Let There be Peace on Earth, And Let it Begin with Me.
As I reflect on the Israel–Gaza conflict, I see it as a complicated and wicked problem. It has so many layers that no one can truly identify where it began. We could focus on the current war unfolding since October 7, 2023. Still, the roots go much deeper, extending beyond colonialism and predating Christ, reaching back to land disputes recorded in early biblical history. Throughout time, this conflict has been intensified by colonial powers, the establishment of Israel as a nation, foreign interventions, and Western guilt following World War II. At its core, I believe the root is hatred and contempt that have simmered for thousands of years and have been harbored through generations.
My perspective comes from many influences: Christian teachings suggesting there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East until Christ’s return, biblical knowledge of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, my Jewish heritage, and thirteen years of living in a pro-Palestine Islamic nation. Recognizing the complexity and moral tension on all sides helps me remember that no single narrative tells the whole truth. When I hear a strong argument from one side, I intentionally lean toward listening to the other, knowing there are always two sides to every story. As I move into this reflection, I approach the issue as a learner: desiring to listen, understand, and mediate peace where possible.
Displacement has marked humanity since the beginning of time, starting in the Garden of Eden when God sent Adam and Eve out because of sin.[1] Abraham, “the father of many nations,”[2] was also displaced as he followed God’s call to “the land [God would] show” him.[3] Both Judaism and Islam claim Abraham as their founding father. From the Old Testament through modern history, land disputes in the Middle East have remained volatile and deeply rooted.
Israel’s history is one of a displaced nation. According to Howard Sachar, since the beginning of Jewish dispersion, the idea of Zion, the Land of Israel, has united Jews both religiously and socially. [4] In the 1860s, Leo Pinsker identified Jewish displacement and vulnerability, noting that antisemitism was “a deeply complex social phenomenon” rooted in their lack of a homeland.[5] Around this time, early efforts emerged to establish Palestine as a home for the Jewish people. Martin Bunton notes that in 1897, border disputes marked the true beginning of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.[6] At that time, the land was already inhabited by Arab Palestinians, and since then, repeated attempts have sought to define borders for both peoples.
After World War II, global sympathy for Jews displaced by the Holocaust led to support for a Jewish homeland. From 1947–1949, the war between Israel and Palestine ended with Israel recognized as an independent state.[7] For Jews, this was the War of Independence; for Arabs, al-Nakba, “the Catastrophe,” which displaced over 700,000 Palestinians. [8] Many settled in the West Bank and Gaza. These areas, once part of Palestinian land, became both homeland and refuge, making many Gazans refugees within their own territory.
Today, Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, has not opened its border to Gazan refugees. According to the Middle East Institute, reasons include the security risk of admitting Hamas militants, the economic burden of long-term refugees, the political belief that Gaza should remain part of a Palestinian state, and fear of destabilizing Egypt’s internal politics.[9]
Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a political, social, and militant “phenomenon” that originated from the Muslim Brotherhood.[10] This Islamic nationalist organization believes that Palestine is a sacred Muslim land to be guarded until Judgment Day.[11] Hamas gained strong political support by promoting the belief that war and martyrdom are the only paths to freedom and independence.[12]
In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, transferring control to the Palestinian Authority.[13] Two years later, Hamas won elections and seized power, dividing Palestinian governance between Hamas in Gaza and the secular Fatah party in the West Bank.[14] Since then, Hamas has received billions in international aid and built a sophisticated tunnel network.[15] On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history—killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.[16] In response, Israel declared war on Gaza to destroy Hamas.
Over the past two years, about 11% of Gaza’s population has been killed or injured, and most have been displaced.[17] The morality of their response comes into question. Some label Israel’s response as genocide or apartheid, though both terms are legally specific and highly disputed. According to the United Nations, genocide is the intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.[18] Apartheid refers to systematic oppression by one group over another.[19]Misusing these terms risks inflaming global tensions and distorting the truth.
After the October 7 attacks, pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread worldwide—some calling for the killing of Jews, echoing the hatred that fueled genocide in World War II. [20] Many of my Muslim friends still view Israel through this lens. They overlook the responsibility Gazans share in electing Hamas to power and what Hamas did.
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because Israel did not know what would “make for peace”—the Prince of Peace Himself.[21] He came to restore peace in the Middle East and peace between humanity and its Maker. For Christian leaders, until we follow His example and teachings to bring peace into our world, we will have none. What He calls us to is humanly impossible, but the war in Gaza reveals what happens when hate answers hate. We are called to something higher: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”[22]
[1] Genesis 3:23.
[2] Genesis 17:5 ESV.
[3] Genesis 12:1 ESV.
[4] Howard Sachar, A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, 3rd Kindle ed. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007), Ch 1, Acculturation and Historical Memory.
[5] Ibid, Ch 1, Palestine as Refuge and Renaissance.
[6] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction, Kindle ed, Very Short Introductions (Oxford University Press, 2013), 28.
[7] Ibid, 73.
[8] Ibid, 85.
[9] Mirette Mabrouk, “Pressuring Egypt over Gaza Will Not Work and Is Not in the US Interest,” Middle East Institute, April 7, 2025, https://www.mei.edu/publications/pressuring-egypt-over-gaza-will-not-work-and-not-us-interest.
[10] Beverley Milton-Edwards and Stephen Farrell, Hamas: The Quest for Power (Polity Press, 2024), 19.
[11] Ibid, 46.
[12] Ibid, 21.
[13] Douglas Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization, Kindle ed. (Broadside Books, 2025), 4.
[14] Milton-Edwards and Farrell, Hamas, 22.
[15] Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults, 49.
[16] “What Is Hamas and Why Is It Fighting with Israel in Gaza?,” BBC, October 14, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyv7w3gdy2o.
[17] The Associated Press, “These Numbers Show How 2 Years of War Have Devastated Palestinian Lives in Gaza,” NPR, October 7, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/10/07/g-s1-92367/october-7-two-years-gaza-war-israel-hamas-palestinians.
[18] “Definitions of Genocide and Related Crimes,” United Nations, accessed October 16, 2025, https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition.
[19] “Definition of Apartheid,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apartheid.
[20] Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults, 85.
[21] Luke 19:41-42 ESV.
[22] Matthew 5:43-44 ESV.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV6 responses to “Let There be Peace on Earth, And Let it Begin with Me.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Kari,
Good job on a controversial and difficult subject. My Muslim friends also see this conflict from a very different perspective than I do and the history that they recall is never complete. It is hard to reconcile Hamas as a governing party as well as terrorist organization. Yet, they are both and this can be hard for our Western minds to wrestle with as we don’t tend to view government and religion as being so intertwined with each other. Is this a topic that you have had many discussions about with your local friends or is it a topic that you refrain from completely due to the tension of it?
Kari,
Nice post, I agree with you about hate answering hate. During the first cease fire earlier this year, I heard on the news a Palestinian, probably Hamas say that they would never forgive Israel. I knew then that the peace would not last.
Wondering what you’ve heard around town about the current cease fire. Are people happy, do they think it will last, will Hamas lay down their weapons and power? Just wondering if any comments to those types of questions have been made.
Hi Kari,
Your post weaves displacement, identity, and divine calling into a powerful reflection on conflict and Christian witness.
In a land marked by sacred history and generational displacement, how can Christian leaders embody the radical call to love enemies and pursue peace—especially when political narratives, religious claims, and cycles of violence tempt us to choose sides rather than lament, reconcile, and lead with cruciform courage?
Dr. Kinard,
Great post — and viva Grandma Rosamund!
What you shared really resonated with me.
When you wrote, “Throughout time, this conflict has been intensified by colonial powers, the establishment of Israel as a nation, foreign interventions, and Western guilt following World War II,” I thought your use of the word intensified was particularly perceptive. It acknowledges that the conflict didn’t begin in modern history but was deepened by it—and history has shown what can happen when the West acts out of guilt rather than wisdom.
Your line, “Recognizing the complexity and moral tension on all sides helps me remember that no single narrative tells the whole truth,” also struck me as both wise and timely. In a world that often demands we pick a side, your reminder to hold space for complexity feels deeply needed.
And when you wrote, “As I move into this reflection, I approach the issue as a learner: desiring to listen, understand, and mediate peace where possible,” I couldn’t agree more. Approaching as a learner truly feels like the most faithful and effective way forward—it reflects that call to be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves.”
Having lived so long in a country sympathetic to the Palestinian plight, I’m curious—what have been some of the major tensions you’ve had to wrestle with in relation to your own assumptions or the internal script you first brought with you?
Hi Kari, thanks for your post! Regarding the high percentage of Gazans that have been killed or injured, this is difficult to understand. It can feel like genocide because of the high numbers, especially as a percentage of the total population. How do you grapple with this?
Dr. Kinard, I am especially interested in your thoughts on this topic because of your 13 years in a Muslim country.
You write, “For Christian leaders, until we follow His example and teachings to bring peace into our world, we will have none. What He calls us to is humanly impossible, but the war in Gaza reveals what happens when hate answers hate. We are called to something higher: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'”
What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of holding the tension between two sides of a wicked issue (it could be any wicked issue)? How might you approach another wicked problem in your context?