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Those in power love the status quo: even if that means the continued suffering of the Palestinians. Why the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: #5

Those in power love the status quo: even if that means the continued suffering of the Palestinians. Why the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: #5

Last updated on: July 17, 2023 at 8:28 am by Rob Dalrymple

Those in power love the status quo: even if that means the continued suffering of the Palestinians. Why the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: #5 2023-07-17T08:28:25-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

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While those in power “negotiate,” the suffering of those in the West Bank increases every day. This is why the status quo ain’t status quo

Power and peace

There is no question that the President of the US and the Congress are hamstrung when it comes to providing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is also no question that they have (or had) the power to impose a solution.

The problem is that power and politics demand that the status quo remains the status quo.

I have personally attended several Congressional dinners where congressperson after congressperson (Republicans and Democrats) explained their predicament.

They all knew exactly what the problem was. And they knew that the US had the power to help bring about a lasting peace in the land: a peace that would benefit Israelis and Palestinians.

Yet, they all knew that to move forward was to commit political suicide.

This is because too many US voters—heavily influenced by evangelicals—would be outraged if Israel was forced to make concessions: concessions which of course are necessary for peace.

The self-preservation of these congresspersons took precedence over human suffering.

NB: The is part 5 of my series on the present status in Israel-Palestine. Things may seem calm, but that is just how Israel wants it. Here are the links to the previous 4 posts:

The status quo isn’t good when one person has their feet on the head of the other: Why the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: Part #1

“Slow and Steady” doesn’t work when people are dying: why the status quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo: #2

2 Reasons why our strategy for engaging evangelicals on Israel-Palestine failed: Why the Status Quo in Israel-Palestine ain’t status quo #3

My experience in the West Bank: Why I’ll never be the same: status quo: #4

this is the fifth post in a series that began in May-June of 2022 (here is the first post).

How political systems work.

Power and politics work for themselves as a matter of first concern.

I cannot say I blame them. This, after all, is the nature of politics.

It is easy for us to cry out against injustice and demand that they bring it about. But this is not how political systems work.

Political systems are in power to keep those in power in power.

NB: I just wish my evangelical brothers and sisters understood this.

In the fall I will post a series on understanding the Bible and governments. The wedding of Christians with a political party—left or right—fails to reckon with what the Bible says about governments and power. This doesn’t mean that we do not try to seek justice, it just means that we have corrupt systems to work against. And when they do not act justly it is the fault of the system and not necessarily the fault of those who run the system.

Trump and Peace?

In Feb 2017, Just a few weeks into the Trump presidency, I was again in Washington DC for a conference on Israel-Palestine: there were Israelis, Palestinians, political leaders, leaders of NGO’s, human rights activists, celebrities, and various clergy (including Jewish and Muslim leaders) in attendance.

I was taken aback by some of the hopeful optimism that was in the room. Just a few years earlier we were told that the hope of a two-state solution was dead. The growth of the settlement movement had encroached so deeply into the Palestinian territories that there was no hope for a future Palestinian state.

NB: settlements are illegal cities built in the Palestinian territories by the state of Israel for Israeli citizens. It would be like the US taking part of Canada or Mexico and claiming it as their own and building cities on that land and then moving its population into those cities:

Sounds like I just described the US and its confiscation of land from the Native Americans and Mexico!

The irony is indeed great!

Nonetheless, the room of the conference was filled with a reserved optimism. Political insiders began to explain that perhaps the self-acclaimed “greatest land broker” might actually broker a deal in I/P. The thought was that if Trump could secure a peaceful solution, which no one before him had been able to do (Clinton’s Oslo accords didn’t work), then perhaps Trump could secure his legacy.

Unfortunately, Trump simply chose to pacify his evangelical constituency—to whom he owed his presidency. Eventually, he decided to move the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This only served to further the divide between Israelis and Palestinians[1] and to confirm that a just resolution was not in sight.

Why not broker a deal that benefits everyone? This is not how politics work. Politicians do what furthers their support and their self-interest.

Biden and peace?

When Biden took office, it was made very clear that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not on his radar. As it was Biden had very little support among evangelicals. The little that he had he needed.

Politics would not allow him to negotiate a solution in Israel-Palestine.

The status quo remains.

There is something you should know about the status quo. It is not static.

Israel continues to confiscate more and more land in the West Bank (Palestinian territories). With the confiscation of lands, they continue to build settlements—i.e., cities for their own people on Palestinian land.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to peace in Israel-Palestine is the incursion of Israeli settlements that do more than just dot the Palestinian territories with Israeli cities. They deprive Palestinians of the opportunity to farm their own lands.

Israel also continues to provide an “infrastructure” in order to support the settlements in the form of highways that enable Israelis safe passage through the Palestinian territories. This results in the confiscation of more Palestinian lands.

This too further restricts Palestinians from using their own land. Their land has either been seized by settlements or is rendered inaccessible because bypass highways dissect their land and restrict their access.

And as long as the status quo remains, the Palestinian people will continue to suffer under the oppression of Israel’s occupation. And more and more Palestinians seek refuge outside the land. In doing so, Israel wins.

As long as the status quo remains, Israel continues to increase its settlement activity. There are currently 600,000 Israelis living in settlements in the West Bank.

As long as the status quo remains, and Israel advances its settlement activity. Slowly, the Palestinians are being uprooted from their lands and Israel takes more and more control of more and more of the land.

Soon, it will all be Israel’s. And there will be no need for a peace agreement.

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[1] I was part of a contingent of evangelical leaders who met with Trump’s advisor on religious affairs just weeks before the slated moving of the embassy. We were told in no uncertain terms, “that’s a done deal? Is there anything else you would like to request?”

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About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 32 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD (Westminster Theological Seminary) in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. You can read more about the author here.

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