The Teaching of Jesus Denounces the “Donroe” Doctrine: So should those who Follow Jesus

The Monroe Doctrine was coined in the early Nineteenth Century to describe US President James Monroe’s vision for the Americas. Its core proclamation was that the European powers should take their grubby hands out of the Western Hemisphere (which I applaud) and allow the emerging nation, the United States, to fulfill the role of imperial power in the Americas (which I denounce).

In light of the US intervention in Venezuela over the weekend, President Trump renamed the vision as the “Donroe” doctrine. He described what this meant: “the US dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again” and “we (= the Trump administration) run Venezuela”. Trump identified other countries where he might intervene and rule: Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, and even Greenland!

What would Jesus say about this new application of the Monroe Doctrine? (Although it is somewhat risky to apply Jesus’ teaching today, twenty centuries after He walked the earth, this is precisely what followers of Christ are called to do.) Jesus clearly described the typical conduct of earthly rulers: “The rulers of the nations lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves ‘Doers of Good’. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-26)

Human rulers lord it over their people, and even though their actions of dominating other people is sinful and denounced by Jesus, human rulers like to describe these actions as “good”. Nevertheless, the Good Book says “woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”

Followers of Jesus might be attracted to bits and pieces of Trump’s policies, but the Donroe Doctrine definitely does not fit in that category. It is a clear vision, but clearly wrong. The teaching of Jesus denounces the domination of one nation over another. The followers of Christ should denounce it as well.

Trump’s Troops Capture Venezuelan President Maduro. Does Might Make Right?

Overnight, U.S. troops entered Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and flew them out of the country under U.S. custody. They are to stand trial in the United States. This military maneuver came as a surprise to many, both inside and outside of Venezuela. Civilians died, but the number of deaths is still unknown. There is no doubt that this attack reveals U.S. military supremacy, but that is not the major issue. The main question that must be answered is the following: “Does might make right?”. All major ethical systems would answer with a clear “No!”

Let’s be clear. Maduro was a thug. Although he had previously been elected President of his country, it also seems quite evident that he stole the most recent election. His Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez has claimed that she is running the country according to the Venezuelan Constitution. Some of the opposition affirm that it should be Edmundo Gonzalez who really won the election. Others suggest it should be Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. It remains to be seen who the Venezuelan generals will support. It is likely there will be fighting in the streets with many deaths. My hope and prayer are that the Venezuelan people will determine their own national destiny.

Nevertheless, I raise serious questions for the Trump administration.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress must authorize acts of warfare. Trump did not seek nor obtain this authorization. Neither did he even inform the bipartisan “Gang of 8” before the attack. Article 2 of the Constitution is an exception which grants limited war power to the President but only if U.S. personnel are under “actual or imminent” attack. Under no stretch of the imagination was this condition met.
Trump did not appeal to the United Nations for authorization. In fact, the President of Colombia has already asked the UN Security Council to intervene. Will the U.S. (a founding member of the UN) even acknowledge that it violated the UN charter?
Trump gave a campaign promise that he would not take our country into war, especially to bring about “regime change”. Hegseth and Rubio made the same promise to our Congress last month. Trump does not seem to understand the complexities of Venezuela’s internal polarization. Does he have any clue about the “day after”. Did candidate Trump lie to his MAGA base?
Just War Theory affirms that wars should never be waged in order to obtain the natural resources of another country. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves. To what extent has this oil motivated Trump’s military attack?
According to the polls, Trump is the most unpopular president of the last hundred years. Over 60% of Americans disagree with his policies on the economy, health care, ICE detentions, and tariffs. Does he hope our people will rally around a president at war with a “cheap patriotism? A genuine love for one’s country seeks truth, justice, the rule of law and peace that comes from national righteousness.

I ask all people of good will to ask and answer these tough, but necessary questions. “Might makes right” is an immoral heresy that should be rejected.

Ukraine Again: An Evil Dictator (Putin), a Weak President (Trump) and No End to the War

On Sunday Ukrainian President Zelensky met with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss steps to end the four year old war by Putin’s Russia on its weaker neighbor. Both Trump and Zelensky claimed that “progress” had been made. Even while negotiations were going on, Putin was continuing the bombing of civilian areas in Ukraine. Trump then talked to Putin by phone and affirmed the strange claim that Putin wanted Ukraine to “succeed”. Later, Putin alleged that Ukraine sent drone strikes at one of his personal residences in Russia. Trump became very angry when he heard about these strikes, although he did admit that these strikes could be fictitious.

You probably see many holes in this narrative…and rightly you should. We have seen this script acted out (with a few variations) for four long years. We have been on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs where hopes of a peace are raised and then dashed to pieces…again and again. I am tired of hearing the same lies over and over. Let’s shine the light of truth on two specific individuals.

Putin is an evil aggressor who invaded Ukraine. He is guilty of war crimes. He is not a man of peace. And in no way does he want Ukraine to succeed. He claims he wants peace but he does not sit down with Zelensky to have genuine negotiations. His demands for concessions (land, no NATO membership or protection for Ukraine) are ridiculous that none of us would accept. An honest appraisal of Putin would conclude that he has “played” the White House and continues to do so.
Although Trump likes to bully his rivals and subordinates, in fact, he is a weak president. He has never stood up to Putin (nor to any other authoritarian leader like China’s Xi). He praises Putin at every turn. “Putin did not start this war,” “Putin wants to end this war,” and “Putin is a man of peace.” Nevertheless, we have seen the evidence. Putin will never end this war because of any supposed “goodness” in his heart. He will only agree to a peace deal when war becomes too costly. Economic sanctions need to be levied against Putin until he is forced to negotiate. Mr. Trump, don’t blame our European allies. Work with them to apply economic pressure upon Putin. Do not enable him any longer. In short, become a true leader.

President Trump Continues to Break Many Laws and to Violate the Constitution. Woe to Those Who Enable Him

The Epstein Files – A month ago, both chambers of Congress passed a bill (the Epstein Files Transparency Act) that required the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all of the Epstein files regarding sex trafficking by December 19, 2025 (with a limited amount of material to be redacted in order to protect the identity of the victims). On Friday some 13,000 files had been released but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche admitted that not all of the files would be released by Friday.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky who co-sponsored the bill is not convinced that the DOJ is acting in good faith.. Prior to the release of this first trove of files, in a post to X, Massie described the information he was expecting. “The victims’ lawyers have been in contact with me. And collectively, they know there are at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI. So, if we get a large production on December 19th, and it does not contain a single name of any male who’s accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents”. In addition, sixteen files with pictures that were inadvertently released on Friday had already been taken down from the website by Saturday because they contained a photograph of Trump. After reviewing the material, Massie accused the DOJ of “flouting the spirit and the letter of the law.”

If President Trump is truly innocent of any criminality, he should order the DOJ to release all the files immediately. To not release them means allowing guilty pedophiles and sex traffickers to continue to freely roam our streets. (Breaking news: a second trove of documents has just been released. This is due to the outcry raised by citizens of both parties.)

War with Venezuela? – In early September, Secretary of Defense Hegseth began to order military strikes against small boats off the coast of Venezuela and also in the eastern Pacific. As of today, more than 29 boats have been destroyed and over 100 people have been killed. Hegseth has alleged that Venezuela was smuggling drugs Into the United States but the evidence makes the allegation quite unconvincing for the following reasons:

Athough Venezuela is far from perfect, it does not have a history of shipping drugs to the United States. Fentanyl comes through Mexico and Cocaine through Colombia or Central America.
Drug smugglers would not use precious cargo space for people; they would fill up the holds with drugs.
Although several boats were destroyed in the Pacific, these could not have been Venezuelan, because Venezuela does not even have a coastline on the Pacific! These boats would have had to come through the Panama Canal. Ridiculous!

More recently, three Venezuelan oil tankers have been stopped and/or seized by the U.S. military, Republican Senator Rand Paul claims that Trump is trying to provoke a war, so that the U.S. can take control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

Trump’s attacks on boats and detention of oil tankers are acts of warfare. According to our Constitution, it is Congress that should declare war. If the president has a legitimate case for war, let him present it to Congress where both the House of Representatives and the Senate are controlled by Republicans.

Trump’s Name on Government Buildings – During his second term in the White House, Donald Trump (and his acolytes) have tried to place his name or face all over the place (on a new one dollar coin, on Mount Rushmore, on the Institute of Peace, and most recently, on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. This last attempt is a most obscene demonstration of his narcissistic megalomania. First, he fired members of the Board and replaced them with his cronies. He also named himself Chair of the Board. He then feigned modesty and unawareness when the Board voted to add his name (and in front of JFK’s!) to the Kennedy Memorial Center.

He and his Board also showed a complete lack of knowledge of the meaning of the word “memorial”. “Memorial” is used to honor people who have already died, not those who are still alive. Perhaps the White House knows something about the state of the president’s health that we don’t know. In any case, it was Congress that originally named the Kennedy Center and only Congress can rename it.

Enablers – Enablers are people who through their silence allow their leaders, family members, or others to continue practicing bad or criminal behavior. This silence is quite damaging. Although every administration has had its share of enablers, the current one seems to be permeated by “Yes men and women”. People of integrity praise what is good and denounce that which is immoral. I invite supporters of Trump to find their moral backbone and to reject his most unjust and illegal actions.

In the Midst of Our Deep Polarization, We Desperately Need to Develop our Spiritual/Political Discernment Skills

Almost everyone agrees that we are living in the most profound polarization in the United States since the Civil War. New issues emerge every day that divide us. Here is just a sample of the most recent topics:

U.S. Air strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela: legitimate defense against drug trafficking or war crimes ordered by Secretary of Defense Hegseth?
A video in which six Democrat elected officials urge soldiers to not obey illegal orders: a helpful restatement of the military code or an act of sedition that merits death?
Common vaccines administered to children cause autism and other severe problems: dangerous non/scientific myths pushed by RFK and others or gospel truth?
Opening protected land to new oil drilling: A boost to the economy or a rapid, dangerous increase in global warming?
Massive tariffs leveled against most of our trading partners: a necessary leveling of the playing field or a factor contributing to an increase in inflation?
The legal case against James Comey: a necessary action to pursue justice or a personal vendetta of a childish president?
The best college football team in the country: Ohio State or Indiana?

In the midst of competing claims, how can we discern what is true from what is the noise of propaganda? Although it is hard work, there are steps we can take to cultivate our moral/political discernment skills.

Most of us like to think that we are “open-minded”, at least I am open to the truth. There is an academic exercise that helps us test our openness. Every semester at the last institution where I taught (Whitworth University) we would team-teach a course on “Worldviews and Public Policies”. We would ask the students to choose a policy and analyze it, by completing the following steps.

Articulate a public policy (example-the morality and legality of the war in Iraq according to Just War Theory), your position on the policy and how your own worldview (ethics, ideology, etc) applies to the policy. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of your position. What major sources do you use to justify you position? How do you know they are reliable?
Articulate a rival position regarding the same policy and defend that position and why some people are attracted to that position. What main sources are generally utilized to defend the rival position? Are they reliable? Why or why not?
Very important – What evidence would you be willing to accept as sufficiently strong to get you to change your position? (If students did not answer this question, it suggests they were not as open-minded as they thought.)
If you would change your position, would that require other changes in your life (example -reconsidering what “patriotism” means)?

There are additional “common-sense” suggestions for healing our national divide:

Be humble. Your rivals might be right and you might (occasionally) be wrong.
Double check your facts.
Don’t exaggerate the truth (even use hyperbole and sarcasm sparingly).
Think outside the box.
Find common ground.
Acknowledge bits of truth wherever they are found.
For those in the U.S., the Constitution is the rule book.
The courts are the referees. If you think they are wrong, appeal to a higher court, but don’t ignore them.

May we bring a small bit of healing to our country!

In the Epstein Case, the Most Damaging Evidence was Volunteered by Trump Himself

The last two weeks have not been kind to President Trump regarding the Epstein case, but the most damning testimony was caused by Trump himself. Let’s see why.

Fifty days after her special election victory, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was sworn into office. Her first political action was to sign the Massie-Khanna resolution that triggered a vote to release the Epstein files.
President Trump aggressively pressured Republicans to vote not to release the files. The pressure was so intense that it raised suspicions that Trump was trying to hide evidence that would be embarrassing, at least, or even worse, incriminating. It soon became evident, that dozens of Republicans were going to vote for the release of the files. Seeing the writing on the wall, Trump flip flopped and changed his position. He then urged Republicans to vote in favor of the release of the files. The vote then passed almost unanimously in the House (with only one negative vote).
In the Senate, the same bill was approved by unanimous consent. There were no changes made to the bill, even though House Speaker had hoped the Senate would change the bill to make it “better”.
According to information released by the White House, Trump signed the bill into law (although the customary pictures of the presidential signing did not occur).
And now the damaging evidence volunteered by Trump himself. On Monday he gave a press conference in which he was asked about the Epstein case. He responded, “As far as the Epstein files, I have nothing to do with Jeffray Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.” Let’s hone in on this last sentence.
According to various emails, Epstein and Trump were “best friends” for ten years. Trump has tried to distance himself from Epstein, saying he barely knew him. Trump previously affirmed that he had barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club over a business practice. Allegedly, Epstein had persuaded pretty female employees from Mar-a-Lago to leave Trump’s club and to come work for him. That was Trump’s official explanation. The recent press conference goes much further. He identifies Epstein as a “sick pervert”. Trump thought he was improving his own image by distancing himself even more from the evil Epstein. Quite the contrary. If I know that my best friend, or even an acquaintance, is a sick pervert, of course I should not become complicit in his sexual crimes. But, if I have any moral compass, I should do much more. Perverts, like Epstein, do horrific damage to their victims. To protect young women and innocent girls from sex trafficking, a truly ethical person would report the pervert to the police. Trump did not do so. When did Trump become aware of Epstein’s pedophilia and human trafficking? According to the President, “many years ago”. Trump thought he was improving his standing among the American people. Not true. It turns out he is his own worst witness.

Some Democrats Caved…, I Didn’t Like It, But There Are Some Positive Results

As readers know, seven Democrat senators (plus Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats) voted on Monday together with 52 Republican senators to end the six-week long federal shutdown. This Continuing Resolution will now go to the House of Representatives and will be voted on (possibly Wednesday).

I did not like it that these eight senators gave in to the compromise (=caved). They broke their word. Six weeks ago, Democrats had voted against the Republican Continuing Resolution funding bill. This led to the federal government’s shutdown. Given that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Democrat vote on funding was the only leverage available to the Democrats in their struggle towards getting an extension for healthcare insurance subsidies (The Affordable Care Act, ACA known more widely as Obamacare). I understand why these 8 senators caved. The shutdown was inconvenient for many people and extremely painful for others (ex. those who depended on SNAP for food and those federal workers who were fired). Nevertheless, the election last Tuesday and recent polls all indicate that a strong majority of Americans were willing to endure this temporary pain in order to keep their vital health care. (“No pain, no gain.”) The eight senators received promises from Republican Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, promises that might not be fulfilled (see below). Nonetheless, there are some positive results. Republicans, perhaps unknowingly, also made concessions (=caved).

Fired Federal Workers – During the shutdown, thousands of federal employees were fired (not merely temporarily furloughed). President Trump bragged about these firings, falsely claiming that the shutdown gave him the legal authority to implement the firings. The new resolution requires that these fired federal employees get their jobs back, including full back pay.
Obamacare Subsidy Extensions – Senator Majority Leader Thune promised the Democrats that there would be a vote in Congress regarding an ACA subsidy extension bill to be written by Democrats. This is good and appropriate. Thune can guarantee that a vote will be taken in the Senate, but not in the House of Representatives. Supposedly, Thune had conferred with the Speaker of the House, Mike Brown, to ensure a vote would be taken in the House. Brown has since walked back that promise. Time will tell if Thune or Brown is lying.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva – Ms. Grijalva was elected to the House of Representatives in a special election back in September. Speaker Brown refused to seat her, falsely claiming that he could not do so while the House was “in recess”. This claim was a lie because Brown did seat two Republicans who won special elections in Florida while the House was “in recess”. To lift the shutdown, the House must now go back in session and approve this amended Continuing Resolution. (Brown had previously refused to do this. He caved, too.) One of the first actions in the order of business MUST be to seat the lawfully elected Adelita Grijalva.
The Epstein Files – As a corollary, Grijalva’s vote will force the government to release the Epstein files. Although President Trump campaigned on releasing the files, he has fought tooth and now against them becoming public. Even many in the MAGA base are demanding that they become public. This sure gives the impression that the president is hiding some very bad information. At the very least, some of his friends, who are pedophiles, are walking freely on our streets.
Trump’s Lies – Many of his lies are quite obviousto most of us. Nevertheless, some of his supporters don’t like to acknowledge his lies. For example, during the shutdown, Trump affirmed he could not legally pay out full SNAP benefits for November. That lie will be made obvious by the end of the shutdown.
Schumer Might Be Out – Senator Schumer has not been as effective as Democrats has hoped. It is a tough job, but they wanted to see a stronger fight against Trump’s policies, especially the cruelest ones. Mr. Schumer, thank you for your service, but it is time to go.

My Dear Brother Johnson, Thou Shalt Not Lie about the “No Kings” Protests Tomorrow

You, (and I) claim to follow Jesus as our Lord. We should, therefore, live according to his teachings. We should speak the truth in love. We should love our neighbors and seek their wellbeing. If we are mistaken in thoughts or deeds, we should be open to correction, especially from our spiritual siblings.

You have made many assertions about the upcoming protests and I believe your affirmations are dead wrong. You say these peaceful protesters “hate America”. You have called them “terrorists”. You are called by God to be a peacemaker, yet you have stoked the flames of anger. You have not offered a shred of evidence for your accusations. Of course, I cannot know what is in the heart of every protester (neither can you). Nevertheless, the act of peacefully criticizing one’s political leaders does not mean hatred for your country. Quite the contrary! You and I should be able to agree that the Biblical prophets, John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself loved their neighbors and their enemies even as they denounced the sins of political leaders of their days. Criticism that is “constructive” must be accurate and provided to bring about repentance and growth. This kind of constructive criticism is genuine patriotism, not the “cheap patriotism” that is adulation and bowing down to a president. Peaceful protest is an appropriate application of the First Amendment.

I respectfully submit for your consideration some of your actions that I consider to be immoral and likely illegal.

I (and most of the protesters) think you are practicing hypocrisy. You say you cannot swear in Adelita Grijalva who was elected to her seat in a special election in Arizona because the House of Representatives is not “in session”. Nevertheless, earlier this year you swore in two Republicans who were elected in special elections in Florida when the House was not in session. There is no nice way to say this: you are a hypocrite. It seems that the real reason for not swearing her in is that you don’t want Grijalva’s vote to force the Epstein files to be made public. The names and identities of the sex traffickers and pedophiles should be made known to the public. Which side are you on?
According to our Constitution, the judiciary, the legislative, and the executive branches are co-equal and are to be checks and balances on each other. But you have allowed the president to roll over congressional responsibilities. Here are two examples.
You have allowed the president to overturn funding that had already been approved by Congress (USAID, New York’s transportation projects) without even raising a whimper.
According to our Constitution, wars are declared by Congress. Nevertheless, Trump is carrying out war actions against Venezuela, and he has not even met with Congress’ “Gang of Eight” to let them know or to get their approval.
You label protesters as “terrorists”. The first “no kings” protests earlier this year were overwhelmingly peaceful. What evidence do you have that show that these protesters are terrorists? Would you admit that some of their criticisms are valid?
You sent the House of Representatives home for vacations a week early and you have kept them “on break” for additional weeks (even though the Senate is “in session”). It sure seems you have no interest in finding a mutually agreed upon solution to the government shutdown. You have demanded that Democrats approve the Continuing Resolution so that you can have “more time” to negotiate the ACA extensions past the end of the year “sunset”. You have known for months that you needed 60 senators to approve the resolution. Why should citizens believe that you would use a time extension and act in good faith?

Speaker Johnson, as the Scriptures say, “Thou shalt not lie” and “Repent and find forgiveness.”

Trump, Netanyahu and Others: Credit where Credit is Due and Blame where Blame is Due

Sunday, in my community of faith, one of our pastors gave a sermon on King Solomon. On the one hand, Solomon is widely known for his wisdom. Nevertheless, the Scriptures also describe how he made many unwise (=stupid) mistakes. Which of the following affirmations is true: “Solomon was wise” or “Solomon made stupid mistakes”? Although they seem contradictory, both can be accurate and true…at the same time and referring to the same person. His father, King David, was “a man after God’s own heart”, yet after committing adultery with Bathsheba, he tried to cover this sin with a more deadly one, in which he authorized the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband.

The pages of history are strewn with examples of these moral contradictions. One of my favorite U.S. presidents was Abraham Lincoln. He freed the slaves. He kept the Union together during a horrible civil war that cost some 620,000 lives. Nevertheless, that war involved actions that were morally horrific. Lincoln authorized Sherman’s non justified “march to the sea” (with its scorched earth policy) in which thousands upon thousands of Southern civilians had their homes and farms ravaged and destroyed. At one and the same time, Lincoln was a good moral president who also made some ethically horrible decisions.

We can see this moral contradiction in both Trump and Netanyahu. Accurate descriptions will give credit/blame where they are due.

Trump and team should receive credit for brokering the ceasefire

Most hostages on both sides have been released
Israel is removing its soldiers from Gaza
Hamas has agreed to disarm
Palestinians have the right to self-determination
Humanitarian aid will immediately increase into Gaza
Some twenty nations (Arab, European) have pledged to support the peace process with resources
An international “Board of Peace” will be created to ensure safety and stability in Gaza and a process leading to self-government

These phases require Trump to focus and follow through on his commitments. These will probably be more difficult for him than this initial step of the ceasefire.

It is appropriate and important to assign blame to Trump for his actions/policies that are immoral, dangerous and/or misguided. Some of these are:

Trump’s gutting of USAID is causing the premature death of tens of thousands innocent people around the world.
Trump’s firing of needed federal employees (FEMA, CDC, IRS) which is causing unnecessary harm to these workers and to the American public.
Trump promised to end the war against Ukraine on “Day 1”, but peace is far away because Trump has coddled Putin and has not applied economic sanctions. At least Trump acknowledges that Putin has “played him”.
Trump promised to target criminal undocumented immigrants, but over 60% of those detained by ICE have NO CRIMINAL RECORD!
Trump promised the Epstein files would be released, but he and Republican leaders (like Johnson) are doing everything possible to block their release. What is Trump hiding?
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is really quite ugly, because it takes away health care from millions of tax-paying citizens and food from the mouths of babes.
Trump promised to reduce prices for consumers, but he has an obsession with tariffs that add to inflation and have been a failure (see China).
Almost all of Trump’s public actions are moves toward presidential authoritarianism at the expense of the legislative and judiciary branches of our government and states’ rights.
Trump has character flaws that no ethical system can condone (bullying, womanizing, racism, lying to an extreme, blaming others for his own failures). MAGA readers: where is your prophetic voice against personal immorality?

Netanyahu likewise deserves credit and blame. Here is a short summary.

He should be credited for standing up to the conservative “war hawks” in his Cabinet who wanted to continue the war in Gaza.
He should also be credited for changing his position on Palestinian self-determination which the peace deal acknowledges.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu has rightly been found guilty of war crimes and genocide by the ICC. These are serious crimes and should not be swept under the rug.
Even today, he has made comments that cast doubt on whether he will abide by Trump’s 20-point plan. After Trump obtained an invitation for him to attend the summit in Egypt, Bibi backed out. Today’s celebration might be premature.

Today, more than ever, we the people need to express our approval or disapproval of our national leaders, not based on their party affiliation, but rather on whether their actions and policies are just or unjust.

A Ceasefire in Gaza! Kudos to Trump…IF He is Able to Implement it.

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that a ceasefire in Gaza had been brokered between Israel and Hamas (together with collaboration from several countries in the region). Although I frequently criticize the president for several political decisions that I consider immoral and vile, on this issue he should be applauded…temporarily, at least. The president issued a 20-point plan that (supposedly) both Hamas and Israel have agreed to. Nevertheless, some of these items might become “sticking points” if either side doesn’t follow through. Here are some of those points:

Israel agreed to halt its bombardment of Gaza. What happens if they continue to wage war on Gazans?
Hamas has agreed to disarm its followers/soldiers. Who will verify and certify this disarmament?
Israel has long opposed the independence of Gaza, but supposedly has now agreed that Gazans would be free. They would be governed by an international “peace council” of which Trump himself would oversee. What happens if the Israeli government backs away from this agreement?
The Trump plan allows for the discussion of nationhood of Palestine. Netanyahu says this is a “no-go”. This is a serious sticking point. Can Trump use his influence to get Israel to change its position?
Israel has agreed to pull out its soldiers from most of Gaza. What happens if they keep some/most of their soldiers there?
All Israeli and Palestinian hostages and detainees would be returned to their homeland and loved ones. What a wonderful homecoming! What happens if there are discrepancies in the number and health of these returnees? Who verifies these figures?

A just peace in Palestine has not happened for a long time. May this time be different!!!