Imagine Palestinian children being raised to love rather than hate
A comprehensive review of nearly 400 school textbooks published between 2013 and 2020 found that "Palestinian children are being systematically taught to hate Jewish Israelis and violently resist a Jewish presence in Israel."
In addition, "The education of Palestinian school children in refugee camps all over the Middle East has been provided for 70 years by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The current materials used to educate over half a million Palestinian children ... have been inciting three generations of young Palestinians to hate and kill Jews, to revere martyrs, and aspire to jihad. Parents of current students have been educated in the same schools, as have many of the 30,000 teachers employed by UNRWA."
Most Palestinian parents who were indoctrinated as children to hate Jews tend to spitefully repeat the vicious cycle with their own children. Never mind the fact that it is abusive to teach children to hate those of another race or religion. When prejudice and hatred grip a child's heart, they poison the soul and enslave the young mind in an unrelenting cycle of contempt, rage and violence.
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Rep. Steve Israel was a U.S. Congressman from 2001-2017. Israel writes, "While serving in Congress, I studied what goes on in Palestinian schools. I reviewed their textbooks, met with educators and diplomats ... I saw firsthand that a generation of Palestinian children were being taught at an early age to reject living peacefully with Israel. They read about it in their schoolbooks and heard about it from their teachers."
So, how do you change a heart filled with hate into a heart filled with love? Saul of Tarsus experienced such a change 2,000 years ago. The zealous Pharisee hated Christians with a passion. That is until this devout Jewish man met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He spent the rest of his life with a new name, a new heart, and the love of God filling his soul. The Apostle Paul is proof that even a terrorist can be transformed by God's love.
Tass Saada is a former member of the Fatah terrorist group "who turned to faith in Jesus in the 1990s. He is predicting thousands of Gazans will become Christians as the war between Hamas and Israel rages on." He believes "the war will lead many in Gaza to feel hopeless, abandoned, and lied to by Hamas, the terror group governing Gaza."
A Christian man told Saada years ago, "If you want to experience the peace of mind that I have, you have to love the Jews." Saada recalled, "I completely froze and asked him how he could even think of such a thing, to love the Jews? He knew I hated them. For me, as for most Arabs, a good Jew is a dead Jew." But when Tass Saada accepted Jesus as his Savior, God replaced his hatred with love. And since even terrorists like Saul of Tarsus and Tass Saada can be transformed, it is relatively easy to instill God's love into the heart of a child.
In a recent CP op-ed I wrote, "I will tell you what worked extremely well in our family with our four children. Tammy and I shared the Gospel with them all the time. And we would often ask them, 'What did Jesus do for us?' By age 3 or 4, each of them would confidently respond, 'Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we can go to Heaven.' It was more than just 'the right answer.' The assurance of salvation in their heart provided tremendous comfort and power, even at such a young age."
"A 2019 survey showed 43% of believers coming to faith in Jesus by age 12, and 15% accepting Christ by age 6. A soft heart and an uncluttered mind provide fertile soil when planting the seed of the Gospel in the soul of a child."
Palestinian children deserve to learn that God loved them enough to send His only Son to die on the cross for their sins. The power of the Gospel destroys hate and replaces it with compassion. Thankfully, Christian mission work is bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to people who are largely dominated by hatred and prejudice.
For example, "In the northern part of the West Bank, a local ministry has a community center that provides a peaceful haven for Palestinian women and children. Local missionaries run a summer camp that brings together Christian and Muslim children to sing Christian songs, read Bible stories, memorize Bible verses and enjoy arts and crafts. A Mother's Day event reaches Palestinian women. As parents bring their children to events, relational bridges are formed, and workers reach them with the Gospel."
Just imagine what would happen if every Palestinian child was raised to love rather than hate. You see, the love of Christ makes all the difference in the world. The Gospel can transform a terrorist as well as touch the heart of a toddler. If only every Palestinian child had the opportunity to hear about the love of Jesus! Tass Saada envisions the day when many Gazans will come to know Christ. "In time," Saada says, "the harvest is going to be huge."
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
