The modern state of Israel was resurrected on May 14, 1948 after 1,878 years. It had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. and the Jewish people had scattered all over the world in what has been called the “diaspora.” Some argue that Jewish people have no right to the land of Israel, but many argue that they have an historical right and even a divine right. Let’s examine whether these arguments have support.
Divine right
In Genesis 13:14-15, God promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan (modern Israel) in perpetuity: “All the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.” In Genesis 15:18, God outlined the specific borders: “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” In Genesis 17:7-8, God reinforced his promise with a covenant: “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” God reiterated his covenant to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), Jacob (Genesis 28:13), and Moses (Exodus 6:8; Deuteronomy 30:5). And again, God repeated his “forever” promise to the people he chose (Deuteronomy 4:40; 1 Chronicles 16:15-18).
God chose the Jews and distinguished them as his people. He gave them certain laws and customs to which some still adhere today. God chose them to usher in his only begotten son (cf., Psalm 2:7; John 3:16). Had the word, Jesus, not become flesh to dwell among us, we would still be trapped in the consequences of our sins in death. Jesus took our sins upon himself to open the gates of heaven to all of us – Jews and Gentiles (cf., Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Zechariah 12:10). Jesus was born a Jew and raised in a very orthodox Jewish family. That simple fact and the way the Jews were specially chosen people has always evoked extreme hostility from dark spiritual forces.
The Jews have a long history of heavy persecution, even from the Catholic Church during the inquisition and Martin Luther in his book, “On the Jews and Their Lies.” When people condemn groups rather than individuals within groups, the world and love within the world lose. This statement goes both ways – on the Catholics and Protestants who have condemned Jews – and on Jews who have condemned Catholic and Protestant groups. Individuals within all groups are flawed. We all fall short of the glory of God. We can all do better to improve the world. Theodor Herzl knew that. He resurrected the ancient Hebrew language and started the Zionist movement to give Jewish people back the land they deserve.
Historical right
Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) lived in Vienna, Austria, and became distressed over growing anti-Semitism in Europe. He was disturbed by the Dreyfus Affair in 1894 in France where a Jewish officer was falsely accused of treason, which resulted (oddly) with massive anti-Semitism. He wrote a book entitled, “Der Judenstaat,” where he argued that the Jews needed their own nation. He argued that Jews were a nation rather than merely a religion. He believed that the economic prosperity that the Jews could bring to a Jewish land would benefit all inhabitants of the land. His ideas were ridiculed at the time, yet his vision persisted. Zionism grew. The land of Israel during his time was an unproductive desert wasteland, quite unlike the bountiful and technologically developed Israel of today.
Prior to 1917, the land of Israel was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The people who lived there included Arabs and small Jewish communities. After World War I, Great Britain controlled the land, which was called “Mandatory Palestine.” Jewish immigration increased and Jews purchased more land.
Following the holocaust in World War II, the United Nations proposed splitting the land into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone in Jerusalem. Jews accepted these divisions, while Arabs rejected them. Around this time, Jews were expelled from many Arab nations around Israel. They had no choice but to emigrate to Israel or other nations that would accept them.
Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. The Arab-Israeli war followed, resulting in a victory for Israel and control of more land than the original United Nations plan. Jordan controlled the West Bank and Egypt controlled Gaza.
In 1967, numerous Arab states rose up to fight against Israel. The primary combatants were Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Supporters were Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, and Sudan. Tiny Israel won decisively in a six-day war, resulting in the capture of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. How was that possible? With God, nothing is impossible.
Between 1967 and today, numerous governments have attempted to bring peace to the region by carving out land for Jews and Muslims, yet these agreements have consistently been rejected by the Muslims. Why? Muslims believe in their own God-given right to dominate the land. Some Muslims refer to the land as Palestine to follow the original insult and re-naming from the Romans after the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 A.D. Yasser Arafat (1928-2004) promoted the idea of an identity of Palestine politically. His ideas resonated with many in Hamas, the terrorists who have proven they hate Jewish people. In the Hamas Charter of 1988, article 11, Hamas states, “The land of Palestine is an Islamic waqf (endowment)… it is forbidden to give up any part of it.” Hamas is the government that the people who live in the Gaza strip approved in 2006 to rule over their region. Hamas is the force behind the 2023 October 7th massacres.
Despite Hamas’ claims to the land of Israel, interestingly, Muslim religious texts affirm the authenticity of the Jewish Scriptures, which include God’s gift of the land of Canaan in perpetuity and their own position in the lineage of Abraham. Qur’an 5:44 states: “Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light.” Qur’an 3:3 states, “He has sent down upon you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And he revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” Qur’an 10:94 states, “ If you are in doubt… ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you.” Qur’an 2:135 states, Rather, [we follow] the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth…”
Historically, one needs to consider what’s just and fair. Jews were ejected from their land in 70 A.D. They lived in numerous Christian and pagan nations for the centuries that followed relatively peacefully. These lands in the ancient Near East were conquered by Muslims in the 7th century and the centuries that followed. Jews and Christians had to pay taxes to remain in Muslim lands after that. Many left. Many converted under the sword of the Muslim faith. They were taxed unfairly on the land they owned and had purchased. If we believe in property rights, which Western nations affirm as a basic human right, all should be entitled to the land they have purchased fairly as real estate, whether Jew, Christian, Muslim, or another belief system. Unfair taxes based on religious beliefs should be abolished. These systems violate basic human rights.
Our Arab and Muslim friends should also be treated justly. In 1948, Israel passed the “Absentee Property Law” to take the land from Arabs who had fled from the region. These Arabs, like the Jews who were forced to leave from Arab countries in the region, should receive appropriate attention and aid.
Many Arabs live peacefully in Israel today. They occupy places in law enforcement and government. The Jewish state is secular, yet explicitly grants rights to all people. We should support our Jewish, Muslim, and Christian friends in Israel who live in peace in Israel. We should support the right of Israel to exist in the ancient land of Canaan today. God gave the ancient Hebrews the right to Israel in perpetuity. This tiny little plot of land the size of New Jersey that houses 9 million people needs the help of all humans who believe in justice.
SJ Thomason is a Christian author, Jesus follower, mom, wife, and university administrator.
Christian Apologist 