At this point, we've all heard the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", but how many of us actually know what that means? There are 3 key questions to ask: Which river, which sea, and free from who, or what?
According to a study (1) by Ron Hassner, a professor of political science and Israel studies chair at the University of California, Berkeley, the vast majority of those who support the slogan do not know the answers to these vital questions. This study questioned 250 students from a variety of different backgrounds, and found that some (32.8%) enthusiastically supported the chant, and a further 53.2% supported it to a lesser extent. But of the supporters, a mere 47% were able to accurately assess which river and which sea.
The correct answer is from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Comparatively, this isn't a large region. In fact, as seen in the header image, Lake Michigan is wider. But when you consider this region is home to 7 million Jewish Israelis, and a further 2 million Arab Israelis (2), suddenly it becomes significant. So significant, in fact, that 60% of those who believed the slogan calls for a Palestinian state to replace Israel reduced their support for the slogan. After all, who in their right mind would want to subjugate, expel, or annihilate 9 million people?
On the whole, after being educated following this survey, 67.8% of students who supported the chant retracted their support. All it took was a little education. This prompted Hassner to note "These students had never seen a map of the Mideast and knew little about the region’s geography, history or demography. Those who hope to encourage extremism depend on the political ignorance of their audiences." He concluded that it's time for good teachers to play their part in combating this ignorance with education.
And of course, I fully agree. Any issue on which a little education prompts more than 60% of people to instantly change their minds probably requires immediate attention, especially when there are lives at stake. Innocent students who believe human beings are worthy of dignity and liberty should not be fooled into inadvertently calling for the eradication of an entire state. But there is more to this issue than meets the eye. See, as many people who do change their minds when they realise the implications of the chant, there are plenty who will double down. As is shown by the absurd rise (1,350%) of anti-Semitic attacks even here in the UK (3), there are those who know the implications of the chant, and are quite happy for their genocidal intentions to be carried out.
This is because the war was never about freedom. At least, not in any traditional sense. Here in the UK, and especially in the U.S.A., freedom truly means freedom. It means the freedom to hold and express your own views. It means the freedom to go where you want. To consume what you want. To wear what you want. To love who you want. To be who you want. These are just a few standard examples of what we, in the coddled West, understand by freedom.
The irony? Unless you count Cyprus, Israel is the only free country in the Middle East. At least, by the reckoning of the U.S. based Freedom House. Freedom House examines 210 countries and territories and divides them into three categories: "Not Free", "Partly Free", and "Free".
With a score of 77/100 (a mere 6 points behind the U.S. itself), Israel is the only country in the Middle East to receive a "Free" rating, making it the only country in the Middle East to be rated "Free", and one of only 3 Middle Eastern countries to be rated above the "Not Free" threshold.
Israel has certainly earned this rating. Contrary to claims that Israel is an apartheid state, Israeli residents enjoy all the same rights, regardless of ethnic or religious backgrounds. Arabs have the same rights to healthcare, education, public and legal services, and they can (and do) hold important positions.
Most notable is the fact that, in spite of Israel's historic clashes with Islam, religious freedom is still present in Israel. In fact, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel's capital city, is home to the third most revered site in Islam: The Dome of the Rock. Not surprisingly, due to its religious significance, Jerusalem has a majorly religious population, with only 9000 of its approximately 856,700 residents claiming no religious affiliations. 34% claim Islam as their personal faith (4).
Of course, race and religion are not the only hot topics in our increasingly "tolerant" society. I use the word "tolerant" in air quotes mainly due to overcorrection here in the West. Morally speaking, "hate speech" laws and blasphemy laws are virtually indistinguishable. However, it is a good thing when people are regarded as equal regardless of their sex or sexuality.
Israel agrees. Tel Aviv even hosts gay pride parades every year. In 2023, 150,000 people attended, including shirtless female performers (5). By contrast, much of the Middle East prosecutes homosexuality, either explicitly, or by exploiting loopholes in the law. Similar nuance restricts, among other things, dress code for women, even tourists.
Now, as I say, there is nuance here. There are no blanket laws stating that Jews and Christians must pay the Jizyah, non-Arabs must be segregated, gays must die, and women must wear a full body burqa. Much like in Europe, or indeed even individual U.S. states, each country in the Middle East has its own laws. But no one in their right mind would suggest that Israel is comparable to any of them! It's a simple question you can ask any of your pro-Palestinian friends: Imagine a scenario in which you must move to the Middle East. You get to pick the country, you can't pick Cyprus (Cyprus views itself as part of Europe, and has been a member state of the EU since 2004), but it has to be in the Middle East, and that country will take you in. Where do you choose?
Anyone who knows what they're talking about is going to choose Israel. For Westerners, the choice is easy. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that remotely resembles our Western culture, as discussed above. But even a Muslim is likely to select Israel, again because of the issues discussed above.
But if Israel is truly such a free country, even for its many Muslim residents, why is there such a global uproar about it? As we saw in the introduction, it's mainly due to ignorance. When the facts are presented, more than half of pro-Palestinians change their minds on the conflict. But the only reason they are knowledgeable enough to have an uninformed opinion is because of the wider conflict. Ever since the Jews returned to Israel in 1948, various groups have risen in an attempt to take it back again.
The reason for this can be found in the original charter of one of its current - and most notorious enemies - HAMAS. Contrary to the inane ramblings of ignorant Westerners, anti-Semites, and Dawahgandists, HAMAS are a very powerful (yet, when compared to Israel themselves, thankfully very weak) terror group, and their intentions have been quite explicitly genocidal from the beginning. In their own words, "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." (6).
Until what will obliterate it? The slaves it has taken? The ethnic minorities it has oppressed? The rightful owners of the land it invaded? None of these things. Islam. HAMAS believe Islam will obliterate Israel, "...just as it obliterated others before it."
Just as many pro-Palestinians do not know which river, or which sea, they do not understand what they want Palestine to be free from. To the ignorant, they want it free from oppressors. But in truth, Islamic terror groups like HAMAS want Israel free of non-Muslims.
As is shown by the aforementioned HAMAS charter, this is not a coincidence. The Islamic sources are riddled with anti-Semitic material, up to and including the belief that large scale conflict against the Jews will be a trigger of the end times. As we read in Sahih Muslim 2922, Book 54, Hadith 103, Muhammad supposedly said "The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews."
Statements like this, which is mentioned in the HAMAS charter, have lead to widespread conspiracy theories that the Jews, knowing full well Islam is true, are planting the mythical Ghargad trees in occupied territories. By contrast, if you ask the average Jew about these trees, they are unlikely to even know what they are. The very identity of the tree is disputed.
Of course, there is much dispute over the exact context of this particular Haddith. Many Muslims will tell you it is descriptive, not prescriptive, and that it only really refers to Jews who, during the end times, will follow a false Messiah who will claim to be God. Unfortunately, we can play this game all day. An Islamic source will be cited, an Islamic apologist will explain it away, another apologist will explain away the explanation, and ultimately, the one you believe will be the one you want to believe.
So let's just look back to what we've already discussed. It is no coincidence that Israel is the most, and indeed only free country in the Middle East. Nor is it a coincidence that Muslims worldwide hate it. The nature of this conflict is far older than the modern state of Israel. It was never about land. It was never about the mythical apartheid in Israel. The reason Muslims, who dominate almost the entire Middle East, so despise the Jewish home state is because Muhammad, the founder of Islam, wanted to subjugate the entire world under Islam.
But as Christians, we recognise that there is a greater conflict going on here. This conflict is unseen, but it has been going on for 6,000 years, and will continue until God Himself puts an end to it. We are all rebels. Each and every one of us, whether through "big" sins like terrorism, or "small" sins like lying, have disobeyed God, and become His enemies. Yet, in His mercy, that tiny little country in the Middle East became the epicentre of history's greatest victory. There, just outside of Jerusalem, the Son of God conquered death itself.
During His life, Jesus never sinned. He never did anything worthy of God's wrath, yet He loved those who have. Jew, Muslim, Christian, God loves us all. Thus, Jesus died, receiving the full penalty for everything we have ever done wrong. In so doing, He made it possible for us to be reconciled to God, bringing with it the promise of eternal life. But there is a condition. Rather than receiving this automatically, we must receive it in faith. Salvation requires the confession that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord. So, rather than fighting over modern Israel, let us instead claim our place in the New Jerusalem. Repent, and believe the Gospel.
References
1. Hassner, Ron - From which river to which sea?, Helen Diller Institute, Berkley, December 5th 2023 (link)
2. Spiro, Amy - Israel approaches 9.5 million residents on eve of 2022, The Times of Israel, December 30th 2021 (link).
3. Dodd, Vikram - Antisemitic hate crimes in London up 1,350%, Met police say, The Guardian, October 20th 2023 (link)
4. Jerusalem Population 2024, World Population Review (link)
5. Keller-Lynn, Carrie - ‘The best party’: Over 150,000 march in Tel Aviv’s 25th annual Pride Parade, The Times of Israel, June 8th 2023 (link)
6. Hamas Covenant 1988 The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement 18 August 1988 (link)