Frequently Asked Questions
- Anti-Semitism
- Christian Zionism
- Israeli Policies
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Support for Israel
- Jews have maintained a continuous presence in the Land of Israel for more than 3,000 years - a fact that is supported by substantial archeological and historical evidence.
- There was a politically independent Jewish Kingdom from approximately 1000 BC until 586 BC - and from 165 BC until 63 BC, when the Kingdom became a client state of the Roman Empire.
- Roman emperors have long acknowledged Jewish traditions and Jerusalem's centrality in Judaism. Augustus issued the following edict in 1 BC: "Jews shall use their own customs in accordance with their ancestral law...and their sacred offerings shall be inviolable and shall be sent to Jerusalem; and they shall not [be required to appear] in court on the Sabbath."
- Jews got their name from their land of origin, Judea. It was not until the Romans expelled many Jews from Israel in 135 AD that they renamed the area Palestine in an attempt to de-Judaize it.
- There is extensive documentation of the Jewish presence in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.
- Jerusalem has been the Jewish people's capital for more than three millennia.
- There are nearly 700 mentions of Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible.
- More than a hundred generations of dispersed Jews prayed three times a day to return to Jerusalem.
- The sacred texts of both Christianity and Islam confirm the Jewish people's connection to the Land of Israel.
- The New Testament confirms the Jewish connection to the land in St. Stephen's sermon in Act 7 and in Hebrews 11.
- "...and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.' Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell." (Acts 7:3-4)
- "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." (Hebrews 11:8-9)
- The Koran refers frequently to Jews and identifies them with Israel and the Promised Land.
- "And thereafter We said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely in the Promised Land." (Sura 17:104 The Night Journey).
- The Koran describes Solomon's construction of the First Temple (Sura 34:13) and recounts the destruction of the First and Second Temples (Sura 17:7).
- The New Testament confirms the Jewish connection to the land in St. Stephen's sermon in Act 7 and in Hebrews 11.
- Jews have been a majority in Jerusalem for the last 150 years.
- The Jewish population was decimated by the Crusaders in the 12th century AD, but it eventually rebounded. By the 1880s, when the Ottoman Empire ruled the city, Jews once again became the largest religious group in Jerusalem. At that time, there were 9,000 Jews and 7,000 Arabs living in the city.
- The Jewish people also have a historic connection to the land that is claimed by the Palestinians.
- Many of the holiest Jewish sites sit in the area that is now claimed as a Palestinian state, including East Jerusalem and the Western Wall.
- Learn more about the ancient connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
- The Jewish people's right to sovereignty in their homeland has been firmly established in international law.
- In 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, which explicitly called for the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people". The British government promised to undertake efforts to "facilitate the achievement of this object."
- Following World War I, the Allied powers convened in San Remo, Italy. This conference created the basis for the British Mandate of Palestine, giving Israel the legal right, based on international law, to become a sovereign nation under the oversight of Great Britain. The San Remo Resolution was later approved by the entire 52-member League of Nations in 1922, further entrenching it as international law.
- In 1947, the newly created United Nations, voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine into two states: one for the Jewish inhabitants of the Mandate, and a second one for the Arab inhabitants. The Jewish residents accepted this resolution. The Arab residents rejected it and launched a war of annihilation against the new Jewish state, joined by five outside Arab armies.
- International lawyer Jacques Gauthier describes Israel right to its territory under international law.
- What about the “atrocity” that took place in Deir Yassin in 1948?
- Former Kuwaiti Minister Blasts Palestinian Strategy Past Century read more
- The Truth About Deir Yassin read more
- Video about What Happened at Deir Yassin. watch video
- Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in a defensive war in 1967. It has satisfied its obligations under international law to administer these areas until permanent borders are set within the framework of a permanent peace agreement.
- Israel's possession of these lands was legal since they had been included in the land approved for a Jewish state by the British Mandate, San Remo, and League of Nations agreements.
- In 1947 the UN Partition Plan did set aside areas in the West Bank and Gaza for Arab sovereignty but the Arab countries rejected the plan.
- Israel's possession of these territories is not a legal "occupation" because these territories were never the possession of an Arab entity and are therefore considered to be "disputed territories."
- As a result of the Oslo Accords, 97 percent of Palestinians enjoy self-rule under the Palestinian Authority.
- A "State of Palestine" never existed in history.
- The areas now described as Palestinian were once part of the British Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
- In 1948, Egypt captured the Gaza Strip - and Jordan captured Judea and Samaria, renaming the territory "the West Bank".
- Egypt and Jordan controlled these areas until 1967. During that time, no country in the Arab World called for the creation of a Palestinian state.
- While both sides bear some responsibility for the failure of the peace process, the Palestinian leadership has consistently "never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity".
- In 2000, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat rejected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer of a contiguous Palestinians state on 97% of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to American Envoy Dennis Ross, who brokered the Oslo Accords, this proposal met virtually all of the Palestinians’ demands. Instead of accepting this offer, Arafat walked away from the table and launched the Second Intifada - a campaign of terrorism that claimed more than 4,000 lives.
- In his autobiography, President Clinton blamed Yasser Arafat for the failure of the Oslo Peace talks.
- In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made an even more generous offer to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. It included all of the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and land equivalent to 100 percent of the West Bank. Instead of making a counter offer, President Abbas again walked away from the negotiating table.
- In March 2014, when President Abbas met with President Obama, he refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and to give up the Palestinians "right of return," as well as refused to commit to an "end of conflict."
- History proves that Palestinian leaders do not want an independent state.
- The culture of incitement in Palestinian schools, mosques, and media poisons the well for peace in future generations.
- Palestinian leaders fill their textbooks, summer camps, television programs, mosques, and official media outlets with incitement.
- Suicide bombers are glorified.
- Children are taught to hate Jews and Israelis.
- Israel's right to exist is consistently denied.
- Reasons Why Peaceful Resolutions for the Arab - Israeli Conflict Always Fails
Read more click here - Any lasting peace agreement would have to ensure security for Israel's citizens. Yet, the Palestinian leadership has never agreed to the basic security arrangements necessary to protect the Israeli people.
- If a Palestinian state were to be created tomorrow, nearly half of the Palestinian population would be ruled by Hamas - a violent terrorist organization fundamentally opposed to peace.
- Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, it has fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel - targeting schools, synagogues, and densely populated civilian areas.
- The Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.
- Under Hamas law, if a Palestinian in Gaza has any interaction with an Israeli or an Israeli organization, it is a crime punishable by ten years in prison.
- The Palestinian Authority continues to undermine the future possibility of two-states living in peace. It fosters a culture of hate against Israelis and Jews in Palestinian mosques, schools, and media.
- Palestinian leaders fill their textbooks, summer camps, television programs, mosques, and official media outlets with incitement.
- Suicide bombers are glorified.
- Children are taught to hate Jews and Israelis.
- Israel's right to exist is consistently denied.
- Leaders of the Palestinian Authority continue to call for the creation of an inherently racist, "Jew-free" state.
- In comments to the media before beginning peace talks with Israel, President Abbas said, "In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli - civilian or soldier - on our lands."
- In 2011, the Palestinian envoy to the United States, Maen Rashid Areikat issued a similar call for a "Jew-free state".
- While settlements can be a source of conflict, they are not the major obstacle to peace.
- From 1948-1967 no Israeli settlements existed, yet the Palestinian leadership and the Arab World still sought Israel's annihilation.
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As a result of the resounding Israeli victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel gained the “West Bank,” “Gaza,” ”Golan Heights” and “East Jerusalem.” Less than a week after the war ended, the Israeli unity government under PM Levi Eshkol affirmed – and then told the Americans -- that Israel would return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria in return for signed peace treaties. Separate negotiations would then be conducted regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the refugee issue. While Egypt accepted the Sinai offer, Syria rejected the Golan Heights offer. Negotiations over the West Bank and Gaza failed.
- Settlements do not jeopardize future "Land for Peace" deals.
- In the meantime, some Israelis took up residence in areas around Jerusalem that were across the 1967 armistice lines. These Israeli developments, known as “Settlements,” only take up around 2% of West Bank land. Over time, US Administrations recognized that Israel would retain some of these towns in any peace agreement.
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Israel has uprooted other settlements such as those in the Gaza Strip. In 2005 Israel evacuated all the Jewish families living in Gaza—a total population of 8,000. However, instead of making peace, Hamas—a terrorist organization—took over the Gaza Strip and responded by firing thousands of rockets at Israeli cities in the ensuing years.
- The Israeli government is not building new Settlements.
- For years, the only legal construction allowed by the Israeli government has been within existing communities to accommodate the natural growth of resident families. Illegal outposts, which do not conform to Israel’s policies, do exist. Some critics fault the Israeli government for not dealing with them more forcefully, but the government works to resolve the issue peacefully or by court order.
- For years, the only legal construction allowed by the Israeli government has been within existing communities to accommodate the natural growth of resident families. Illegal outposts, which do not conform to Israel’s policies, do exist. Some critics fault the Israeli government for not dealing with them more forcefully, but the government works to resolve the issue peacefully or by court order.
- Israeli Settlements may not be illegal at all.
- Many legal scholars question whether Settlements are illegal at all. Eugene V. Rostow, one of the authors of UN Security Council Resolution 242—written after the 1967 war to create a framework for peace negotiations—stated, "The Jewish right of settlement in Palestine west of the Jordan River, that is, in Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, was made unassailable. That right has never been terminated and cannot be terminated except by a recognized peace between Israel and its neighbors." Moreover, Rostow contended that "The Jewish right of settlement in the area is equivalent in every way to the right of the existing Palestinian population to live there."
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Others contend that the Geneva Convention, passed after WWII, makes the Settlements illegal. The December 2016 UN Security Council Resolution 2334 Vote—passed due to the US government’s abstention—declared them illegal and opened the door to future international actions against Israel.
Does Geneva Convention Apply?
The legal case for settlements in Judea and Samaria
Global Study of Settlements in Occupied Territories
- Palestinians are building illegally around Jerusalem.
- All of the governments and international bodies that criticize Israel for building what many claim to be legal communities are silent about the construction of new Palestinian developments surrounding Jerusalem.
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According to a detailed article by Bassam Tawil of the Gatestone Institute, the questionable construction is primarily in Zone-C, which under the Oslo Peace Accords should be territory controlled by Israel. According to Tawil, Palestinians estimate that in the past few years they have built more than 15,000 illegal housing units in areas surrounding Jerusalem as part of a plan to encircle the city. These are not single family homes, but massive apartment complexes without proper licenses, not built to code, and some without proper sewage. The article claims that many of the "contractors" are land-thieves and thugs who are building without permission on private Palestinian-owned land or on lands whose owners are living abroad.
The Real Illegal Settlements in Israel
Israel Clamping Down on Illegal EU Building in West Bank
Palestinians are Building Illegal Settlements to Extend their Claims to Jerusalem
- The major obstacle to peace is Palestinian leadership.
- The Palestinian leadership's refusal to give up the conflict, recognize Israel as a Jewish State, and renounce the "right of return" for most Palestinian refugees, is the real obstacle to peace. The so-called "right of return" would allow millions of descendants of Palestinian refugees to flood Israel.
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No Israeli leader would ever accept the "right of return," since it would mean the end of the world’s only Jewish state. Yet, the Palestinian leadership has never told its own people that they must forfeit this claim in order to achieve peace.
- The Palestinian refugees were created by the War of Annihilation that Arab countries launched against the new State of Israel in 1947.
- Jews returned to the Land of Israel in peace. In 1947, the UN voted to partition the area then known as the Mandate of Palestine into two nations: one Jewish and one Arab. The Jewish community accepted this plan. The Arab world rejected it - and five Arab countries launched a war to destroy the newborn State of Israel.
- This war - Israel's War of Independence - is what created the Palestinian refugees.
- It is estimated that between 550,000-700,000 Palestinian Arabs were displaced from their homes during Israel's War of Independence. The vast majority of these people left voluntarily, or at the urging of invading Arab armies. More than two-thirds of these refugees settled in the original area of the British Mandate for Palestine (Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza).
- Only a very small fraction of Palestinians were expelled by Israeli troops, who acted in response to immediate military considerations. There was no official Israeli policy of expulsion.
- Historian Benny Morris writes, "The refugee problem was born of war, not by design, Jewish or Arab. It was largely a byproduct of Jewish and Arab fears and of the protracted, bitter fighting that characterized the first Israeli-Arab war; in smaller part it was the deliberate creation of Jewish and Arab military commanders and politicians."
- Even Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas publicly admitted that the Arabs in his hometown of Safed were not expelled by Israeil troops, but "emigrated" on their own.
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Video: Mahmoud Abbas Contradicts the Palestinian Narrative on Refugees
- The Arab world has perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem.
- Among all Arab countries, only Jordan has offered Palestinians the rights of citizenship. Many others have passed discriminatory laws, preventing Palestinians from buying land and from entering certain professions, like law and medicine.
- In 1959, the Arab League adopted Resolution 1457, which stated: "The Arab countries will not grant citizenship to applicants of Palestinian origin in order to prevent their assimilation into the host countries."
- Learn more about the Arab discrimination against Palestinians.
- One Arab journalist asks: where is the outcry against Arab Apartheid?
- Among all Arab countries, only Jordan has offered Palestinians the rights of citizenship. Many others have passed discriminatory laws, preventing Palestinians from buying land and from entering certain professions, like law and medicine.
- The UN and international organizations have perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem.
- Palestinians are the only population in the world that the UN refuses to resettle. Instead, it passes their refugee status on to children and grandchildren. As a result, the original Palestinian refugee population of a few hundred thousand has grown to more than five million today.
- Israel absorbed all Jewish refugees forced to flee their homes in Arab countries. An estimated 850,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries in the years following the establishment of a Jewish state. Israel fully integrated these refugees into its society, at the time that the Arab World exploited and oppressed the Palestinian refugees.
- Zionism is the opposite of racism. It is an answer to the racism directed at the Jewish people throughout history, known as anti-Semitism.
- Zionism is a movement of national liberation - based on the idea that the Jewish people - just like any other people - are entitled to live in their homeland with independence, self-determination, and freedom from persecution.
- The founders of Zionism saw their movement as a path to ending many centuries of racist anti-Semitism and persecution. In 1896, Zionism's founding father, Theodor Herzl, wrote that anti-Semitism, "is a remnant of the Middle Ages, which civilized nations do not even yet seem able to shake off. In countries where we have lived for centuries we are still cried down as strangers... [the only solution is] the restoration of the Jewish state."
- Theodor Herzl, Israel's founding father wrote in Altneuland, his seminal book on Zionism, "You must hold fast to the things that have made us great; to liberality, tolerance, love of mankind. Only then is Zion truly Zion."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that, "Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land... the fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord to all other nations of the globe."
- The Zionist movement is based in the Jewish people's ancient connection to the Land of Israel.
- The word "Zion" originally referred to the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem, during the tenth century B.C. Over the years, it came to mean all of Jerusalem and then all of Israel.
- The name Zion appears 152 times in the Old Testament. "Mount Zion" is the place where God dwells. Jerusalem, or Zion, is a place where the Lord is King, and where He has installed His king, David.
- Zionism is an ideology rooted in the idea of equality. The State of Israel breathes life into these principles.
- In the State of Israel's Declaration of Independence it is written: "The State of Israel... will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants, irrespective of creed, race or gender; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture."
- Israel today is a beacon of equality in the Middle East, providing the full rights of citizenship for people of all cultures and faiths.
- Palestinian refugees suffered an injustice in 1948. However, the much greater injustice is that the international community and the Arab world have refused to resettle them for over seven decades.
- The UN and international organizations have perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem.
- Palestinians are the only population in the world that the UN refuses to resettle. Instead, it passes their refugee status on to children and grandchildren. As a result, the original Palestinian refugee population of a few hundred thousand has grown to more than five million today.
- The UN and international organizations have perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem.
- The Arab World has perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem.
- Among all Arab countries, only Jordan has offered Palestinians the rights of citizenship. Many others have passed discriminatory laws, preventing Palestinians from buying land and from entering certain professions, like Law and Medicine.
- In 1959, the Arab League adopted Resolution 1457, which stated: "The Arab countries will not grant citizenship to applicants of Palestinian origin in order to prevent their assimilation into the host countries."
- Learn more about the Arab discrimination against Palestinians.
- One Arab journalist asks: where is the outcry against Arab Apartheid?
- Throughout the years, many Arab countries - including Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan - have expelled tens of thousands of their own Palestinian residents. Few in the Arab World or the international community have spoken out against this.
- Among all Arab countries, only Jordan has offered Palestinians the rights of citizenship. Many others have passed discriminatory laws, preventing Palestinians from buying land and from entering certain professions, like Law and Medicine.
- Much of the Palestinian suffering in the region is a result of failed Palestinian leadership.
- Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The area was taken over by the Hamas terrorist organization, which brutally oppresses women, political opponents, Christians, and other minorities.
- There would be a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, 97 percent of the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, if Palestinian leaders had accepted the peace offers presented to them by Israel.
- Much of the international aid earmarked for the Palestinian people has been siphoned off by corrupt leaders in the Palestinian Authority. Rampant corruption is destroying the future of the Palestinian people.
- Foreign funding without proper oversight and requirements is to blame for the suppression of freedom and democracy in the Palestinian territories.
- The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) issued a report in February 2014 criticizing the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for assaults on human rights and freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
- Hamas is largely to blame for any humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prohibits any criticism from Gazan residents.
- Watch video of Tawfik Hamid, former Islamist, ascribing blame to failed Palestinian leadership for the suffering of the Palestinian people.
- Read Palestinians: A Story You Have Not Heard.
- The Palestinians' standard of living improved significantly under Israeli control from 1967 up until the Oslo Peace Process in the early 90s.
- Mortality rates in the West Bank and Gaza fell by more than two-thirds between 1970 and 1990, and life expectancy rose from 48 years in 1967 to 72 years in 2000.
- Israeli medical programs reduced the infant-mortality rate of 60 per 1,000 live births in 1968 to 15 per 1,000 in 2000. Under Israel's systematic program of inoculation, childhood diseases like polio, whooping cough, tetanus, and measles were eradicated.
- By 1986, 92.8 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza had electricity around the clock, compared with 20.5 percent in 1967; 85 percent had running water in dwellings, as compared to 16 percent in 1967.
- In 1967, not a single university existed in Gaza or the West Bank. By the early 1990's, there were seven institutions of higher learning, boasting some 16,500 students.
- The Palestinians' standard of living will improve again when they stop fighting against the one country best able to employ their people. Warfare against Israel damages their own economy.
- Israel is not an apartheid state. The freest Arab population in the Middle East lives in Israel. It is the only country in the region where all people are guaranteed equal political and legal rights. It is also the only country in the region where the Christian population is growing.
- Arabs occupy senior positions in all sectors of Israeli society - from the Supreme Court and parliament to the arts and business. Learn more about Israel's Arab minority.
- Many Muslims - inside and outside of Israel - have made clear that Israel is not an apartheid state, but rather a model for toleration in a region filled with sectarian violence.
- Many of Israel's Christians feel that their history, culture and heritage have been hijacked by Muslim Arabs in the region.
- A British Muslim shares his perspective on Israel after seeing its inclusive society for himself.
- An Israeli Arab shares her story.
- Israel's first Bedouin Diplomat describes the opportunities granted to all Israelis.
- Watch this video about an educational program specifically benefiting Arab students.
- 2019 Study Reveals 65% of Israeli Arabs are proud to be Israeli.
- Much of the Palestinian suffering in the region is a result of failures in their own leadership.
- Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The area was taken over by the Hamas terrorist organization. Today Hamas brutally oppresses women, political opponents, Christians, and other minorities. Learn more about Hamas' human rights violations in Gaza
- There would be a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, 97 percent of the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, if Palestinian leaders had accepted the peace offers presented to them by Israel.
- Much of the international aid earmarked for the Palestinian people has been siphoned off by corrupt leaders in the Palestinian Authority.
- The use of the term apartheid to describe Israel diminishes and degrades the brave struggle of those who fought against apartheid in South Africa.
- Kenneth Meshoe, South African MP addresses why Israel is not an apartheid state.
- Neither truth nor justice is served by trying to equate Nelson Mandela with Yasser Arafat.
- South African Charles Abelsohn tells what real Apartheid was and how Israel is not.
- South African Malcolm Hedding tells what real Apartheid was and how Israel is not.
- Israel's leaders are fallible - just like all human beings - and they have made mistakes. However, they are held fully accountable for their actions by the country's democratic process and independent judicial system.
- In contrast to all other nations in the Middle East, corruption and wrongdoing by government officials in Israel is fully investigated and prosecuted. No Israeli leader is above the law.
- The strength of Israel's judicial system was demonstrated recently when the country's former President was successfully prosecuted in the Supreme Court. This sentence was issued by Salim Joubran, an Israeli Arab.
- The system in Israel marks a clear contrast with the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, who have siphoned off many billions of dollars in international aid to their people without consequence.
- In the midst of a region filled with tyranny, violence, and human rights abuses, Israel strictly abides by the tenets of international law.
- The Israel Defense Forces incorporate the principles of international law into their basic doctrine. All of Israel's government and military decisions are overseen by the nation's Supreme Court.
- By contrast, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza are systematic violators of international law.
- While Palestinian terrorists seek to maximize civilian casualties, Israel does everything in its power to minimize harm to civilians.
- One of the core values of the Israel Defense Forces is the protection of human life and dignity. Israeli forces use a variety of strategies to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians - from dropping leaflets to diverting missiles mid-air.
- The IDF Code of Conduct reads, "The IDF and its soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every human being is of value regardless of his or her origin, religion, nationality, gender, status or position."
- Learn more about the IDF's efforts to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.
- Read about the testimony of an Arab IDF soldier click here
Reports after the last major war in Gaza, the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, demonstrated the illegal, terrorist tactics of Hamas as well as the IDF’s efforts to protect innocent civilians. The UN damage assessment report proved Israel was targeting tunnels and command centers, not civilians. Israeli report uncovers what the media did not.
- Hamas fired 4,500 rockets into Israel endangering the lives of 6 million people.
- Rockets were launched from Gaza next to churches, mosques, schools, UN buildings, hotels and residential areas endangering the inhabitants. See video proof. Had Israel not taken great measures to save the lives of civilians, urban warfare in a city as densely populated as Gaza City would have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
- Hamas had spent over $100 million in digging some 40 tunnels into Israel with the intent of carrying out terrorist attacks, kidnappings and creating widespread chaos. They also planned to take over the West Bank, oust the Palestinian Authority government and set up a terrorist operation from there.
- Hamas fighters wore every day clothing so they were indistinguishable from civilians.
- Hamas released phony civilian casualty statistics.
- Hamas censored and threatened foreign journalists so they would not reveal Hamas activities according to the Foreign Press Association.
- The UN cooperated with Hamas and while condemning Israel’s actions taken in self-defense never condemned Hamas’ terrorist activities nor initiation of the conflict.
- Just like any other nation, Israel's government has a fundamental obligation to protect its citizens against terrorism, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis since 2000.
- The security fence was a necessary response to the appalling suicide bombings of the Second Intifada. It has reduced the number of Palestinian terror attacks in Israel by 90 percent, saving thousands of Israeli and Palestinian lives.
- The route of the fence was designed to minimize disruption to Palestinian life. Question about the fence are answered here.
- Palestinian terrorist leaders have publicly admitted that the security fence is a major obstacle for them.
- More information about the security fence.
- Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups have been able to petition Israel's Supreme Court to contest the location of the fence. In many instances, the court has sided with these groups - and Israel has moved the location of the fence as a result.
- Checkpoints in the West Bank are necessary security measures that have dramatically reduced terror attacks against Israeli civilians.
- For years, Palestinian terror groups used ambulances, taxis, and commercial trucks to smuggle suicide bombers into Israeli cities. Checkpoints allow Israeli forces to filter out these terrorists before they can strike.
- Checkpoints allow commercial and humanitarian goods, doctors and ambulances, and medical crews to move freely. The more than 50,000 Palestinians with jobs in Israel pass through checkpoints on a daily basis.
- As violence in the West Bank has decreased in recent years, Israel has reduced the number of checkpoints from 40 to 12.
- The UN and numerous other international organizations have made clear that Israel's blockade is legal under international law.
- The sole purpose of the blockade is to prevent Iran and other nations from smuggling rockets and other weapons into the Gaza Strip.
- In recent years, Iran has smuggled advanced weapons to Hamas other terrorists in Gaza on ships. These weapons allow Hamas to launch rocket attacks against Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other Israeli population centers.
- Learn more about the Victoria, a ship intercepted by Israeli Forces in 2011 that Iran was using to smuggle advanced weapons into Gaza.
- Israel's land crossings ensure that all commercial and humanitarian goods can enter Gaza.
- While Hamas fires rockets at Israeli civilians, the Israeli government is working with the international community to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
- Even in the midst of military operations in Gaza, Israel continues to provide humanitarian aid to assist Palestinian civilians in the area.
- While Egypt would not allow humanitarian aid into Gaza during 2014 Operation Protective Edge.
- Hamas is largely to blame for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prohibits any criticism from Gazan residents.
Hundreds of millions of Christians around the world support Israel for political, historical, and theological reasons.
A large majority of Americans support Israel because of the two nations' shared values and shared interests.
- The American-Israel friendship is rooted in common values.
- Commitment to democracy and human rights, the rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly are all fundamental values shared by the two countries.
- Like the United States, Israel has an independent judicial system that safeguards the rights of individuals.
- Israel has regularly scheduled elections that are free, fair, and open to all its citizens, regardless of religion, race or sex. The independent group Freedom House has consistently classified Israel as "Free" in its rankings of world nations.
- American Presidents - going back to the founding of the United States - have supported the idea of a Jewish state. Since Israel's establishment in 1947, successive Presidential administrations - on both sides of the aisle - have stood behind the Jewish State. Read what America's Presidents have said about Israel.
- Israel is a vital ally for America in an unstable Middle East. Israel is the "Ultimate Ally". No other country in the Middle East shares America's values and advances its interests like Israel.
- America's foreign aid to Israel helps us to confront major threats abroad while creating jobs at home. At least 75 percent of all aid is currently spent in the United States on weapons and other supplies that Israel needs.
A Christian Zionist can be defined as a Christian who supports the Jewish people's right to return to their homeland. Under this broad and simple definition, many Christians would qualify no matter what their reasons are for support of Israel.
A more narrow definition of a Christian Zionist would be one who holds to the theological school of thought known as Christian Zionism and supports the right of the Jewish people to return to their homeland on scriptural grounds. The biblical foundation for Christian Zionism is found in God's covenant with Abraham. It was in this covenant that God chose Abraham to birth a nation through which He could redeem the world, and to do this He bequeathed them a land on which to exist as this chosen nation.
The Mosaic covenant later explained that their right to live on the land promised to them would be determined by their obedience to the law and their relationship with their God. Sin and disobedience would result in exile for a season. The Hebrew prophets later proclaimed the arrival of judgement and punishment for sin, but also a time of future restoration to their land and to their God.
Christian Zionism recognizes God’s hand in the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland after 2,000 years of exile and rejoices in the faithfulness of God to His promises.
Why Do Christians Support Israel
Christian Zionism 101 Archive of articles by ICEJ
Christian Zionism in Balance by Rev. Malcolm Hedding
Why We Support Israel by Susan Michael, ICEJ, 2000
Hundreds of millions of Christians around the world support Israel for political, historical, and theological reasons.
- Christian Zionism is based on the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, and considers both to be the inspired Word of God.
- Those who oppose Christian Zionism, however, tend to focus on the New Testament and to exclude or allegorize whole portions of the Old Testament. For instance, Rev. Naim Ateek, of the Sabeel Center for Palestinian Liberation Theology, has called for the "deZionization" of scripture. He does not recognize the inspiration of most of the Old Testament.
Resources
New Testament Confirmation of the Tenets of Biblical Zionism
- Christian Zionism is not based on prophecy or eschatology, but rather on the promises that God makes in the Abrahamic Covenant. The Hebrew prophets foretold the exile and return of the Jewish people to their land, but they were only confirming the timing of what God had already promised to Abraham.
- Christians do not believe that they can cause events like the return of Jesus. Only God has control over these events. Christian Zionists do, however, find joy in being involved in the fulfillment of prophesies, such as the regathering of the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth, but they recognize that no man -- only God -- could have facilitated this miracle.
- Christian Zionists' primary motivation in supporting Israel is the belief that God initiated a spiritual law of blessing so that those who bless the Jewish people will be blessed, aligning themselves with God's eternal redemptive plan. Similarly, those who oppose His people will find themselves in direct opposition to God's redemptive plan.
Resources:
Evangelicals and Israel: What American Jews Don't Want to Know (but Need to) by Robert W. Nicholson, Mosaic Magazine, October 2013
What motivates Christian Zionists? by Shelley Neese, The Jerusalem Connection, October 2012
- No one wants peace more than Israel and her Christian friends. However, true champions of peace cannot support the creation of a state that is committed to Israel's destruction. Until now, the Palestinian Authority has refused to truly accept Israel's right to exist. Instead, it continues to fill its schools, mosques, and public airwaves with hatred and incitement against Israel, making the possibility of peace a distant dream.
- As a sovereign nation, Israel has the right and privilege to give away part of its land should the Israeli government wish to do so in pursuit of peace. However, Joel 3 sounds a very clear warning against those who seek to do Israel harm by dividing up her land. All nations should heed this warning before pressuring Israel to do what they themselves would never do, and in so doing, weaken Israel and threaten her security.
- Christian Zionists believe that the land of Israel -- which includes Judea and Samaria or the "West Bank," as well as Gaza -- is the everlasting possession of the Jewish people. However, their right to live on the land is conditional on their relationship with God. This is why Israel's borders have changed throughout history and may continue to change in our time.
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Christian Zionists support Israel's right to exist in peace and security, as a Jewish state with defensible borders.
- In the face of overwhelming threats and hostile neighbors, Israel has been compelled to use military force. Yet, this does not mean that she does not seek peace. Israel signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. It longs for peace with the Palestinians but needs a peace partner with whom to negotiate.
Resources
Reasons Why Peaceful Resolutions for the Arab-Israeli Conflict Always Fail, by Dr. Tawfik Hamid
A Biblical Stand on Zionism II: The Question of Land by Rev. Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ, March 2006
- War is a terrible thing. No Christian should ever look forward to it.
- Christian Zionism is not based on prophecy or eschatology, but on the promise that God made to Abraham and the Jewish people. Interpretation of prophecy is speculative. There are many opinions in the Christian Zionist camp about how and when events will take place, and a wide range of theories about which events may have already occurred.
- Throughout history there has been great spiritual opposition to the Jewish people and God's promises to them. War has plagued Israel's history, and there are prophetic portions of scripture that indicate it will continue to do so. One such event is a large battle that is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, but described more fully in the Hebrew books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, and Zechariah. Some Churches devote significant time and energy to studying these scriptures in the same way that many Jewish movements study these prophetic passages, anticipating literal fulfillment of them.
- There is a problem when Christian students of prophecy study and discuss these events without appreciation for the human element in the stories, making the Jewish people "pawns" in their end time charts. It is always helpful for these students of prophecy to tour Israel, and meet the people of the land. This inevitably leads them to develop a better appreciation for the sacrifices and suffering on all sides of the conflict, which would only increase in any future war.
Resources:
Annihilation or Redemption? By David Parsons, October 2012
The Worst I'll Ever Do, By David Parsons, October 2012
Armageddon Now? By Rev. Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ February 2010
Swords into Ploughshares: Christian Zionism and the Battle of Armageddon By David Parsons, ICEJ
- Justice is an important question for Christians in the Israeli-Arab conflict. God loves justice (Isaiah 61:8) and requires His children to do justly (Micah 6:8), but Leviticus 19:17 makes it clear that justice must be based on the facts. One has to carefully weigh the facts in the Arab-Israeli conflict in order to arrive at what is truly just.
- For many Christians, the campaign to demonize and delegitimize Israel can cloud the facts, making it difficult to arrive at conclusions about who is the just party in the conflict. Issues like Palestinian refugees, Israeli control of the West Bank and the security wall are presented as examples of Israeli injustice.
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To truly work for justice one must honestly admit the root cause of the problems and suffering on both sides. There were similar numbers of Arab refugees and Jewish refugees in the early years of Israeli statehood.The Palestinian people have suffered many injustices, mostly at the hands of their own Arab leaders. Israel also suffers serious injustices today. It still faces existential dangers in the region that threaten its existence. Around the world, Israel is demonized, delegitimized, and held to a double-standard.
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This website helps truth seekers to rightly discern between fact and falsehood -- and to understand why Christians who stand with Israel are standing on the side of justice.
Resources:
Justice Must Be Based On Fact by Susan Michael, ICEJ, July 2013
Hidden Injustices: A Review of PA & Hamas Human Rights Violations in the West Bank and Gaza to be presented to the European Parliament by Calev Myers, Jerusalem Institute of Justice, November 2012
Christian Zionism and Social Justice by Rev. Malcolm Hedding, ICEJ, March 6, 2012
The Question of Justice by David Parsons, ICEJ, January 2007
- Christians who are pro-Israel are not anti-Arab. On the contrary, Christians are commanded to be a people of love recognizing that God loves all people the same (John 3:16).
- Those who do not have a heart for the Arab peoples of the region do not reflect God's heart. God's promise that Ishmael would have twelve princes and would be a great nation (Genesis 17:20) has been fulfilled. Isaiah 19 speaks of a great visitation by God to the Arab world, which will usher in a revival among the neighboring countries of Israel.The ICEJ encourages Christian Zionists to have God's heart for the Arab people and to pray regularly for them.
- Many of Israel's Christians feel that their history, culture and heritage have been hijacked by Muslim Arabs in the region. It is sad and ironic that many of the same Christian leaders who accuse Christian Zionists of not loving the Arab people -- particularly Christian Arabs -- have consistently refused to stand up for the Christian Arabs who suffer great persecution in Muslim countries. Organizations like the ICEJ have tried to bring light to the plight of Christian Arabs, including Palestinian Christians.
- There are more than 50 Muslim countries, 15 Christian countries, and only one Jewish state -- Israel. Yet, only Israel is singled out as racist for having an official state religion. Just like all other nations, the Jewish people have the right to their own state. This is a not racism; on the contrary, it is a response to centuries of racism and persecution against the Jewish people. Thus, supporting Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state cannot -- and should not -- be considered racist.
ICEJ Resources:
Christian, Jewish leaders call for halt to persecution of Middle East Christians 2014
Tragic Fate of Iraqi Christians by David Parsons, ICEJ, October 2014
Israel's Troubled Neighbor Syria by Susan Michael, ICEJ, October 2013
Egypt My People by Dr. Juergen Buehler, ICEJ, August 2013
Cry of the People of Egypt by Susan Michael, ICEJ, August 2013
A Burden for Bethlehem's Christians by David Parsons, ICEJ, May 2013
The Real Root of the Christian Exodus by David Parsons, ICEJ, June 2012
ICEJ Study: Urgent Social Needs in Israel's Arab Sector March 2011
Under Siege: The Brutal Targeting of Middle East Christians by David Parsons, ICEJ, February 2011
The Plight of Christians in the Holy Land by David Parsons, ICEJ, July 16, 2006
Our Battered Brethren by David Parsons, ICEJ, January 2006
Troubled Town of Bethlehem by David Parsons, ICEJ, December 2000
Other Resources
World Council of Churches Stands By As Christians Perish, Churches Wither by Malcolm Lowe, Protestant Consultation on Israel and the Middle East, October 22, 2013
Demonizing Israel More Important Than Defending Persecuted Christians? by Michael Curtis, American Thinker, October 7, 2013
Turning a Blind Eye to Murdered Christians by Mark Tooley, Institute for Religion and Democracy, August 17, 2009
The Beleaguered Christians in Bethlehem by Khaled Abu Tomeh, May 2009
- Anti-Semitism is hatred of or bigotry toward Jews. A Semite is someone who speaks a Semitic language, which includes Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Semite used to refer to the ethnic groups within the Levant and Arab Peninsula during ancient (pre-Arab) times, but that use is obsolete.
- The term “anti-Semitism” was coined by anti-Semites in order to give pseudoscientific weight to their claims that Jews — “Semitic people” — were inferior to “Aryan people.” In the late 1800s, the term was used to refer to the opposition to Jewish people. At the time, anti-Semitism was viewed positively because hatred against Jews was so widespread.
- The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), of which the United States is a member, adopted a non-legally binding “working definition” of anti-Semitism on May 26, 2016. The U.S. State Department uses this working definition and has encouraged other governments and international organizations to use it as well.
- IHRA’s working definition is: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
- The IHRA recommends using the spelling “antisemitism” rather than “anti-Semitism” to dispel the idea that there is an entity ‘Semitism’ which ‘anti-Semitism’ opposes.
- Antisemitism should be read as a unified term so that the meaning of the generic term for modern Jew-hatred is clear. At a time of increased violence and rhetoric aimed towards Jews, it is critical that there is clarity and no room for confusion or obfuscation when dealing with the subject.
- For the purposes of this Israel Answers website, however, we use the more common spelling with a hyphen: anti-Semitism.
Sources:
https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/spelling-anti-Semitism
http://www.holocaustremembrance.com/sites/default/files/press_release_document_anti-Semitism.pdf
http://www.holocaustremembrance.com/sites/default/files/press_release_document_anti-Semitism.pdf
- Throughout Jewish history, rulers of different regions and countries would persecute Jews for having a different religion, as was the custom at the time. This refusal to worship idols was seen as stubborn and was resented.
- The earliest recording of attempted Jewish genocide is in the Book of Esther, which takes place when all Jews lived were expelled from what is now Israel and lived under Babylonian rule. The King Ahasuerus is convinced by an antisemitic adviser, Haman, to kill every Jew in his kingdom, which was every Jew in the world at that time. The Jews are saved by the King’s new wife, Esther, who reveals that she herself is Jewish and the King orders Haman to be killed on the gallows he had prepared for Jews.
- Many American Christians are familiar with the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, which tells the story of Jewish resistance to anti-Semitism in Israel. Some of the earliest government persecution of Jews occurred under the Ancient Greek empire, when Jews began to be restricted from religious practice and certain legal rights. The story of Hanukkah chronicles the resistance of Jewish Maccabees who rebelled against Assyrian Greek conquerors that sought to stop Jews from practicing Judaism.
- Anti-Semitism has existed in most places where Jews have lived throughout history, but the severity of anti-Semitism varies drastically from time to time and place to place.
Sources:
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/Brief-History-on-Anti-Semitism-A.pdf
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/The-Book-of-Esther-A-political-analysis
- Anti-Semitism can be both religious and/or ethnic discrimination. Judaism is an ethno-religion and Jews are considered members of the Tribe of Israel (descended from the 12 sons that Jacob had with his wives, Leah and Rachel, and his concubines, Zilpah and Bilhah).
- Jews who trace their ancestry back to different countries often look different, but they are all equally Jewish and members of the same nation. In this sense, conversion to Judaism can also be thought of as a tribal initiation process.
- Anti-Zionism is the belief that Jews should not have a country in their historic homeland of Israel. It is anti-Semitic because it denies Jews the right to self-determination, which is an integral human right, included in the United Nations Article I.
- Natan Sharanksy, an Israeli politician and human rights activist who spent 9 years in a USSR gulag for being a Zionist, developed the 3D test to determine when discussion of Israel is anti-Semitic. If any of the following are true, criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic:
- delegitimization of Israel
- demonization of Israel
- subjecting Israel to double standards
- The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism also includes examples of anti-Semitic anti-Zionism.
- “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
- Using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”
Sources:
https://www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/
https://www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-sharansky-f04.htm
https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-anti-Semitism
- BDS is short for “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” and refers to a campaign to punish the Jewish state for existing. Much of political force powering the BDS movement comes from the Arab League boycott, which was formed in 1945 to instruct Arabs not to do any business with Jews, with the explicit goal of preventing Jews from forming a country in their historic homeland. When Israel was founded in 1948, the Arab boycott became a boycott of the modern State of Israel.
- The BDS National Committee (BNC) was established in 2007 in Ramallah as the Palestinian coordinating body for the international campaign. The BDS movement seeks the destruction of the State of Israel and opposes any peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. BDS activists paint Israel as an “Apartheid State” that employs “Nazi-like” policies against the Palestinian people. They boycott corporations operating in Israel, stores selling Israeli products, entertainers who plan performances in Israel, and Israeli academic institutions.
- To date, 28 states in the U.S. have adopted laws designed to discourage boycotts against Israel. Members of Congress have also introduced bipartisan legislation opposing the BDS movement.
Sources:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/1977-04-01/middle-east-arab-boycott-israel
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bds-aint-new-the-arab-lea_b_9167542
https://bdsmovement.net/
https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/South-Dakota-governor-signs-executive-order-prohibiting-Israel-boycotts-614204
- Some forms of anti-Semitism are illegal in some countries, but in other countries and places, there are laws against anti-Semitism.
- For example, Holocaust denial is illegal in Germany and much of Europe, but it is legal to deny the Holocaust in the United States under First Amendment protections.
- In the United States, the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act provides protections for victims of "a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person."
Sources:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-03/holocaust-denial-not-protected-by-human-rights-law-court-says
https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/enforcement/oac
https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2009/11/30/iran-nuclear-anti-zionism-genocidal-political/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41722004?seq=1
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Introduction-to-Hate-Crime-Laws.pdf
https://www.adl.org/media/2143/download
- Pogroms is a Russian word meaning “to demolish violently” and was coined to refer to attacks on Jewish villages. They often included sacking and burning Jewish homes, businesses, and places of worship; stealing or destroying Jews’ possessions; beating up Jewish men and sexually assaulting Jewish women; and murder.
- While the term originally referred to this phenomenon in the Russian empire, it is now used to refer to genocidal incidents against Jews across history and in other parts of the world.
- Some examples of pogroms include:
- the Odessa pogrom of 1821
- a series of pogroms across Ukraine and southern Russia in 1881-84
- Kristallnacht, or the “night of broken glass,” perpetrated by the Nazis in 1938
- Iasi pogrom, which marked the turning point of the Nazi-allied Romanian government pursing the genocide of Jews in 1941
- The Farhud, when mob violence against Baghdadi Jews broke out in 1941
- 1947 pogroms, when Jews in countries including Syria and Yemen were murdered following the UN vote to confirm partition of Israel between Jews and Muslims
Sources:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/pogroms
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-were-pogroms/
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-farhud
https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/previous-the-20th-century-pogroms-against-the-jews-of-the-middle-east-will-christians-suffer-the-same-fate/2019/07/24/
- Blood libel is an anti-Semitic lie that Jews murder non-Jewish children as part of Jewish ritual. It was initially used to divide the Jewish and Christian communities, emerging in the 12th century as the claim that Jews used Christian blood to make matzo (unleavened bread used during the Passover holiday). It then spread across Europe and the Arab world as an anti-Semitic trope.
- This propaganda has no basis in Jewish practice. Jews follow the 10 commandments, which includes “thou shalt not murder” as the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:12). Jews also do not consume the blood of any animal (or eat any humans), as Jewish dietary law (Kosher laws) forbid consumption of blood. (Leviticus 7:26-27; Leviticus 17:10-14.)
- Some anti-Zionists perpetuate this anti-Semitic trope by falsely claiming that Israelis kill Palestinian children to steal their organs.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/blood-libel
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-ten-commandments/
https://nypost.com/2018/05/07/the-new-anti-semites-promote-a-very-modern-blood-libel/
- Holocaust denial is any attempt to diminish or deny the established facts of the Nazi genocide of European Jews. This is a form of anti-Semitism because it perpetuates the belief that Jews are dishonest and manipulative. It perpetuates this anti-Semitic trope because Holocaust deniers say that Jews invented or exaggerate the Holocaust as a plot to advance “Jewish interests.”
- Some common Holocaust denials include: minimizing the number of Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust (it was 6 million); claiming that the Holocaust only included Jews murdered at Death Camps; denying the existence of Nazi facilities that used gas chambers to systematically murder Jews; denying that Jews were murdered by Nazis at Concentration Camps, where Jews were made to work and live in uninhabitable conditions that were intentionally set up so that Jews would die, or murdered because Nazis and Nazi collaborators shot them.
- The government of Iran currently engages in Holocaust denial as part of its campaign to destroy the modern State of Israel.
Sources:
https://www.ushmm.org/anti-Semitism/holocaust-denial-and-distortion
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/irans-holocaust-denial-is-part-of-a-malevolent-strategy/2016/05/27/312cbc48-2374-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html
- Anti-Semitism often functions like a conspiracy theory, in that anti-Semites claims that Jews secretly hold a great amount of power and use it for nefarious purposes. Anti-Semites often believe that Jews hold outsized political power, financial wealth, and/or media influence. They frequently claim that Jews have used this power to establish the State of Israel and often demonize Zionist supporters of Israel.
Source:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230349216_5
- Hatred and violence directed toward any group, including Jews, is immoral. We must love our neighbors as ourselves.
- Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem. All forms of persecution are direct threats to Western values of freedom and equality.
- In many countries, Jews and Christians are both minority groups that suffer from laws and cultures that demonize other religious groups.
- Dispensationalism is a theology that holds a favorable view of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. However, it is not the same thing as Christian Zionism.
- Dispensationalism is a biblical interpretation that was developed in the writings of John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren in the 19th century. It was propagated through works such as the Scofield Reference Bible, widely used in the United States. Dispensationalism understands God to have related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of dispensations, or periods of history.
- Christian support for the restoration of the Jews to their homeland began well before doctrines such as dispensationalism came into existence
- Approximately one in every ten Christians is a dispensationalist. A much larger group of Christians support the restoration of the Jews to their homeland. They come from a wide-variety of denominations and theological persuasions that do not ascribe to dispensationalism.
Resources
Christian Friends and Foes of Israel by David Parsons, ICEJ, February 2009
A large majority of Americans support Israel because of the two nations' shared values and shared interests.
- The American-Israel friendship is rooted in common values.
- Commitment to democracy and human rights, the rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly are all fundamental values shared by the two countries.
- Like the United States, Israel has an independent judicial system that safeguards the rights of individuals.
- Israel has regularly scheduled elections that are free, fair, and open to all its citizens, regardless of religion, race or sex. The independent group Freedom House has consistently classified Israel as "Free" in its rankings of world nations.
- American Presidents - going back to the founding of the United States - have supported the idea of a Jewish state. Since Israel's establishment in 1947, successive Presidential administrations - on both sides of the aisle - have stood behind the Jewish State. Read what America's Presidents have said about Israel.
- Israel is a vital ally for America in an unstable Middle East. Israel is the "Ultimate Ally". No other country in the Middle East shares America's values and advances its interests like Israel.
- America's foreign aid to Israel helps us to confront major threats abroad while creating jobs at home. Nearly 75 percent of all aid is spent in the United States on weapons and other supplies that Israel needs.
In recent years, those behind the public campaign to demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel have opened up a new front in the Christian world. A few voices -- representing a very small minority of Christians -- have begun to attack Christian Zionism as an extreme and even heretical theological position because it gives credence to the truth that Israel's modern day restoration was not a political accident but rather was ordained by God.
Those who criticize Christian Zionism as an extreme or heretical position completely overlook the fact that an overwhelming number of Christians support Israel. According to a recent poll 80 percent of American Christians feel a moral obligation to support Israel.
There should be room for respectful disagreement among Christian denominations and theologians on politics and the scriptural significance of Israel, but many of today's attacks on Christian Zionism distort facts, history, and theology.
Theologically, Christian support for Israel centers on one's understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant, and whether it still applies to the Nation of Israel. Those who do not believe that God's Covenant with the Jewish people is still valid generally support what is known as Replacement Theology.This theology was the root of anti-Semitism throughout centuries of Christian history.
Politically, the debate about Israel in the Christian world centers on whether one accepts the Palestinian narrative -- which demonizes and delegitimizes the people and State of Israel. This narrative distorts facts and rewrites history in an effort to vilify and demonize the people of Israel to the point that it is nothing but a new expression of age-old anti-Semitism.
Overview of Theologies vis-a-vis Israel
Christian Friends and Foes of Israel by David Parsons, ICEJ, February 2009
Israel Land & People by Rev. Malcolm Hedding
In Defense of Christian Zionism by Rev. Malcolm Hedding, July 2006
Responses to this campaign from Christian Zionist organizations
The New Anti-Semitism by James A. Showers, Friends of Israel, January 2013
The Jerusalem Declaration by the Protestant Consultation on Israel and the Middle East, November 2012
ICEJ Response to 'Open Letter': Denouncing Israel Does Nothing for Peace, October 2012
Scholars' Response to 'Open Letter': Christian Perspective on Land for Peace, October 2012
Targeting Evangelicals for Palestine by Mark Tooley, Institute for Religion and Democracy, November 2011
A Goliath in the Church by Dr. Paul Wilkinson, Hazel Grove Full Gospel Church, July 2011
The Myth of Palestinian Christianity, Rev. Malcolm Lowe, April 2011
Turning a Blind Eye to Murdered Christians by Mark Tooley, Institute for Religion and Democracy, August 2009
Where the Christian Left is Wrong by Elwood McQuaid, Friends of Israel, June 2009 Jerusalem Post
- The Bible states clearly that Jesus and his family were of Jewish descent and lived according to Jewish law.
- The books of Luke and Matthew make clear that Jesus was a direct descendent of King David, from the House of Judah.
- "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." (Matthew 1:17)
- "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1)
- The books of Luke and Matthew make clear that Jesus was a direct descendent of King David, from the House of Judah.
- The name "Palestine" was not used until more than a century after the life and time of Christ.
- Roman rulers renamed the area "Syria-Palestina" around 135 AD to try and erase the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
- Throughout history, great Christian leaders have recognized Jesus' Jewish roots - and the continued validity of the Abrahamic Covenant between God and the Jewish people.
- Learn more about the history and tenets of Christian Zionism.