Only a few days after October 7, when Hamas terrorists massacred 1,200 of my fellow Israelis, I read two comments from two different people on two different social media platforms, both saying, “Mark my words, give it a few days, two weeks tops, and they’ll be back to hating us.” I thought it odd at the time, having a hard time believing that the world could forget such horrific atrocities in such a short time.

Then, on October 17 the Al-Ahli Hospital incident happened. Just 10 days after the war broke out, while the national morale was “below the floor,” the first report, courtesy of Hamas, was that Israel bombed the hospital, killing more than 500 people. I looked everywhere online to see what official statements my government issued or the IDF relayed. Nothing. Not a single word.

A few hours later, the IDF spokesperson said the incident was under heavy review from all angles and that an official statement would be given once all the evidence had been considered. Throughout the next few days, the IDF released many pieces of evidence refuting the false claim, proving that an Islamic Jihad missile had misfired and caused all these deaths. 

Truth, it seemed, was not in people’s interest to look for, listen to, or be held accountable to.

However, the damage was done. Back then, it seemed everyone was waiting for the first spark to ignite and advance the war. The immediate report from Hamas claiming that Israel brutally and indiscriminately killed more than 500 people was too much to bear. Truth, it seemed, was not in people’s interest to look for, listen to, or be held accountable to. 

The Root of Israel’s Vilification

My heart and spirit were heavy. As a matter of fact, “heavy” would be an understatement to the millstones I felt were attached to my shoulders. To make matters worse, a friend from Bible school started replying to my advocacy posts on social media with extremely combative, pro-Palestinian comments. At first, I tried reasoning with her, texting back and forth, presenting one fact after another, but after a while, I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Her responses were the same as those I saw on TV in the massive demonstrations calling for the destruction and annihilation (yet again) of my people. 

I suspected we were not standing on the same ground of biblical truth and faith, so I asked her straightforwardly whether she believed any of what the Bible said about Israel. She replied that the fact that her faith had changed in recent years and that she wasn’t going steadily to a church didn’t matter and was irrelevant to our discussion. 

How could someone I ministered with for six months and shared a room with on an intense mission trip call for my and my people’s destruction?

At that moment, my mind knew there was nothing else I could tell her to make a difference (except to implore her to return to her first love, Jesus), but my heart had a more challenging time realizing that I had to let it go. I had to let her go. “If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace” (Proverbs 29:9).

The interaction haunted me for months. How could someone I ministered with for six months and shared a room with on an intense mission trip call for my and my people’s destruction? A quote I read in Rod Dreher’s book Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents gives one explanation:

Today’s left-wing totalitarianism once again appeals to an internal hunger, specifically the hunger for a just society, one that vindicates and liberates the historical victims of oppression. It masquerades as kindness, demonizing dissenters and disfavored demographic groups to protect the feelings of “victims” in order to bring about “social justice” (p. 9).

While this book gives a comprehensive analysis of the undercurrent of what is going on in the world today, those of us who use the Bible as a map key and a lens by which to see and understand everything that’s unfolding around us know that there’s more to it. 

The battle for the human heart and soul started in Genesis 3, with Satan the Deceiver planting a seed of doubt, a misconception within Eve’s mind. It has always been his method to portray half-truths, to plant doubt, to prey on the weak of mind and heart. And that is what we see all around us today. 

Finding the Truth About Israel

Truth has become somewhat elusive, for we must be diligent, even sacrificial, to find it. We need to (1) invest more time (not just 0.3245 seconds on a Google search that convinces us to believe the first result), (2) ask the right questions (Is there a hidden agenda? What might it be? Why? Who gains from it?), and, most of all, (3) read the Bible as though it’s today’s newspaper and tomorrow’s events’ key and lens. 

God chose to love Israel, and we can either accept this fact with submission and joy or fight it and ultimately lose.

And one more thing: Israel.

For reasons reserved only to God, He chose to weave His Name, character, and reputation into the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 7:6–8). He calls them the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8); He gave them the land of Israel (Genesis 12:7; 15:18; 17:8; 26:3–4; 28:13, Joshua 1:2–4); and He promises to never break His unilateral covenant with them (Psalm 105:8–11). God chose to love Israel, and we can either accept this fact with submission and joy or fight it and ultimately lose. 

Many of you have already decided about your relationship to God and Israel. To those of you who also have taken an active stand in voicing your decision for God and Israel—thank you. Know that your stand matters, your care touches, and your courage encourages.

About the Author

Jael S. Kalisher

Jael is a full-time field representative in Israel for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. You can learn more about what she's doing and support her ministry at foi.org/jkalisher.

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