In 2020 when George Floyd was murdered, many felt compelled to post a black box in their social media feed. The intention was to stand in solidarity against racism. We can all agree that racism is wrong.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, it seemed like everyone put a Ukrainian flag in their social media feed. Some put a sign of the flag on their front lawn. We can all agree that Russia invading Ukraine was wrong.
Last weekend, the terrorist group Hamas invaded Israel and brutally murdered over a thousand people, mostly civilians. These included women and children. They entered villages and went door to door slaughtering families. In some places they kidnapped people and took them back to Gaza. Hamas terrorists crashed a music festival filled with young people, raping many girls and murdering girls and boys. The images coming out of Israel are nothing short of horrific.
The silence on social media is chilling. Few people are posting support for Israel in the face of terrorism. Rather we are seeing protests around the world supporting Hamas. In Australia, thousands of protesters were chanting “gas the Jews”. Support for or cheering on Hamas is an act of evil far worse than cheering on the Nazis when they were killing Jews. The Nazis did not pull families out of their homes, slaughter them in the streets and leave their bodies to rot. When the Nazis realized they were losing the war, they worked hard to erase all the evidence of what they had done. Hamas on the other hand is posting videos and photos to social media for the world to see their acts of evil.
Now, to be clear, Hamas is not representative of all Palestinians. Hamas are not seeking to “Free Palestine”. Numerous leaders of Hamas have over the years repeatedly stated that their goal is the extermination of all Jews. Their goal is that every Jewish person on earth is killed. Some Hamas leaders add that they want the same for Americans. The Palestinian people (apart from Hamas) are seeking their own state, land, etc. The Palestinian people did not invade Israel last weekend.
Leaders in both political parties in America have denounced the terrorism of Hamas. Apart from some oddballs out there, we seem to be in unity on the wrongness of murdering innocent civilians. And that leaves me deeply disturbed by the lack of support for Israel at this time on social media. People could be speaking out against Hamas without taking a side on the territorial conflict. I have seen a few who have done so, but not many.
This morning scrolling through Instagram, I noticed a Christian young woman had reposted something from the account “Black Liturgies”. The post suggested that with the world in turmoil, the best thing we can do is be silent. Really? I read through the liturgy and could not believe the irony. After George Floyd was murdered many Christians posted “Your silence is violence” on social media. When a black criminal was murdered, America was in an uproar. When 1300 Israeli Jews (and 22 Americans) are murdered, we are silent?
Silence in the face of evil is evil itself! Why aren’t Christians of all stripes speaking up on social media about the atrocities of Hamas? Is it because of the lies and propaganda that have been fed to us for years about the Israel-Palestine conflict? (by either side?) Do we not stand for life because every human being is made in the image of God? Do we not stand for the Jewish people who have a right to exist on this planet? Do we not stand for the preservation of the Holy Land so that future generations can walk where our Lord walked? Do we not stand with Israel who were given the land by God?
Samuel Sey wrote a great article on why people should stop blaming the Jews for what has just happened. He gives a little historical background to geography. I’ve read many diverse sources on this matter and what Sam states is just fact. He says…
“People seem to believe Palestine was a sovereign state in the early 20th century until Zionists supposedly invaded the land and forced them out of their homes. But that’s not true. Palestine has never been a nation. Before Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, there hadn’t been a sovereign nation in that land since a Jewish state called Judea. It was ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty over 2,000 years ago (decades before the birth of Christ). The Roman Empire conquered Judea, and after the Roman-Jewish wars, most of the Jewish population was forced into exile across Europe, the Arab world, and North Africa. Judea was renamed Palestine, and centuries later, “Palestine” was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and after World War 1, the British Empire. This means even after 2,000 years in exile; Jews are the only people to rightfully call the land of Israel their sovereign state.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complicated. The atrocities recently committed by Hamas are not complicated. They are evil. There is no reason why we cannot speak against evil and stand for what is good. Indeed, this is what we are called to do. As I post this the latest news is that forces have gathered on the Israeli border with the intention of wiping out all Jews. May God be with them!
Proverbs 24:11
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. (ESV)
Psalm 94:14–17
For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. (ESV)
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