An imagination exercise

It’s unfortunate that the vast majority of Israelis are Jewish, and now Jews everywhere are being maligned. Because – well, okay, let’s try something new. Let’s imagine just for a minute that instead of the country called Israel at war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza, it’s a country called, say, “Brakistan.” And let’s imagine, for the sake of this little exercise, that most of Brakistan’s residents are Christian. (And most Gazans are Muslim.) 

It seems that Brakistan was invaded last fall by terrorists from a neighbouring territory, Gaza. They murdered, maimed, burned, and raped over 1,200 Brakistanis and seized more than 200 of them as hostages. It was a bloodbath, a terrible tragedy, an unbelievable horror that befell young and old, pregnant women, toddlers and grandparents. Families were torn asunder.

A huge response was warranted

So Brakistan swore to eradicate all Gazan terrorists: they rained missiles, bullets, and bombs down on the tiny enclave (see map below, left). Brakistani soldiers penetrated deep into Gazan territory, seeking to destroy the terrorists. But the problem is that in addition to its terrorists, Gaza is also home to over two million ordinary residents, most of whom are innocent civilian men, women, and children. Thousands of them are now dead, injured, or orphaned from the constant lethal bombardment. The onslaught has demolished many institutions and transportation routes. Thousands of residents, now homeless refugees, face starvation, as not enough food and water is reaching them.

Apparently Brakistan’s Christian leaders consider these civilians “collateral damage” in their drive to kill all the terrorists. (“Collateral damage” is defined as “injury inflicted on something other than an intended target; specifically: civilian casualties of a military operation” – Merriam-Webster.com)

Because of this continual violence, large crowds of people in other countries are demonstrating against Brakistan. Even many citizens within Brakistan have been protesting their government’s actions. They oppose the military for causing the deaths of countless Gazan civilians and destroying their homes and infrastructure. Protesters sometimes use the term “genocide,” which is really over the top, considering that it is not Brakistan’s goal to wipe out every Gazan.

No, the civilians just happen to be in the way of the real goal which is, as stated above, to get rid of all the terrorists. The Brakistan government contends that the civilian casualties are really the fault of the Gazan terrorists, because they often use civilians as “human shields.” But surely this argument doesn’t account for all of the thousands of dead and wounded Gazans.

Fallout

Unfortunately, some of the demonstrators around the world who protest against the military actions of the government of Christian Brakistan are so horrified over all the devastation in Gaza, that their loathing spills over to all Christians everywhere. And so Brakistan and its defenders condemn all demonstrators as being “anti-Christian,” rather than what most of them truly are, which is anti-carnage and ruin as perpetrated by Brakistan’s leaders. 

It is disingenuous and, frankly, misleading propaganda, to label all of the protesters “anti-Christian.” Rather, they are anti-murder, anti-maiming, anti-siege and starvation, and anti-destruction of homes, businesses, offices and services, in minuscule Gaza.

Surely all of the demonstrators did not start out in life to be anti-Christians-wherever-they-may-be. They are simply revolted by the Brakistan government’s deadly actions in Gaza. 

They are not “pro-terrorist,” as they are too often portrayed in certain media. (Regrettably, some virulent anti-Christian extremists have infiltrated more than a few demonstrations… especially as the brutality drags on.)

It’s time…

It is time for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a lasting peace, for Gaza… and Israel (“Brakistan”). May sanity prevail.

[Illustrations CC BY-SA 3.0]