Many hoped that after Israel withdrew from Lebanon following last summer's war, peace would be restored to Israel—not just with Lebanon, but also with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. That hope was recently dashed again.

"Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip as an unexpected truce took hold Sunday [Nov. 26], but two major Palestinian militant groups, saying they had no intention of stopping their attacks, fired volleys of homemade rockets into Israel. The rocket attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad tempered hopes for a lasting cease-fire, which was meant to end five months of deadly clashes" (Associated Press, Nov. 26, 2006).

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "ordered the army to show restraint in the face of the rockets. 'Even though there are still violations of the cease-fire by the Palestinian side, I have instructed our defense officials not to respond, to show restraint, and to give this cease-fire a chance to take full effect,' he said" (ibid.).

Will there ever be peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis? The Bible says that there will be no lasting peace until the Messiah comes, forcing peace on those that are bent on war (see Zechariah 14; Revelation 19:1-20:6). (Source: Associated Press.)