Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Maybe There Is A Chance



Unbelievably good news today from the town of Jenin, in the West Bank. An Israeli Army Officer mistakenly drove into this town, known as a stronghold for Palestinian militants and was almost immediately surrounded by a mob. Palestinian police rushed to the soldier and escorted him through the mob and to Police Headquarters. He was later turned over to Israeli authorities unharmed. The mob however burned his car.

Seven years ago in the town of Ramallah, two Israeli reservists that accidentally strayed into town were taken by Palestinian Police to their headquarters. A mob then stormed the building and threw the soldiers out of a second story window. The soldiers died.

What a difference a few years makes (along with having the moderate Fatah party in charge on the West Bank. If this had happened in Gaza, that officer would have been toast. Kudos to the Palestinian Police for acting like real peace officers and it is our hope that this governmental cooperation continues. If only the rescue would not have been needed in the first place, this would have been perfect ... oh well, for now we should be happy for this very, very positive sign.

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul

I do remember those reservists getting killed in front of the television cameras a few years ago, they were alive, were killed in front of the media, and thrown out of the window. That was one of the turning points on the intifada with the bad guys showing their true colors. We need to start buying hearts and minds in that area!

Have a fine TEXAS evening.

cfs

lime said...

good news indeed, very good. thanks for sharing it.

-eve- said...

Yes, good news...! Glad he was safe..

Constance said...

Good Wednesday morning to you, Paul. Small changes can lead to a much more positive direction. Fingers crossed that it continues --

Mona said...

good news .. I hope people will see sense & stop the hate propagated by religious difference. We need to make the world better through peace not war! I hope peace will reign all around!

Jenny! said...

That is nice that they don't throw soldiers out windows anymore...how thoughtful of them to treat other humans humanely!

Stephanie Faris said...

It's good to see things are at least improving a little.

snowelf said...

What a refreshing turn of events...

--snow

Tapline said...

paul,
Good post. I think this might be a first. Probably the only time we will see something like this. How can one trust a people who shout nothing but death to Israel and the USA. They talk,teach,and eat hate. You cannot believe anything they do. Remember they were the ones that shot the troops that were on board the plane they hijacked in Beirut years ago. A leapard does not change its spots.....Beware the forked tongue......

David said...

I hate to be negative...it's just I believe in that whole Bible thing with the whole world against Israel in the last days thing. Oh well, good news until then is still good news!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

I'm with David....

Paul Champagne said...

tlrb ... have you ever seen that commercial that starts with one person doing a good deed, and someone sees it and does another good deed and this repeats till it comes full circle. Maybe this is the start of buying the hearts of the people with acts of kindness.

lime ... you are welcome. Hope springs eternal and I try to bring good news as much as possible ... wish it wasn't so hard to find.

eve ... I am sure his family is also glad he came home safe ... maybe this will change the hearts of one family ... it has to start somewhere.

annie ... I have my fingers and toes crossed on that one

mona ... religion is supposed to bring people together, not tear them apart. There are some religious leaders that need to grow up and ask themselves if they are following Gods path or just bringing glory unto themselves.

jenny ... do I hear a touch of sarcasm in your comment? Seems I've taught you well :)

stephanie ... everything has to start with a baby step ... where this may lead will be determined by which direction the next step is taken.

snow ... refreshing, yes. I might also add surprising and astonishing to the mix.

tapline ... Though I tend to agree with you, I feel that what people worldwide want most is the ability to provide for their families and for their children to grow up happy and healthy. What has been going on in Israel for the past 50+ years is not working. Maybe the people of that region will finally get past the hate and learn to live in harmony with each other for the betterment of both people. This may sound like a pipe-dream, but Arabs and Jews live side by side in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn ... if it can work in NYC, why not elsewhere?

david ... Revelations is a scary book. Ever think that those prophesies were given to John as a heads-up so that people might at least try to change how the world ends? Wouldn't the Lord prefer to welcome everyone into his Kingdom because everyone learned how to live in peace with each other? I sure do!

Paul Champagne said...

terri ... then my comment to you is the same as to him. Which do you think God would prefer, Armegedan or a Rapture that included everyone because everyone earned it.

Jenny! said...

When am I not sarcastic!

Jenny! said...

You are the master though!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Ohhhhhhhh

I want to go in the Rapture!
That is our goal.

Anonymous said...

I DON'T HAVE A CHANCE

There is no way I will make the list. I will not be one of those lucky 144,000 souls on the book of Revelations.

Have a fine TEXAS evening.

Anonymous said...

It continues to confuse me...as a Christian, how/when to separate scripture and politics...or should there be a separation?

I could agree with you, Paul...almost!

"Which do you think God would prefer, Armegedan or a Rapture that included everyone because everyone earned it."

We don't 'earn' our way to Heaven.

My idealist nature wants to say "Yea, Paul...I agree!" But unlike my usual self, a realist worm wriggled in and what tapline says is what I'm thinking...forked tongue and all that!

O.K....now I'm ready for the rebuttal (lol)

Have a safe Labor Day Weekend!

Paul Champagne said...

jenny ... at least I'm the master in something ... though I bow before the true master Hugh Laurie (House).

terri ... it should be everyone's goal, too bad not everyone thinks like you.

tlrb ... if the true number is 144,000 ... I'll be sitting it out on the sidelines with you. However, that number is open to interpretation (as is most of the bible).

confused (inspired) ... I do believe salvation is earned. If entry into the promised kingdom is on the merit system, why wouldn't it? Also, remember ... God can be negotiated with (this is the car salesman in me speaking). When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gammorrah, he was wanting 50 good people to stay his hand ... this was eventually negotiated to 5. But of course there was only one (Lot). An argument could be made that God was willing to negotiate because he wanted to spare the cities. An opposing argument can be made that he knew that the angel wouldn't find 5 good men, so he allowed the negotiation. Since there are no facts and everything is based on faith ... I choose to believe the former. I am ever the optimist.

Mona said...

I agree with you there Paul.Religion is about Universal Brotherhood of all mankind!

Paul Champagne said...

mona ... I have no use for organized religion. It is the spirituality of the individual soul that intrigues me. Mother Teresa would have been a good soul with or without the Catholic Church. It was the Church however that allowed her to do much more than she would have been able to by herself.

Good people are drawn to Religion because they want to associate with others of the same mindset ... Hence Religions are almost always good (it is the people, not the brick and mortar structures that make a church).