What Are The Israeli Protests About?
There have been numerous reports coming out of the Middle East, so quickly that it is hard to keep up with how quickly events unfold and their potential meaning from a biblical perspective. One such event has Arab media reporting, as of May 10, 2023, that it is time to pressure Israel while it is vulnerable due to protests and internal strife taking place.
We are witnessing protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem against the government’s planned judicial reforms. The protests have been referred to as a “Day of Resistance to Dictatorship.”
On March 9, 2023, there were also protests in the northern seaport of Haifa, where maritime traffic to the port was blocked by a flotilla organized by “Sailors to Save Democracy.”
This is disturbing because what is happening in Israel is what we have witnessed here in our own country. A radical left faction is stirring up a large segment of the society in Israel in opposition to the conservative government, which was duly elected under Benjamin Netanyahu. Large public demonstrations and marches have taken place at universities, even involving those in the military.
This is unheard of in the history of the modern nation of Israel. There is a division that is taking place that is very disheartening, as even Israeli military reservists threaten to refuse to serve. It has been reported that thirty-seven fighter pilots from Israel Air Force’s 69th Fighter Squadron said they would boycott training maneuvers in protest over the judicial reform.
This division is occurring in Israel while Shiites and Sunnis (Iran and Saudi Arabia) are uniting. They have entered into an agreement (brokered by China) that is like a warning sign that the division in Israel is leading to the strengthening of Israel’s enemies.
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties seven years ago, and the resuming of their relationship is a development that could have dangerous overtones for Israel. Especially when Netanyahu was hoping to bring the Saudis into the Abraham Accords and build a coalition against Iran.
China’s presence in this agreement should concern America beyond what the impact would mean for Israel. With the Chinese helping negotiate this deal, it represents the message that the US is becoming more and more irrelevant, and China is becoming more powerful with their tentacles reaching into the Middle East. China is the real threat to the USA in areas of economy, military, global competition, and now the Middle East.
However, there is one outlying point we should consider. There is a period of 60 days before this Saudi-Iran agreement actually goes into force. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman would prefer to normalize relations with Israel and the US, rather than China and Iran. The problem between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not country vs. country, but one of two factions of the same religion: Sunni and Shiite.
Furthermore, the problem has not been Israel, but the United States, with whom there are strained relations. The Saudis insist they cannot take the risk of making peace with Israel while there are growing threats from Iran. There must be strong and dependable security and economic ties with Washington.
Allowing China to step in and mediate a deal with Iran may simply be a wake-up call for the United States to get their act together and resume their place of power and leadership of the free world.
We don’t know what the pathway looks like, but we DO know what the outcome will be.
There are reports (Israel Today, March 12, 2023) that an Israeli official claims protests calling to topple the Netanyahu government are receiving funding from the Biden Administration.
The protests and demonstrations in Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel are more than simply opposition to the policies of the conservative government’s judicial reform package. Their goal is to remove Benjamin Netanyahu from power. He is being painted as a dictator and criminal who should not be holding office.
What is so disturbing is how the US is alienating its greatest ally and democratic nation in this part of the world. Israeli AND American officials (US Senator Tom Cotton) report that the effort to overthrow the Netanyahu government is being underwritten, in part, by the United States Office of the President. According to the Washington Free Beacon, American taxpayer dollars ($38,000) are going to the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), cloaked and titled as, “democracy education.”
MQG is an Israeli NGO that exists as a “defender of democracy.” They have been actively involved in the anti-Netanyahu demonstrations and received large donations from the US State Department.
This is a dangerous faction within Israel today that has actually gone beyond simply protesting and demonstrating, or removing Netanyahu from power. They are actually inciting murder against the prime minister.
Looking at the biblical, prophetic aspect of all this, we know that the attack on Israel in Ezekiel 38 by Russia, Iran, and Turkey will be criticized and protested by Sheba and Dedan, which is Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula. So, we know that Saudi Arabia will not be part of those nations that attack Israel, but they will be on the other side that will criticize the attack.
We see one thing going on today, but we know what the Bible says will happen. Circumstances change so rapidly in the world events today that we watch and trust the providential hand of God to work all things out to His appointed end.
We will be traveling to Israel three times just in 2023 alone. This gives us an opportunity to talk with those on the ground, hear their perspective, and pray up close and personal with our Jewish people in the land. If you’ve ever wanted to come to Israel, join us this October, while we still have a few spaces left.
Ron is husband to the beautiful Kay and the grand patriarch of a whole tribe of kids and grandkids. Ron has too many post-graduate degrees (Talbot School of Theology) to count, but his main passion in life is sharing the gospel with Jewish people. When he first met Jesus as His Jewish Messiah in his twenties, it changed everything for him! Ron’s mission is to equip the church to know the roots of their faith and to share the gospel with his Jewish brethren.
