Since Oslo, when Israel and the Palestinians ostensibly began negotiating for a peaceful solution to their conflict, I have noticed a trend in the West to talk about a place called “Palestine.”
Like Shangri-La, it has seemed to be a dream state, a mythical place many long for.
In my office, I have placed a framed vintage poster (ironically, purchased this summer in Israel) titled: “Come to Palestine.”
A reproduction from the 1930s, the poster invites memories of a different time: Casablanca; Indiana Jones; etc. I like to look at it.
But as we watch with great interest the debate going on within the halls of the United Nations in New York, I think the poster takes on a different feel. One wonders if the Palestinians and their friends on the Left will in fact be able to will “Palestine” into being.
Personally, I wouldn’t bet against them. And, while many of my pro Israel Christian friends disagree, I don’t know that the Bible mitigates against a Palestinian state in the “last days.”
All we know for sure is that the Lord has promised to bring back the Jews to their ancestral land one final time. The area known as the West Bank (biblically, Judea and Samaria) is the point of contention now, simply because huge numbers of Jews live there, and the Palestinians officially claim the area for a future state.
So we have a showdown looming. All I know as an individual is that if Palestine becomes a reality, as a potential tourist, I will see her only from the poster in my office. My heart belongs to Israel.