A Palestinian State? - Israel & Hamas War Update

Busy Bible School season and a lack of earth-shattering events have made it a while since our last Prophecy Letter, so we wish to give a brief update of where things are at the present moment in relation to Israel and the Hamas conflict.

Hamas still has some Israeli hostages in their possession, and Hamas is using them as leverage in every way thinkable. But though Hamas is weak militarily, they have learned how to use the media to their advantage. Aid is being brought into Gaza, but Hamas is saying that Israel is refusing to allow aid into the country and is posting videos and pictures of “starving” people. Israel is now being heavily criticized by nations for this.

There are mixed accounts of what is actually happening, but it is certain that what is being broadcast from Gaza is not the full picture. Reports have shown that much of the aid that’s brought into Gaza is being stolen before it can get into the hands of those needing it the most. Some food is being discarded because it is “not wanted” (World Israel News). Gazans are also misleading the public to push their “famine” story by showcasing videos and pictures of “starving children”, but the photos are actually of children with genetic diseases which have nothing to do with food shortages (All Israel News, Prophecy News Watch). But with today’s media and the speed with which things are shared, the effect of the images has caused nations to put more pressure on Israel instead of Hamas.

The UK has recently threatened to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel implements as ceasefire (TIME). France has threatened to recognize a state as well, and they’ve demanded that Israel pay the Palestinians $2 billion (World Israel News). As of today, Canada is taking the same position and intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September (Israel National News). Even Trump is skeptical of Israel’s role in the situation, and it has placed some tension on the relationship (World Israel News). But Trump has declared that he’s not willing to recognize a Palestinian state, for he knows that this would be rewarding Hamas.

What if a “State of Palestine” is Recognized?

If a state of Palestine is recognized (even just symbolically), Hamas will know that their October 7^th attack on Israel was successful, for it will have resulted in the recognition of a Palestinian state. It will teach them that their aggression gave them what they wanted, and future violence is guaranteed. It will also embolden Israel’s other enemies to act as Hamas did – attack Israel, paint Israel as the bad guy, and refuse to negotiate. This could help bring about the prophesied Islamic war against Israel.

Such a development would also be another sign that Israel is losing whatever international support they currently have left, and this would worsen the situation in two ways:

1.     Israel would be more isolated on the world scene and therefore more susceptible to threats as prophecy says they will be.

2.     It would force Israel to more drastic measures to gather their hostages and end the conflict in a satisfactory way. This in turn would isolate them even more on the world scene.

In relation to the second point, Israel sees that they’re losing negotiating power with Hamas, and they’ve therefore been talking about annexing Gaza, meaning that Israel would include Gaza as part of their own territory (World Israel News). There’s also talk of Israel annexing Judea and Samaria, and this would spark even greater outrage in the nations and give the Arabs reason to accuse Israel as an “oppressor”.

Interestingly though, Hamas is receiving pressure from their former Islamic allies to step down and leave Gaza (Israel National News, Telegraph). Nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar are all taking this position, and it will be interesting to see how these things unfold.

How Does this Relate to Prophecy?

All of this appears to be further pitting the nations against Jerusalem just as prophesied, but I believe that Israel will not annex the Gaza Strip and make it part of Israel. I say this for two reasons:

1.     Gaza is prophetically spoken of as “the Philistines”, and they are one of Israel’s latter-day enemies which is destroyed by Christ and redeemed Israel (Psalm 83:7). Most of the enemies in Psalm 83 are in their own distinct territories, so the fact that the Philistines are named indicates that they are not part of the nation of Israel.

2.     Isaiah 11 speaks of the reign of Christ on the earth, and verse 13-14 say that “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.  (14)  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.” This indicates that the Philistines will not be conquered by Israel until Jesus returns. Only then will Israel “fly upon” their land.

Gaza is part of the promised land territory, so we know that it will eventually come under the rule of Christ. It seems that this occurs after Jesus returns though, so I do not expect Israel to acquire Gaza before that time (though I could be wrong!). This does not, however, mean that there can be no Palestinian state. Much can happen in a short amount of time, and we will be watching these events as they unfold. Our job is to watch and make ourselves ready!

In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins