Atrocities in the name of God

Israel is gaining a reputation as a Nazi-like state. Many Israelis are either unaware of this perception or dismiss it as antisemitism, failing to address it with the seriousness it demands. Accusations are being leveled at Israel for allegedly killing children, women, and elderly civilians indiscriminately. The world is responding with growing antagonism, bordering on outright hatred. Israelis have faced exclusion from hotels and restaurants, global companies are refusing to conduct business with Israel, and the prime minister and minister of defense are being accused of ethnic cleansing and human rights violations, with potential cases to be judged by the International Court of Justice.

People worldwide are asking: How could the Jewish people—victims of the Nazis—now be accused of behaving like them?

A Historical and Religious Context
Throughout history, wars have been waged in the name of God, and the current conflict in the Middle East is no different. Today, Israel’s political landscape is heavily influenced by two small messianic parties. These groups believe they have a divine mandate to settle the land promised to the Jewish people thousands of years ago. The messianic factions insist on continuing the war and the destruction of Gaza. They also target Palestinians in the West Bank, burning homes and displacing families, all in pursuit of expanding Israel to encompass the biblical land promised by God.

These small factions rule the coalition. They threat to resign from the government if their agenda is not implemented. If the government collapses, the coalition parties risk losing the benefits of their power: Prime Minister Netanyahu, accused of corruption, faces potential jail time; the ultra-Orthodox parties risk losing military exemptions and subsidies that allow their voters to focus on prayer and religious study instead of work or military service.

The Reality of War
Wars inevitably result in civilian tragedies. In Israel’s case, it faces an enemy that has openly stated its willingness to sacrifice a million Palestinians to achieve its goals. It launches attacks from schools, mosques, and hospitals, using civilians as shields. For Hamas, international sympathy and support grow with every civilian casualty broadcast through emotional and impactful media coverage. The more isolated Israel becomes, the greater Hamas’s chances of achieving its objectives.

Hamas seeks to replicate the victory of Salah al-Din, who liberated the Holy Land from the Crusaders and expelled them to Europe. Furthermore, Muslims are on a march to install their religion world wide and Israel is just part of the plan. The October 7, 2023, atrocities executed by Hamas—beheading children, raping and mutilating women—were designed to provoke the Jewish nation, still healing from the Holocaust, into acts of revenge so maximum Palestinian casualties happen, world sympathy is achieved  and Israel gets on its knees.

Religious ambitions and emotional motives of revenge dominate the actions of both sides. For Hamas, the loss of what they claim as their land fuels their rage. On the Israeli side, the horrors of October 7 have reignited memories of the Holocaust, driving a strong desire for retribution.

Inequality
Many Israelis and jews around the world ask how come the atrocities the Palestinians conducted on October 7, raping, maiming, beheading and doing it with obvious pleasure as they video taped it and sent it home claiming pride, how come there is zero condemnation around the world? 

How come there are zero demonstrations against Assad who murdered hundreds of thousands of his own people in Syria and millions had to immigrate to save their lives. Zero reaction in any country but when Israel kills civilians as Hamas uses them as their shield , people demonstrate, and paint antisemitic slogans on the walls of Jewish houses of prayer and threaten the lives of jews wherever they are.

There is no other nation in the world which has been persecuted, murdered, gassed,  for two thousand years, like the Jewish people have been.. Not allowed to feel secure any place in the world.

Israel needs peace. And the Palestinians need a country of their own. But as long as religious factions on both sides dominate policy and decision-making, leading to further atrocities, there seems to be no resolution in sight for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.