This weekend we have seen a wave of protests against Israel – we have a question: Why do we NEVER see a protest against Hamas? Worse still, why does the church often jump on the anti-Israel bandwagon instead?!
Before we go any further, let us state that we are NOT suggesting Israel are perfect – there are genuine injustices and grievances that greatly complicate the situation. However, it is astonishing how silent the UK church is about the overtly anti-semitic ambition of Hamas, the shocking way Hamas treats the Palestinians they “govern” and even worse than this, the horrific persecution of Christian’s in the Gaza strip:
- Hamas kills six suspected of aiding Israel, drags body through streets
- Hamas used child labor to build terror tunnels; hundreds killed
Can you imagine Israel treating its own people like this?
For the moment, let’s leave aside the fact that since Israel was bullied into conceding the land of Gaza (in return for peace!) in 2005 and Hamas seized power in 2007, they have continually fired rockets at Israeli civilian populations simply to kill them. Let’s also leave aside the fact that Hamas deliberately fires these rockets from locations that put their own people in maximum possible danger should Israel try to destroy these rocket launchers such as schools, hospitals and mosques. Let’s also leave aside the fact that when Israel does attack these rocket sites, Hamas encourage and even force their people to locate themselves directly in the line of Israeli fire so that the media can distort this carnage for TV screens by primarily blaming Israel instead of Hamas. Let’s leave all of this aside for the moment although we have never seen a protest about these blatant war crimes in the streets of London.
Specifically for the church, what is life like for the Christian community in Gaza, a group of people the UK church should deeply care about?
The Christian population is now incredibly small due to intense persecution by Hamas:
- Persecuting Israel, Or demonising Israel?
- Wife of martyred Gaza bookshop manager chooses not to hate
Can you imagine the uproar if Israel treated it’s Christian population like this?
The tiny Christian population in Gaza is subject to murder, kidnappings, intimidation and other overt discrimination JUST because they are Christians. Why is the Western church so quiet about this and yet wastes no time in aggressively protesting against Israel whenever the situation flares up?
We live in very strange times indeed when we witness this hypocrisy WITHIN the church. Even if Christian’s are willing to take to the streets against Israel you would at least expect them to ALSO take the streets when there OWN brothers and sisters in Christ suffer in this way – but there is simply silence…
Through false doctrine such as ‘Replacement Theology‘, the church has been duped into a subtle form of anti-semitism which erupts more visibly when there is a bandwagon to be jumped on. See our article, Why Israel? for a different perspective on what is happening in the Middle East. Let’s also continually pray for the disappearing Christian community in Gaza. Maybe Christian’s should also think twice before joining in the protest against Israel and consider what they would do if they lived next door to an aggressor that desires nothing other than Christian and Jewish extinction.
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