More Than A Flare-up?

I had to reacquaint myself with the map of Israel this afternoon. I had forgotten exactly where the Gaza Strip is located.

Israel is about the size of New Jersey. In terms of land area, the Gaza Strip is a bit more than one-tenth the size of Rhode Island, home to 2.3 million people, bordering Israel on its north and east, the Mediterranean Sea on the West, and Egypt on the south. I don’t know much else about it, other than it is a hotbed for Hamas, who somehow has been able to launch an attack now being labeled Pearl Harbor-like in its effects.

Israel’s Iron Dome either failed wholesale, or was overwhelmed by the barrage of incoming rockets that was used as a distraction while ground forces penetrated what looks to be a less-than-formidable wall in places near Israeli border areas. Since it’s early in whatever this event will grow to be, it seems predictable that many questions will be asked, among them, How could Israel have been so blindsided? What happened to their highly touted intelligence apparatus? What larger geopolitical machinations have come to bear on this situation? Who’s supplying the hardware for Hamas?

On a related note, why the hell can’t people figure this out? How can both sides keep living this way? Sleeping with one eye open, walking on egg shells, annoying each other constantly, preparing for the worst, always wondering when the next life-threatening flare-up is going to be, never really feeling like they live in a place that offers any semblance of stability. Find a way to make peace and stop this bloody insanity!

But God is great, right? It’s all about what God wants, all about what the holy books dictate. Maybe it’s time to take a holiday from the holy books and dare to dream of a peace that lasts longer than the next cease fire. Everyone wants a place to call home. Work it out, concessions and all!

Unless the preference is for some last man standing.