For two days concerns were voiced over details of the 20-Point Peace Agreement, purporting to have brought peace to the Middle East. Two days ago, I published I am No Fan of the 20-Point Peace Agreement, which was followed by Pastor Jack Hibbs: Vision in the Night…a Biblical View of the 20-Point Peace Plan. Not everyone agrees (which is fine) that the peace deal, as written, is not very favorable to Israel.

One contention mentioned in both posts above is the fact the deal is more of a business deal, cut by billionaires, than it is a geopolitical peace plan engineered by the US Secretary of State. The billionaire US negotiators (Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff) have done very significant business in and with Qatar, the major negotiating nation on Hamas’ side. The idea has been floated that there may be a conflict of interest.

Surely not, some might say. But my gut (and apparently others as noted in the posts above) tells me something different. Now, comes the CBS 60 Minutes interview that seems to validate the concerns, and here is Breitbart’s take on what was said in that interview:

In the span of only a few days, the conflict of interest flame seems to have been sparked. Both men believe Hamas negotiated in good faith…really? When the stated goal of Hamas (in their charter) is to destroy Israel? When Hamas fired rockets at Israel within several hours of the deal’s confirmation? When Hamas took out two IDF soldiers? When Hamas literally lined up and shot (ISIS-style) their own Gaza citizens accused (not convicted) of betraying Hamas? When Hamas refuses to disarm and demilitarize, after agreeing to do so in the deal? Please tell me…how can you say Hamas negotiated in “good faith” when everything before and after the peace deal seems to prove the exact opposite?

Kushner stated Israel must “find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better” if they [Israel] want to be integrated into the Middle East. Excuse me! It was Israel who, prior to October 7, granted thousands of work permits every day for Gazans to come to work in Israel. It was Israel who took in Gazan children (at Israel’s expense) to perform life-saving surgeries and procedures. It was, in fact, Israel’s great medical technology that saved Yahya Sinwar’s life when a brain abscess was found and removed while he was in an Israeli prison. (On October 7, the Sinwar-led attack on Israel killed that doctor’s nephew.) It was Israel who (prior to October 7) shipped hundreds of truckloads of concrete into Gaza every year for the purpose of building schools, hospitals and mosques. Instead, that concrete built tunnels that served as operational space and hostage holding cells after October 7. It was Israel who supplied hundreds of truckloads of food, water and supplies DURING THE WAR to the Gazan people (but highjacked by Hamas). After all that, don’t talk about Israel’s need to “help the Palestinians thrive and do better” while you do business with Hamas’ biggest backer!

Meanwhile, Witkoff supposedly “bonded with a Hamas leader over the shared loss of their sons.” I’m sorry for any loss of life, but understand that a terrorist lifestyle will almost always lead to loss of life. The pain of loss may be shared, and I don’t know the circumstances of either man’s loss. However, the son of a terrorist leader draws little compassion.

Friends, pardon me if this seems contrarian, but when viewed against the backdrop of God’s Word, this deal certainly raises red flags from a Biblical perspective. While I pray the Lord will grant a season of peace even through this flawed deal, I remain convinced the peace deal will not be long-lived. It has already been severely violated and, at absolute best, it survives only as long as there is a world leader willing and able to forcibly see it through. It will take more than daily warnings (which is all Trump is doing as of this writing), as the only language terrorists understand is complete and total decimation. Short of that, Hamas will rise again to wreck havoc…and if not them, then the next terrorist group up will happily take their place. That is the nature of evil and the depravity of those whose sole purpose is to rid the earth of Jewish people.

Buckle up, Christian friends. The Middle East will remain heated. And though we may be experiencing a political revival of sorts, what we truly need is a spiritual revival. That begins in the heart of every believer. Are you on board with that?