If Israel says she intends to eradicate Hamas,  believe her. If she says deradicalizing occupied lands is a priority, believe her. If she says she is pulling out all stops to prevent civilian casualties, believe her. I have stopped believing in all things Jewish. I cannot be a committed Christian and align myself with Israeli and United States policy and practice regarding Palestine. Racism underpins the community that returned from Persia. Christians know that demons inspire marriage bans. Give us a break. How does the Bible relate the beginning of the Davidide clan in the book of Ruth? Marriage to a Moabite. Racism has hollowed out American culture both in the United States and Canada.

War crimes and crimes against humanity

When Israel gives us the body count of civilians first, before the number Israel Defence Force casualties, and the number of Hamas fighters wiped out, we will believe that a heart beats somewhere in Tel Aviv. They will give us the Palestinian civilian body count first to prove that they are the paragons of morality and deserve the world’s unconditional support. The glory has long departed from Jerusalem. Isn’t that obvious? Isn’t it horrifying that the only nation that the world has rallied around to support and empathize with over violence and hatred, has now turned on its hoses of revenge, ethnic cleansing, and the brutality of famine and disease against the people of the West Bank and Gaza? This is not some cute battle against the people of Persia when Esther was queen. My love stands with the bereaved families in Palestine and I will not take a side in a conflict which has no legs to stand on. My prayer is for Jerusalem to open the curtains to the world’s press so we can see the wickedness and utter malice that plays out as patriotism and biblical orthodoxy. Imagine Moses on Mount Sinai, quaking in his boots as he hears Yahweh’s voice and then hearing the people say they don’t want to hear this Yahweh anymore. Imagine him believing the Jewish people in the 13th century BCE.