Israel: A Light to the Nations in the Face of the Unjust Genocide Accusation
By ALKASBE
History teaches us that there is no accusation more grave, more wounding, and more misused than that of genocide. To say that a nation commits genocide is to say that it denies the very right of another to exist. This week, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, led by Navi Pillay, released a report accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians. As an evangelical Christian, as a student of Middle Eastern history, and as a jurist who understands the weight of international law, I cannot remain silent in the face of such distortion.
Israel is not a genocidal state. Israel is the state of the Jewish people, a people who know firsthand what it means to be victims of the most atrocious genocide in history: the Shoah. Out of the ashes of six million Jews exterminated in Europe arose the biblical and prophetic cry that the people of Abraham must return to their ancestral land. Since 1948, Israel has been surrounded by enemies who have explicitly declared their intention to wipe it off the map. And yet, against all odds, Israel has not only survived — it has flourished.
Those who accuse Israel of genocide deliberately ignore the context. Gaza is not governed by a peaceful movement but by Hamas, an organization whose very charter proclaims the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Since 2005, when Israel completely withdrew from Gaza, what has it received in return? Rockets, terror tunnels, and indiscriminate attacks on its civilian population. What nation on earth would tolerate its children living under daily air-raid sirens without defending itself?
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International law recognizes the inalienable right of every state to self-defense. Israel employs one of the most sophisticated and humanitarian defense systems ever seen: it warns civilians before striking, it uses precision technology to minimize innocent casualties, and even in the midst of war, it opens humanitarian corridors and allows the entry of medical and food aid. Can anyone, with intellectual honesty, call “genocidal” a state that uses its military resources to save lives — even those of its enemies — while facing an adversary that hides behind schools, hospitals, and mosques?
Israel’s contributions to the world are immeasurable. From medical technologies that save millions of lives, to agricultural innovations that combat hunger in Africa, to breakthroughs in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy. A country no larger than a small U.S. state has become a powerhouse of global development — fulfilling the promise made to Abraham: “Through you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is not about denying the suffering of the Palestinian people. All human suffering must be acknowledged. But there is a vast difference between recognizing pain and manipulating it politically to justify demonizing a democratic state defending its citizens. Those who truly care about Palestinians should demand an end to the terror regime of Hamas, which sacrifices its own people as human shields and diverts international aid to manufacture weapons.
The UN report does not build peace: it sows hatred. It does not protect the innocent: it turns them into instruments of propaganda. It does not promote justice: it perpetuates a narrative that, rather than bringing Israelis and Palestinians closer to a negotiated solution, drives them deeper into distrust and polarization.
As a Christian, I recall that the Lord calls us to bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As a jurist, I know that international law cannot be a selective weapon used by those who have never condemned the truly genocidal regimes of our time: Syria, North Korea, Iran. As a citizen of the world, I know that if Israel falls, we will not only lose a democracy in the Middle East: we will lose a light to the nations.
Israel is not perfect. No country is. But accusing it of genocide is not only unjust; it is an affront to the memory of the victims of true genocide, and a betrayal of truth itself. Those who love justice must reject Navi Pillay’s report and defend Israel — not out of political whim, but because truth, history, and hope demand it.
