Muslims Archives - The New Antisemitism

October 29, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 17 Comments

Israel Had A Necessary “Eisenhower Moment” to Expose Hamas’ Bestiality

At the end of World War II, the world was in shock as it had discovered the horrors of the Holocaust that had come from one of the most educated countries on the planet. Depending on how one looks at it, the Holocaust took place ONLY eighty years ago or ALREADY eighty years ago. Within the scope of human history, it wasn’t a long time, but when we look at man’s lifespan, it helps us understand that almost all those who have gone through the horrors of the “Shoah” (catastrophe) and survived it are now gone, simply because of old age. Only a handful of firsthand survivors remain around us today, most of them in their nineties. Very soon, nobody will be able to hold someone’s hand and turn their arm to discover the infamous tattoo of doom–the death number of the camps.

The voices of the Shoah are fading away, while the voices of historical revisionism are shouting that the Holocaust was either grossly exaggerated or never happened. Its memory is in the hands of family members of Holocaust victims. That is why I continue to tell the story of how my mother was hidden in the South of France after her father was taken by the Gestapo and sent to be murdered in Auschwitz. Some people realized early on that the horrendous, organized genocide of the Jewish people had to be documented. One of these people was General Dwight Eisenhower.

He understood the importance of documenting and remembering the Holocaust the minute that he walked inside the camp at Orhdruf. As he visited this sub-camp of Buchenwald with Generals Bradley and Patton, he realized the magnitude of what he was witnessing. He immediately wrote a letter to the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General George Marshall, in which he said: …The things I saw beggar description. While I was touring the camp, I encountered three men who had been inmates and by one ruse or another, had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick….I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to “propaganda.” 

As the story goes, General Patton had to excuse himself to go into a private corner and throw up at some point during the visit. Despite the commendable efforts made by Eisenhower and others, the Holocaust increasingly runs the risk of being relegated into some obscure corner of history, even worse…Some will soon believe that it simply never happened. This is also why part of the process was for the US military to force as many Germans as possible to witness the horrors that had taken place around them. Perpetrators and bystanders alike were faced with the results of evil in their midst.

General Eisenhower would be furious and probably disgusted by today’s younger generation. Their lack of interest and lack of knowledge of the Jewish catastrophe is helping those who wish to make it disappear from history. Some schools barely touch the subject for fear of hurting the feelings of other people groups. In the meantime, the Shoah is slowly being erased one person at a time, one memory at a time, one testimony at a time.

Fast forward to October 7, 2023, when the world became a witness to the horrors of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. We now know that their attack was straight out of the Nazi playbook. Actually, it was more like a merging of Nazis and Isis on steroids. Most people have been unable to watch any of the gruesome footage gathered by the IDF. How are human beings able to perform such torture on people including very young children and the elderly? Moreover, how can anyone in their right mind even question that what Hamas did was inhuman and clearly belonged to the category of “crimes against humanity?”

Queen Rania of Jordan has been questioning the beheading of Israeli children by Hamas in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN. Colleges and universities in the USA and other parts of the world have rallied against Israel and in favor of Hamas, putting many Jewish people at risk for their lives…in 2023. This is 1933 all over again! We have turned an important corner in modern antisemitism. The beast has been globally unleashed, and it is on a brutal rampage for Jewish lives.

To counter the irrational pushback from the media and other organizations or governments, Israeli authorities had an “Eisenhower moment.” They decided to show a group of journalists a 43-minute compilation of the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7, so that they would not forget. It is so sad that such an event would even have to be held, but the world must know. As difficult as these images are to look at, we must not turn our heads away, lest we become the new bystanders of the 21st century.

If this is the new normal for Jewish people worldwide, then, we must adjust to it as well, and as believers, we must not be silent. Thousands of Hamas sympathizers have gathered all over the globe to rally against Israel in the biggest display of double standard we have ever witnessed. The Jewish people need to know that there are Christians who are ready to commit to their rescue and safety. Where is the Church when pro-Hamas people are chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free!” or “Gas the Jews!”

The world is being split in two as we see pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions take sides. To be sure, not all Palestinians side with Hamas. Many of them just want to live in peace, but the lines are being blurred by biased reporting and double standards. Add to that the fact that younger generations easily buy the lies about Israel because they have no clue about history. They are gullible victims of the propaganda spewers. Consider this:

63% of Millennials and Gen Z didn’t know that six million Jews died in the Holocaust.
48% of Millennials and Gen Z couldn’t name one single concentration camp.
56% of Millennials and Gen Z were unable to identify Auschwitz.
11% of Millennials and Gen Z believe that Jews caused the Holocaust.
49% of Millennials and Gen Z have seen Holocaust Denial on Social Networks.

Israel needs you, the Jewish people need you, and now is not the time to sit on the fence!

Ian Kershaw said “The Road to Auschwitz was built by hate but paved with indifference,
to which I add “The Road to another Holocaust is being rebuilt by hate but now paved with wokeness and apathy.”

October 11, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 3 Comments

Global Antisemitism Has Officially Reached The Point of No Return!

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, early in the morning in Israel, Hamas terrorists attacked civilians and military personnel in over twenty locations. It didn’t take long for the world to realize that this was not a localized terrorist attack. This one was big and it was planned. Prime Minister Netanyahu first declared that Israel was in “a state of war,” and soon after, he officially declared that Israel was “at war” by invoking article 40 aleph. This had not happened since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, under Prime Minister Golda Meir. It has been less than a week, and casualties are over 1,200 in Israel. More than 150 were taken hostage and some might have been executed in the last few days. It breaks my heart to even say this, but Israel is at war, and this is going to be a long and messy one.

One thing we cannot say about Hamas is that they didn’t tell us how they feel about Israel and the Jewish people. The Hamas Covenant is clear, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it (Preamble.) “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him. (article 7.)”

Hamas is a terrorist organization. UN Security Council Resolution 1566 defines terrorism very clearly: “criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.” This is exactly what Hamas did on Saturday, Oct 7, 2023, and I certainly wish I could say that the whole world is seeing through them. I wish I could say that Hamas is not fooling anyone, but unfortunately, I can’t!

All over the world (Canada, Europe, USA), people have gathered on the streets to protest and speak up. While there were people coming to show their support to Israel, many more came with a pro-Palestinian agenda and unashamedly voiced their support for Hamas, chanting, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Shall be Free!” which is a euphemism for killing all Jews in Israel. How in the world could anyone support the barbaric torturing and killing of innocent civilians (children, teenagers, adults and the elderly alike, including beheading? This is not about occupation or a two-state solution. This is pure, evil antisemitism. There were even people displaying swastikas during a protest in Time Square, NY.

Jewish people worldwide do not feel safe anymore. When on the street, they have to watch their backs. When at services in Synagogue, they fear armed intruders at any moment. They stay home, lock their doors and pray for the best. This is no life to live, but safety first, I understand, yet, even that, might not be safe anymore.

Apparently, a hacker has claimed that he has stolen genetic data from millions of users on the DNA ancestry service 23andMe. The company originally stated that they had not been hacked, but they eventually requested that all their users change their passwords immediately. The hacker also claimed that he was willing to sell a million names of individuals with Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jews) lineage. If the hack actually happened, it means that Jewish people are now being identified at the individual level, including personal data and home addresses. We are now seeing the stage being set for the rounding up of Jews. I do not take the Holocaust lightly, considering that I lost my grandfather in Auschwitz, but we have to start drawing parallels between the 2023 open season on the Jews and the 1930s open season on the Jews .

In 1935, the Nazi regime announced two new laws related to race: The Reich Citizenship Law and The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. They were meant to identify and ostracize the Jews. As they were first introduced in Nuremberg, they became known as “The Nuremberg Laws.” This was the start of the Nazi death factories. But, before the Nazis could kill 6,000.000 Jews in the Death Camps, they had to transport them there, and before they could transport them they had to gather and keep them together in ghettos, but before all that, the Jewish people had to be identified, thus the Nuremberg Laws.

Once the Nuremberg Laws were put in place, the domino effect started. In August 1938, all Jews had to have the names “Sara” for females and “Israel” for males, added to their identification papers for quick identification. Three months later, the stamped red letter “J” was added to the passports of all the Jewish people. One month later Kristallnacht took place in Germany. It has been recognized as the official start of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.” In September of 1941, the Yellow Star patch (that my parents wore in France) became mandatory.

Even if the hacker’s story is not true, the mere fact that someone thought of doing such a thing, shows the world’s obsession with the destruction of all Jewish people. Maybe this hacker is a fake and he has nothing, but the idea is now in the open and someone will find a way to get Jewish addresses. This is pure evil and it validates Satan’s main agenda: The destruction of Israel and all Jews. The dominos are in place and it only takes one push.

This war is going to be won by Israel one way or another. Bibi stated it very simply, “Hamas started the war, but we will finish it!” Hamas will be stopped and incapacitated. The biggest lesson might end up being that it is no longer safe for Jews ANYWHERE including Israel. Antisemitism has been constantly repackaged by Satan over the centuries and even in the last few decades. Today, in a vicious race to get the Jews everywhere, global antisemitism might have reached the point of no return!

So, the only remaining safe harbor for Jews is now–on a more individual level–in the homes of loving Christians who will do anything to help Israel. The challenge is that most Jewish people don’t know if they can trust their Christian neighbors. It is time to reach out to your Jewish friends and open your home and your heart to them. Let us all model our behavior after the Tribulation sheep of Matthew 25:31-46, “³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.“

These Gentile Christians are reminiscent of the Yad Vashem Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jews during WW2, including my mother and her two cousins. I call them the New Righteous Among the Nations.

Bibi Netanyahu called all Israeli reservists to duty. Maybe it is time for all New Righteous Among the Nations to respond to the call of duty as well.
Israel and Diaspora Jews can certainly use a few friends right now!

Am Yisrael Chai!

October 5, 2023 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

The Delegitimization of Israel: A Cancer With A Cure!

There are several ways to make something disappear from the public eye. It can be removed in one swoop, or it can be progressively reduced to oblivion without anyone noticing, let alone doing anything to stop it. Some call it “the salami effect”. You slice away a very thin piece of the issue at a time so that it is barely noticeable, and eventually, the salami is all gone. It looks like Israel has been cursed with this mode of operation by her foes for several decades.

Natan Sharansky developed the 3D test to determine if antisemitism is at play in any way, shape or form. He came up with the three filters to pass everything through: Delegitimization, Demonization and Double Standards. These three criteria can be used individually. But people can also compound them and use double standards to delegitimize Israel’s existence, which makes it even easier to demonize Israel and the Jewish people.

The delegitimization of Israel has been going on for a while now. The attempt at erasing Israel’s biblical, historical, geographical and archeological heritages has been somewhat successful, even though it is not founded on facts. But, let’s face it, people are less and less checking for truth, and facts don’t matter as much as they used to. So, when the United Nations or UNESCO declare that a Middle East site is not Jewish but Palestinian, few people verify the accuracy of the statement.

The latest such decision was made a few days ago about ancient ruins near Jericho in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank.) The old city of Jericho (one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world) was recognized as a World Heritage Site in Palestine, as reported by the Washington Post. The decision was made at a meeting of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. This organization was created to promote the educational, scientific and/or cultural aspects of world sites, aiming at their preservation for generations to enjoy. Lately, it would appear that UNESCO has become more political than educational.

Not too long ago, the Temple Mount was also declared a historical Palestinian site. It was in 2016 when UNESCO adopted a resolution referring to the Temple Mount as “the al-Aqsa Mosque,” and or “Haram-al Sharif,” only mentioning “Temple Mount” in parenthesis and promoting a site stripped of its very deep Jewish roots.

All these attempts at dejudaizing Israel can be extremely damaging and are only fueled by historical revisionism, encouraging more people to delegitimize Israel. When it comes to Israel’s legitimacy in the Holy Land, before people jump to conclusions, here are a few questions that they should ask themselves:

• Can Palestine be defined biblically, historically, geographically or archaeologically with certainty?
• What are the Palestinian language, foods, and customs?
• Why did the Palestinian flag change from a Blue and white rectangle with a yellow star of David to a flag resembling the Jordanian flag?
• Why do Palestinian stamps, ID cards, Passports, coins and bills prior to 1948 all have the two letters yod and aleph (short for Eretz Yisrael, meaning “Land of Israel”) near the word “Palestine”?
• Where does the word Palestine originate from?
• Where is Palestine mentioned in the Bible?

These are legitimate questions that people of goodwill ought to ask about Palestine and then decide for themselves. I could answer all these questions, but it is better for people to do their own research and not feel like there might be a bias in the answers I would give.

For decades now, Israel’s legitimacy has been shaved off a thin slice at a time. Originally, these moves used to raise some eyebrows, but they don’t anymore. Israel continues to be more and more delegitimized by her foes, but there is an easy solution. People must educate themselves about factual truth and debunk the lies.

No other country in the world has suffered and continues to suffer like Israel. The reason is a biblical one. Israel is where Jerusalem is and where the end-times stage will be set very soon. A lot is at stake in the area. It was once said that if Israel is akin to the End-Times clock, Jerusalem is the hour hand and the Temple is the minute hand, and boy, is that clock near the midnight mark!

Satan is operating on borrowed time and he is eagerly waiting to set his antichrist on the scene to go full force against Israel. Both Israelis and Arabs are being deceived by Satan and used against each other. They, like we all do, need Yeshua (Jesus) to come into their lives and settle their eternal destiny. The cure for the cancer of the delegitimization of Israel is education, but more importantly, the cure for the world spiritual cancer is the death and resurrection of Yeshua for all mankind, including Jews and Arabs.

June 4, 2023 By Olivier Melnick Leave a Comment

The White House Strategy to Combat Antisemitism Should Start with CUNY!

On May 25th, the White House unveiled a new strategy to combat antisemitism in America in a 60-page document. In President Joe Biden’s words, “Toward that aim, my Administration has developed the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. It represents the most ambitious and comprehensive U.S. government-led effort to fight antisemitism in American history. It also brings Americans together—regardless of our backgrounds and beliefs—to stand united against the hate, racism, bigotry, and violence that have long haunted our Nation. The Strategy outlines a whole-of-society effort to combat antisemitism, including unprecedented, coordinated, and bold actions that will be implemented across government agencies, as well as calls to action for public officials, private sector leaders, and Americans from every sector, industry, and walk of life. “

In principle, I have to applaud that statement. It seems to show that a great effort is being made to combat the oldest hatred. After all, it is extremely alarming to know that 2.4% of the U.S. population is the victim of 63% of all hate crimes in America. This task force is part of a broader committee known as the “Interagency Policy Committee on Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination.” It has been tasked with combatting antisemitism as its first order of business and has partnered with a myriad of various organizations to do so on as many levels as possible, and again, we should all be very encouraged…If, indeed, this new endeavor truly leads to change. Sadly, I have my doubts.

When it comes, to antisemitism, the number one challenge is education, and, for those interested in fighting the beast of Jew hatred, there are more than enough resources online, in printed form and even in person. Additionally, they announced that “in 2024, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will launch the first-ever U.S.-based Holocaust education research center.” There is great potential for continued education on the Holocaust and its ramifications into the 21st century. This should equip people to debunk history revision and holocaust denial. Again, education is available, but it will only change the landscape if people who learn also take action.

It is not the first time that words have been spoken against the evil of antisemitism. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have claimed multiple times that “America will not tolerate any antisemitism” and that “antisemitism will be punished by law.” Sadly, these have been spoken words but followed by very little action unless the event that led to the statements was important enough to draw the attention of the general public – like the tragedy of the Pittsburgh Synagogue murders in 2018. Even then, not enough has really been done.

Another of the greatest challenges in combatting antisemitism is identifying acts of Jew-hatred as such. When a man took hostages in a synagogue on Shabbat in Colleyville, TX, in 2022, the FBI immediately came out to denounce the crime, but without declaring any antisemitic connection. In their defense, they quickly changed their story. Many incidents take place in America on a daily basis and when the Jewish community witnesses the lack of recognition and lack of any enforcement, they simply don’t report antisemitism anymore. Why would they if nothing or very little gets done?

As the White House is promising action against antisemitism like never before in America, they have an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. On May 12, there was a graduation ceremony for the the law students’ class of 2023 at City University of New York (CUNY). The school has a reputation for being very liberal, which is their right in our beautiful country. They got into trouble last year for letting graduate Nerdeen Kiswani who has called for “the destruction of Israel,” and invited people to “globalize the Intifada.” One would think that this year, they would have tried to be a little less controversial, let alone not so anti-Jewish.

Enter Fatima Mousa Mohammed to deliver the graduation speech at CUNY 2023 Commencement ceremony. Her 12-minute speech was laced with racism, CRT and antisemitism. A graduation speech is an awesome opportunity to encourage, challenge and inspire the graduating class. It should be seen as an important responsibility and a tremendous honor. Her speech turned out to be none of that, unless, of course, she wanted to encourage people to ostracize and demonize Israel. It is a sad day we live in when people use any platform they can to denigrate the Jewish state with antisemitic tropes. CUNY trains the next generation of legal experts, lawyers and judges. Where is this world going?

Some of the statements that Miss Mohammed said were, “The continual white supremacy that continues to oppress and suppress people in this nation,” and ” I want to celebrate CUNY Law as one of the few if not the only Law School to make a public statement defending the rights of its students to organize and speak out against Israeli settlers colonialism,” “This is the Law School that passed and endorsed BDS on a student and faculty level,” “Israel continues to indiscriminately rain bullets and bombs on worshippers, murdering the old, the young, attacking even funerals and graveyards as it encourages lynch mobs to target Palestinian homes and businesses as it imprisons its children as it continues its project of settlers colonialism expelling Palestinians from their home carrying the ongoing Nakba,” “Leading the fight against capitalism, racism, imperialism and Zionism around the world.”

Amid all the statements that are not based on factual truth, she also declared, “We must practice a discipline of truth and courage.” While I agree with this statement, I am not certain that this is what she had just accomplished in her passionate speech. There are a few things that troubled me with her graduation speech, and the reason for my discomfort is the choice of venue for such a declaration. It is absolutely true that we must uphold freedom of speech in America; otherwise, we become a police state with no freedoms at all as a result. Yet, free speech being upheld should never occur if and when it places people at risk for their lives. Some questions we need to ask ourselves after listening to the words of Miss Mohammed are:

• Was her speech encouraging and positive, seeking to make a better world?
• Why was she wearing a Palestinian scarf around her neck?
• Why was there so much cheering from the student body?
• Of all her cries against injustice in the world, was Israel disproportionally represented?
• Were all her complaints about Israel killing Palestinians accurate?
• How did the speech receive faculty approval prior to being delivered (or did she change it at the last minute)?

In their defense, the CUNY Board of Trustees made a statement in which they clearly condemn the speech:

“The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation.”

I applaud them for coming out so quickly to denounce the hate-filled speech. Circling back to the new White House strategy to counter antisemitism, what took place at the 2023 CUNY commencement ceremony is a perfect example of the normalization of antisemitism and that it falls into the incidents that the White House needs to identify, analyze, and denounce. But, beyond denouncing the hate, we must start to bring those who promote it to justice and have them pay for their crimes. Maybe I live in a utopian universe, but I still have faith in the human spirit. My prayers go out to our current administration for the hard work that lies ahead of them.

May 1, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 1 Comment

Do Biblical Zionists Love Palestinians?

Whenever one puts “Biblical,” “Zionist,” and “Palestinian” in the same sentence, definitions are in order. Unity might never be fully achieved, but it should never be because of a lack of clarity. First, what I mean by Biblical is “in accordance with the Biblical record,” which, as far as I understand, includes the sixty-six books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. As far as a fair definition of Zionism, lest I be accused of any bias as a Jew, I prefer to give a plain dictionary definition of the word as, “a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. It was established as a political organization in 1897 under Theodor Herzl and was later led by Chaim Weizmann.”

Now, for the definition of who is a Palestinian, it gets a little tricky. Again, for the sake of clarity, I will say, “any physical descendant of the various Arab inhabitants of the Land of Israel known as Palestine before 1948.” While I do not believe that tracing the Palestinian people historically is possible, we must recognize that Arabs born in the Land of Israel when it was still known as Palestine are real people, not responsible for the conflict they or their children were catapulted into. We must not forget that Palestine as a word was introduced by the Roman emperor Hadrian at the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt in AD 132-135 (A failed Jewish revolt against Rome). To humiliate the Jewish people, Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina and Israel became known as Palaestina.

Unfortunately, the word stuck and until 1948, “Palestine” was the word used to describe the geographical area that had always been known as Israel before. Eventually, under the leadership of Yassir Arafat and subsequent “Palestinian” leaders, the word’s etymology was expanded to mean both a land AND a people, a political claim that cannot be proven historically, archeologically, culturally or biblically. Today’s “Palestinians” have an Arab culture, eat Arab foods, speak Arabic and have Arab ancestors. “Palestinians” as a people group do not exist, but “Palestinians” as Arabs do. This is in no way meant to belittle their right to self-determination and their right to exist, but not at the expense of or to replace native Jews. Here is a question: Why do pre-1948 ‘Palestinian’ coins, bills, postage stamps and other items with a country of origin written on it all include the two initials in Hebrew for ‘Eretz Yisrael’ meaning ‘Land of Israel’?

Logically, we now need to look at what defines a “Biblical Zionist.” We often hear the words “Christian” and “Zionist” put together to describe someone who would consider himself a follower of Yeshua (Jesus) and a supporter of Israel and the Jewish people’s right to the land. I prefer the term “Biblical” to “Christian” as it pertains to those who love and support Israel. Unfortunately, in the last few years, many people who call themselves Christians have displayed quite a bit of antisemitism and have supported faulty views like Replacement Theology or Christian Palestinianism. We must also mention the recent upsurge in support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement from several mainline Christian denominations.

The Biblical Zionist position is usually taken because of one’s eschatological (End-Times) perspective and/or theological approach. Many evangelical Christians have supported Israel over the years, seeing that God is not finished with the Jewish people and has never completely fulfilled His promise given to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 12:1-3. That same promise was ratified as a covenant known as the Abrahamic Covenant with a promise of a seed, a land and a blessing. At the ratification of the covenant made between God and Abram (Genesis 15:7-19), no conditions were made. However, specific land boundaries were given which, incidentally, are much larger than current Eretz Yisrael. When God specifically gave Abram the boundaries of the land He was giving him, He simply stated, “To your descendants, I have given this land.” When Abraham’s son Isaac settles in Gerar instead of moving to Egypt God repeats the promises of the Covenant He made with Abraham (Gen 26:1-4), “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

Furthermore, in Genesis 28:13-15, the Abrahamic Covenant is reconfirmed through Isaac’s son Jacob where the same land (vv. 13, 15) spoken of prior, is promised to Jacob and his descendants as it was promised to Isaac before. It continues to be unconditionally given as we know through the Biblical record that Jacob lied to his father about his birthright. It was in God’s plan to have Jacob and not Esau inherit the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant from Isaac. So biblically speaking, the descendants of Abraham, through Isaac and through Jacob are the Jewish people.

The Biblical Zionist’s love for Israel and the Jewish people is a result of his understanding of the eternal, unconditional and unilateral Abrahamic Covenant and its three promises made that were later amplified in three other unconditional covenants known as the Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; Ezekiel 16:53-63), the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:11-16), and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

But the great love that Biblical Zionists display for Israel and the Jewish people should not be exclusive, and it should extend to all, even those who have been indoctrinated to hate and destroy Israel. In the words of Yeshua in Matthew 5:44, we read, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” This doesn’t imply that all Palestinians today hate the Jews, as we should never paint with broad strokes. Yet, as difficult as it might be to fulfill that command, for those who take the Bible seriously, it is a command, nonetheless.

At the end of the day, Jews and Arabs have the same need of a redeemer to pay the price for their sins, just like anybody else in the world. There is only one way to God, and that is through the atoning death of Yeshua the Messiah for our sins. God doesn’t view people as Jews, Palestinians or Gentiles, but as sinners needing redemption. Once saved, we retain our ethnic identities, so a Jew remains a Jew and an Arab remains an Arab. It is only in Messiah that Jews and Arabs can truly get along and love and respect each other.

A Biblical Zionist not only can – but should – love the Palestinians. Over the years, I have found that to love Israel and the Jewish people and to love the “Palestinians” is not mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, when we reverse this equation, love, too often, disappears, and those who support a Palestinian cause almost always show animosity toward the Jews and Israel.

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