As a born-again Christian who dedicated much of my professional life to combating Islamic terrorism, I find myself increasingly alarmed by the persistent myths surrounding the Israeli- Palestinian conflict — myths that not only distort history but also endanger lives.
Recent discussions, including an insightful CBN News report from Jerusalem and a critical analysis of Tucker Carlson’s interview with Mother Agapia, underscore a truth that demands our attention: the root of Gaza’s suffering isn’t Israel’s actions, but Hamas’s iron-fisted rule. For over 15 years, Hamas has held autonomous control of Gaza, yet instead of fostering a prosperous society, they have transformed it into a terrorist stronghold. The solution is not another failed two-state approach, but rather the full integration of Gaza into Israel. This would provide its residents with citizenship, rights, and an escape from the persistent cycle of violence.
Let’s start by debunking the myth that Israel is the aggressor oppressing Palestinians out of malice. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu articulated in his recent speech, the push for a Palestinian state today echoes the disastrous appeasement of Hitler before World War II. Western powers once handed over pieces of Czechoslovakia, hoping for peace, only to ignite global war. Similarly, Netanyahu warns that carving out a state for Palestinians won’t bring harmony — it’s “national suicide” for Israel, given that Palestinian leaders have rejected statehood offers for almost a century. They do not want to build their own nation, but to dismantle the Jewish one. This isn’t hyperbole; it’s just history repeating itself.
Consider Gaza’s trajectory. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the territory, evacuating 21 Jewish communities and 9,000 residents in a bold bid for peace. The hope was that without “friction” between Israelis and Palestinians, prosperity would follow. Instead, the Palestinian Authority briefly took control, only for Hamas to seize power in a bloody 2007 coup. What did Hamas do with this gift of self-rule? They didn’t invest in schools, hospitals, or infrastructure to uplift their people. They built the world’s largest terror base, complete with tunnels, rockets, and indoctrination camps. Billions in international aid vanished into weapons and corruption, while Gazans endured poverty, unemployment, and isolation. October 7, 2023, was the horrific culmination: a barbaric attack that murdered over 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage. If Gaza was a “state” for 18 years, as Israel’s foreign minister notes, it was a failed one by design — Hamas’s design.
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, in his exclusive CBN interview, cuts to the heart of this with biblical wisdom from Deuteronomy 30:19: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.” Hamas has chosen death, rewarding terrorism with international sympathy. Dershowitz rightly argues that recognizing a Palestinian state now, without conditions like returning hostages, sends a deadly message: “Use terrorism. It works.” France, England, and others dangle statehood “for nothing,” ignoring the blood on Hamas’s hands. As Christians, we must heed this scriptural call — choose life by rejecting the reward of evil.
This brings us to the plight of Christians in the region, a topic Tucker Carlson’s interview with Mother Agapia, a nun from “Palestine,” attempted to spotlight but inadvertently exposed the real culprit: Palestinian governance. Agapia paints a grim picture of Christian persecution — walls, checkpoints, license plate apartheid — blaming Israel for declining Christian populations since 1948. A detailed critique of the interview reveals that her narrative crumbles under scrutiny. Christians in Israel proper thrive; their numbers are growing, with full citizenship, freedoms, and rights. They vote, serve in the military, and worship openly alongside Muslims, Jews, and Druze. In contrast, Christian populations are shrinking in areas under Palestinian self-rule, like Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza.
The situation isn’t a result of Israeli “occupation,” but rather the Palestinians’ agreement to the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, which granted them autonomy. Those borders, walls, and permits exist because Palestinians demanded separation. Agapia laments that Bethlehem Christians need permits to visit Jerusalem’s holy sites, but that’s the reality of crossing an international border — something that would worsen with a full Palestinian state. She decries the security wall, built during the Second Intifada to stop suicide bombings (which dropped from over 20 in one year to just four after its construction), yet ignores its life-saving purpose. And her defense of Hamas as “people in an open-air prison” whose homes were “taken” is a dangerous inversion: Israel left Gaza open for peace, but Hamas blockaded their own future with terror.
Even more troubling, Agapia’s examples of “persecution” reveal sympathies that clash with Christian values. She equates Ukrainian resistance with Palestinian teens throwing Molotov cocktails at Israelis, decrying that the latter get shot while the former are celebrated. But lighting explosives and hurling them at soldiers or civilians isn’t heroism — it’s terrorism, and no nation should tolerate it. True Christians in Palestinian areas face real threats: intimidation, arrest, torture, and death from jihadist Muslims under Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Secret believers hide their faith, even from family, fearing for their lives. Yet Agapia, who lives unmolested, condemns Israel while excusing bomb-throwers and portraying Hamas as victims.
As followers of Christ, we know the Iron Dome of Christian support has shielded Israel more than any weapon, as Dershowitz gratefully notes. Christian Zionism, rooted in centuries of biblical prophecy, helped birth modern Israel. Today, amid rising antisemitism — seen in attacks from Canada to Martha’s Vineyard — we must stand firm. Netanyahu credits Christians for bolstering Israel’s resolve, and history warns us: in the 1930s, much of the church failed the Jews. We cannot repeat that mistake.
The solution? Israel must apply sovereignty over Gaza, as it is planning for parts of the West Bank with new settlements east of Jerusalem. This isn’t expansionism; it’s burying the illusion of a Palestinian state that buries peace. Under Israeli citizenship, Gazans — Muslims and Christians alike — could access jobs, education, healthcare, and freedoms they lack now. Terrorism would lose its breeding ground, replaced by prosperity. No more Hamas rockets; no more aid funneled to tunnels. Facts on the ground — homes, roads, neighborhoods — will triumph over UN declarations.
Fellow Christians, let’s choose life. Support Israel’s sovereignty as the compassionate, biblical path to end suffering and terror. The myth of Israeli oppression dies when we see Hamas’s failure for what it is. Peace comes not through division, but unity under a just, democratic Israel just as God intended.
Hedieh Mirahmadi was a devout Muslim for two decades working in the field of national security before she experienced the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. She dedicates herself full-time to Resurrect Ministry, an online resource that harnesses the power of the Internet to make salvation through Christ available to people of all nations, and her podcast LivingFearlessDevotional.com. She is the author of the International Bestselling book”Living Fearless in Christ-Why I left Islam to Win Battles for the Kingdom.”
