Israel : The Mystery of Peace
Julia Fisher

Authentic Media

ISBN 1-86024-297-9

“…there’s no argument for a Palestinian State because this is not a biblical option.”

Invariably the wording on the back cover, if not the title itself, will give you clues as to the author’s presuppositions and their purpose in writing. Julia’s book is no exception. We are told she is the editor of the international newspaper, Israel and Christians Today, which is sent unsolicited to pastors and clergy in the UK, and provides a regular pro-Israeli diet of news and stories for the undiscerning Christian. The quote on the very first page from Clifford Hill, about the final chapter detailing R.T. Kendall’s unsuccessful attempt to convert Yasser Arafat and his refutation of ‘Replacement Theology” gives us further clues as to Julia’s Zionist assumptions. (R.T. seems more excited to have got Arafat to sign his Bible (p.196)).

Julia fulfils the indispensable criteria for writing yet another book about Israel/Palestine when she concedes that the invitation to visit the country came from the Israeli Government Tourist Office, and that with a book in mind, she “didn’t know anyone in Israel well enough to ask for their help.” (p.13).

Ray Lockhart, the former vicar of Christ Church in Jerusalem, came to the rescue and provided Julia with introductions to a handful of Messianic Christians who provided the moving stories which reinforce her theological presuppositions. Ray has also written the foreword in which he makes it clear that “a politically drawn map runs the danger of leaving out the contour lines of God’s purposes and will, therefore, almost inevitably, fail to achieve a positive outcome.” (p.10). Ray is now happily retired in the UK but was until recently living in the illegal Jewish settlement of Gilo. This perhaps explains why he opposes its return to the Palestinian authority under the Road Map.

Julia’s own presuppositions are clear. She claims in the opening paragraph that “there is peace in the Holy Land between Jews and Arabs today,” (p. 11), that is, among those who accept that God is restoring the Jewish people to Palestine which is their inalienable inheritance. The Palestinians sadly, have no right to political equality or territorial existence but must learn to submit to Israeli rule or leave. Nevertheless Julia is confident that, in her own words, this “collection of rather bizarre stories” demonstrates that a peace movement is emerging that “will soon take the world by storm.” (p.11).

Sadly, references to Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are almost entirely negative while Jews are seen in a positive light. For example she laments not finding Muslim families in Gaza willing to denounce terrorism (p.33). At an Israeli military checkpoint in Gaza she wonders whether the walls, barbed wire and road blocks are necessary “to prevent the crazy few from blighting the situation for both communities, depriving ordinary peace loving people the opportunity to go to work, provide for their children and live a peaceful existence?” Without any compassion for the humiliating, dehumanising effects of 37 years of brutal military occupation, Julia laments the “visual cacophony of discordant, disjointed life. So many men on the streets; unable to go to work, they have nothing to do – yet there is so much to do. So much rubbish to clear. So many road to mend. So many broken cars. Unfinished houses. Broken telephone wires. Fruit falling off the trees.” (p. 38-39). The implication is obvious. If the Palestinians would only get off their lazy backsides they could create a society just like the Israeli’s have. She looks back to when “times were good” and Palestinians could get up at 4:00am in the morning, spend hours at checkpoints and travel to work in the sweat shops and construction sites of Israel before returning late at night with the satisfaction that they were doing the jobs ordinary Israelis were unwilling to do. “But”, Julia regrets, ”the intifada put an end to that” (p.39). Intifada is a word she uses pejoratively without defining other than as a “bloody war” (p. 56). Intifada actually means “shaking off” and among Palestinians, at least, is seen as a liberation movement, shaking off Israeli occupation.

While offering a theological rationalisation for the occupation of Palestine, Julia is unable to comprehend why Jewish settlers would wish to colonise Gaza, “under guard, under siege, amongst a people who preferred them not to be there” (p. 45). It is after all part of Israel’s inheritance? She blames the occasional Palestinian she spoke with of being “one-sided” believing Israeli’s want peace and an end to violence (p. 51).

Julia’s brief visit leads her, not surprisingly, to make many superficial and inaccurate observations. Revd Andrew White is not, I understand, the Archbishop’s special envoy to the Middle East.

She also insists “this is not a conflict between two ethnic groups, Israel and the Palestinians… It’s not even a political conflict. It’s a religious conflict.” (p.156). By this she means between Judaism and Islam. Ironically, some of strongest criticisms of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian come from Christians and secular Jews. Julia sees Islam as a violent religion bent on driving the Jews into the sea. That Israel is literally driving the Palestinians into the desert doesn’t seem equivalent.

Julia sees the occupation of Palestine in spiritual terms and refuses to acknowledge that a peaceful political compromise is possible. She insists “Its not because Israel has taken this land but because this land is God’s…” (p.160) and he has given it as an inheritance to the Jews. “Compromise over the land will not solve the problem because this is not a fight between people: it’s a fight between the spirits” (p. 166). For this reason she insists “Don’t waste time praying for a human compromise.” (p.166). I seem to remember that was the logic behind the demonisation of Communism in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Now sadly it’s Islam’s turn. The tragedy is that this kind of inflammatory writing undermines Christian witness in the Middle East and places the lives of Christian missionaries at risk right across the Arab world.

The sub-title of the book is “True stories demonstrating God’s Road Map for Peace in Israel Today”. I do not doubt these are indeed true stories (and they are inspiring) although I question whether they provide a guide to God’s ‘Road Map for Peace in Israel’ today. The Hebrew prophets like Amos and Ezekiel provide a much more accurate indication of God’s Road Map. Instead of providing a biblical justification for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, my reading suggests Israel is about to experience another exile: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: You shed blood, yet you would keep possession on the land? You rely on your sword, you do abominable things...yet you would keep possession of the land?... (Ezekiel 33:25-28)

If you want an insight into how Zionist Christians justify from the Old Testament their attempt to pacify Palestinians into submitting to the Israeli expansionist agenda, this is a good book. If you want to understand the theological reasons for the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the genuine path to peace, then I would recommend Colin Chapman’s “Whose Promised Land?”(Lion) or Gary Burge’s “Whose Land, Whose Promise?” (Paternoster) reviewed in Evangelicals Now in May 2004 – or wait for my own book “Christian Zionism: Road Map to Armageddon?” to be published by IVP in September 2004.

Stephen Sizer

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