As I reflect on the Israel\u2013Gaza conflict, I see it as a complicated and wicked problem. It has so many layers that no one can truly identify where it began. We could focus on the current war unfolding since October 7, 2023. Still, the roots go much deeper, extending beyond colonialism and predating Christ, reaching back to land disputes recorded in early biblical history. Throughout time, this conflict has been intensified by colonial powers, the establishment of Israel as a nation, foreign interventions, and Western guilt following World War II. At its core, I believe the root is hatred and contempt that have simmered for thousands of years and have been harbored through generations.<\/p>\n
My perspective comes from many influences: Christian teachings suggesting there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East until Christ\u2019s return, biblical knowledge of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, my Jewish heritage, and thirteen years of living in a pro-Palestine Islamic nation. Recognizing the complexity and moral tension on all sides helps me remember that no single narrative tells the whole truth. When I hear a strong argument from one side, I intentionally lean toward listening to the other, knowing there are always two sides to every story. As I move into this reflection, I approach the issue as a learner: desiring to listen, understand, and mediate peace where possible.<\/p>\n
Displacement has marked humanity since the beginning of time, starting in the Garden of Eden when God sent Adam and Eve out because of sin.[1]<\/a> Abraham, \u201cthe father of many nations,\u201d[2]<\/a> was also displaced as he followed God\u2019s call to \u201cthe land [God would] show\u201d him.[3]<\/a> Both Judaism and Islam claim Abraham as their founding father. From the Old Testament through modern history, land disputes in the Middle East have remained volatile and deeply rooted.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s history is one of a displaced nation. According to Howard Sachar, since the beginning of Jewish dispersion, the idea of\u00a0Zion<\/em>, the Land of Israel, has united Jews both religiously and socially. [4]<\/a> In the 1860s, Leo Pinsker identified Jewish displacement and vulnerability, noting that antisemitism was \u201ca deeply complex social phenomenon\u201d rooted in their lack of a homeland.[5]<\/a> Around this time, early efforts emerged to establish Palestine as a home for the Jewish people. Martin Bunton notes that in 1897, border disputes marked the true beginning of the Palestinian\u2013Israeli conflict.[6]<\/a> \u00a0At that time, the land was already inhabited by Arab Palestinians, and since then, repeated attempts have sought to define borders for both peoples.<\/p>\n After World War II, global sympathy for Jews displaced by the Holocaust led to support for a Jewish homeland. From 1947\u20131949, the war between Israel and Palestine ended with Israel recognized as an independent state.[7]<\/a> For Jews, this was the\u00a0War of Independence<\/em>; for Arabs,\u00a0al-Nakba<\/em>, \u201cthe Catastrophe,\u201d which displaced over 700,000 Palestinians. [8]<\/a> \u00a0Many settled in the West Bank and Gaza. These areas, once part of Palestinian land, became both homeland and refuge, making many Gazans refugees within their own territory.<\/p>\n Today, Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, has not opened its border to Gazan refugees. According to the Middle East Institute, reasons include the security risk of admitting Hamas militants, the economic burden of long-term refugees, the political belief that Gaza should remain part of a Palestinian state, and fear of destabilizing Egypt\u2019s internal politics.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a political, social, and militant \u201cphenomenon\u201d that originated from the Muslim Brotherhood.[10]<\/a> \u00a0This Islamic nationalist organization believes that Palestine is a sacred Muslim land to be guarded until Judgment Day.[11]<\/a> \u00a0Hamas gained strong political support by promoting the belief that war and martyrdom are the only paths to freedom and independence.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, transferring control to the Palestinian Authority.[13]<\/a> \u00a0Two years later, Hamas won elections and seized power, dividing Palestinian governance between Hamas in Gaza and the secular Fatah party in the West Bank.[14]<\/a> Since then, Hamas has received billions in international aid and built a sophisticated tunnel network.[15]<\/a> On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel\u2019s history\u2014killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.[16]<\/a> \u00a0In response, Israel declared war on Gaza to destroy Hamas.<\/p>\n Over the past two years, about 11% of Gaza\u2019s population has been killed or injured, and most have been displaced.[17]<\/a>\u00a0 The morality of their response comes into question. Some label Israel\u2019s response as genocide<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0apartheid<\/em>, though both terms are legally specific and highly disputed. According to the United Nations,\u00a0genocide<\/em>\u00a0is the intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.[18]<\/a> Apartheid<\/em>\u00a0refers to systematic oppression by one group over another.[19]<\/a>Misusing these terms risks inflaming global tensions and distorting the truth.<\/p>\n After the October 7 attacks, pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread worldwide\u2014some calling for the killing of Jews, echoing the hatred that fueled genocide in World War II. [20]<\/a> Many of my Muslim friends still view Israel through this lens. They overlook the responsibility Gazans share in electing Hamas to power and what Hamas did.<\/p>\n Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because Israel did not know what would \u201cmake for peace\u201d\u2014the Prince of Peace Himself.[21]<\/a> He came to restore peace in the Middle East and peace between humanity and its Maker. For Christian leaders, until we follow His example and teachings to bring peace into our world, we will have none. What He calls us to is humanly impossible, but the war in Gaza reveals what happens when hate answers hate. We are called to something higher: \u201cLove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.\u201d[22]<\/a><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Genesis 3:23.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Genesis 17:5 ESV.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Genesis 12:1 ESV.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Howard Sachar, A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time<\/em>, 3rd Kindle ed. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007), Ch 1, Acculturation and Historical Memory.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Ibid, <\/em>Ch 1, Palestine as Refuge and Renaissance.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction<\/em>, Kindle ed, Very Short Introductions (Oxford University Press, 2013), 28.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Ibid, 73.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Ibid, 85.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Mirette Mabrouk, \u201cPressuring Egypt over Gaza Will Not Work and Is Not in the US Interest,\u201d Middle East Institute<\/em>, April 7, 2025, https:\/\/www.mei.edu\/publications\/pressuring-egypt-over-gaza-will-not-work-and-not-us-interest.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Beverley Milton-Edwards and Stephen Farrell, Hamas: The Quest for Power<\/em> (Polity Press, 2024), 19.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> Ibid, 46.<\/em><\/p>\n [12]<\/a> Ibid, 21.<\/em><\/p>\n [13]<\/a> Douglas Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization<\/em>, Kindle ed. (Broadside Books, 2025), 4.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> Milton-Edwards and Farrell, Hamas, 22.<\/em><\/p>\n [15]<\/a> Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults, <\/em>49.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a> \u201cWhat Is Hamas and Why Is It Fighting with Israel in Gaza?,\u201d BBC, October 14, 2025, https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/clyv7w3gdy2o.<\/p>\n [17]<\/a> The Associated Press, \u201cThese Numbers Show How 2 Years of War Have Devastated Palestinian Lives in Gaza,\u201d NPR<\/em>, October 7, 2025, https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/10\/07\/g-s1-92367\/october-7-two-years-gaza-war-israel-hamas-palestinians.<\/p>\n [18]<\/a> \u201cDefinitions of Genocide and Related Crimes,\u201d United Nations, accessed October 16, 2025, https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocide-prevention\/definition.<\/p>\n [19]<\/a> \u201cDefinition of Apartheid,\u201d https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/apartheid.<\/p>\n [20]<\/a> Murray, On Democracies and Death Cults, <\/em>85.<\/p>\n
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