How should evil be confronted?

Something happened over the course of the last 100 years that changed how we look at evil. It used to be that bad things were so easily recognized and called out for what they were, but today, it seems that even people of faith are having a difficult time stating the obvious and, instead, try to search for an alternative meaning which identifies evil as something other than what it is.

For example, the discussion surrounding the people of Gaza, and whether or not they should be permitted to remain in a territory which borders Israel, is one which can be highly charged, depending upon whom you ask. There are those who believe that the Trump plan, which to them constitutes forcible removal, is immoral and tantamount to ethnic cleansing since it is their rightful home. But is it, and do they deserve the privilege to continue residing there?

According to Rabbi Avi Hoffman, not only is Gaza mentioned in the bible, but it is also part of the land which was given to the Jewish people. In his article entitled, Gaza in the Bible, he states, “It’s important to note that the biblical city of Gaza is not the entire Gaza Strip.” He says it included five cities on the coastal plain of Israel – those being Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gath, stretching from modern-day Tel Aviv-Jaffa, southward to Gaza.

Providing scriptural reference, Hoffman offers Genesis 10 and Joshua 15.  Oddly enough, there is a debate as to whether Gaza was ever really captured by Israel, as we’re led to believe from Judges 1:18, because other historical texts seem to suggest otherwise. But one thing is for sure.  It was never developed.  Consequently, it was generally inhabited by Philistines, as we recall in the story of Samson. Even during Solomon’s time, Gaza was a Philistine city.  

But if it was truly part of the territory which God gave to Israel, is it possible to assert that His eventual plan was for that area not to remain in the hands of those for whom it was never intended? In fact, isn’t that true of Judea and Samaria, which, today, is identified as the West Bank? Do bible believers not acknowledge that one day, all of that land will be inhabited by the Jews?

In 1948, when Israel became a nation, the plan was for two states to live side by side. Of course, we know how that ended – 76 years of constant war. But, perhaps, what we did our best to overlook was that those who fought us didn’t do so because they wanted more land for their own state, but, rather, because they wanted all of the land for themselves – free of any Jewish presence. This was the shock of October 7th, that they still felt this way.

And now, we have been forced to confront the profound evil and depravity of the acts which were committed against us, as a people – things which are too painful and too shocking to take in. How does a civilized society digest the barbarism which took place on that fateful day – the burning of babies, the raping of women, the rampage of communities, killing entire families and the destruction of their homes?  

How do ordinary people react to the torture of innocent people who were kidnapped, starved, beaten, hung upside down, scalded with hot objects and made to live shackled in cages? These inhumane disclosures have brought us to the question of how we confront the evil which can be condensed into the reality of them or us, because one of us clearly will not survive.

When an entire population can be cynically manipulated into supporting bloodthirsty murderers, who are willing to employ whatever tactics it takes to move us out of our God-given homeland, is it not time to re-evaluate how much longer such a situation can go on?

We’re talking about an estimated two million people, a great many of whom had to be employed by Hamas terrorists who needed tremendous manpower to build the massive labyrinth of tunnels over the course of 20 years. How could they not have known that something evil was being planned? For what purpose did they think their sons were being sent to military training camps while they were still young boys?  

What about those who worked for the kibbutz communities and used what personal information they had about the residents, handing it over to the same killers who would then know where to find them and even how many people were living in each house? Or what about the ordinary Gazan citizens who came to loot after the massacre, thinking that everything was theirs for the taking.

The decisions made by everyday Gazans revealed that it wasn’t just their leaders who were corrupt but also them. It’s why they turned over an escaped captive right back into the hands of the terrorists, rather than help him get to safety. It’s why they distributed sweets and openly celebrated their glee after hearing what had happened. And it is why Israelis are still being held in places, within Gaza, unknown even to the terrorists, because citizens decided to keep them and not turn them over. To this day, no one can account for those poor souls, dead or alive, tortured or enslaved.

And so, if we ever agreed to live alongside of these people, who identify themselves by using the name of the land which was never fully seized by Israel, we have reached a point where any straight-thinking person must acknowledge that it is no longer a tenable situation where all can be forgiven, forgotten, and returned to normalcy.

Because it’s not normal to think that such a horrific massacre will NOT occur again or that our own citizens can return to their homes with assurances of their safety, after 1,200 innocents were slaughtered. Those days are over. We are now embarking on the day after, and that will require removing the obvious threat of evil in our midst.

Whether or not that is realized in a Trump plan, which calls for Egypt and Jordan to take in this population, remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure. If they are forced to leave the place which they have called home, it will not be an unjust and immoral exile. Because it was the deep malevolence and profound wickedness, within the hearts of these people, that has disqualified them to live alongside civilized humans who love and value life. That’s on them!