Israel has every right to defend its existence when it is attacked by rockets from the territory of at least three states. As it does so, the current global response proves wrong all those who have denied a possible link between anti-Semitic criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism itself.
Criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.
My denomination, the Continuing Evangelical Episcopal Communion (CEEC.church), has signed the definition of antisemitism of IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), as have other churches, like the Church of England, or the Pentecostal World Fellowship. The definition has been particularly criticized because of the additional statement: “Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
But most violent protesters around the world make no distinction between the two. They criticize Israel as a Jewish state, and their hatred of Jews spills over into hatred of the only country with a Jewish majority. The growing violence against Jews, as well as the call for violence against them, hardly distinguishes between the state of Israel and the Jewish people. The slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” denies both a Jewish state in the Holy Land and the presence of Jews in the Holy Land. The slogan can only be fulfilled by killing Jews or forcibly expelling them.
When Iran fired 180 missiles at Israel a few days ago, which would have killed at least tens of thousands of civilians if they had reached the ground and exploded, pro-Palestinian protesters around the world erupted in jubilation. This proves that they are not fighting for human rights or the right to self-determination of peoples, but simply want Jews and the state of Israel to be killed and destroyed.
We also have ample proof now that this is not just a war or civil war within the Holy Land, but a war against the existence of Israel and the Jews by countries that are not even neighbors of Israel, while some Arab neighbors remain neutral (like Egypt) or even help to destroy the Iranian missiles (like Jordan).
In this situation, the state of Israel has the right to self-defense, like any other state, which has been under rocket attack from at least three states for years, and has been continuously under attack since 7 October 2024.
Just one more thought as a Christian leader. On August 23 2024, a Syrian follower of ISIS seeking asylum in Germany killed three people and injured eight in the city of Solingen. ISIS said they killed Christians in revenge for Israel’s attack on Gaza. Since the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas, have a 100-year history of attacking churches, starting with the arson of a church in Egypt in 1924, this must be taken seriously. At the moment, all the heat is on the Jews. But in their hatred, it is reasonable to expect the extremists will target Christians next.
So let us stand together against all forms of religious and ideological extremism and terrorism.
Originally published by Bonn Profiles. Republished with permission.
Archbishop and Professor Thomas Paul Schirrmacher is President of the International Council of the International Society for Human Rights (Frankfurt), President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (Costa Rica, Vancouver, Bonn), Co-President of Religions for Peace (New York) and President of the Bonn Abrahamic Center for Global Peace, Justice and Sustainability (BAC). Schirrmacher was Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance 2021–2024. Prior to that he served WEA as Associate Secretary General for Theological Concerns and Intrafaith and Interfaith Relations.
