Photo: The aftermath of one of the many rocket attacks of the Israel-Hamas War.

For over two centuries, America has been the staunchest ally of Jews around the world. For over seven decades, we have supported the fledgling, relatively new nation of Israel, often in the face of global opposition. It was largely the influence of the Untied States that secured the UN vote to recognize the nation of Israel in 1949 after their declaration of independence the year prior. Soon afterward, most Palestinians, who were scattered throughout the nation, congregated in what became the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians eventually claimed those territories as their sovereign land within the new boundaries of Israel. However, the war of 1967, initiated by Arab nations, resulted in Israel’s rightful annexation of those areas while allowing the Palestinians to remain there. A 1993 agreement brokered by Washington after multiple skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians established a separate “state” for the Palestinians on the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip (see map below) governed by the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinians, still not satisfied with Israel’s existence, continued terrorist attacks, mostly by the militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, against the Israelis. In response, Israel rejected the separate states status and began settlements of Jewish families and businesses within the West Bank in the late 1990s. The reestablishment of the “two-state solution,” allowing the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza, is supported by the Biden Administration. This is a wrongful position for America to pursue. Without control of the West Bank, Israel is indefensible. The just solution would be for the Palestinians to live peacefully within Israel’s borders recognizing the entire nation of Israel without challenging its sovereignty. Israel would be agreeable to that status. So far, the Palestinians, particularly their militants, Hamas and Hezbollah, have rejected anything short of total expulsion of the Jews.

This recent history cannot be separated from the more ancient history that futher legitimizes Israel’s right to its status as a nation. First, we need to understand that the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel goes back about 4,000 years according to a divine mandate that overrides any ethnic or political consideration. Around 1800 BC, God began the process of establishing His chosen people through Abraham, promising him a specifically defined region of land in the Middle East (now Israel). The original boundaries of this “promised land” described in the Bible covered an area even larger than what is now recognized as Israel. Upon bestowing the land on Abraham and his future descendants forever, God included this statement, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.”

Through the centuries, the Jews have been driven from their land by their enemies multiple times only to return. The last time, they were ousted by Rome in 70 AD not to return as a nation until 1948, a move that had been prophesied in the Bible for centuries. Ezekiel relayed God’s promise, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.” Furthermore, through all of Jewish history, a remnant of their people has constantly lived in their God-given land, Israel. Israel is the oldest nation ever to maintain its identity, even when it was sometimes without borders. Jews do not occupy Palestinian land; Palestinians live in the land that has belonged to the Jews for almost four millennia. The Palestinians are not a nation. The history of many of them traces back to the Philistines of the Old Testament who were constant enemies of the Israelites. Other Palestinians are a hodgepodge of people from various Arab nations who have migrated over time to the land forcefully vacated by the Jews. Palestinians have never been recognized officially as a nation and have never had a legitimate government. There is no doubt that Israel has rightful claim to the territory within its borders and even more according to God’s promise. Therefore, since the Palestinians refuse to coexist peacefully within Israel, but rather repeatedly attack their host nation, Israel has every right to defend itself against this most recent savage attack by Hamas and finally expel this enemy from their land.

America has been blessed in wonderful and innumerable ways. I believe that one of the main reasons for our blessings is that we have always supported (blessed) Israel according to God’s Word. If we follow other nations, and even our internal antagonists, in criticizing this crucial ally, we place ourselves in grave jeopardy. Yet, a recent Gallop poll indicated that American Democrats favored Palestinians over Israelis, 49% to 38%. The same poll showed Republicans favored Israelis over Palestinians, 78% to 11%. These statistics are another factor for voters to consider in 2024.