by Rev. William E. Currie August 1999
A New Opportunity for PeaceOn July, 6, 1999 a turning point for Middle East peace may have occurred! At least the new Israeli Prime Minister feels this is the case according to his inaugural address in Knesset. Ehud Barak is optimistic despite problems so deep-seated and hatred so openly manifest that even national leaders in the Middle East often must show their contempt for their opponents if they want to survive their own subjects. Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin died at the hands of their own people for seeking to make peace in these war-weary lands. Can we expect Ehud Barak and his new government to accomplish his ambitious goals for peace? Land for Peace? The basis for Barak's election is his fivefold promise:
Will Barak give up land for peace? This is a major issue for the ultra-Orthodox. Judea and Samaria, where most Israeli settlements are located, is the land that the Palestinians want and will be the subject of negotiation. I believe some of that land will be given to the Palestinian Authority under the restrictions of the guiding principles listed above. There is no question that Barak is the first Prime Minister to have a mandate from Israelis to make peace. His detractors claim his plurality of over 56% reflected more the unpopularity of Benjamin Netanyahu than an acceptance of Barak and his peaceful goals. It is a moot disclaimer. No one can deny that the over three million people who voted for Barak felt that the leader of the Labor Party of Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres was the man to lead them into a chance for a third millennium with peace and prosperity. Another fragile coalition The prognosis for peace would be better if they had elected a majority of Barak's party, One Israel (a combination of the old Labor Party, the Gesher Party, and the Meimad Party) to Knesset. The previous Knesset had splintered into 33 small parties. Some of the parties joined forces with others to have a larger following for the May 17 election. But it's evident harmony still doesn't exist among the coalition parties. After the presentation of Barak's new government for acceptance by Knesset, the Yisrael B'Aliyah party splintered again. The mindset of Knesset members, even in the new coalition, is not unity but diversity that promotes the individual viewpoints of each member. This does not bode well for the long-term future of Barak's coalition. To illustrate how impossible the political situation in Israel was before the May 17 election, suppose the United States' two party system split over the leadership of the president and Congress. Suppose that instead of the two party system there were 33 parties running candidates for Congress. Even with a larger base of voters, many parties would not receive enough votes to even be a part of Congress. That was the scene in Israel. To be elected to a seat in Knesset a party has to obtain at least 1.5% of the total electoral vote. When the May 17 election results were tabulated only 15 of the 33 parties had gained enough votes to win a seat in the 120-member Knesset. The largest number of votes went to Barak's One Israel party. He was elected by direct vote to the office of Prime Minister, but his party only won 26 seats, not near the 61-seat majority needed to rule the Land. Thus he had 45 days to patch together a coalition from a disparate set of parties with goals and values different from his. To put together a coalition majority in the Knesset, the different parties sign agreements guaranteeing cooperation in voting for the legislative goals of each party. However, the agreements are signed on the basis that the party coming into the coalition will recognize the goals of the Prime Minister and his party. The weight of the legislative agenda is set by the Prime Minister and his party. Wisely, Barak holds the deciding vote on what is presented to the plenum. But the coalition can easily be broken as it was under Netanyahu by some of his own ministers if the cooperating parties do not have their legislative goals considered. Barak's leadership will be tested as never before as he presses for peace in the Middle East. A divided cabinet The ministers who make up Barak's cabinet may also prove a source of friction. Already some in the new cabinet are announcing their own agendas. The Minister of Education, Yossi Sarid of the Meretz Party, is secular. Much of the funding for religious schools comes from state subsidies. Will he lower those subsidies, show favoritism toward the secular school system, or treat both systems evenhandedly? It remains to be seen, but many rabbis are suspicious of Sarid and will scrutinize his every decision. Adding to the instability of the current cabinet is the relationship between David Levy, founder and leader of the Gesher Party, a party of secular Sephardic Jews, and Barak's One Israel Party. As Foreign Affairs Minister in the previous government, Levy clashed with Netanyahu. He finally resigned from Netanyahu's Likud Party and the Foreign Ministry and founded the Gesher Party out of a spirit of revenge. As Foreign Minister, a position of immense power in Israel, will Levy accept the dictates of his "boss," Ehud Barak, or follow a course of his own choosing? Another tension in Barak's cabinet exists between the Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jews) and the Sephardic (Mediterranean Jews, of whom Moroccans are most numerous). Barak is an Ashkenazi while Levy and some other cabinet members are Sephardic Jews. The Sephardim have felt used, considered to be a lower class of people and given some of the poorer jobs in the economic sector. This tension could influence relationships in days to come when the politics get heated. There could well be another failure in coalition government, destroying again an opportunity for real progress in Israel as well as in the Middle East. Pray for Barak Barak is the most decorated soldier in Israeli history and was a popular Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces. He is also a gifted politician and leader. Mentored by Rabin, he has Rabin's strengths, but with them the weakness of a divided Knesset and the possibility of a splintered Cabinet. Prime Minister Ehud Barak needs the prayers of God's people. The Messiah will yet return, and no lasting peace will survive anywhere in the world before His advent. For the present, Israel's people long for the peace and security that could be brought about by dynamic and ideologically straight thinking. I believe Ehud Barak has the experience and desire to see this matter through to its conclusion. He will need God's guiding hand to make good on those desires. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). |
What the election could mean to Israeli believersOne of Barak's declared goals is the creation and passage of a constitution for Israel. Currently Israelis have a Basic Law of government, but no document that spells out the liberties of individuals. One of the liberties being proposed for the constitution will guarantee freedom of religious beliefs in Israel, according to Barak's own statement. This will give the believers in Israel backing against the ultra-Orthodox attempts to remove freedom of religious expression from Israel. Traditionally the ultra-Orthodox have opposed a constitution in that it would take out of their hands power over the common experiences of life such as marriage, citizenship, and burial sites in Jewish cemeteries.The proposed anti-missionary law mentioned frequently in past issues died with the end of the last Knesset. It was a private member's bill and Rabbi Pinchasi, its author, did not run for Knesset again. Thus, his bill died without being considered. It was a victory in this battle, but not the end of the war. Messianic believers and a majority of Israelis were hopeful Mr. Barak would not invite ultra-Orthodox parties to be a part of his coalition. Such was not to be! The Shas Party won 17 Knesset seats in the last election, and was invited to participate in the coalition to provide a broad basis of governance. However, they did not get many of the Ministerial slots they have held in previous governments, such as the Interior Ministry, so they will no longer have control over vital issues such as immigration and visas. "A night I will never forget" One of the more effective methods used to touch Jewish people in Israel for the Messiah is weekly Bible studies held in homes of Messianic believers. Neighbors are invited to attend and study the Word. While this method is used in church planting all over the world, in this case studies are held in cities where ultra-orthodoxy is strongly entrenched. In certain areas police investigations and the social life of citizens are controlled by the religious leaders. Yet small groups gather in apartments for weekly Bible studies. There is seldom singing because the apartments are surrounded by religious families. All participants are provided a Bible by the teacher so they can read the Word of God in their own language. These groups, as they grow, will form the nuclei for congregations in their towns. I taught one such study on a Sunday evening last spring. The students were Russian Jews who had immigrated to Israel a few years ago. One had taught Marxism/Leninism as a high ranking officer in the Russian army, another man had been an officer in the Tank Corps. They were well-educated people holding university degrees, but spiritually hungry. One of the wives had already accepted the Messiah. God had opened the door for the Gospel to penetrate a seemingly impossible situation. No open street evangelism could be held in that town for fear of a violent confrontation. As I taught the simple Gospel message of Messiah's death on the cross, my listeners' interest grew. The room became silent. Then suddenly it was as though a light had been switched on in the mind of one of the men. His eyes lit up, his face turned to a wide smile and he understood and accepted the message. This older man who had taught Marxism/ Leninism smiled and said, "Yes, this is my Savior. I have thanked Him for dying for me on that cross." It was a night I will never forget. Bible studies are also being held in a town where a few years ago those handing out tracts and Bibles were chased out by the ultra-Orthodox. Yet,in God's grace and timing there is now a weekly Bible study in the apartment of a person who only recently accepted the Messiah. Some attend who have known the Messiah for years but have been indifferent in their spiritual lives. They are now enthusiastic participants and enter into the "give and take" following each Bible study. Another man who is admittedly searching for truth has been attending for some weeks and is drawing closer to accepting the Messiah. This class will also form the basis for a congregation. These are just two examples of Bible studies carried on each week in towns and cities across the Land. God is honoring the Bible studies conducted by Messianic leaders with souls coming to the Messiah. They are part of "the remnant" referred to in Romans 11:5 who by accepting the Messiah are a part of the Church where "there is neither Jew nor Gentile," but both are one in Christ. The Church in Israel will continue to grow through evangelistic outreach no matter how it is conducted. God is faithful to His ancient people and is drawing some to Himself in the midst of the political and social unrest in that Land. Our need is to pray for Israel, its leadership, and for those there who have accepted the Messiah as their Savior. |
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