There seems to be an energized hatred of Israel reserved for no other country on earth, but if we dig a little deeper we will discover what is really driving the deep and visceral hatred… and what happens when it is reversed.
Israel is repeatedly singled out for fury, more than nations known for severe human rights abuses such as North Korea, Eritrea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. This can be seen with data, such as the UN voting record from recent years, which has condemned Israel more than twice as much as all the other nations combined.1
Antisemitism is the oldest hatred, birthed in Egypt as the nation began to form and grow, when Pharaoh gave the command for baby boys to be drowned in the Nile, and the attempts to destroy the people kept coming. From the Amalekites who attacked the freed Israelite slaves on their way out of Egypt to Haman who plotted to wipe out the entire people while they were in exile, all the way through history — the Greeks, the Romans, the Crusades of the Middle Ages, multiple pogroms and of course the Holocaust, right up to the jihad against Jews we see today.
But it’s not just Islamic extremists who seem determined to see the end of Israel. You may have noticed that the hatred of Israel spreading throughout the earth is often irrational, ignoring every other conflict or humanitarian concern, and coming from a deep place in the soul. Perhaps because it is.
Three hidden drivers of antisemitism that fuel the hatred of Israel
1. A wound of rejection
If someone has a rejection wound (and many do) the whole issue of Israel being “chosen” can hit a raw nerve. While experiencing rejection is part of life, those who have not found healing often automatically relate to those they perceive as rejected or unchosen. The truth is that God loves us all the same, but He chose Israel for His own purposes to bless all the nations of the earth. Still, that wound can provoke a strong reaction when poked. Consciously or unconsciously, many will react against the choice of Israel and project their own pain into the picture. The matter becomes raw and personal.
2. Difficulty accepting God’s sovereignty
If someone has trouble accepting authority due to past hurts or abuses, God’s right to sovereignly choose Israel can be very hard to take, and may grate like fingernails on a chalkboard. However, this entire universe was made by God and belongs to Him. He has every right to do things the way He chooses. His decision to bring His Word and Messiah to the world through Israel, making them His chosen nation, is His alone to make. God does not ask for our permission or even our opinion. This can also stir up strong feelings of anger, even among Christians.
3. Concern about the judgment to come
And lastly, perhaps most significantly, people have violent reactions against Israel because they are a constant reminder of the law of God and the day we will all be held accountable to it. God could have written the Ten Commandments up in the sky for all to see, as it has been said, but He didn’t. He gave the Law to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, and made them responsible for carrying it to the world. It may be subconscious, but Israel represents God and His standards which often causes a visceral negative reaction.
What the Jewish sages say about antisemitism
In the the Talmud, the rabbis point out that the name of Sinai sounds like the Hebrew word for hatred: “sina”
What is the reason it is called Mount Sinai? It is because it is a mountain upon which hatred [sina] for the nations of the world descended because they did not accept the Torah. (Tractate Shabbat 89a)
The nations hate Israel, the Sages surmise, because they hate the Law of God, given at Mount Sinai. In the only sentence on antisemitism in the entire Talmud, the rabbis conclude that it was the law of Sinai given to Israel that inflamed the world’s hatred. The Ten Commandments remain in our consciousness to this day, almost 3700 years after they were given. They were written in stone, never to be erased, and continue to prick our consciences whenever we’re reminded that God is the One holding the moral yardstick.
We see people doing all kinds of mental and moral gymnastics to assuage their consciences, trying to prove to the world (but probably primarily to themselves) that they are a “good person”. No one likes to think otherwise. Yet God’s Law looms. And Israel is like a poke in the eye to those who wish to forget it.
The return of Israel to the Land just makes it all the more concrete. Judgment Day is getting closer. Things are getting increasingly real. This is no fairy story, and Israel quietly demonstrates that God isn’t going anywhere by virtue of their history.
So the nations rage.
The hatred of Israel has become acceptable.
The biblical litmus test
In a way, God is using Israel yet again among the nations. Our reaction to His choices and His promises to Israel says a lot about our relationship with God.
Do we believe that God loves us all equally, even though He has chosen Israel for His purposes? Celebrating God’s choice of Israel takes faith in His love.
Do we respect God’s sovereign right to rule, trusting that His wisdom and decision making is perfect? Acknowledging God’s sovereignty takes humility.
Are our consciences clean, or are we worried about measuring up to God’s standards? We can have peace in Yeshua’s sacrifice for us, knowing we’re forgiven.
We have all sinned and broken God’s law. Only those who have received the forgiveness made possible through the Messiah will escape judgment — for those who are saved, Judgment Day is the day we get to meet the One we love face to face. Once we get to know God and His perfect ways, we can rest in the knowledge that when it comes to His choice of Israel there is nothing to envy, and there is nothing to fear.
There’s plenty to criticize about the Jewish state (which, let’s face it, is full of fallen humans like every other nation) but faith in God’s heart, His wisdom, and His forgiveness takes all the oxygen out of the furious hatred that seems to be reserved uniquely for Israel.
When we trust God and His ways deeply, Israel becomes evidence of God’s faithfulness and covenant, and instead of opposing His choice, we can rejoice in His masterplan. Israel is just as sinful as every other nation, it is no better and no worse, but it is through the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God decided to give the world His Word and His Messiah, a blessing to all the families of the earth.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 9:4-5)
- https://unwatch.org/2025-unga-resolutions-on-israel-vs-rest-of-the-world
Photo by Hasan Mrad on Unsplash
