JERUSALEM
- Israel today faces one of the most traumatic times in its history.
The division within Israel over Ariel Sharon's plan to evict Jews from
Gaza has put Israel on the brink of a civil war. Many believing Jews
and Christians say it also puts both Israel and the U.S. on the wrong
side of the Bible.

On any given day in Israel, you are likely to see
Israelis protesting. Opponents of Sharon's Gaza Pullout Plan say he is
giving up promised land, and making Israel dangerously vulnerable to
its enemies. Protesters on the left applaud Sharon and hope he will
pull Israel out of much more than Gaza.

Israeli Knesset member Yossi Beilin said, "I think
that it is important that the world will know that we want not only to
leave Gaza, but to go for a permanent solution after this withdrawal.
This is why it is a kind of union of center-left to support the
withdrawal, but to us it is only the first step."

Even opponents of the Gaza Pullout agree Gaza will
be the first, not the last step in evicting Jews. The next place under
consideration for evictions is the West Bank or the bibical heartland
of Judea and Samaria.

The map for a possible Palestinian state has not
yet been drawn. However, President Bush and Condoleezza Rice have both
said it must be "contiguous."

That means the Palestinian areas of the West Bank
and Gaza would be connected by some kind of corridor, in effect cutting
Israel in two.

Under any scenario, the plans would give the
Palestinians nearly all of the land of Judea and Samaria, what the
prophet Ezekiel called, "the mountains of Israel."

Israelis across the political spectrum warn that
Jewish settlements, such as Ariel, a city of nearly 20,000, will likely
be outside the final borders of Israel. This scenario leaves many
believing Jews and Christians in Israel scratching their heads. They
are thrilled by President Bush's efforts to spread democracy and hope
through the Middle East, but they cannot understand how a
Bible-believing Christian can divide the land of Israel, when the Bible
says it belongs to the Jews.

Eliyahu Ben-Haim, the director of Intercessors for
Israel, says the Scriptures contain a clear warning to the nations that
divide God's land.

Ben-Haim said, ".if this succeeds, it will begin
the dismemberment of Israel as we know it today. In Joel, chapters one
and two, it says very clearly, 'In the day and hour I restore the
fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I'll gather all nations into the
valley of Jehosophat and there I will enter into judgment with them.
Judgment because you've scattered My people and divided up My Land."

Under these circumstances, many believing Jews and
Christians are turning to prayer. Twelve thousand Jews attended a
prayer meeting in the Gaza Strip last week.

Michael Freund has written a Jerusalem Post column
entitled "Calling all Christians." He says the evangelical church in
America plays a pivotal role in Israel's unfolding drama.

Freund declared, "American Bible-believing
Christians have an opportunity now. A unique opportunity to speak out
and to try and persuade George W. Bush and his administration not to
move ahead with the establishment of a Palestinian State. Not to move
ahead and divide the Holy Land."

Freund, Ben-Haim and others believe that today's
drama in Israel is not unlike the biblical drama being celebrated
today. Today, Thursday, March 24th, Jews around the world will fast and
pray to commemorate the beginning of Purim.

Purim is the biblical story when God used Esther to
save the Jews from annihilation. On this day, some organizations plan
to flood the White House with e-mails, pleading with President Bush to
help save the Jews of Gaza, honor God's covenant with his people and
stop the disengagement.