Israel is the key to all end-time prophecy.

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Jun 23

Very Naughty Figs

By Jim Fletcher

 “One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.” Jeremiah 24:2

 If any verse perfectly describes the Palestinians, this one is it. Very naughty figs, indeed. As the prophet said, there are good and bad in the land of Israel, and nothing symbolizes this more than the terror groups operating against the Jewish state.

 Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade (sigh), etc., all exist to make sure Israel does not.

 Imagine this: you live in north Dallas, and your neighborhood is being infiltrated by bad people from Plano (nothing against Plano; it’s a lovely suburb). Either these bad people (figs?) directly confront your family, or they fire rockets or other weapons at your neighborhood.

 This is the equivalent of what the Israelis face daily. Terrorists there don’t strike from a faraway country. They are a couple blocks over. As the Psalmist said, Jerusalem is compact — buildings are right on top of the other. Just steps from, say, the Garden Tomb, one can find posters of the shaheeds — the “martyrs” — on buildings lining the street. A knife flashes on a busy street. Shooters hide behind rocks alongside highways. I’ve even heard that a grenade was tossed onto the Western Wall Plaza, a few years ago.

 The threat from radical Islam is quite different from that of other totalitarian regimes, especially in the last century. This is for one simple reason: they don’t blink. They don’t stop. I don’t think they’ll ever stop.

 I believe that the human mind cannot handle too much stress; this is elementary. It follows that even though Western leaders and security agencies understand very well what we’re up against, they will at the end of the day advocate negotiations, cultural understanding, and blaming the victim (Israel), rather than face up to the real problem. This must be a major explanation for policies that seem to appease Islam.

 I have no doubt that our troops in Iraq would have no qualms about striking terrorists in a mosque, but political considerations prevent them from doing so. The result is an enemy that rightly sees a weakness and exploits it by placing women and children in harm’s way, as a shield. Israel has dealt with this for a very long time.

 And these naughty figs have more than Jews in their sights. About 3,500 Christians live in the Gaza Strip, which is now controlled by Hamas. That terrorist group has recently targeted churches, schools (including the American International School), libraries, and cafes. According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel, bombs were detonated near a school run by nuns.

 Notice this. Not only does Hamas target innocents — they are also targeting American and Western groups. This should be proof to our leaders that it’s only a matter of time before they extend their reach. Supporting Israel is not only a moral imperative, it is an existential one, as well. Simply put, if they kill “them,” they’ll also kill us.

 This is lost on both the liberal and “moderate” elements in our society. Danger lurks, but the victim is blamed, thus becoming the villain!

 One can see the signs, especially traveling in Israel.

 Once, on a trip to the south to see Masada, I noticed that two security guards sitting under the shade of a canopy were each wearing pistols. The weapons weren’t meant to protect against unruly sixth-graders. Guns in Israel are seen in malls, restaurants, all public places. I’ve even seen them in churches (King of Kings fellowship in Jerusalem) and weddings, for heaven’s sake!

 Drive anywhere in the country and you’ll see bus riders waiting behind concrete barriers. Barriers with bullet holes in them. Or, try being at the scene of a bus bombing, with dead children hanging out the shattered sides of the bus. Sorry for the graphic description, but perhaps it’s time for graphic descriptions.

 The Barbarians are always at the gates.

 By contrast, notice how often Israel sends foreign aid and advisors when a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world. Notice how much Israeli technology improves the quality of life for people everywhere. Notice the myriad ways in which Israelis demonstrate the value of human life.

 In April, Hamas’s television network (satellite, Al-Aksa Television), ran a segment called “Brilliant Children,” in which a child stabs American President George Bush. This to avenge the “crimes” against Iraq, Lebanon, and Gaza.

 Instead of an international outcry against such insanity, in various power centers (politics, even entertainment), appeasement is the order of the day. There is lip-service paid to being vigilant against, for example, Palestinian incitement in school textbooks, but nothing is ever done. The Arabs know that public rebukes mean nothing.

 Instead, we hear Israel rebuked for taking steps to erect a security barrier. The barrier has saved many, many lives. The truth is, if it has saved only one life, it’s been worth it. Yet the international community condemns Israel for “cutting off the Palestinians.”

 Who cares? We shouldn’t care about the inconvenience of the Palestinians, so long as even a single Jewish life is saved. The international community (biblically, “the nations”) should stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the barbarism in the Palestinian territories. This past spring, even a terrorist, Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, admitted that terror bombers are prevented from entering Israel, because of the security barrier.

 But what will a possible Barack Obama Administration do? I predict that at some point, his State Department would howl long and loud about Israel’s security measures, and press for easement of checkpoints, such as those advocated by the hugely disappointing Condi Rice.

 Although it’s a simplistic argument, it’s obvious to me that there are people in the Holy Land who are good. And there are people who are very, very bad. It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out which is which.

 Fig-ure it out.