In an age of information that has hit a fever pitch, with everyone vying for attention as they attempt to sell us their version of truth, how do we know whom to believe?
It’s a perplexing question, especially when opposing sides each have compelling arguments. A perfect example is the Gaza war ceasefire. Every decision made had to be weighed against the fate of the 20 hostages who remained alive.
Would pursuing our goal of wiping out Hamas jeopardize our people? After all, we’d seen others who’d been held captive get shot in the back just as our soldiers were approaching the area where they were being held. This was the dilemma that, for too long, had us paralyzed as we spent too much time figuring out the best way to proceed.
The ongoing war, which was neither freeing our hostages nor eliminating the terrorists, was drawing the ire of both outsiders and Israelis, who were rapidly losing patience and yearning for a solution that could achieve both goals.
When Trump came in
That was when Donald Trump finally entered the picture. Making an impassioned case to Israeli leaders that Israel was becoming more despised among the nations with each passing day, the US administration applied strategic pressure to get us to accept a deal filled with unpleasant compromises but assuring the release of our hostages and a complete end to Hamas rule. How could we turn it down?
After we’d exhausted every other possibility, we were faced with going it alone if we spurned this American offer.
Now, some two weeks later, although the live hostages have returned, 13 dead ones still remain in the Gaza tunnels, waiting to be unearthed and sent to their families for a decent burial.
If you listen to everyone involved from the Trump administration, they’re still optimistic. Believing that Hamas will keep its word, they’re looking ahead to the implementation of phase two – disarming Hamas and forcing it to exit Gaza.
But it’s hard to have faith when the terrorists have already admitted that they have no intention of stepping aside or laying down their weapons. In fact, many reports say that they are getting stronger as each day passes. So, can this ceasefire plan come to a successful completion?
THE OPPOSING argument, made by attorney, former US congresswoman, and lover of Israel, Michele Bachmann, equally sounds convincing as she questions the wisdom of what she categorizes as a premature ceasefire.
Bachmann appeared last month at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand Summit” in Chino Hills, California, and participated in a panel discussion titled “Israel: In Search of Shalom.” She confidently asserted that we were about to grab victory when, suddenly, American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner appeared on the scene. She believes that their intervention prevented a clear and decisive win from happening.
Bachmann says that the Arab mindset only understands complete defeat, accompanied by the loss of land, something which was not permitted to take place under the Trump plan. Nor does it grant control of Gaza by Israel or the seizure of its land.
She goes on to state that, if everything works out as planned, a provision has been made for that elusive Palestinian state, which everyone seems to be so anxious to officially establish. It’s what Bachmann refers to as the rewarding of barbarians who raped and murdered innocent Israelis.
A fervent evangelical Christian, Bachmann says that this was no ordinary war, because we saw the Bible play out in front of our eyes as Almighty God performed one miracle after another. Citing everything from the defeat of Hezbollah to being spared by the onslaught of a seven-front war, to her, it had to be a divine act of protection.
Consequently, Bachmann maintains that this ceasefire plan is a mistake. Bewildered as to why Jared Kushner is negotiating a peace deal with the Saudis, given his personal financial interests, she asks, “What about their history of terrorism against the US? And why has America given a NATO-type guarantee protecting Qatar from any foreign attack?
“Why is America rewarding Qatar, the chief funder of terrorism, by hosting them as they set up their F-15s on our airbase in Boise, Idaho? After all, Qatar has spent billions to propagandize American students against Israel, through biased media reporting and the campus protest movement.”
Among the flaws in the 20-point ceasefire plan, the most worrisome to Bachmann seems to be the division of the Land of Israel, raising a major red flag since, she states, it violates a biblical mandate of Joel 3:1-3.
Also troubled by the prohibition of annexing Judea and Samaria, land which she acknowledges as belonging to Israel since 1967, Bachmann sees this as a spiritual, rather than a political battle.
Perhaps, her most worrying question is what will happen to America if it engages in something that contradicts a divine plan? She realizes that her strong warning means she will not be invited to the White House anytime soon, but she, nonetheless, feels that important questions must be asked now.
Obviously, these two compelling positions stand in opposition to one another, causing each of us, as news consumers, to ask the question stated in the article’s title: how do we know whom to believe? It seems that would depend upon your personal orientation and background.
While each one of us has many safeguards we can employ to make wise and informed choices when trying to figure out which side is speaking truth, we must look carefully at who gains to be strengthened and who stands to be weakened.
The bolstering of a Palestinian state, at the expense of dividing the land of Israel, is a frightening prospect, especially after the reality of October 7. Since the goal of Israel’s enemies is to sever its Zionist vision from the state committed to its intrinsic Jewish character, it’s an easy guess who comes out weakened.
Suddenly, the choices don’t seem too perplexing after dissecting each argument, because if the land of Israel is truly based on a divine plan, which has already been determined by her Creator, then who are we to try to upend that objective by thinking that we know better?
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.