The political rulers and their soldiers persecuted disciples after Jesus’ death. For example, Stephen’s persecutors “threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. They laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul,” a soldier persecutor. Saul had a conversion and was renamed Paul. Paul set a precedent by not taking personal responsibility for his sin of persecuting people. In place of that truth, Paul projected onto all humanity responsibility for the sin of persecuting others. Paul wrote regularly of being a victim of persecution.
The political rulers and soldiers of Germany persecuted Europeans in WWI (1914-1918), owing to a fervor of Aryan supremacy which had long targeted Jews. That fervor swelled even more when Germany was defeated and felt humiliated in post war treaties. Adolph Hitler had been one of Germany’s war time persecuting soldiers. Like Paul, Hitler did not take responsibility for his sin of persecuting Europeans. Instead, he projected onto Jews responsibility for a war rulers wanted and soldiers fought. Hitler received support from U.S. rulers and soldiers in his post WWI claims of Aryan supremacy against Jews, for example Henry Ford, Father Charles Coughlin, and Charles Lindbergh. These men and others were responsible for denying human rights to Jews, specifically European Jewish refugees immigrating to the U.S. Across the world, Jews and advocates for Jews were being persecuted, the Ku Klux Klan being among the worst perpetrators in the U.S. The Jewish people’s experience combined with a rising Zionism sought the establishment of a homeland. Zionism laid claim to Palestine as their deserved Jewish state of Israel, based on an ancient attachment to that land. Aided by the British, starting with the Balfour Declaration in 1917, Jews began land purchases displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians, which Arabs protested. By 1939 well-armed British and Zionist soldiers had defeated Arab resistance and began to control the land attempting legal avenues to own it. After WWII, Jews only owned approximately 5% of the land but when Britain handed over their claims to adjudicate the area to the United Nations, the U.N. proposed Jewish ownership rise to 55%. Zionists henceforth began a deliberate process of removing Arabs from Palestine, by financial and violent means. By 1949 Zionists owned and controlled 72% of Palestine and had evicted 700,000 Arabs. Zionists continued to militarily control parts of the 22% Arabs were allowed to live in, the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Zionist denial of human rights to Arabs living in the West Bank and in Gaza have included restrictions on residency and privacy, restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, freedom of expression and media including censorship, labor abuses of Palestinian workers, random or unwarranted harassment and detention, specifically members of nongovernmental organizations, threats of violence and acts of violence. Between 2008 and 2023, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs identifies 308 Israelis killed and 6,307 injured in conflicts, with 6,407 Palestinians killed and 152,560 injured. Arab resistance to Zionist control has included the establishment of organizations such as Hamas in 1987, which, on October 7th 2023, launched an armed incursion from Gaza into southern Israel killing over 1,200 people. Since October 7th, Israeli armed forces have caused the death of 33,000 Palestinians and the injury of over 76,000. Jewish inhabitants of Israel presently claim they are the victims of Palestinian terrorism.
Across the world, Palestinians and their supporters, including on U.S. college campuses are being persecuted. As supporters of human rights for Jews did not stop their campaign decades back though they faced persecution, so supporters of human rights for Arabs will not stop theirs though they too face persecution.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, inspire us for Peace.
Question: Am I opposed to all wars or some wars?
April 28, 2024 Gospel John 15:1-8 Fifth Sunday of Easter