It seems the Palestinians are currently doing all they can to challenge the Christian mandate to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. On December 13, in the West Bank, near Ofra, a man stepped out of a car and began firing a weapon at a group of soldiers. Two young men, Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef and Sgt. Yosef Cohen, lost their lives immediately. Two others were wounded—a male soldier suffering a severe head wound and a female whose condition also remains serious at the time of this writing.[1]

This attack is just the latest in a ramped-up strategy of terror attacks on Israeli military and civilians. Four days earlier, near the same settlement, two men exited a car and began shooting. Seven people were wounded in that attack, one of whom was a 21-year-old pregnant woman. She was forced to deliver her child early, and the baby died three days later.[2] It isn’t just in the West Bank that this violence is taking place. On the same day as this previous attack, in the Old City of Jerusalem, a man approached two police officers and began swinging a knife. A policewoman sustained moderate wounds and a policeman suffered cuts to his face before the attacker was shot and killed.[3]

Since September, Palestinian violence has seen a marked increase—one that is celebrated by the radical terrorist leadership. “Hamas praises the numerous resistance attacks as well as the citizens of the occupied West Bank and the revolutionary youth,” says Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou.[4] Fatah, a part of the PLO, recently lauded as martyrs two terrorists who had just been killed in retribution for their murder of three Israeli civilians, saying, “The heroic fallen of the homeland, in their pure blood, are sketching the map of our homeland.”[5]

It isn’t just with words that the Palestinian leadership is supporting terror. A recent study shows that in 2018, the Palestinian Authority paid out over $338.7 million to terrorists who are in jail and to the families of terrorists who had been killed. The world is also unknowingly contributing to what has become known as the “pay-for-slay” plan. More than half of all foreign aid sent to the Palestinian Authority ends up in the hands of terrorists and surviving families of terrorists.[6]

With each terror attack, there is an Israeli response. With each Israeli response, there is another terror attack. It seems to be an endless cycle of sorrow and violence. Golda Meir was once purported to have said, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” Whether or not she actually said this, the sentiment is certainly true. Israel would immediately stop the retaliations if there were nothing left to retaliate against.

This leads us back to the theme of praying for our enemies. At the beginning of the month, a woman called me out on Twitter for seeking to build a deeper relationship with the leaders of Saudi Arabia. My Twitter response to her was simple and matter-of-fact:

Jesus Christ commanded us to love our neighbors & our enemies. However you regard the Saudis and the Crown Prince, it was right for us to accept their invitation—the first ever to a group of Evangelical leaders—and open a dialogue. Much needs to change in that kingdom. #Pray

War and peace are under the purview of our government leaders. Theirs are the decisions regarding bullets and bombs, pacts and treaties. Our decision is much simpler. Are we going to love and pray, or are we not going to love and pray?

While we can hope and pray for governmental and societal change, true cultural shifting must begin with individuals. So let’s allow our leaders to deal with other leaders. As for us, let’s reach out in love as best we can with the opportunities God gives us. But most of all, as we think of those who would like nothing better than to cause us harm, let us hold close to the heart the words of the prophet Samuel when he promises, “I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

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[1] Kubovich, Yaniv, et al. “Two Israeli Soldiers Killed, Two Seriously Wounded in West Bank Shooting.” Haaretz Com, 14 Dec. 2018, www.haaretz.com/israel-news/four-reported-seriously-wounded-by-gunfire-near-west-bank-settlement-1.6743674?v=D09056EDA409AE45D15D04A6808AFCCD.

[2] Berger, Yotam, et al. “Seven Wounded, One Seriously, in Shooting Attack near West Bank Settlement.” Haaretz Com, 10 Dec. 2018, www.haaretz.com/israel-news/two-wounded-one-seriously-in-shooting-near-west-bank-settlement-1.6727271.

[3] Rabinowitz, Aaron, et al. “Two Police Officers Stabbed in Suspected Terror Attack in Jerusalem.” Haaretz Com, 13 Dec. 2018, www.haaretz.com/israel-news/two-injured-after-being-stabbed-in-suspected-terror-attack-in-jerusalem-1.6743295.

[4] “Fatah Calls on Palestinians to Confront IDF, Escalate Situation.” The Jerusalem Post, 13 Dec. 2018, www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-Fatah-praise-deadly-shooting-attack-in-West-Bank-574250.

[5] “Fatah Praises Terrorists Eliminated Last Night.” Israel National News, 13 Dec. 2018, www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256113.

[6] “PA’s Baby Killers.” The Jerusalem Post, 13 Dec. 2018, www.jpost.com/Opinion/PAs-baby-killers-574291.