The Myths of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

 Joseph Kwon

Editorial Board Member

Historical Background of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

When explaining the Middle East, it’s often insufficient to rely solely on an international political perspective. There may be no other region in the world where past mythological facts influence current history and give rise to new myths as much as the Middle East. The origins of ancient civilizations and the world’s three major monotheistic religions lie in the Middle East. This deep and rich historical backdrop means that today, the mythological elements of the past still play a crucial role in shaping the present in the region. To more deeply understand the Israel-Palestine conflict, we must look beyond the last 70 years of their dispute and examine a much longer historical background.

Many observers perceive Israel’s response in the Israel-Palestine conflict as overly aggressive and harsh. Indeed, Israel reacts more forcefully than most countries to challenges against it. Meanwhile, Hamas attacks Israel persistently and without compromise, in what appears to be a reckless struggle. These dynamics are difficult to comprehend or explain using standard international political theories.

First, Israel’s ruthless retaliation against forces threatening it, including Hamas, is a pattern forged over thousands of years. To understand the Jewish perspective, we must remember two key concepts: anti-Semitism and survival. Throughout their thousands of years of history, Jews have repeatedly faced anti-Semitism—a drive to eradicate Jewish people. Hamas denies Israel’s right to exist; Iran threatens Israel by developing nuclear weapons. Beyond the Middle East wars and the Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany about 70 years ago, the Jews also faced religious inquisitions, forced conversions, and expulsions in medieval Europe, as well as the Roman destruction of the Second Temple and the ensuing diaspora. Going even further back, we find narratives like Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews in the Book of Esther, struggles with Moab, and the conflicts between Esau and Jacob—all unconsciously embedded in Jewish thought. Many of these are historical facts, while others carry mythological elements that, when encountering anti-Semitic events, trigger a collective trauma within the Jewish psyche.

The Jewish response to centuries of anti-Semitism is simple: a pursuit of survival. Within these pervasive threats, Jews have chosen three main survival strategies: survival through separation, survival through assimilation, and survival through struggle. Survival through separation means maintaining Jewish identity to avoid losing it. Today, it’s hard to separate “Jewish” from “Judaism” because Jews believe that preserving their religious identity is how they survived history. Another alternative was survival through assimilation. Some Jews reasoned that their persecution was due to remaining separate, so they sought to survive by blending in with other peoples. Many Jews married non-Jews, believing that assimilation would ensure their survival.

These two methods were chosen by Jews who, for most of their history, lived as a minority under dominant nations without a country of their own. However, after experiencing the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany during World War II—a regime that identified and murdered even assimilated Jews by tracing their lineage—Jews realized they needed a new solution. Thus, Zionism was born. The Holocaust led Jews to understand that anti-Semitism persisted because they lacked a state. Therefore, they concluded they must establish a state and defend themselves by their own might. This Zionist movement led to Israel’s founding in 1948. Since its establishment, Israel’s foundational policy has been clear: to survive by fiercely fighting any force threatening Israel, without compromise, ensuring its own survival.

On the other hand, to explain Hamas’s struggle against Israel, we must view it not simply as a Palestinian independence movement but rather within the framework of a broader Islamic fundamentalist struggle against Israel. Hamas grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic fundamentalist movement originating in Egypt. A distinctive historical pattern of Islam in the Middle East is the cycle of “division - emergence of charismatic leadership - unification.”

The initial goal and greatest achievement of Islam’s founder, Muhammad, was unifying a divided Arab world under Islam. In an age of endless tribal feuds, idol worship, and ignorance, Muhammad emerged as a leader who united warring Arab tribes through Islam. Within about 120 years of Islam’s birth, the unified Middle Eastern Muslims extended their influence from the Middle East to North Africa, Spain, and as far as the Chinese border.

This pattern reemerged during the Crusades (11th to 13th century), led by Western Europe. When the Crusades began, the Arab world was politically fragmented, plagued by assassinations and conflicts. With no unity, the Arabs faced the Crusaders city-state by city-state, suffering repeated defeats and even losing the holy city of Jerusalem. However, a charismatic leader named Saladin appeared, unified the divided Arab world, and used this unified force to drive out the Crusaders from Jerusalem and the Middle East.

A similar pattern emerged after World War II. The Middle Eastern Arab states, divided and reshaped by Western powers, failed to unify. Taking advantage of this division, Israel was founded in 1948, fulfilling the Jews’ ancient hope to return to Zion, the holy city of Jerusalem. Arab states attempted several times, through wars, to expel Israel, but their internal divisions led to repeated failures. Thus, the Arabs continue to endure the dishonor of seeing the third holiest site in Islam, Jerusalem (Al-Quds), under Jewish control. Therefore, Islamic fundamentalists envision a charismatic leader—like Muhammad or Saladin—who will emerge, unify the divided Arab world through Islam, expel Israel, retake Jerusalem, and establish a united Islamic community.

Israel’s establishment in 1948 became a key reason for the rise of modern Islamic fundamentalism. Sayyid Qutb, who shaped the ideology of modern Islamism, described the pre-Islamic era as “Jahiliyyah” (ignorance), stating that the entire world is now in Jahiliyyah. He argued that to overthrow it, Muslims must wage jihad with ideologically and organizationally armed groups, including the use of force if necessary. From this ideology sprang the doctrines of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Thus, the vision of Islamic fundamentalists worldwide is to unify the divided Middle East under Islam, harnessing that unified power to defeat Israel and build a grand Islamic union.

In this context, Hamas continues what appears to be a hopeless war, fighting recklessly because it sees its struggle as heroic and honorable, inspiring the hearts of Muslims worldwide. This makes it nearly impossible to dismantle Hamas. Given this background, neighboring Arab states that do not favor Islamic fundamentalism remain passive in supporting Hamas. Even the West Bank’s Fatah, considered more moderate, does not fully sympathize with Hamas.

Hence, the Israel-Palestine conflict is not merely a superficial territorial or resource dispute but a religious/historical/ethnic conflict rooted in ancient history. True coexistence and peace between the two peoples would be impossible unless one side surrenders everything. Israel and Palestine oscillate between war and ceasefire, and genuine peace and coexistence remain distant.

Today’s Israel-Palestine Situation from a Missional Perspective

From the perspective of fulfilling God’s kingdom, the current turmoil in the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict can be seen not merely as international political issues, but as part of the completion of God’s kingdom and Satan’s resistance. Scripture, when discussing the Lord’s return, speaks of the gospel being preached to all nations and the restoration of Israel. Currently, the strongest collective resistance to the gospel comes from Islamic religious forces, and most of the unreached peoples who need the gospel belong to the Islamic world. The heartland of Islam is the Middle East. Yet, in recent years, there has been an unprecedented proclamation of the gospel in the Middle East over the past 2,000 years of history.

The surrounding Middle East region around Israel and Palestine is experiencing growing uncertainty. After ISIS, Syria and Iraq remain devastated by war, and most Levantine countries are in a transitional phase due to refugees displaced by ISIS. The Israel-Hamas war has effectively expanded to include Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and even Iran. Turkey has voiced anti-Israel positions, and the Gulf monarchies maintain hostility toward Shia Iran. Additionally, with the Trump administration’s tenure, the Russia-China anti-American alliance, and the global expansion of anti-Semitism, the entire Middle East stands on uncertain ground.

While political and social instability in the Middle East continues to make gospel proclamation challenging, unwavering faithful believers persist in proclaiming the gospel. Reports of spiritual restoration come from many parts of the Middle East. Indeed, even in the world’s most collective resistance to the gospel—the Islamic Middle East—the kingdom’s gospel is being powerfully proclaimed to all nations.

This same gospel proclamation has continued in Israel and Palestine over the last few years. Each year, thousands of evangelists visit the Israel-Palestine region to proclaim the gospel, and over the past few years alone, at least one million Bibles and gospel tracts have been distributed in Israel-Palestine. This powerful gospel proclamation is unprecedented in 2,000 years of history. As a result, the number of Jews believing in Jesus is increasing, and evangelistic groups actively and vigorously preaching the gospel are rapidly emerging autonomously, which is very encouraging.

In the end, though the world is shaking, the Middle East is trembling, and Israel-Palestine is in turmoil, God’s work advances majestically and steadily. Everything is moving powerfully toward the fulfillment of God’s Word, and Satan, the ancient adversary of God, is resisting more fiercely as final judgment nears. We live in an era just before the fulfillment of the last unfulfilled prophecies. Observing this Israel-Palestine conflict, we sense that persecution against the gospel and Satan’s resistance intensify. Satan’s goal is clear: to prevent the gospel from being proclaimed to the Israelites and Palestinians. The Lord’s command is equally clear: proclaim the gospel to the end.

Many wise people worldwide propose numerous plans and strategies for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Yet restoration and revival for these nations are impossible without the gospel. In the past few years, the Israel-Palestine region enjoyed a grace period allowing free and diverse gospel proclamation, giving many the opportunity to hear and freely choose. Thus, the good news of Jesus Christ spread widely among Israelis and Palestinians.

Now, witnessing this Israel-Palestine conflict, we see a time of faith approaching—a time of glory and revival. There is no revival without tribulation, no glory without the cross. Facing resistance and persecution, believers now enter an era where they must make a choice of faith. Through the believers who overcome trials and persecution by faith, we will eventually see God’s glory, restoration, and revival in this land.

Jesus spoke to Lazarus, who had been dead for three days and seemed beyond any hope, “Did I not say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” In the same way, for Israel and Palestine, which seem dead for 2,000 years with no hope, the era is coming for them to see God’s glory through faith.

For these two peoples, Israel and Palestine, who remain as sorrow in the Father’s heart for so long, God the Father desires that all faithful disciples of the Lord help restore these children. And now, Israel and Palestine are beginning to return to Jesus.

In just a few years, we will witness revival among the Israel-Palestine people. Amidst all tribulations, persecutions, and resistance, as people boldly declare “The battle belongs to the Lord!” they will restore worship, proclaim the gospel by faith, and we will see the day when Israel and Palestine are filled with the Lord’s glory.