Study More, Know Less: It’s Wicked
- What do you currently understand, and how have your assumptions and emotions been shaped?
My initial thoughts about the Israel-Palestinian conflict turn to the absolute complexity of it. Fundamental questions such as who owns land, what are the power, security and economic needs of a country and its people, who has a right to be there, what threatens a country and even human existence have been a part of the Middle East history marked with wars and fragile peace agreements.
This conflict dates back to biblical times, when the Old Testament of the Bible chronicled God’s promise of the land to the Jews. [1] Early church-based lessons taught me that Jesus came into the world as a Jewish person, so respect for this group was warranted. As I have examined several wars and studied scripture, I am aware that the Jews are human and sin just like all humans, so they shouldn’t automatically get a “pass” if they overreach while trying to protect their homeland.
- How do history, displacement, and regional realities shape this conflict?
Israel and Gaza have significant ties for both Jewish and Palestinian people. For Israel, even God removed them from the promised land due to their sinfulness. The Old Testament recounts idolatry, wars, and ignoring God’s commandments, which led to the 70-year Babylonian exile during the time of Jeremiah[2]. Some of them never returned but settled throughout Europe where they thrived economically[3], but were not easily accepted.
In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour proposed the controversial establishment of Palestine as a homeland to meet Zionist goals. This solution failed to recognize that much of Palestine was already inhabited by approximately 700,000 Arabs. Britain’s appearance of helping the Jews was not the complete story. Checking Russian influence and limiting their power and access to Europe and beyond was also motivating for them, complicating the regional dynamics[4]. All combined factors feed the complexity and high tensions that remain today.
- What criteria are important to consider in evaluating Hamas, Israel’s response, and the ethics of warfare?
As I think about Hamas, I am angry, appalled, sad, and frustrated. Started in 1987, Hamas first attacked Israel in 1988, and then more over the course of many years thereafter[5]. Yet, to the people in Palestine, Hamas was initially seen not only for their violent resistance to Israel, but also as a social service organization that sought to meet the needs of the Palestinians who were suffering under years of Israeli limitations[6]. Because of those humanitarian efforts, Hamas was elected into power in Palestine in a free election. I don’t fault the Palestinians for voting for him. He portrayed himself as a different person than the reality.
One of the things I learned this week is that motivation and how people carry themselves in horrific situations matter to me. Douglas Murray recounted a phone call one of the Hamas soldiers had with his parents during the attack on the Israeli people. He was telling his parents how many people he killed as though he was bragging about how many shots he made in a basketball game. His parents were just as enthusiastic and proud, urging him to continue killing[7]. It made me heart sick. Yet, October 7, 2023, was far from an isolated event. Palestinians and Israels had been fighting for years.
- How does language like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ shape public understanding – and what are the risks?
Genocide: Article III of the United Nations convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide says Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to group members; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcible transferring children of the group to another group[8].
Apartheid: A system of legal racial segregation practiced in South Africa for over 46 years that prohibited nonwhite persons from living in certain areas of the city, holding certain jobs, and experiencing full rights of citizenship that white people enjoyed. The law facilitated minority rule over the majority.
What are the risks of using those words wrongly or politically?
The definitions above do not perfectly fit what has been going on in Gaza from the standpoint that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated said that he was working on getting Hamas out of their tunnels and strongholds. I think he wants the world to see the casualties as a byproduct to him, not his primary focus. Additionally, making something bigger than it is, such as calling war casualties a genocide might miss the fact that the purpose wasn’t to kill all the Palestinians as much as it was to keep them out of the territory they perceived as theirs alone.
- As a Christian leader, how do you reflect theologically, ethically, and vocationally on this conflict?
Theologically: Hamas categorically does not see co-existence as feasible with Jews and Christians, nor does it esteem women’s rights. That is difficult[9]. Having seen it work well; I am aware I might be seeing it through the eyes of the western world.
Vocationally: The context of my work does not typically, blatantly, intersect with the Middle East events. I am local to Northeast Florida and singularly focused on the needs of families living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and how they experience everyday life. Throughout history, people, such as those my organization serves, have been shunned, ridiculed, or ignored. People who hate others are not really very different than organized hate groups. Over the years, neighbors have called the police in hopes to have us kicked out of a neighborhood or threatened to shoot us. My faith tells me that I need to be an advocate for the people we serve while remaining civil yet vigilant in safety. In our case, the threats stemmed from fear of the unknown. In the Middle East, while the fissures might be deep, the history from where it stems is one of the deepest divides of history. I believe my primary job in this right now is to listen thoughtfully, pray more, and withhold condemnation until complete facts are known.
[1] Howard M. Sachar, A History Of Israel, From the Rise of Zionism To Our Time, New York, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1976), 708-709.
[2] Jeremiah 25:11-12, 2 Chronicles 36:21.
[3] Fr. Mike Schmitz, The Bible In a Year Podcast, “Return Introduction Episode.” (Ascension Press)
Minute marker 6:11.
[4] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 2013), 16-19.
[5] Beverley Milton-Edwards, and Stephen Farrell, Hamas, (Hoboken, NJ, Polity Press, 2024), 273 – 283.
[6] Milton-Edwards, and Farrell, p. XI.
[7] Douglas Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults, (New York, Broadside Books, 2025), xvi.
[8] UN General Assembly resolution 260A (III) of 9 December 1948. Entry into force: 12 January 1951, in accordance with article XIII.
[9] Milton-Edwards and Farrell, 159.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
7 responses to “Study More, Know Less: It’s Wicked”
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Dr. Tuttle,
I really appreciate the way you emphasize and acknowledge the complexity of this ongoing conflict. Your words, “Motivation and how people carry themselves in horrific situations matter to me,” really resonated with me — they matter to me too.
I’m grateful for your reminder to pray and to listen well. In your context, I’m curious — what kinds of responses have you been hearing around this topic? Is it something people tend to avoid, or is it being engaged in honest conversation, if you’re comfortable sharing?
Hi Elysse, I don’t hear much at all. At work, people are pretty focused. I am not sure why I haven’t heard much about it from our church. My hope is that I would hear hate the sin and pray for the sinner.
Diane, thanks for your blog. Like you I find that I am angered by Hamas. I am also compassionate toward the people of Palestine. Even though they voted them into power, and to this day seem supportive, i still feel compassion.
How do we hold people accountable for their actions, grieve over their losses, and have hope for change?
Hi Graham, after reflecting on our conversation today, I am finding myself moving towards hating the sin, lamenting the victims and praying for God to somehow become present in that part of the world. Yet, one thing I have learned in all our readings is that when people choose evil, God still honors the free will He gave them. Ugh, it makes for a painful world. Thanks for your thoughts, I know my answer doesn’t seem quite adequate but not sure any answer would.
Thank you for this clear post Dr. Tuttle. I appreciate the complexity of the issues, the way you describe them. And I also appreciate your extrapolation of such a difficult problem to your context. What other sorts of learnings might you be able to share, from this global conflict, to your Florida context?
HI Debbie, I think the evil in the world is not limited to one geographic area. It might not be as blatant where I live, but it is present just below the surface. My conviction says to live my faith as honestly as I can and pray for God’s protection where it seems He is silent. Yet, as I replied to Graham, God’s gift of free will includes the choice to turn away from Him toward evil. Short of eternity, life here will include sin. Thanks for your question.
HI Diane. Thank you for sharing. A truly comlex issue that warrants alot of thinking through before acting and / or answering. After this weeks readings did anything become clearer to you?