Is There a Political Situation for the Mideast Crisis?

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network.

So what are the real roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? It's time for the Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on the Line of Fire.

And now, here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks so much for joining us on the Line of Fire. 1 Peter 5 verses 8 and 9 urge us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. It is always important for us as followers of Jesus to be sober and vigilant, to be living serious lives in the midst of a serious world where there is serious pain and suffering every day, where there is serious rebellion, where there is serious redemption taking place.

We should always have a certain holy sobriety about us, but all the more as the earth is shaking, all the more as there is the real potential of the war in Israel exploding on an international level, if Iran gets involved, if America gets involved on a greater level, all the more should we be living with sobriety in the midst of the spiritual battle. Michael Brown, welcome to the broadcast 866-34-TRUTH for the number to call. I'm going to get into some controversial subjects today.

If you differ with my position, if you don't believe that Israel has a right to be in the land today, if you believe that Israel is some type of colonizer or evil occupier, I'm hoping later in the broadcast be able to get to some dissenting calls if time permits and if folks are willing to call 866-34-TRUTH. We are going to go through history today. We are going to look at the last 140-150 years. We're going to look at key events, key players.

This is going to be very helpful for you. Then you go research. Check out what I'm saying as much as you can to verify the points that I'm making. I want to say one thing clearly though to everyone as I invite you to join us together on the front lines. If you're watching on YouTube, please click share. Give it a thumbs up if this is a show you want to be in on and click share. If you're watching on Facebook, click share.

We want to reach as many as we can. Again, everyone listening via podcast, via radio, tell a friend, text them if you can. Tune in to the broadcast. I just finished recording a broadcast with an Orthodox rabbi in Israel whose kids are on the front lines of the battle. That is going to air on Thursday.

That's been recorded. It's a must hear from the land with some really fascinating and chilling spiritual insights and perspectives. But I want to give you a little bigger perspective and then we're going to cover a lot of ground today. I watched in 1999 a video called God Fights Back. Actually, I saw it on PBS, Public Broadcasting System, and subsequently got the video, God Fights Back, and it was about the rise of religious fundamentalism worldwide beginning in the late 1970s in Iran, the Islamic fundamentalism then comes over to America, Christian fundamentalism.

The contrast is very intense, very eye-opening to watch on many levels. But what got my attention was this, that Ayatollah Khomeini had been exiled by the Shah of Iran and was in France. And here he, in France, he would record messages. He was not an emotional preacher.

He was a very austere leader. He would record his messages against the Shah and against the westernization and secularization of Iran. The cassette tapes would then be smuggled into Iran, duplicated, and given over to the mullahs, to the different preachers and the mosques.

They would turn his messages into their Friday sermons. It incited the Islamic community. It radicalized the Islamic community. And the Shah, despite the strong arm with which he led in his savak, the secret police and all this, the Shah had to flee for his life because of this Islamic uprising before Khomeini even arrived in the country and set up the Islamic Republic, which continues today in the nation of Iran.

And I've always thought about that reality. That was words of destruction that he may have rightly critiqued aspects of the Shah's regime and aspects of the worldliness of the people. But his radical Islamic messages obviously brought massive bloodshed and oppression with it.

But I've never forgotten that. That it was his messages recorded on cassette tape, smuggled into Iran, duplicated, that fueled the revolution. I have known in terms of my own calling as a child of God, we each have our distinct calling and purpose, that we are to be part of a holy revolution, that we are to be part of a gospel-based revolution, one that pushes back against the insanity of the hour, one that overcomes evil with good, that overcomes hatred with love, that overcomes lies with truth, that overcomes the power of the flesh with the power of the spirit.

And I've always said that image of the messages circulating, other people taking them in. There are pastors and leaders around America who take the articles we write and the things we talk about in the Law and the Fire, digest them and then pour some of that truth out to their congregants as we stand arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder. We'll hear from folks who are in school on the campuses, that what we're pouring out is enabling them to stand strong. Moms homeschooling their kids, this is just what I need to hear. This is what we hear. I want to invite you, friends, there is a holy movement taking place, and this is a holy moment, and it is absolutely critical that we help educate America right now and the nations.

I want to illustrate this for you. Here's a headline on the Daily Mail, a poll that was done exclusively by the Daily Mail, and it came with, it got some striking, shocking conclusions. The headline says this, one in 10 members of Gen Z and young millennials have a positive view of Hamas terrorists, according to an exclusive poll. One in 10 have a positive view after everything that Hamas has done, all the atrocities, and then when you look at the actual data from the poll, it is absolutely shocking. Shocking. 18 to 29 year olds are the only group to have a negative overall view of Israel. There were 4 in 10 who did not have a negative view of Hamas. I mean, the data is shocking.

Why? Because people are hearing one narrative, because people are hearing one side, and Gen Z and millennials, who often have a great sense of empathy, and they want to see justice, and they are siding against the oppressor, and they want to stand with the oppressed, so they'll be with the LGBTQ community, and they'll be with the racial minority. There are many things in this that are admirable, but the lies they're being fed, the misinformation they're being fed, the wrong ideologies that they're being bombarded for, in some cases almost out of the womb, have colored their thinking so that Israel is the evil one, and that the Palestinians are the victims. There are Palestinians who are victims. We understand that.

But that the narrative is completely shifted. I want to put a map up for everyone to see. This is slide 3 on our PowerPoint. I want to put a map up, and then I'm going to talk through everyone that's listening.

I know the vast majority of you are listening, not watching. But this map shows you Israel in the Middle East, and it's Israel in the world in which it is, so Africa to the south and to the west, and then you've got other countries, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, et cetera, as you go to the north and to the east. And Israel is in red. It's this tiny sliver.

You couldn't even see it. You couldn't even see it, friends, unless it was highlighted in red, surrounded by nation after nation after nation after nation. And in this map, the color green represents Islam. It's not entirely accurate, but the vast majority of these surrounding nations are Islamic, the vast majority, and some of them radically so. And you get this tiny, tiny, tiny little slice that's Israel, and yet it's somehow, friends, been turned around as if Israel is dominating the entire region and swallowing up land and swallowing up people and committing genocide against the Palestinians. It is simply a false narrative. It is turning everything upside down.

So we're going to get into some of the history. Why do you think college campuses, campus after campus after campus, has so much hostility towards Israel? Yes, it's the ongoing irrationality of antisemitism. That remains. That remains.

That's true. But it's because Israel has been painted as this evil monster committing genocide, guilty of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. And I just saw another headline.

I mean, it's ironic beyond words. You have students from Harvard University, 31 different student groups, put out letters saying that the atrocities that Hamas committed against the people of Israel, slaughtering 1,300. We don't have to go through the details once again, but overwhelming, sickening numbers.

That it was all Israel's fault that the responsibility is 100% on Israel. Of course, the statements have been widely condemned and others saying, we're not going to, let's find out who those kids are that signed those statements. We won't hire them as CEOs in our companies. Let's blacklist them. Well, I see a headline now that they are asking for donations to help with mental health support because of the overwhelming emotional attacks coming their way.

First thing I would say is, grow up. If you're going to put out stuff like that, if you're going to dish it out, you have to be willing to take it. I dish stuff out here all the time in terms of my convictions and laying things out.

I try to do it graciously and accurately, obviously, but I know if I dish it out, I'm going to get attacked coming back. Let it be. Bring it on. So be it. Lie about me, slander me, misrepresent me, misquote me, whatever. Malign me. Do it.

I'm on the front lines. So be it. If you're going to dish it out, you're going to dish it out, you're going to take it. Secondly, the bigger thing, here's how the problems will all go away and here's how your mental and emotional health will be greatly enhanced.

What you do is this. Say, we posted an idiotic, ridiculous, insensitive, and historically inaccurate statement. Please forgive us. We have been rightly informed. Of course, we care about the suffering of the Palestinians right now. Of course, we care about the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza, but forgive us for that foolhardy statement. We now see and know and understand better and we are growing and will become better for it and you'll get an outpouring of sympathy.

More than that, doing the right thing will help your emotional health. All right, friends, we do not have any big guy that underwrites our ministry. My needs are met, our team's needs are met, our team needs are met, our staff, our needs are met, but we are burning to expand, to multiply tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold to get this message out to more people. You, the little guy, the average person, you're the ones helping us do it. If you are not part of our support team, join in now. We've never done this before, but everyone's signing up as a torchbearer. We're giving you four free books immediately, including Our Hands Are Staying with Blood and Christian Antisemitism, some of the most eye-opening books you'll ever read. Take a moment now, go to AskDrBrown.org if you care about touching this generation and getting the truth out. Let's stand together.

The harvest is ripe, the doors are open. With your help, we are going to shake this nation. We're going to do it together, arm-in-arm, side-by-side. Right now, go to AskDrBrown.org, askdrbrown.org, click donate, monthly support, join our torchbearer team. Together, we're making a difference. Jesus, Yeshua, is being exalted in many, many lives.

Back to history when we come back. This is Michael Ellison, founder of TriVita Wellness. I want to introduce our TriVita Alford Libby original patented sublingual B12, B6, and folate formula. I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Alfred Libby, a pioneer in vitamin research. I also had the opportunity to obtain the patented formula and the rest is history, with over 50 million tablets being taken by our TriVita members through the years. The amazing testimonies of mental clarity, mood enhancement, and more energy have been thrilling to me as a founder of TriVita Wellness. Not only is it an amazing B12 product, but it is loaded with the essential B6 vitamin. I call it the workhorse vitamin. It is vital for strong immune function and every body system. Here's what the National Center for Biotechnology Information says, and I quote, it plays a key role and is crucial to immune function.

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As a new customer, 100% of your order proceeds from your first order will go to support the Line of Fire radio broadcast. 1-800-771-5584 or online at trivita.com. This is how we rise up. It's the Line of Fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thank you to our co-sponsor TriVita who continues to pour resources into this broadcast to reach more people. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for putting out these amazing products which, yes, are part of my daily routine.

Healthy diet, exercise, and these supplements part of my daily routine. So take advantage of this, friends. 800-771-5584. You don't need to use the code when you call in. They know exactly who you are at that number. Glad to answer your questions online. trivita.com.

Use the code BROWN25. It gives you the 25% discount plus 100% of your first order and a substantial part of all subsequent orders donated to the Line of Fire. All right, so we have talked about in recent weeks who Hamas is, but Rabbi Pesach Walicki, who you'll hear from on Thursday, sent me a video. He was part of putting this out just to remind people who Hamas is, and then we're gonna go back through history a little bit and see what the conflict is, where it arose. Let me say plainly that I do not exonerate the current government in Israel or the nation of Israel for years and decades, do not fully exonerate, do not say Israel has done things perfectly. If you have God's heart, you care for Palestinians, you care for Israelis.

Yes, if you have God's heart, you care for a Jewish baby and an Arab baby, a Muslim baby, Christian baby, you care for people the same way. We're all created in the image of God, and if Israel does something wrong, were there issues with the current government, were there issues with Israeli policy? As friends of Israel, we speak plainly. At the same time, please understand this, Christian love for Israel today is shouting a message to the people of Israel, shouting a message to Jewish people worldwide, and it is going a long way to undoing some of the horrible anti-Semitism that has been present in church history over the centuries. This is a great opportunity for Christians to say, this is how we really feel as followers of Jesus. We're not anti-Semites, we're not Jew haters. Quite the contrary, we recognize God's hands on Israel, we recognize God has brought the Jewish people back to the land, we recognize Satan wants to wipe Israel off the map, and therefore we stand with Israel against the devil. And at the same time, we care for everyone living in the region. That is our heart. So who is Hamas?

Let's put this in right context here and listen to this together. In 1973, Sheikh Ahmad Yasin, an Islamic cleric from Gaza, founded the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Fourteen years later, in 1987, Yasin founded the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, as the paramilitary wing of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood. Yasin founded Hamas with the help of Abdullah Azzam, a highly influential Islamic thinker affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Azzam, also known as the father of global jihad, was the mentor of Osama bin Laden, and helped him create Al Qaeda. The doctrines and aims of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and ISIS, which emerge from Al Qaeda, are all based on the teachings of Abdullah Azzam. In fact, the sign above the door of the Hamas military academy in Gaza reads, Welcome to the Dr. Abdullah Azzam Academy. Most people think that Hamas's goal is Palestinian independence, but the Hamas charter cites the words of the prophet Muhammad, quote, the day of judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews.

When the Jew will hide behind stones and trees, the stones and trees will say, oh Muslims, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him, end quote. In other words, Hamas's founding document calls for genocide against the Jews. Hamas does not seek Palestinian independence, it seeks to exterminate the Jewish people and destroy Israel. Does Hamas represent the citizens of Gaza? In 2006, in a democratic election, Hamas won a majority 74 of 132 seats in Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian authority, which governs the autonomous areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Hamas remains the majority of this legislature to this day. And ever since 2007, Hamas has total governing control of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, in a study from 2021, 53% of Palestinians prefer Hamas leadership to that of Mahmoud Abbas, the more moderate head of the Palestinian Authority.

And as recently as July 2023, polling by the Washington Institute shows that overall, 57% of Gazans express a positive opinion of Hamas, along with similar percentages of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. So, who is Hamas? Hamas has the same origins, beliefs, and goals as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Hamas openly calls for genocide against Jews and the eradication of Israel. And Hamas is the democratically elected and preferred leadership of the people of Gaza. The tragic thing is, friends, that the people of Gaza are in between a rock and a hard place. It's not like they have a leadership that says, hey, we're going to work side by side with Israel. There's going to be economic prosperity. Your children can have a future. They can travel freely, and so on and so forth.

They haven't had that option. And the more the war goes on, and Israel's bomb, and now Israel is going to look like the evil Israel, the terrible oppressor Israel, so it creates this horrific cycle. But if we go back a little while, and we're going to dig even deeper in the rest of the broadcast, and put up more maps, which I'll describe to everyone listening, Farid Zakaria, CNN, is not one that you'd say is a Palestinian basher, and a blind, is just, whatever Israel does is great.

But listen to what he said in a recent interview. It's really quite accurate historically. The problem is, I think, Scott, that you put your finger on how to think about this, but what these people want more than anything else, as far as I can tell, is political rights and dignity. And the Israelis have been very willing to give them a lot of other stuff, economic rights, development aid, the world has been willing to give them that.

But it's almost as if we're trying to kind of obfuscate or get around the central problem, which is what they want is a state. And the Israelis, to be fair, have tried to go down that path as well. Not so much this government, but Ehud Barat, you remember, 2000, Bill Clinton came tantalizingly close to a Palestinian state.

They had agreed on all the parameters, both sides. And then Yasser Arafat pulls out the last minute. Ehud Omert, another Israeli prime minister, offered a version of that deal again to Abbas, the current Palestinian authority leader.

He turned it down. So the Palestinians, I mean, I have a lot of sympathy for the Palestinians. I do not have a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian leadership, which has time and time again just, you know, the way I would put it is fundamentally there was a struggle here. The Israelis have won. The Israelis have won.

They have, you know, that they have all the territory, they're a rich, powerful, strong country. When you're in a war that you're losing, the longer you wait, the worse the deal you get. And the Palestinians have kept, if you think about it, the deal they were offered in 1947-48, the partition was half of that British-mandated land.

They said no. The Israelis take more. Then the 1967 war happens. The Israelis take more. Now the settlement activity is taking place.

The Israelis, so what the deal that Clinton offered, that Barack and the Palestinians, is way better than anything they could dream of getting today. Because in a war when you're losing, the longer you wait, the worse the deal gets. And the leadership doesn't want to own up to its people. That, you know, the dream of a loaf is gone. We have a half loaf, and if we keep pissing around, it's going to be 40% of the loaf, and then it'll be 30% of the loaf. And they just, you know, constantly, leadership has a lot to answer for, in my view.

Yeah, absolutely agree with that. So we come back. I'm going to go back to history, late 1800s, up through today. Just key points to give you a context for the conflict. We care about everyone on the ground. We care about the people of Gaza. We care about the people living in the West Bank.

We care about every Israeli. What is truth? What is justice? What is right?

What is accurate? Those are the big questions. Let's get the truth out. Together. Right here.

Hey, friends, Dr. Michael Brown here. Do you remember when people thought I was crazy when I said it's not too late for America, that God can still do something in our country, that there is going to be a pushback, a gospel-based moral and cultural revolution? And do you remember when people thought that you were crazy because you felt the same way, because you believe what I was saying and already felt it in your heart? Well, friends, friends, that pushback is here. The gospel-based moral and cultural revolution we've been talking about for 25 years is unfolding. And we are right in the thick of it.

And the line of fire broadcast is divinely positioned for such a time as this. Friends, you would be so gratified and blessed as I hear, if you could hear what I hear, testimony after testimony as leaders, young people, old people, moms, dads, students, people from all backgrounds come up to me and say, Dr. Brown, you're providing a template for us. You're providing a blueprint for us. You're showing us how to do this, how to have hearts of compassion, backbones of steel. But friends, it's a joint effort.

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Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks for joining us on The Line of Fire. By the way, some watching on YouTube or Facebook say, why do you have all these interruptions? It's a live radio broadcast that you're watching.

It's a live radio broadcast that has certain breaks and the advertisers come in or we come in with our announcements, so that's the explanation for it. I just saw this tragic news, I don't know how many minutes ago, but just saw it now. Hundreds of people reportedly killed an explosion at the Ali Arab Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday evening there in Middle East time. If accurate, absolute tragedy. So why would Israel do that? First, we don't know who did it. In other words, there are how many people killed an explosion at the Ali Arab Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday