Anarchy: Gaza Follows Haiti

For over a year, Haiti’s law enforcement system has been in shambles. Despite police assistance from Kenya and monetary and military hardware aid from the United States and the United Nations, the situation in Haiti is far from being under control (Reuters, September 3, 2024). The aid has been slow to arrive, leaving security forces struggling against gangs and losing hope. Upwards of five children die every week due to gang warfare (The Guardian, August 23, 2024).

On the other side of the Atlantic, as Israel dismantles Hamas, Palestinian crime families once kept at bay by Hamas are resurfacing (The Times, August 19, 2024). With Hamas’ police force disbanded, looting and lawlessness have gripped the Gaza Strip. Residents hear frequent gunfire in their neighborhoods—not fighting between Hamas and Israeli troops, but between Palestinian gangs. When Hamas took over, it moved powerful Palestinian clans to the side, but allowed them to keep their weapons. According to a source in Gaza, Hamas made an agreement with these large clans (each with a minimum of 3,000 men) that they would not use their weapons against each other. But with Hamas mostly gone, these clans are fighting again and running a black market in goods stolen and looted from the Palestinian people. As one humanitarian aid worker noted, “The fabric of society has been ripped apart,” and Palestinian clans are now helping to destroy the remaining shreds of their society.

Lawlessness in Haiti and Gaza highlights an inherent flaw in human nature. When left to themselves without the guidance of God’s Spirit and the moral compass of His law, people revert to self-preservation and self-promotion. People may take care of their friends and families but are often willing to subjugate everyone else. The Apostle James asked and answered an important question: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1). There is a solution to the situations in Haiti, Gaza, Myanmar, North Korea, and many other nations around the globe that are currently self-destructing. That solution is the return of Jesus Christ! To learn more about this earth-changing event, be sure to read or listen to Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return.