MTI Director Offers Perspective on Israeli Conflict
Director of Ministry to Israel (MTI) Michael Utterback offers an up close perspective on the turmoil that has unfolded in Israel in the last few days. Utterback leads MTI, a ministry within the Care Division of the Church of God, and lives most of the year in Jerusalem.
The following are Utterback’s comments on the situation via email and through Facebook:
On June 12, three Jewish teenagers were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists who are still at large. There was a nationwide manhunt for days, finally the bodies were found and all three had been shot to death. The nation of Israel mourned as the funeral was conducted attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Sadness filled the country.
On July 2, the badly burned body of an Arab teenager was found in the Jerusalem Forest. He had been kidnapped earlier that morning by a Jewish extremist cell, six of which have been arrested, and three have confessed to the murder. The murder of the Muslim youth sparked riots in East Jerusalem and also in other Arab towns. Hundreds of Arabs threw rocks and homemade fire bombs at the police forces attempting to quell the rioters. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades.
The unrest continues.
I cannot tell you how sad this has made me and every Israeli I have talked to. No one here would have dreamed that a Jewish person could do such a thing. The tragedy has shaken this nation to the core, including me.
As I was walking to the office today, I wondered how to answer the question in the hearts of Christians who love Israel, but wonder how Jews could do such a thing? There are two things I want to say about this:
First, what a horrible tragedy that a person would be killed in such a way. It is unimaginable that anyone could come up with such a diabolical plan, but then to carry it out defies all moral reason. May God help this family to recover from such a thing.
Secondly, please keep in mind, when three young Israelis were murdered, there was dancing in the streets of Gaza and other places. Muslim fathers and mothers, even children, were holding up three fingers, with big smiles, rejoicing that Jewish lives were snuffed out. The murderers of Jews become instant heroes. On the other hand, when truth came to the surface that Jews were responsible for the death of the East Jerusalem Muslim youth, the majority of Israelis have become remorseful and truly sorry for this thing to have happened. In fact, the father of one of the Jewish youths who was killed, called the father of the Arab youth to console him. The words of one Jewish man resounds in my ear, words I know to be true when he said, “this just isn’t who we are.”
Early Tuesday morning, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in an effort to stop a rocket barrage into Southern Israel by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. The Israeli military has targeted about 150 of what it calls, “terror sites” in Gaza. Eleven Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, according to Palestinian sources. The terror groups have fired more than 130 rockets into civilian areas since Monday night.
