The IDF chief of staff explained the reason for this new offensive: “Hamas will pay the price for its refusal. We will expand our operation, establish operational control of additional territory, clear and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure — until Hamas is decisively defeated”.

Cover of the Economist in March 2024

The only problem is that now, over 500 days into the war, many in the West and across the world have had enough. In March 2024, the Economist published a powerful and memorable front cover with the title: “Israel alone”. If that was true in March 2024, then how much more true is that today. As more images come from the supposed ‘humanitarian crisis’ in Gaza, so the criticism and demonisation of the world’s only Jewish state is reaching a fever pitch. 

Kier Starmer, the British Prime minster joined the leaders of France and Canada, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney, earlier this week to call on the Israeli government to “stop its military operations” and “immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza”. They criticised Israel’s plan to allow a basic amount of food into Gaza saying it was “wholly inadequate” saying that the level of suffering in Gaza was “intolerable”. They also threatened “concrete steps” against Israel, if nothing changes. According to the Palestine Information Centre, Hamas responded to this statement saying: "The declaration reflects a principled stance against the Israeli occupation’s policy of siege and starvation targeting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as well as Zionist plans of genocide and forced displacement”. At least this fairly extreme anti-Israel statement from the leftist leaders has support in all the right places. Netanyahu responded to this by saying that the three leaders were “effectively saying they want Hamas to remain in power”. He also accused them of siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”. 

The day after the October 7th massacre back in 2023, the protests against the Jewish state was immediate. In Times Square, New York, the protests featured chilling and despicable signs such as “decolonisation is not a metaphor” and “by any means necessary”. That was before the Israeli response began. Now, after a year and a half of fighting, the isolation of the Jewish people has only grown across the world. UN Secretary General said he was “alarmed”. The UN human rights chief accused Israel of intending to bring about a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is “in defiance of International law”. The leaders of Iceland, Ireland, Luxemburg, Malta, Slovenia, Spain and Norway released a joint statement about the “man-made humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place before our eyes in Gaza”. The French Foreign Minister said “The situation is unbearable because the blind violence and the blocking of humanitarian aid by the Israeli government have turned Gaza into a dying ground — if not a cemetery.” Even Joe Rogan, the popular US podcaster, who endorsed Donald Trump, has been condemning Israel’s latest war efforts. Its not clear exactly what’s going on with the Trump administration. Politico reported that the “Trump administration is rallying around Israel, but not Netanyahu”. The Atlantic reported, “Trump is making Netanyahu nervous”. Even a little bit of pressure from the Trump administration shows how extreme its getting for Israel from the other, more anti-Israel nations of the world. 

UK government’s sordid anti-Israel policies

Along the joint statement against Israel, Starmer’s labour government in the UK have also released a swathe of anti-Israel measures. On Wednesday, they suspended trade talks with Israel, saying that Israel’s escalation was “morally unjustifiable”. They also imposed sanctions on various individuals Judea and Samaria (commonly called the ‘West Bank’).

Daniella Weiss

One of those people is a lady called Daniella Weiss who was labelled by the Starmer government as a “high profile extremist Settler Leader”. Daniella Weiss has been promoting the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland in Judea and Samaria since the 1970s. She also featured in a BBC Louis Theroux documentary that came out a couple of months ago that pictured her as a far right extremist. This is likely the reason for the UK government’s particular focus on her. There can be no doubt that work accomplished by the so called ‘godmother’ of the settlement movement has been part of the initial fulfilment of the prophecy in Ezekiel 36 over the past five decades: “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come….And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded”. There can be no doubt that the UK government is sanctioning God’s people and heritage who he has caused to return to his land. The identity politics of the left-wing often result in identifying Isreal as the colonial aggressor while the Palestinians are pictured as the quasi-indigenous people. This thinking has its roots in the identity or class struggle of French Revolution and has had a major impact on the modern world as we know it. 

‘Israelophobia’ is the new antisemitism

The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks branded antisemitism as a mutating virus. In the middle ages, the Jews were hated for their religion. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jews were hated for their race. Today, they are hated for their nation-

state. What all three have in common is that they are different ways of saying that the Jews have no right to exist collectively as Jews. In each era, antisemitism has focussed on the primary form of collective Jewish existence. The modern-day demonisation of the State of Israel goes much further than just  the criticism of a nation - it is deeper than that. The last year or two have shown beyond any doubt, that the world singles out the Jewish people in particular, for criticism and hate. This particular form of antisemitism has been branded in recent times as ‘Israelophobia’ - an irrational hatred and demonisation of the Jewish state that has its roots in the oldest hatred in the world. Belief in the Hope of Israel, as taught by scripture, is a calling to the greater Kingdom of Israel, to be restored when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. This should separate us from the politics of this world, including those of the state of Israel. But recognising antisemitism in the twisted world that we live in is both vital for us and a great sign of the times as the nations gather against God’s chosen people. 

Join us again next week for another edition of Bible in the News. This has been Daniel Blackburn joining you.