah terrorists began firing rockets into northern Israel, killing several civilians. Hezbollah guerillas then killed eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapped another two inside Israel July 12, an act which caused a massive Israeli response. Israeli aircraft and artillery destroyed key components of Lebanon’s infrastructure, including bridges, roads and portions of the Beirut airport. Hezbollah’s chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group would continue to attack Israel despite the Israeli response.
Caught in the middle of the conflict are Israeli and Lebanese Christians, an often-overlooked segment of society.
“Anytime there is a conflict in the Middle East, it makes it difficult for believers in the countries involved,” said Jim Sibley, director of the Pasche Institute of Criswell College in Dallas and a former Baptist representative to Israel. Sibley, who served in Israel 14 years, returned from a trip to the nation July 16.
Sibley said that Christians should be praying for those who are threatened by the conflict, a mindset that was modeled for him during his most recent visit to Israel.
“I was in a Messianic congregation Sunday, and they were praying for their brothers and sisters in Lebanon. That’s the posture we should be in, displaying a love for the brethren that transcends politics,” Sibley said. “We still have to make political decisions, but our love goes far beyond.”
Maalouf said Christians in the region and in the United States have the responsibility of being peacemakers while “having the gospel in mind and putting aside controversial political agendas.”
“Violence greatly hinders missionary efforts and puts the lives of all Christian workers and believers in danger in various places,” Maalouf said.
Samuel Shahid, professor of Islamic studies at Southwestern, would like to see the Middle East “dominated by peace and love,” but he said he recognizes that this will never happen until Christ returns.
“This will never happen because the people do not know the love of Christ. People cannot live together in peace without Christ,” he said. Nevertheless, Shahid, who was born in Palestine and lived in Lebanon, said that talk between the Palestinians and Israelis is far superior to more death and destruction.
“There is a great misunderstanding about these events, especially here in the United States where people see this as an isolated event. In reality, there is a long history of action and reaction. Both sides are ready to react. What they need to do is sit down together, to see each other as equals rather than as ‘occupiers’ and ‘occupied.'”
Maalouf advocates peace negotiations, with the U.S. playing a lead role. “The Middle East is a very complex area of the world, and we cannot afford to deal with things simplistically there,” he said. “If world powers do not force somehow a cease-fire agreement, this conflict may spill into other countries.”
There has been no shortage of support for Hezbollah from Iran, in spite of the fact that United Nations Resolution 1559 called for the disarmament of all “Islamic militias” in Lebanon.
Maalouf said both Iran’s and Syria’s regional interests have made Hezbollah reluctant to give up its arms, and that the group is deeply ingrained in the government of Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not halt its retaliatory strikes until the group complied with the Resolution 1559 and disarmed, a process that would be difficult with Hezbollah holding 23 seats in Parliament.
Sibley said Christians should be praying for the leaders of the countries involved in the conflict so they might find a peaceful solution to the crisis and avoid civilian casualties. He said, however, that groups like Hezbollah will never live at peace with Israel.
“The terrorism of Hezbollah must be answered and it must be crushed,” he said. “We should not be so naive as to think they are seeking peace. They are seeking the destruction of Israel.”