One striking meme circulating on social media portrays a military figure pointing a gun at a tearful five- or six-year-old girl, asking her if she is Israeli or Palestinian. Her heartbreaking and tearful response, "I am hungry," compelled me to cry out, "STOP WAR—PROTECT INNOCENTS."
Now, the crucial question surfaces: Are these narratives a lie or a call for liberation? The world may interpret and describe it as a “Just-war.” Demonstrations and solidarity marches resonate globally, with the media predominantly critical of Israel's actions, demanding “Just-Peace.” Yet, a prophetic voice seems absent from churches and ecumenical bodies and from other faith communities; expect the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to question the global community, "Where are you?"
This raises theological, political, and ethical concerns for the churches and all faith communities. Where are we in this war? What is our role? Why are we silent? Why are we not able to take a position or a stand? How long can we afford this division? Victims don't need mere solidarity, but identification. Until we speak with one voice, our silence becomes a historical error, moral negligence, and historiographed as a prophetical absence.
Martin Luther King Jr says, “We will be freed soon and very soon. Because no lie can live for error." I think this would be the prayers of Palestinians. Yes, the entire war against the Palestinians is narrated as if it were a million-year history, and all the faith communities adhere to that lie. Is it a lie? Yes, it is. How? A country called Israel was formed through the political initiations and interventions of the United States and the United Kingdom only in 1948 (May 14). The history of Israel is only 75 years old history, it does not have a million-year-old history at all. It is one of the topmost lies. Israel is tactfully handing over this narrative of lies and making the whole world believe. Secondly, it is narrated as if a theological war against antisemitism was waged by the Zionists. No, it’s again not true; it is a fascist approach to justifying their warwaging. Actually, what happens there in the Middle East? This 75-year-old new nation called Israel began to forcefully and militantly occupy the lands of another country called Palestine. This occupation is being naively justified theologically because it can only unite people on religious issues, not on political issues. So, they cunningly narrated this lie as theological because if it were exposed as a political occupation or an invasion, they would definitely lose support from all corners of the world. They racialize the Palestinians as a vindictive, greedy, and bloody community through such a narrative of lies. You could add more such narratives of lies by Israel.
But I want to highlight here that the churches, being part of the Abrahamic faith communities, should not yield to such narratives of lies. The US and other superpower countries might think of their Jewish vote banks. But we, as a prophetic community, need to identify ourselves with the victims and justice. It is our duty, responsibility, and gospel call to de-write and rewrite the narration, focusing on the political history of Israel, not theological history, and on their unethical political occupation of invading other countries' lands, killing innocents, and using religion and theology as a factor to justify their wrongdoings.
It's time for theological fraternities, faith communities, and churches to transcend divisions and be together in opposing Israel’s political plot against Palestine. Our solidarity statements must transform into truth-affirming narratives for a definite, result-oriented concrete action. The political nature of the issue demands a political solution, as envisioned by the UN Secretary-General; no theological solution is needed here.
I was thinking of the responses of God in the Bible and Jesus in such situations. I am reminded of Jesus' words, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:20–22), so we should recognize the distinction between the political and theological nature of this war and respond with political actions, not through theological narratives. In biblical narratives, we see God standing with the innocents. From Abel to Naboth, the call echoes, "Where are you?" Are we our brother's keepers (Genesis 4:9), or do we remain silent? In Cain and Abel’s story, God stood with Able and spoke for him. In the Ahab-Naboth story, God sided with the innocent Naboth against the powerful Israelite King Ahab, who occupied the land of this innocent Naboth (I King 21). It's time for us to ask: Where are we? Where do we stand? Are we representing the God of the Bible and Jesus? It's clear where God stands—on the victims’ side, on justice’s side—but not clear where we stand!
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