The cynical use of Christian suffering to demonize Israel

Suddenly, the world's media, NGOs and governments care about Christians. How touching. A stray shot from an Israeli tank hit a Catholic church in Gaza, sadly leaving three dead and ten wounded, and now everyone is tearing their hair out.

Israel apologized and opened an investigation, but that doesn't matter. The narrative is already served: the Jewish state is the villain. It never mattered that this happened in a war that Hamas launched on October 7, 2023 with a massacre of genocidal intent, murdering, raping and dismembering Jewish and non-Jewish civilians. No, that doesn't count. What matters is that there is a golden opportunity to demonize Israel.

Where was (and is) the outrage when Christians were (and are) massacred in Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Nigeria, and Congo, among other places? Where were (and are) these champions of justice when churches were (and are) burning, when Christian families were (and are) displaced, kidnapped, raped and murdered by Islamic extremists? Silence. Absolute silence. But for Israel to make a mistake in a war zone, fighting terrorists who make no secret of their desire to annihilate Jews and infidels alike, and suddenly they are all human rights experts. The hypocrisy appears from afar.

'No jews, no news'

The truth is simple: if there are no Jews to blame, atrocities against Christians don't exist. It seems that the suffering of a minority only matters if it can be used as a cudgel against Israel. It's as if the anti-Semitic hatred of these actors is so blinding that Christians are only relevant when they serve to stoke the anti-Israel narrative. Otherwise, let them continue to suffer. Nothing. Not a headline, not a march, not a strong condemnation. Now, an accident in Gaza, and the tabloid headlines from traditional media, impartial NGOs and concerned governments are not long in coming. How convenient.

The logic doesn't matter. All that matters is the opportunity to paint Israel as the monster, even if it is at the cost of distorting reality to the grotesque.Leandro Fleischer

The goal is clear: pit Christians against Israel and Jews. They want to manipulate Christians, take them for stupid, make them believe that the Jewish State is their enemy. But reality contradicts them. In Israel, Christians live with more freedom than in any other country in the region. They can profess their faith, work, study, protest against the government, live without fear, regardless of their gender or beliefs. In how many Arab or Muslim countries in the region can the same be said? In Gaza, under the yoke of Hamas, Christians - though not only Christians - are hostages of an Islamist regime that oppresses them. But that is not mentioned, because it doesn't fit the narrative.

If Israel really wanted to attack Christians, as these manipulators insinuate, why did it only settle for destroying part of the church's facade? Why hasn't it razed Christian communities within its borders? The church in Gaza, damaged by accident, continued to function the next day. Christians in Israel do not live under constant threat, as in so many other places in the world. But facts don't matter. Logic doesn't matter. All that matters is the opportunity to paint Israel as the monster, even if it is at the cost of distorting reality into something grotesque.

These anti-Semites masquerading as humanitarians will not rest until Christians fall into their trap and join the chorus of hatred. They don't care about the real suffering of minorities; they are only interested in using it as fuel for their agenda. And meanwhile, the traditional media, with their sensationalist headlines, do the dirty work, amplifying the lie, distorting the reality of a war where Israel is fighting for survival against an enemy that does not distinguish between Jews, Christians or any other infidel.

Israel will remain a beacon of freedom

Israel, whatever it may be, will remain a beacon of freedom in a Middle East plagued by tyrannies. It continues to defend its population, Jewish and non-Jewish, and sometimes even extends that protection beyond its borders, as with the Druze in Syria. That is the real problem for those who hate Israel: that it represents everything they despise. A country that, for all its faults, fights for freedom and against fanaticism and can be one of the most prosperous in the world despite being in such a hostile area. And while the hypocrites of the world fill their mouths with selective condemnations, Israel will remain the first dam against the authoritarian ideologies that threaten the free world. Let it hurt.