The experts are adamant: President Trump’s Gaza plan cannot work. His vision of transforming Gaza, taking control of the territory, and providing Palestinians with better housing in a new location has been dismissed as pure fantasy. Journalists and pundits mock the very idea that this terror haven could be transformed into what they sarcastically call “Mar-a-Gaza.”
But we’ve heard this same certainty before – the absolute conviction that building a new future in Israel is impossible. They said the same thing in 1896.
Why are the experts so consistently wrong about what’s possible in Israel?
When Theodor Herzl launched the modern Zionist movement in 1896 with his publication of The Jewish State, the scornful reactions came fast and furious – just as they did after President Trump announced his Gaza plan.
The famed historian Simon Dubnow held that Herzl’s Zionist project was “politically, socially, and economically” impossible. He believed that at most 1,000 people a year could move to the holy land, which means it would not help the millions of Jews suffering in Eastern Europe. He wrote, “Political Zionism is utopian by three: the dream to establish a Jewish State supported by international law, the dream to achieve the migration of a substantial element of the Jewish people to that State, and the dream to solve the problem of the entire Jewish people through the establishment of a Jewish state…” (Simon Dubnow, Zionism (Demographic) Realism and Wishful-Thinking: Public Letters on Ancient and Modern Judaism, March 1898).
Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg, primarily known by his Hebrew name and pen name Ahad Ha’am, was a famous Jewish journalist and essayist. He too dismissed Herzl’s vision: “Only a fantasy bordering on madness can believe that so soon as the Jewish State is established millions of Jews will flock to it, and the land will afford them adequate sustenance… We must confess to ourselves that the ‘ingathering of the exiles’ is unattainable by natural means.” (The Jewish State and the Jewish Problem, in Ten Essays on Zionism and Judaism, 1922)
Yet these brilliant experts were wrong. Everything they said could not happen – happened. Today, there are well over seven million Jews living in Israel. The Jewish state is a powerhouse – a global leader in technology and innovation, with one of the world’s most powerful armies, a rapidly growing economy, and a population that grows more traditional and connected to God with each passing year.
How did these experts get it so wrong? Because they forgot what the Bible tells us:
Rabbi Meir Wisser reveals the deeper meaning of this verse for Jewish history and destiny. He teaches: “The Lord informed him that although the city would now be destroyed and Israel would be sent into exile as the first among exiles, through personal providence to punish them for their sins, nevertheless His original plan would not change – the plan that determined the land would be an inheritance for the children of Israel. This is necessary because He is the God of all flesh, through His overall governance that connects all generations through many cycles and combinations, ‘and nothing is too wondrous for Me.'” As the God of all flesh, His providence extends across all generations, weaving together seemingly impossible circumstances to fulfill His promises. What seems utterly impossible to human eyes is simply another step in God’s master plan.
Modern Jewish history proves this divine principle. Somehow, the miraculous growth of the State of Israel did not convince the world that God is not bound by what is “realistic.” In 1974, in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, Gush Emunim – a movement promoting the establishment of Jewish settlement throughout Judea and Samaria – was established. At the time, most people – Jews and non-Jews alike – were very skeptical about whether it was realistic for Jews to settle Israel’s biblical heartland.
Yaakov Sharett, son of Israel’s second prime minister Moshe Sharett, said: “None of the settlers intend to really settle these territories. It’s doubtful whether even one permanent settlement will result from this.” (cited in Yigal Kenaan, Mekor Rishon, April 1, 2011). Today, well over 500,000 Jews live in Judea and Samaria – and the number is growing at a rate that is faster than the rest of Israel.
We are told that annexing Judea and Samaria is impossible, that we will never rebuild Jewish towns in Gaza, that taking back the Temple Mount and building the Temple is an impossible dream. But we believe in a God Who fulfills His promises – and makes the impossible possible.
“Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). The answer then, as now, is clear: nothing is impossible for the God of Israel.
Join Israel365 Action in building a stronger Israel. Stand with us as we champion a bold new vision for Israel, support communities in Judea and Samaria, and partner with Israelās true allies worldwide. Join the movement today!
