Israel (MNN) — A visit from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken does little to ease tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.
Arriving in Tel Aviv yesterday, Blinken condemned weekend attacks in Jerusalem and cautioned against retaliation. According to the State agenda planned weeks ago, Secretary Blinken met with Palestinian leaders today:
In the West Bank, the Secretary will meet with Palestinian Authority (P.A.) President Mahmoud Abbas and senior P.A. officials to discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations and the importance of a two-state solution, political reforms, and further strengthening the U.S. relationship with the Palestinian people and leadership.
“Promises will be made, but who knows what’s going to happen? There’s a lot of rage in the West Bank and Gaza right now,” Uncharted Ministries’ Tom Doyle says.
“Israel and the Palestinians don’t look to America as the power in the region because of what’s happened in the last few years.”
Israeli-Palestinian violence reached new heights last week after Israel raided a West Bank terrorist hideout, killing two Palestinian civilians and seven extremists. The death toll was one of the highest for a single raid in years.
“Hamas is going to use that (the Jenin raid) to incite the people against Israel because the people are not with Hamas. So, the only way they can join forces with the people is when they go against Israel,” Doyle says.
On Friday, one day after the raid, a Palestinian militant killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue in Jerusalem. Then, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded an Israeli man and his son.
Pray that the current tensions do not escalate. Ask the Lord to empower believers on both sides of the conflict. “Once there is a change of heart, anything can happen,” Doyle says.
“We are privileged to work with Jews and Palestinians that love Jesus and don’t hate anyone anymore. They don’t hate each other, and that’s a miracle.”
Learn more about Uncharted Ministries here.
Header image depicts U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Israel in March 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)
