Prophetic Borders Through War
- Michael E.B. Maher
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
This now brings us to the discussion of Israel’s territories that have been fully and partially restored, which as we will see in this section, have materialised mainly through the mechanism of war. In 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 (II), known as the Partition Plan for Palestine, marking the beginning of Israel's restoration. The plan proposed dividing Mandatory Palestine into independent Arab and Jewish states, with an international zone around Jerusalem. The Jewish state would receive 56% of the territory (14,100 square kilometres), the Arab state 42% (11,100 square kilometres), and the international zone comprising Jerusalem and Bethlehem would take up 2%[1]. While Jewish leaders accepted this partition, Palestinian Arab leaders and Arab states rejected it. Comparing the partition plan's map with current borders clearly shows that the Palestinians would have gained more territory and international recognition had they accepted the original proposal. And so we see that to fulfil His purposes, the Lord influenced the Arab leaders’ decision to reject the Partition Plan.
From its inception until now, Israel has fought eight separate wars. Of the eight wars fought, only two resulted in the progressive restoration of Israel’s borders, and so it is those wars which we will discuss in this section. Israel’s first war of territorial gain began after the UN adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine, sparking a civil war between Jewish and Palestinian Arab militias, supported by Arab states. The conflict escalated in March 1948, with Jewish forces gaining the upper hand. On 14 May 1948, the British Mandate ended, and Israel declared independence. The next day, Arab armies invaded, marking the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Israeli forces halted Arab advances, with Jordan capturing East Jerusalem and Egypt securing the Gaza Strip. By 1949, Israel signed armistices with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, gaining control of most former Mandate territory. The war resulted in the displacement of around 700,000 Palestinian Arabs, many of whom became stateless refugees. Jordan annexed the West Bank, and Egypt controlled Gaza, while Israel solidified its statehood[2]. The pertinent observation we can make from this conflict is that the Lord allowed Israel to retain full control of the territories it gained. There are two reasons for that; firstly, the territories gained fell within Israel’s God given borders and secondly, Israel expelled most of the local population (Palestinians) from said territories. This war resulted in 73% of Israel’s God given territories being fully restored. The map below highlights Israel’s borders before and after the 1948 war.
Map of Israel’s borders before and after the 1948 war
Israel’s second war of territorial gain, the Six-Day War (June 5–10, 1967), was a swift and decisive conflict between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Tensions had escalated since the 1949 armistice and the 1956 Suez Crisis. Israel launched pre-emptive air strikes on June 5, crippling Egypt’s air force and gaining air supremacy. Ground offensives followed, leading to Israel’s occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip. Jordan and Syria joined the war but were defeated, with Israel capturing the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Ceasefires were agreed by June 11. The war resulted in heavy Arab casualties and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Syrians. Israel’s territorial gains had lasting geopolitical and humanitarian impacts, while the Suez Canal remained closed until 1975[3]. The pertinent observations we can make from this conflict are the following; firstly, over the long term the Lord did not allow Israel to retain control of the Sinai Peninsula because it fell outside Israel’s God given borders. And so Israel finally withdrew from the Sinai in 1982. Secondly, because the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights fell within Israel’s God given borders, the Lord allowed Israel to retain nominal control of those territories. Nevertheless, these territories were only partially restored because Israel did not expel the local populations of Palestinians and Syrians. This war resulted in a further 20% of Israel's God-given territories being partially restored, bringing the total to 93% of Israel's borders being either fully or partially restored. The map below highlights Israel’s borders after the 1967 war.
Map of Israel’s borders after the 1967 war
Michael E.B. Maher
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