This past weekend over 1.5 million people joined together for the March Against Terrorism in Paris, the largest demonstration in French history. After last week’s barrage of terrorist assaults on the City of Lights, over 50 world leaders joined the peacefully gathered throngs making the statement that Muslim terrorism cannot be allowed to go on. ( New York Times)
Israeli PM Netanyahu (far left) and Palestinian Authority President Abbas (far right) walk in the front row of world leaders heading the March Against Terrorism held in France after the city of Paris was assaulted with multiple terrorist incidents that left 17 dead.
Israel's PM and the PA president, both marching against terrorism?
Confusing to many was the presence of both Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas. Israel is the nation that has seen the most terrorist attacks on earth and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority is one of the groups relentlessly carrying out those acts of terrorism. Yet, there on the front row of dozens of world figures with linked arms leading the march, only four people stood between the Prime Minister of Israel and the PA president.
How in the world did it come about that these two men stood nearly side-by-side in the world’s largest march against terrorism?
According to the Jewish Daily Forward, Netanyahu was asked to not attend the rally. Reportedly, the French government wanted the march to focus on solidarity with France and to avoid any possible diversion of attention “to other controversial issues, like Jewish-Muslim relations or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” At first the Prime Minister obliged, but “later decided that it was important for the Israeli prime minister to participate in the world’s largest anti-terror protest,” stated Israel Today.
The magazine continues that, “France quickly issued an official invitation to Netanyahu to make it appear as though he’d been welcome all along, but also highlighted that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had likewise been invited.”
The fact that the leaders of Israel and the terrorist-run Palestinian Authority marched against terrorism has raised the ire of both Israel and Hamas.
Hamas, which is listed among international terrorist groups, is the leading party in the Palestinian Authority government. Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, objected, “Abbas wants to seem as if he’s fighting terror but he doesn’t know the meaning of terror,” noted Israel Today magazine. Al-Zahar went on to add that Abbas, “thinks that in acting this way, he’s earning the sympathy of world nations…. This behavior is part of the hypocrisy and political acrobatics typical to Abbas.”
On the other hand, Israel’s economy minister Naftali Bennett is quoted in the same magazine as saying, “It’s hypocritical of those same Qataris and Arabs,” referring to other Middle East backers of Hamas, “who are financing terrorism to come and demonstrate as if against terrorism. I don’t accept this. hands are covered in blood.”
Continue to pray
Hidden within newspaper and magazine headlines is the call to prayer. In the face of last week’s acts of brazen evil in Paris, let us pray that:
- Terrorists around the world will not be emboldened but instead, will be thwarted at every turn in their hearts and in their actions
- God will reveal Himself to terrorists and bring them to their knees with a knowledge of the truth that Yeshua is Lord
- Terrorism will not spread as they have called for, but that God will keep nations and individuals safe from their ravages and brutal atrocities.
Also within news stories such as these is the reminder to pray for Israel, who has endured the most long-standing and frequent acts of terrorism of any country in the world. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6), and it tells us that we will be blessed for blessing Israel. Please pray for:
- The government of Israel to be strengthened.
- Leaders to seek God for wisdom
- Protection of Israeli citizens
- Lasting peace to be achieved within the nation
- Eternal peace in Yeshua to be found in individual hearts of Israelis and Jewish People throughout the world.
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