Israel Vs. Hamas (Not Palestine)

I already know some folks will read this blog and become angry about the stance that is about to be taken. My job as a leader is not to make you comfortable; it is to make you uncomfortable. There are too many false ideas about this war going around. I am sure someone will read this article and think the material is all taken from Fox News. To those who question the facts' authenticity, nothing came from US news outlets except the quote from the Congressional Research Service. I will preface this document with a straightforward statement: The facts will speak for themselves.

This war between Israel and Hamas is not about taking sides with Israel or Palestine. Too many individuals have misinformation about this war. Let's start with some facts:

• Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023

• The attacks resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, mostly Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its "independence." (Yes, I put independence in quotes, which will be explained later)

• Hamas took more than 240 people as hostages.

• The following day, Israel declared itself at war, which was the first time since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

• The Israel Defense Force conducted air strikes into the Gaza Strip.

What led to this war, and why am I saying this is a way between Israel and Hamas (not Palestine)? Many historians date the start of this conflict back to 1948. That is EXTREMELY miscalculated. The land of Israel has long been a land of attacks, dating back thousands of years. Israel was not always called Israel. The patriarchs of the Israelites go back to the 17th century BCE. "The Book of Genesis relates how Abraham was summoned from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan to form a people with a belief in the One God. When a famine spread through Canaan, Jacob (Israel), his 12 sons, and their families settled in Egypt, where their descendants were reduced to slavery and pressed into forced labor." If we fast forward 400 years, a new leader for the Israelites would be presented: Moses. God anointed Moses to bring the people out of Egypt and lead them back to the LAND OF ISRAEL. In 1020 BCE, the entire land of Israel was unified as the United Kingdom of Israel under the leadership of King Saul, David, and Solomon.

Significant aspects of the historical timeline:

• 13th-12th Centuries BCE: Israelites settle in the Land of Israel

• 960 BCE: First Temple

• 720 BCE: Israel Crushed by Assyrians, 10 of the 12 tribes exiled

• 586 BCE: Temple Destroyed when Babylonia conquered the Israelites

• 538 BCE: The Israelites returned to the land and began to rebuild the temple

• 332 BCE: Alexander the Great conquered the land

• 166 BCE: Maccabeans revolt about the limitations of religious practices for Jews and the desecration of the temple

• 129 BCE: Jews gain independence under the Hasmonean Monarchy

• 63 BCE: Pompey takes over Jerusalem, leading into Roman Rule

• 62-4 BCE: Herord rules the land of Israel, and the temple is refurbished

• Move into the Common Era

• 20-33 CE: Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth

• 70 CE: Destruction of Jerusalem and second temple

• 313-636 CE: Byzantine Rule

• 636-1099 CE: Arab Rule

• 1099-1291 CE: Crusade Domination

• 1291-1516 CE: Mamluk Rule

• 1517-1917 CE: Ottoman Rule

• 1918-1948 CE: British Rule

Palestine Facts:

The word Palestine derives from Philistia, the name Greek writers gave to the land of the Philistines, who, in the 12th century BCE, occupied a small pocket of land on the southern coast between modern Tel Aviv–Yafo and Gaza. Romans awakened the name in the 2nd Century CE, calling it "Syria Palaestina." This was to designate a portion of the southern province of Syria, which has been used to describe the area since the early Islamic Era. The name held no status until the end of World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain authorized a specific area for modern-day Palestine to encompass.

What Caused the Attacks on October 7?

Now that we have this timeline established let's talk about why the attack on October 7 happened. What led up to it? In 1948, the State of Israel was created for the land that was residential to Jews and Arab Palestinians. The two communities did not get along, which led to an exodus of many Palestinians to the Gaza Strip. The conflict between the Israelites and Arab Palestinians continued to bring violence to the area. Gaza would then become an Israel domain after Israel occupied the territory after the Six-Day War in 1967.

In 1993, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government completed a peaceful resolution of the creation of the Palestine State, in company with an Israeli State. Hamas, which was a militant Palestinian group, did not like the resolution. Hamas performed suicide bombings and other terroristic duties in 1995. A Jewish Extremist killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. With ongoing conflicts, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, leaving it in the hands of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, which became a source of unrest for Israel. Gaza is ruled by Hamas, an Islamist group that is committed to the destruction of Israel and is designated as a terrorist group by the UK and many other countries. Israel, with the help of Egypt, set up blockades around the Gaza Strip to try and eliminate the violence and attacks from Hamas, who won the election and now have the primary authority in Gaza since the Palestinians' last elections in 2006.

Due to the authority and leadership of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, many Palestinians are under the impression that their blockades and air strikes into highly populated Palestinian communities warranted the actions of Hamas. Hamas has Palestinians believing the attacks are to help force the hand of Israel, who are holding 4500 Palestinians in prison.

Who or What is Hamas?

Hamas is an organization formed in 1987 when a peace treaty was attempting to be made between the Israeli-Arab Palestinians. The group’s charter calls for establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and Israel. The group has conducted anti-Israel attacks for many years, including large-scale bombings against Israeli civilian targets, small-arms attacks, improvised roadside explosives, and rocket attacks. Hamas has been outspoken about their anti-LGBT stance, killing one of their militant leaders when it was discovered he was gay. 34-year-old Hamas terrorist commander Mahmoud Ishtiwi was brutally tortured and eventually killed by the organization in 2016 for allegedly having sex with another man. A Hamas version of a "press secretary" would later speak about the Hamas religious rules that resulted in Ishtiwi’s death. Qassam, a militant wing of Hamas, was placed on the front lines and continues to call for escalation attacks against Israel as the war goes on longer than anticipated.

Not the War You Think It Is

This war is not about Israel being against Palestine. This is about Israel protecting itself from terrorism by an extremist group that has caused harm to the Palestinians and Israeli people. More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals (including at least 35 U.S. citizens in Israel) were killed. Hamas and other groups also seized 253 hostages on October 7. Iran, a supporter of Hamas, helped plan and provide resources for the attack. According to the Congressional Research Service Brief, "As of April 15, 2024, more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry. Israel publicly seeks the elimination of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, and the release of all hostages; Hamas’s tunnels have made these tasks more challenging. The Israeli military has reportedly cleared some key areas in Gaza of visible Hamas control, withdrawn tens of thousands of troops, and shifted toward lower-intensity warfare."