Messianic musicians drawn back to Israel

By David F. Dawes

Abbotsford-based
Messianic musicians
Elana (left) and
Merla Watson.

DESPITE the ongoing and deadly conflict in the Middle East, a B.C. couple have found themselves repeatedly drawn to the region.

Merv and Merla Watson, who are based in Abbotsford, have long been familiar to followers of the Messianic music genre. The couple have an affinity for traditional Hebrew music, and have explored Messianic Judaism on many recordings over the past three decades. They have also raised a musical family, and daughter Elana has recently followed them into the Messianic field. Several months ago, Elana released an album of Hebrew and English songs entitled Awake, O Israel; she recently released a Spanish-language edition of the album.

Over the years, Merv and Merla have frequently lived in Israel; last summer, they moved to Jerusalem, where they have been working at the Anglican International School of Jerusalem. In July, they paid a visit to the Pacific Northwest, speaking and singing at various churches, home groups and ROOTS ('Recycling of Old Testament Secrets') gatherings in B.C. and Washington State. Just before they returned to Jerusalem last month, BCCN spoke to Merv Watson.

"There is great prophetic significance in Israel," he said. This is lost on many Christians, he added. "We discover a great lack of knowledge about the Middle East, among North American churches." He attempted to rectify this in some of his presentations. "I've spoken on the Book of Obadiah, dealing with the question of the way Esau and his descendants have taken advantage of Jacob -- i.e. Israel -- and his descendants. It's almost like Obadiah was writing tomorrow's news."

Asked about the danger he and his wife could be facing in Israel, Watson gave a revealing glimpse into the country. "Life goes on normally in Israel. If there's an explosion, and a building is damaged, it's repaired instantly to remove the effect of it -- so it's not acknowledged. Emergencies and crises are absorbed into everyday life, and life goes on. If this kind of destructive pressure were put on Canada, we'd be so shocked and dismayed that it would stop commerce and all other aspects of everyday life. But Israel just keeps building -- its cities, its economy, and its educational facilities -- despite this threatening climate."

This mindset, he said, provided a valuable lesson: "No matter what happens, we must go on; we must resist collapsing in the face of threats and overwhelming odds against us. These people thrive on that kind of challenge. Many are frightened, of course, but they somehow get hold of themselves."

Watson contended that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been distorted by much of the Western media.

"It's a source of annoyance that the line on the Middle East is always anti-Israel. The Jews are always portrayed as wrong, no matter what. When violence is reported, it's presented as if there's no provocation, and that Israeli soldiers simply open fire."

Asked about the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli authorities, he again expressed strong opinions -- especially concerning Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. "There's more injustice done to the Palestinians by other Palestinians than is done by the Jews. Arafat's forces have killed well over 700 people just on the suspicion of collaboration. They'll arrest people, and within three hours they'll be executed. The North American media don't show that. Arafat kills anyone who comes up as a possible leader. There's $12 million in his personal bank account -- and 55 percent unemployment in some Palestinian areas."

Arafat, he maintained, "keeps inciting the Palestinians. He's putting books in schools which just teach rank hatred toward Jews. He's not a statebuilder -- he's not a constructor, but a destructor." Consequently, he insisted, "if the Palestinians got a state tomorrow, it'd be total chaos."

He was not, he added, unsympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. "Israel has not always treated them well in the economic sense. Giving employment to the Palestinians is one bridge to conciliation."

BCCN asked Watson about one of the main sources of conflict in the region: the presence of Jewish settlers in the territory known as the West Bank. Opponents of Israel maintain that the land rightfully belongs to the Palestinians; Watson responded that they are ignoring Israel's legitimate claim to the area.

"This is called 'occupied land.' However, King Abdullah of Jordan came across in 1949 -- the year after Israel was created -- and took what is now called the West Bank. Jordan controlled it for 19 years, and during that time there was never a mention of a Palestinian state."

Regarding the militancy of some of the Israeli settlers, he asserted: "The actions of the settlers are largely self-defensive. They are constantly being harrassed and shot at on the road. They have felt totally abandoned by the Israeli government; they feel they have to take things into their own hands."

Christian Palestinians also feel abandoned, he said. "They are being forced out of the West Bank. They are in a squeeze. They can't celebrate Easter and other normal Christian holidays. They are harrassed by militant Palestinians. They are caught between Islam and Judaism. Many are pro-Israel, but this isn't recognized."

Watson was not optimistic about the possibilities for peace in the foreseeable future. "The trend is toward a confrontation between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. World domination is the ambition of Islam. It's happening demographically, by birth; there's now 8,000 mosques in England."

Conquest, he contended, "is inherent in the religion. For example, the Saudi Arabian flag has a sword. Islam means submission."

He was not entirely pessimistic, however. Reconciliation, he said, has been occuring -- not between armies and politicians, but between ordinary individuals. "I think it's happening on a one-to-one basis. I've seen Arab pastors and Jewish Messianic leaders embrace and pray for each other -- and this kind of thing is on the increase."