I love Arabs and I hate Jihad. "Hashtag": #LoveArabsHateJihad.
Most Israelis, and virtually all Messianic Jews, would say the same.
We see Arabs as our cousins. We want to live cooperatively with them in peace. Much of our Israeli Middle Eastern culture is Arabic.
Our prayers are for all our Arab neighbors. For our Christian Arab friends, we always seek to honor them, bless them, and strengthen them. A theme verse in my life has been, "Let Ishmael live before You." (Genesis 17:18)
There are 3 general viewpoints about Israel among Arabs:
Those who love Israel
Those who want light peaceful coexistence
Those who hate Israel
The first group would include many Israeli Arabs, Arab evangelical Christians, some Israeli Druze, Bedouins, and even Muslims serving in Israeli army commando units.
The second group would include many moderate Suni Arabs across the Middle East, especially those who would favor a wider "Abrahamic Accord" - economically, diplomatically, and culturally.
The third group would be the Islamic extremists, the Jihadists, and any of those influenced by their theology, ideology and narrative.
There are some Arab Christians in all three of these categories.
God's plan for Israel is repeated in the covenant promises to Abraham, the kingdom of David, the return of the Jewish people to the Land, and the restoration of the nation. The Apostle Paul warns: God Forbid, the destiny of Israel has NOT been abolished! (Romans 11:1-2). End-time prophecies describe the nations uniting in attack against Jerusalem, and Yeshua (Jesus) returning as Commander of the heavenly armies to destroy those who attacked (Zechariah 14:1-4).
There are thousands of Scriptures about Jews, Israel, Jerusalem, Zion, etc. Those verses constitute not only divine promises, but also literary documentation. The historical documentation is there, regardless of one's religious interpretation of that history.
Even the Quran, Sura 5, affirms God's mandate to Moses and Joshua for the Jewish people to possess the land of Canaan some 3500 years ago.
In addition, there is overwhelming archaeological evidence for Jewish habitation and national entity in the Land. This cannot be ignored by any Christian, Muslim, or rational humanist.
Here are a few terms that need clarification:
Colonialism – the Middle East was controlled by the Ottoman empire for most of modern history, from 1517 to 1917. That is 400 years. Then the British controlled the area for 30 years from 1917 to 1947. Then a partition plan for a two-state solution was voted on by the UN. War immediately broke out.
Jihadism – Modern Jihadism started in the Armenian genocide in 1916. Over 1,200,000 were killed by Islamist extremists, including the crucifying of Armenian Christian girls naked in public. Over the past 3 decades, thousands of Arabs have been murdered by Jihadist groups, like ISIS, Al Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc. In the so-called Arab Spring (2011-2017) some 850,000 Arabs were killed and 10 million made refugees.
Lebanon - Lebanese Christian President Bashir Gemayal was murdered in 1982 by Syrian nationalists, and in 2005 moderate Muslim Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was murdered by Hezbollah. In 2006, the UN security council passed resolution 1701 calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a demilitarized zone from the Litani River to the Israeli border. Hezbollah agreed. UNIFIL committed to enforce it. Israel complied. Hezbollah and UNIFIL broke it.
Islamophobia – This term is a misnomer seeking to disguise support for Jihadism. Phobia is an imagined fear with no basis in reality. This is not the case here. We do not have a phobia; we oppose the murderous nature of Jihadism. This is real, not imagined.
Palestinian Suffering – The Palestinians are certainly suffering. We cry for them. Israel has no interest in Palestinian suffering – quite the contrary. The issue is how to solve it. This a heartbreaking and complex question, worthy of discussion. Within Israel, Arab citizens have full rights. They are judges, doctors, Knesset members, and popular television personalities.
Gaza - In August 2005 Israel forcefully removed all the 8,600 Jews living in Gaza. In 2007 Hamas killed all the PLO leadership there, and since then has turned Gaza into an armed camp, with 1,000 kilometers of terror tunnels. The current war has been disastrous for Palestinians and Israelis. The statistics are overwhelming and piling up every day. We did not want this war, and we did not start this war. One difficulty now is finding a way for the 150,000 Israeli evacuees to return to their homes in safety. Another is how to build a new society for 2,000,000 Gazans that will not be radicalized into another Jihad war.
West Bank - The situation in Judea-Samaria territories is also complex and painful. It was divided into A, B, and C zones by the Oslo accords in 1993-95 and turned over to the Palestinian Authority for civilian self-government. Everyone wants a peaceful and prosperous solution; that can only happen by rooting out Hamas extremism.
Anti-Zionism – The new form of antisemitism is hatred of Israel. Zionism is the regathering of the Jewish people to our ancient homeland. It is also the biblical vision of world peace and prosperity (Isaiah 2:1-4, Micah 4:1-5). It is a beautiful concept to those who understand it rightly.
In summary, let me quote a recent speech by Kamala Harris:
"Hamas is an evil terrorist organization... I strongly condemn Hamas' continued brutality, and so must the entire world. The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel – and American citizens in Israel – must be eliminated. Hamas cannot control Gaza. The Palestinian people have suffered under Hamas' rule for nearly two decades."
I agree with her words.
We continue to pray for all our Arab neighbors. We love you. We hate the Jihadism which is out to destroy both you and us together.
Photo by Amir Mortezaie on Unsplash
