The Christian case for backing Israel

[JimR-OCDS]

Netanyahu persecuted Palestinians, committing rampant human rights violations for years before October 7. I know a young man who worked with Israelis and Palestinians to improve conditions and who talked to me quite a bit about it. Many Israelis oppose Netanyahu.

Pope Francis, the UN, the International Court of the Hague oppose the genocide in Gaza.
Just War theory demands that innocent civilians be protected as much as humanly possible.
Our tax dollars are supporting genocide, and we stand alone in condemning not Israel or its people but its brutal barbaric leader.

The case was made by Norm Finklestein that it was a boiling pot ready to explode. Then I watched him debate
with two other Jewish experts and from what they said it seems that there is no way out other than Israel ceases
to exist. Hamas has rejected a two-state solution and the radical Muslims living in Israel from 1948, have also
rejected a two-state solution. Hamas goal is to kill every Jew and abolish the state of Israel, and they've had this
in their goal since they were established. The problem goes further that the majority of Palestinians living in Gaza
support Hamas. I listened to the son of a Hamas leader who opposes them and has been rejected by his own father
because he opposes Hamas and their goal to wipe out Israel.

As far as Pope Francis goes, yes, we would love to see peace, but as long as Hamas and Hezbollah exist
and Iran keeps sending them weapons, peace will never happen in Israel. They will continue to launch
missiles and kill as many Jews as possible.

My niece is also married to a man from Lebanon, who is an orthodox Christian. He has no use for the Muslims
as he lived under them in Lebanon and has heard their goal, to convert the world to Islam and use violence
if necessary.

The only solution I can see is to follow God's will and so far from what I can see is that for Israel to exist and to defeat Hamas
and Hezbollah. That being said, I see this war escalating and I'm worried as my grandson is in the Navy and was deployed in
the Red Sea, destroying the Houthis. He's back in VA now, but his battle group is on alert to be redeployed. My guess this won't
happen before the election in November. Will Kamala Harris support Israel? I doubt it.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Does IDF stand for Israeli Defense Fund?
I challenge their stats.
Hamas was estimated to have 30,000 members...and IDF says Israel killed twenty million of the 30,000?
As I said, they are 21st century holy innocents.

Not sure of you were trying to make a joke but the IDF stands for Israeli Defense Force.

 

[eleos1954]

The Bible vividly portrays Israel as a central theme in God's plan for humanity. It is woven historically through the covenant of Abraham to launch a nation, maintained through the promises given to King David and his ancestors, and ultimately consummated in redemption through Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Today, millions of Protestants and Catholics find the biblical significance of Israel compelling and enduring, influencing their perspectives and steadfast support for the nation.

One of the most significant sources of controversy and division in recent times has been the debate over distinguishing between supporting Israel as a nation and supporting the Jewish people as God's chosen ones. This debate has led to considerable confusion and has attracted significant attention.

However, it's essential to recognize that the two are deeply intertwined. Our support should be approached from a spiritual perspective, not merely as a political issue.

But what does it mean to say we support Israel in today’s geo-political climate?

Continued below.

The Christian case for backing Israel

What does it mean to say we support Israel in today s geo-political climate

www.christianpost.com

The support for Israel is largely driven by interpretations of the Word of God regarding prophecy. Many ... if not most believe prophesy as being mostly literal and that the people of the nation of Israel are God's special chosen people and that the covenant will be fulfilled through the earthly nation of Israel. In reality .... everything is fulfilled through Christ. It don't have anything to do with any earthly kingdoms, including the nation of Israel.

It's all about Jesus ... there are no Jews or gentiles ... we are all one in Christ ... nothing else matters.

Galatians 3:28-29 New Living Translation (NLT)There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you.

The door of salvation is open to ALL who choose to come to Jesus, until His return.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Netanyahu persecuted Palestinians, committing rampant human rights violations for years before October 7. I know a young man who worked with Israelis and Palestinians to improve conditions and who talked to me quite a bit about it. Many Israelis oppose Netanyahu.

Pope Francis, the UN, the International Court of the Hague oppose the genocide in Gaza.
Just War theory demands that innocent civilians be protected as much as humanly possible.
Our tax dollars are supporting genocide, and we stand alone in condemning not Israel or its people but its brutal barbaric leader.

How is that? Lots of Arabs live and work INSIDE Israel everyday. How many Jews live and work in Gaza? Genocide? I don't think killing Hamas terrorists can be classified as "genocide". Hmmmm...

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Netanyahu has to destroy Hamas. If not, Hamas has a mission to kill every Jew and abolish the Israeli state.

If Netanyahu does not destroy Hamas, there will be many more October 7ths, and Hamas made the promise to do so.

At thus point, a cease fire is just an opportunity for Hamas to re-arm and regroup.

 

[Fantine]

Not sure of you were trying to make a joke but the IDF stands for Israeli Defense Force.

No. It was just a guess. Even so, the Israeli Defense Force has every reason to minimize the impact of their assault on Gaza.

I agree that Hamas is unreasonable, but they were elected once, in 2006, when half the population had not even been born. You cannot call these people collaborators or accomplices. All you can call them is the 21st Century Holy Innocents.

 

[BobRyan]

One of the most significant sources of controversy and division in recent times has been the debate over distinguishing between supporting Israel as a nation and supporting the Jewish people as God's chosen ones.

Anyone who becomes a Christian - becomes one of God's "chosen ones" according to Romans 2, Romans 9, Romans 11...
America makes alliances with foreign nations all the time and we are obligated to make good on our promises - whether it is to Israel or some other nation. We need to keep our word.

Our support should be approached from a spiritual perspective, not merely as a political issue.

our "military support"?

Outside of military and politics - we love our neighbor as ourselves and we share the gospel to everyone without distinction.

 

[BobRyan]

No. It was just a guess. Even so, the Israeli Defense Force has every reason to minimize the impact of their assault on Gaza.

Not very complicated -- historically the assault on Israel by Hamas in Gaza - was followed by the assault on the home of Hamas - Gaza.

I agree that Hamas is unreasonable,

Yep - everyone can see that one.

but they were elected once, in 2006, when half the population had not even been born.

And then forced re-election term after term.

"After Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections on 25 January 2006, Ismail Haniyeh was nominated Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority,[9] establishing a Palestinian national unity government with Fatah. This government effectively collapsed with the outbreak of the violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah.

"After the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas on 14 June 2007, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government and appointed Salam Fayyad Prime Minister.[10] Though the new Ramallah-based Palestinian government's authority was claimed to extend to both the Palestinian territories, in effect it became limited to the West Bank, as Hamas did not recognize the dismissal and continued to rule the Gaza Strip.[11] Both administrations – Abbas' Fatah government in Ramallah and the Hamas government in Gaza – regarded themselves as the sole legitimate government"

"Since the division between the two parties, there have been conflicts between Hamas and similar factions operating in Gaza, and with Israel, including the Gaza War of 2008–2009, the 2014 Gaza War"

You cannot call these people collaborators or accomplices.

Hamaz is made up of palestinians living in Gaza and they put their hostages in the homes of citizens in Gaza. The fact that Hamas is a brutal dictator over the people that they rule over is true. But that is the case with all brutal dictators in China, Russia, Cuba, N. Korea. We feel very sad for their own people - the ones they brutalize daily.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

No. It was just a guess. Even so, the Israeli Defense Force has every reason to minimize the impact of their assault on Gaza.

I agree that Hamas is unreasonable, but they were elected once, in 2006, when half the population had not even been born. You cannot call these people collaborators or accomplices. All you can call them is the 21st Century Holy Innocents.

The IDF is doing everything reasonable to minimize civilian casualties. However, Hamas is imbedded among the civilians.
As it is the majority of Palestinians support Hamas. They're as anti-Israel and anti-Christian as Hamas themselves.

 

[Fantine]

I recognize that Palestinians have dozens of reasons to dislike Israel, their neighbor. Their incomes are about 30% as high. They have to wait at long checkpoints to travel a few miles in the West Bank and Gaza (when crossing into an Israeli area) for work. Israel has for years set off "noise bombs" in Gaza to harass the residents, breaking the windows of their homes and apartments. Israel's behavior towards Palestinians has been hateful, discriminatory, and dismissive.

If Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas, they've been driven to do so by their persecutors. But your only "evidence" that the majority of Palestinians support Hamas is one election in 2006--when half the current population was not yet born and many others were not of voting age.

You have absolutely no evidence that they are as "anti-Israel and anti-Christian as Hamas themselves."

What is anti-Christian in your post is the idea that Israel is justified in brutally murdering 40,000 people and driving more than 3 million others, homes destroyed, towns bombed out, starving, homeless, and destitute, to an Egyptian border that denies them entry.

America has its "Trail of Tears." It goes through my state. It has so many parallels to Israel's cornering Palestinians.

Like our own Native Americans, Palestinians had their homeland usurped by displaced Jews in 1948. I understand the reason, and approve the reason, but in 1967, Israel, in an act of aggression, had a six-day war that more than doubled the land they had originally been given.

Israelis are not Christians, but the actions of Netanyahu are surely anti-God.

But I honor the Israelis who almost managed to drive him out of office (before he stitched together a coalition to hold on to his PM position.) I pray that Netanyahu who, like our former president, is under criminal indictment, is brought to justice and banned from politics forever.

 

[FireDragon76]

My denomination voted to divest in Israeli business that profit from the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, and I support that position as well. Nations must govern themselves according to a rules-based order that respects the dignity and rights of all human beings.

US support for Israel was never essentially theological, it was about supporting colonialist projects and Cold War politics as a counter to Pan-Arab nationalism, anti-colonialism, and Soviet ambitions in the Middle East region.

 

[Lost4words]

So, what should Israel's response be to what happened to them on October 7, 2023?

Heck, what should the allied response have been toward Germany in 1941? Should Americans
have protested that they were for the German people, just not the Nazis?

Why are there no protests against Iran sending weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah?

War is bad, but Israel has no choice but to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah even when they set up
in schools and hospitals.

Totally agree...

 

[Fantine]

Our tax dollars aren't supporting Iranian violence.
Our tax dollars are supporting Netanyahu's genocide. We can support Israel's right to self-determination without paying for it. They are a wealthy developed nation with many brilliant citizens---and if they stopped provoking violence they would have more peace.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

My denomination voted to divest in Israeli business that profit from the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, and I support that position as well. Nations must govern themselves according to a rules-based order that respects the dignity and rights of all human beings.

Illegal occupation lol. Yes Hamas respects the dignity and rights of all human beings. Tell that to all the Israel woman who were raped, murdered or abducted as hostages on 10/7. Tell that to the innocent children killed. IF you support the "palestinians" then you should be on Israel's side to destroy Hamas. THEY are the ones to blame.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Our tax dollars aren't supporting Iranian violence.
...and if they stopped provoking violence they would have more peace.

Yes they are. Hamas and Hezbollah need to stop provoking violence and shooting missiles (which they get from IRAN) daily into Israel. But they won't so they need to be destroyed. If this was happening in the US we would not even be having this conversation.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

I recognize that Palestinians have dozens of reasons to dislike Israel, their neighbor. Their incomes are about 30% as high. They have to wait at long checkpoints to travel a few miles in the West Bank and Gaza (when crossing into an Israeli area) for work. Israel has for years set off "noise bombs" in Gaza to harass the residents, breaking the windows of their homes and apartments. Israel's behavior towards Palestinians has been hateful, discriminatory, and dismissive.

If Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas, they've been driven to do so by their persecutors. But your only "evidence" that the majority of Palestinians support Hamas is one election in 2006--when half the current population was not yet born and many others were not of voting age.

Here is your evidence! Happened after 9/11 too. They teach their children in schools to hate and want to kill Jews! But again, Gaza was a paradise when under Israeli control. Given to the "palestinians" it became a sewer and a stronghold for Hamas. So how many Jews and work live in Gaza?? How many Arabs live and work in Israel?

 

[Fantine]

No one is saying that Hamas promotes human rights. But they killed a little over 1300 people--and Israel has retaliated by bombing their country to pieces, killing 40,000, and leaving the remaining 3 million starving, homeless, dehydrated, wounded, amputated, etc.

Is that the moral high ground? Retaliating hundreds of times more viciously and violently than the precipitating event?

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

No one is saying that Hamas promotes human rights. But they killed a little over 1300 people--and Israel has retaliated by bombing their country to pieces, killing 40,000, and leaving the remaining 3 million starving, homeless, dehydrated, wounded, amputated, etc.

Is that the moral high ground? Retaliating hundreds of times more viciously and violently than the precipitating event?

So why constantly only go after Israel? Hamas is the problem. They started this on 10/7. Once they are gone, much of the problems are gone.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Our tax dollars aren't supporting Iranian violence.
Our tax dollars are supporting Netanyahu's genocide. We can support Israel's right to self-determination without paying for it. They are a wealthy developed nation with many brilliant citizens---and if they stopped provoking violence they would have more peace.

You haven't answered the question on what Israel should've done after October 7th, just accept it and move on?

I used to follow Norm Finkelstein, but since October 7th listening to debates with him, he leaves out a lot of what
has taken place since 1948. Not one Muslim country has agreed to take in Palestinians, why is that?

Even Iran, which is Shiite, would not take in Palestinians as they are Sunni, and traditionally hate each other. The only
thing they have in common currently is their hatred for Jews and the United States.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

No one is saying that Hamas promotes human rights. But they killed a little over 1300 people--and Israel has retaliated by bombing their country to pieces, killing 40,000, and leaving the remaining 3 million starving, homeless, dehydrated, wounded, amputated, etc.

Is that the moral high ground? Retaliating hundreds of times more viciously and violently than the precipitating event?

They invaded Israel and slaughtered 1300, but also raped and took hostages, which the IDF just learned that a group of
Jewish hostages were in fact murdered. All males of course as the young females are used for sexual pleasure and the desire
to impregnate them.

Should Israel have only killed 1300 people of Gaza in response?