The recent death of Yasir Arafat in a Paris hospital at the age of 75 has caused further uncertainty in the Middle East and adds yet another dimension to the atmosphere of tension and hatred that has prevailed there for many years. Born in Cairo, Egypt, he began his career as a young man by smuggling arms for use against British troops and Jews right after World War II. Later, he and a few others formed the secret Fatah organization in 1958 and used the east bank of the Jordan River as a base for guerilla raids on Israel. For the next forty-plus years, his presence in the area would make world news. His growing recognition in the Arab world resulted in his being made chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1969. In the following years he led the Palestinians on a course marked by violence and terrorism, including airline hijackings and even the brutal murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, Germany. Yet, on the basis of concessions made toward Israel and a stated recognition of the right of the state of Israel to exist, he was awarded the 1994 Nobel peace prize, together with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, both of Israel.
To the Palestinian people he was a hero, one who represented their desire for a permanent homeland. Yet, when presented with what seemed a generous offer by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in July, 2000, under the guidance of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, he rejected it and walked away. The sticking point obviously was the dispute over Jerusalem. Barak insisted that it remain in Israeli hands, while Arafat told Clinton that he feared assassination if he turned his back on the city they too consider sacred. The Palestinians want their capital to be in Jerusalem too.
Arafat’s last years were spent under constant Israeli surveillance, trapped inside a few simple rooms, and with his health deteriorating. It is true that he remained a popular hero to the Palestinian people, but most world leaders had rejected him, and even some of his own associates began to wonder about his judgment. Above all, his goal of an independent Palestinian state seemed as far off as ever.
The Palestinian Cause
His death and subsequent burial in Ramallah were marked by demonstrations of allegiance on the part of Palestinians, who pledged to continue the struggle against Israel. His history of violence and terrorism will likely continue to affect affairs in the Middle East for a long time, and the peace that world leaders long for remains elusive. Although Arafat did pledge in 1993 to recognize Israel’s right to exist, it is highly questionable whether he ever really wavered from his previous goal to destroy them. Indeed, this has been and continues to be the goal of many Arab activists, who perceive Israel and its western allies as their arch enemies. Israeli victories in 1967 and 1973, together with their continued military strength and their support from the U.S.A. and other western nations, have forced the Palestinians to modify their passion, at least publicly. However, they have never wavered in their insistence on claiming Palestine as their land, and their goal to have Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state remains as strong as ever. Indeed, it is their fond hope to re-inter Arafat on the Temple Mount, if they can get control of it. Israel is just as adamant that Jerusalem must remain in their hands, and undivided.
What Will Happen Next?
World leaders may well wonder what will happen next. Arafat’s death leaves a vacuum in leadership in the Palestinian world. For Israel and perhaps some western leaders, doubtless their feeling is that with Arafat out of the way, a new round of peaceful negotiations can begin. For the Palestinians, it will be difficult to find a leader with Arafat’s charisma and his ability to survive amid many awkward and conflicting situations. A new leader will have to deal, on the one hand, with passionate Palestinians and suicide bombers who are determined to achieve their ends at all costs, and, on the other hand, with the reality of Israel and its superior economic and military power. Surely any new leader will end up being caught “between a rock and a hard place.”
As always, the only right view of the whole matter is to be had from the Word of God. According to Scripture, the hatred between Israel and the Arab nations goes a long way back. The Lord foretold that Ishmael would be “a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen. 16:1212And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12)). Other nations like the Moabites and the Ammonites were continual enemies of Israel, although related to them. The Book of Obadiah foretells the entire destruction of Esau’s descendants because of their implacable hatred of Israel. Others of the Arab nations are no doubt descended from the Canaanites whom Israel originally drove out of the promised land, but who continued to be a thorn in their side. On the other hand, it was because of Israel’s unfaithfulness that God allowed them to be dispossessed of their land, and the Lord Jesus reminded them of this when He was in this world. When the Jews asked Him, “Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no?” (Luke 20:2222Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? (Luke 20:22)), His response was, “Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:2525And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. (Luke 20:25)). Thus He reminded them that because they had not rendered unto God what was His, they were compelled to pay tribute to a foreign power. The Lord Jesus further prophesied that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:2424And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)). Although Israel has military control of the entire city of Jerusalem, they do not dare to destroy the mosque of Omar and rebuild the temple on its original site. Until “the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:2525For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Romans 11:25)) at the battle of Armageddon, Israel will neither be able to take full control of Jerusalem nor to take possession of their land in its entirety.
“I Will Overturn, Overturn, Overturn”
We are reminded that the Scripture says of the chaotic condition of this world, “I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him” (Ezek. 21:2727I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. (Ezekiel 21:27)). While this Scripture refers to the whole world, it is particularly applicable to the Middle East, the epicenter of prophecy and the place where everything will eventually come to a head. God has purposed that “in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)). God has in His purposes to bring Israel back into their land and to establish them as His people again, but it cannot be on any other ground than that of grace. Today they are seeking to take back what they believe God has given them by promise to Abraham, but they are doing it without reference to their true Messiah, the One whom they rejected so long ago. They may seem to be successful for a time, but a day is coming when they will be passed through “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:2121For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)). This will, of course, not take place until after the Lord’s coming for His church, and then God will again begin to take up the cause of His earthly people. The result of this awful tribulation will be to bow their hearts before Him and make them realize that they cannot take their rightful place back in their land until their rejected Messiah has His rightful place in their hearts. Only then “upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions” (Obad. 17). It is true that, in that day, the Lord will “seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:99And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9)), but it will be to the end that He may “pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zech. 12:1010And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)). In their distress they will recognize that the One who comes to deliver them is indeed the One they once rejected and crucified. The result of this will be the setting up of the millennial kingdom, in which the Lord Jesus will have His rightful place, and of that time the Lord says, “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying” (Isa. 65:1919And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. (Isaiah 65:19)).
Our Lord’s Appearing
Surely those of us who have a heavenly hope can rejoice in this prospect, for those who “love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8) look to see our blessed Lord vindicated in this world. How thankful we should be that we will not go through that awful time of tribulation that precedes this time of blessing, but rather we will be taken out of it before the judgment falls! It is a sad thing to contemplate such a time of tribulation, but we can rest in knowing that “when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:99With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9)). Only with God’s judgment and the appearing of the Lord Jesus will there be an end to the strife and carnage that is taking place. In that millennial day there will be peace instead of violence and bloodshed, and “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord” (Isa. 65:2525The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 65:25)).
For the past fifty years the eyes of the world have continually been directed at the Middle East, and as we have seen, the conflict shows no sign of abating. Arafat’s death once again directs our attention to that area, as the place where God will soon bring His purposes to pass. We can have the confidence that all man’s activities will only accomplish God’s purposes, and surely all of these activities only emphasize to us that “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:88Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)). “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)).
W. J. Prost