Pop quiz—Middle East. Who said these?

1. "The Arab people is firmly resolved to wipe Israel off the map."

2. "The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified … Our goal is clear—to wipe Israel off the map."

If you guessed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, you are on the right track, but in the wrong century.

These statements—or threats—were made in May 1967, immediately prior to the Six Day War between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations. President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt spoke the first and Iraqi President Abdel Rahman Aref the second. June 2007 commemorates the 40th anniversary of the war that lasted less than a week. http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/threats.asp

More recently, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has indeed said that Israel should be "wiped off the map." He was however quoting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the Iranian Revolution in 1979 (Guardian Unlimited). (www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1601413,00.html)

As the statements of Presidents Nasser and Aref show, very little has changed in four decades. Political and religious leaders have changed, but the seemingly irresolvable problems of the Middle East remain the same. What can we learn from such conflicts?

In the Six Day War, the Israelis achieved unimaginable military success, more than tripling the amount of land under their direct control including eastern Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and the Golan Heights. These lands, bitterly disputed as occupied territories, have been a continual source of strife for the entire region. They appear regularly in the news today in connection with civil unrest and violence. (www.reference.com/search?q=six-day%20war)

Historical controversy over the Six-Day War still simmers four decades later. Much of world opinion condemns Israel as the aggressor and instigator. Professor Jerold Auerbach of Wellesley College wrote in the Boston Globe:

"With the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War upon us, revisionists are on the rampage. Israel has been cast as a loathsome bully, oppressing Palestinians by day and planning nuclear attacks on Iran at night. If only Israel had not crushed the massed armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan with lightning strikes by air and land, critics suggest, all would now be well … This is a distortion of history that ignores the unremitting Arab hostility to Israel's existence following its independence in 1948." (www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/08/opinion/edauer.php)

Three lessons from history's conflicts:

• The anniversary of the Six Day War is a sad reminder of our inability as humans to truly resolve disagreements and bring about peace without God's help. "For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).
• Tactics of warfare may produce a temporary end to armed combat, but they are powerless against conflicts that rage within the heart. Albert Einstein, contributor to the development of the atom bomb, said, "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
• Good news is coming! Jesus Christ will soon establish the Kingdom of God on this earth. He will open the minds and heal the hearts of humanity.

The implements of war will be transformed into the implements of peace: "…they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

With God's help, you can be a part of this awesome future! But you need to learn more, download or request the free booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom. VT