“OH ISRAEL, MY ISRAEL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” A PERSONAL LAMENTATION (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “I say then, has God REJECTED AND DISOWNED His people? Certainly not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin’ … But what is God’s response to him? ‘I have KEPT FOR MYSELF seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ – ROMANS 11:1, 4, AMP

KEY TERMS:

• “REJECTED AND DISOWNED.” ‘Apótheó’ [ἀπώσατο]: From a root word meaning, “To shove or push off.” Thus, “To cast or thrust away (from).” STRONG’S: “‘The verb rendered “reject,” “push aside,” or “thrust away,” portrays an active, deliberate DISMISSAL of a Person, Truth, or Divine Purpose.’ Each New Testament occurrence centers on the tension between God’s gracious initiative and human response. Whenever the word appears, someone is either ‘Refusing’ a Divinely appointed messenger or, conversely, Scripture affirms that the Lord Himself will never ‘Repudiate’ [as in the case of the truly faithful, obedient follower].

• “KEPT FOR MYSELF.” ‘Kataleipó’ [Κατέλιπον]: “To leave behind [in a positive sense, i.e., to reserve for Oneself]; to have remaining.” STRONG’S: “Strong’s 2641 pictures an act of leaving that can be Positive (entrusting, prioritizing) or Negative (neglecting, forsaking). Its range stretches from Domestic Transitions (‘leave father and mother’) to grave warnings about Apostasy (‘left the straight way’), and from strategic Ministry Decisions (‘be left in Athens’) to God’s gracious preservation of a Remnant (‘I have left for Myself seven thousand men’). Across the New Testament the verb consistently highlights DECISIVE SEPARATION that serves a higher purpose—whether righteous or unrighteous.”

DK: “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly CLEAN OUT [‘diakatharizo (διακαθαριεῖ), ‘to thoroughly purge’] His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (MATTHEW 3:12).

QUOTATION. ““Israel was created by displacing roughly 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 [in ‘The Nakba’], and it displaced several hundred thousand more in 1967, when it extended its borders from the river to the sea.’ Most of the Palestinians under Israeli Control lack citizenship, and none enjoy legal equality. Israel now stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, a charge endorsed by some of the most prominent human rights lawyers in the world.” ― PETER BEINART, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, 2025; edited

• BIO NOTE. “Peter Beinart is a professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents, and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. He was formerly the editor of The New Republic and was long known as a prominent liberal Zionist voice. Over the preceding decade, however, he distanced himself from a Two-State solution and, ultimately, from Zionism altogether. ‘In 2020, he publicly advocated for a Single Democratic State with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.’”

• GAZA WAR. The War has resulted in significant humanitarian costs. A tightened blockade by Israel cut off basic necessities, which led to a partial famine. ‘Around 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed and essential services, including water, electricity, and sanitation, have been severely disrupted.’ Large parts are uninhabitable, with most hospitals, religious and cultural landmarks, and educational facilities destroyed. Gazan journalists, health workers, aid workers and other members of civil society have been detained, tortured, and killed. Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the war. Nearly all of the strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced. Over 100,000 Israelis were internally displaced at the height of the Conflict. The first day was the deadliest in Israel’s history, and the War is the deadliest for Palestinians in the broader conflict.” ISRAELI: 7,500-10,000 killed including 36 children; 48,659 injured. PALESTINIAN: 73,000-100,000 killed including nearly 20,000 children; 173,000-200,000 injured]. – Wikipedia, June 20, 2026; AI Overview, June 25, 2026; edited

COMMENTARY.  “The First Reason why God has not rejected His people is that Paul himself is part of Israel, and since God didn’t reject Paul, He cannot have rejected His people. ‘I am an Israeli myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.’ The Rabbi [Yeshua ben David] is making it clear that his JEWISH IDENTITY didn’t change by him following the King of the Jews ….

The Rabbi gives us Another Reason why God has not rejected His people – and that is because of THE REMNANT. God is committed to His people because of the Faithful Minority. He has not and will not reject the Nation because of the Faithless Majority. In every generation, God has remained committed to His people, even though: ‘Only The Remnant were Faithful.’ The Rabbi gives us several examples of this, starting with the Days of Elijah. ‘Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have RESERVED for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”’” – RABBI LOREN JACOBS, “God Has Not Rejected His People,” Shema, Jan. 7, 2017; edited

1. TEACHING

“However, it is not as though God’s word has failed [coming to nothing]. For not all who are descended from Israel (Jacob) are [the true] Israel; and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: ‘Your descendants will be named through Isaac [though Abraham had other sons]. That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham’s natural descendants] who are God’s children, but it is the children of THE PROMISE [‘epaggelia’ (ἐπαγγελίαι), ‘honoring Divine Commitment’] who are counted as [Abraham’s true] descendants.” – ROMANS 9:6-8, AMP

IT’S PERSONAL. I’ll make this relatively brief. I only began to realize my Jewish Roots on my mother’s Sephardic side (Rodriguez, or, “Son of Rodrigo”) around 1984 a year after joining the faculty of Regent University. For a variety of reasons and events involving research, revelation, and discovery, I was to learn that:

(1) We likely descend from Isreal’s Tribe of Asher (near today’s Haifa); (2) Our DNA test shows us to have SPANISH AND WELSH ORIGIN in Eastern Spain (Catalonia, as possible “conversos”  (forced converts to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition), and Southern Wales (on my biological father’s side (Anderson, or “Son of Anders”); (3) Later we discovered may have migrated to Island of Ibiza, where “The Lost Jews of Ibiza” lived under cover for centuries; (4) Finally, our descendants migrated to Mexico to the States of Jalisco, Zacatecas, Durango, and Chihuahua before moving north to El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.

So now to an area of exceptional sensitivity and volatility: How do Christians support the State of Israel led by PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU as it pursues what is now undeniably a viscious Final War of Genocide against the Palestinian people in both an already decimated Gaza and in Southern Lebanon?

I, for one, cannot do so any longer. At least until there is Regime and Policy Change by the Israeli Government. Here are THE REASONS WHY, as both my Jewish and Christian Roots  demand in a single declaration:

“No!”

DEFINITION OF TERMS. I was taught long ago that a scholar’s First Duty to Truth involves a careful delineation of Key Concepts with which you are dealing. There are Three Such Terms pertinent to our current discussion. Each idea is presented from the Compendia assembled by an AI Overview (ret. June 26, 2028; edited).

• ANTI-SEMITISM. “‘Antisemitism is defined as hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed at Jewish people.’ It is based on negative stereotypes, myths, and misinformation about Jewish identity, history, and culture. It can target individuals, Jewish organizations, or the State of Israel. The IHRA Definition: ‘The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition describes it as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.’ This definition is widely adopted by international governments and organizations.” DK: I am not an Antisemite.

• ANTI-ZIONISM. “‘Anti-Zionism is a political movement and ideology that Rejects Zionism—The belief that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination and national statehood in their Ancestral Homeland.’In practice, it involves opposing the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish-Majority Nation. Many who identify as Anti-Zionists—including various Pro-Palestinian activists, scholars, and some fringe religious groups—frame their position as a critique of Ethno-Nationalism, Colonialism, or specific State Policies.” DK: I am not an Anti-Zionist, but neither am I in favor of Netanyahu’s ‘Greater Israel’ (Expansionist) Movement.

• ANTI-GENOCIDISM. “Whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute Genocide is a subject of intense global debate, with leading international bodies, human rights experts, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars concluding that they meet the LEGAL DEFINITION: ‘Violent attacks with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.’ While Israel and its allies strongly deny these claims. Organizations such as Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and a UN Independent Commission of Inquiry have concluded that Israel is committing genocide UN Human Rights Office. They cite the massive civilian death toll, the destruction of healthcare and essential infrastructure, the systematic denial of humanitarian aid into Gaza. and dehumanizing rhetoric from Israeli leaders as evidence of an intent to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza.” DK: Among recent verified reports that the IDF is now tactically killing little children in Lebanon to eliminate the repopulation of Palestinians, I am clearly ANTI-GENOCIDE and I strongly counsel all of you to be as well! – NPR, June 22, 2026

COMPELLING EVIDENCE. So far we have merely opened the door. I will finish my analysis by a detailed report by a network called The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) posted on June 26, 2026 (edited). The PPS is an independent, non-governmental organization founded in 1993 with headquarters in Ramallah. The organization tracks thousands of Palestinian detainees, provides legal representation, and monitors the treatment of individuals in Israeli custody.

Author Note: None of this is to deny the very real and bloody existence of what I call in my book, “Islamists,” or “Jihadists,’ who take very literally passages from the Qu’ran as with Sura 9 to “Kill the infidels” who do not to ‘SUBMIT’ to their sacred book. See The Second Seal II (“The Threat of Islamic Terrorism,”2024, pp. 59-69)

1. ANNUAL REPORT ON ISRAELI CRIMES

“And [the Lord] said, ‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.’” – GENESIS 4:10, AMPC

RAMALLAH, (Occupied Palestine) – On the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, marked annually on June 26, Palestinian prisoners’ institutions stated that thousands of Palestinian political prisoners are being subjected, on a daily and momentary basis, to severe crimes of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment inside Israeli occupation prisons and military camps.

In the wake of the ongoing Crime of Genocide against the Palestinian people, these prisons have been transformed into a central arena where the realities of this crime are most starkly manifested. This includes systematic and entrenched policies of murder, starvation, dehumanization, humiliation, and the deliberate infliction of severe physical and psychological suffering on detainees.

These crimes have affected all categories of prisoners, including children, women, the elderly, the wounded, and the sick, in flagrant violation of the rules of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law—particularly the 1984 Convention against Torture, the Geneva Conventions, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which criminalizes torture as a war crime and a crime against humanity when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.

The level of crimes committed against Palestinian political prisoners since the start of the Gaza Genocide has far surpassed the traditional concept of torture, whether in terms of its scope, brutality, or the multiplicity of its tools. This makes the current period the bloodiest and harshest in the history of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement under Israel’s brutal decades-long occupation.

Hundreds of testimonies and affidavits documented by Palestinian human rights and prisoner organizations over the past several years confirm that torture is no longer committed as individual violations or isolated practices. Rather, it has become an Official and Systematic Policy sanctioned at the top levels of the political establishment and implemented with the participation of multiple levels of the occupation system—ranging from soldiers, prison guards, interrogation officers, the prison administration, the prosecution, and the judiciary, all of whom provided the necessary cover, incitement, and legislation for the continuation of these crimes.

Documented Testimonies show that crimes of torture operations from the very moment of arrest through brutal physical assault, threats, intimidation, enforced disappearance, and painful and prolonged shackling. Multiple torture methods are used, including ‘shabeh’ (prolonged painful stress positions), electric shocks, burning with boiling water and chemical substances, pulling out fingernails, and prolonged deprivation of sleep, food, water, medical treatment, and restroom use. Furthermore, it involves the use of extreme noise, deliberate humiliation, and forcing detainees to remain in degrading positions, reaching grave sexual violations and documented crimes of rape.

Inhumane Detention Conditions—Including starvation, denial of healthcare, and the spread of diseases and epidemics, chief among them scabies—have also contributed to turning the detention environment into a tool of continuous torture aimed at physically and psychologically destroying detainees and deliberately inflicting severe suffering upon them. The photos and videos published by occupation soldiers and officials, alongside the testimonies provided by released prisoners, constitute key and additional evidence of the commission of systematic crimes of torture and humiliation. This includes sexual torture and sexual assaults which, given their nature and scale, likely rise to the level of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.

The Testimonies of Detainees from occupied Gaza particularly highlight the magnitude of the atrocities committed inside Israeli Occupation Army Camps, which detainees described as places of slow death and organized torture. Cases of limb amputations without anesthesia, systematic denial of medical treatment, sexual assaults, field executions, and the use of detainees as human shields have been documented. These actions constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law and amount to international crimes that warrant criminal accountability.

Our institutions also confirm that UN reports and mechanisms during 2025 and 2026 concluded that there is a systematic pattern of torture and ill-treatment against Palestinian political detainees. In its concluding observations on Israel issued in November 2025, the UN Committee against Torture expressed its deep concern over consistent reports of torture, ill-treatment, sexual assault, and violence leading to the death and killing of Palestinian detainees, calling for independent investigations and ensuring accountability.

In March 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, warned that torture has become a ‘structural feature’ in the treatment of detained Palestinians, and that Israeli Detention Centers and Prisons have turned into spaces for the production of torture and inhumane treatment amid near-total impunity.

Similarly, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in its report issued in June 2026, concluded that grave violations were committed against Palestinian detainees, including torture, sexual violence, and gender-based violence, raising individual criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Previously, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in its report issued in July 2024, documented that thousands of Palestinians were subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, including deprivation of healthcare, starvation, enforced disappearance, and physical and psychological assaults.

Our institutions believe that the continued denial of access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and independent international bodies to Palestinian detainees, alongside restrictions imposed on the work of lawyers and human rights organizations, constitutes a systematic attempt to hide evidence and obliterate the features of the crimes committed within the Israeli prison system.

Furthermore, the continued commission of torture crimes against Palestinian prisoners, despite repeated UN documentation and warnings issued by UN experts and treaty bodies, reflects a serious international failure to enforce the Rules of International Law. It underscores that the absence of accountability and ongoing impunity have created an environment that allowed the torture system to evolve into part of the structure through which the policy of oppression and persecution against the Palestinian people is managed.

We emphasize that INTERNATIONAL SILENCE regarding these crimes, and the continued political and diplomatic immunity and impunity enjoyed by the occupying state, directly contribute to perpetuating the system of torture and impunity. It encourages the continuation of grave violations and the killing of Palestinian political prisoners.

In this context, our institutions RENEW THEIR DEMANDS to the international community, the United Nations, and relevant international mechanisms to act urgently to:

ACTIVATE the PRINCIPLE OF UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION to prosecute all Israeli officials involved in these crimes.

• ENSURE the accountability of all officials, from political and military leaders to prison officials and soldiers, and prevent impunity from punishment.

• IMPOSE effective international measures and sanctions on the Israeli occupation State to halt grave and systematic violations.

• SECURE immediate and unconditional access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and independent international bodies to all Israeli detention facilities.

• PROVIDE international protection for Palestinian political prisoners and detainees, and guarantee the victims’ rights to justice, redress, and reparations.

We Reiterate: “The Prohibition of Torture is a peremptory norm of International Law (jus cogens), and it may not be justified under any circumstances: Including war, public emergency, or security considerations. States bear legal obligations to take effective measures to prevent torture, investigate it, prosecute its perpetrators, and ensure redress and reparations for the victims.”

THE LAW OF GOD. ‘The Bible fundamentally defines Brutality and Unjustified Violence as severe offenses against the Sanctity of Human Life, as all humans are made in the image of God.’ While Scripture contains accounts of Warfare and Judgment, it explicitly prohibits murder, abuse, and excessive force, championing mercy, justice, and the protection of the vulnerable.”

“Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully], by man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God He made man.” – GENESIS 9:6, AMP

1. LAST THOUGHTS

If you have not yet noticed, my descriptions of Israel are very nearly identical to the policies, practices and callous disregard for human rights and protections of America. This cannot be coincidental.

THE TWO MOST DANGEROUS MEN ON EARTH. Through my sometimes agonizing preparation for this Commentary, I kept seeing two men in both my cognitive and spiritual framework: DONALD TRUMP and BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. I now believe them to be the most despicable and destructive men on the planet – aided and abetted by Jared Kushner.

Thus, in my view are AMERICA AND ISRAEL the world’s NEW HEGEMONS, threatening the complete Rupture of the International Order.

For a Summary and Conclusion of where all this is leading, I turn once more to an AI Overview (ret. June 26, 2026; edited) of the DARK ALLIANCE between these two Nuclear-Tipped Nations, both led by Men of Unprecedented and Unprincipled Violence.

What could possibly go wrong?

“The United States and Israel share an intricate, long-standing, and highly controversial alliance. While officially framed as a strategic and democratic partnership, critics often point to “Darker” geopolitical, covert, and diplomatic realities that complicate the relationship and stir significant public division.”

1. FRICTION. ‘The Alliance has a history marked by sophisticated intelligence cooperation, but also covert friction and espionage.’ The Pentagon has previously expressed concern over aggressive Israeli intelligence collection aimed at top U.S. officials, including allegations of tapping defense personnel phones. Conversely, the U.S. relies heavily on this deep intelligence network for counter-terrorism and regional surveillance.

• ALIGNMENT. ‘The U.S. has often provided diplomatic cover (such as reliable UN vetoes) and billions in military aid, enabling Israel’s extensive military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and the broader Middle East.’ This has led to accusations that American interests are frequently subordinated to Israeli military objectives. For instance, despite President Donald Trump’s public warnings and friction regarding Israeli strikes in Beirut, Israeli forces have occasionally bypassed U.S. administration directives to achieve their own security goals.

• RIGHTS. ‘The Alliance has faced intense scrutiny from human rights advocates over issues like the creeping Annexation of the West Bank and civilian Casualties in regional conflicts. This has resulted in a DRAMATIC SHIFT in American public opinion.’ Recent data shows a majority of U.S. adults view Israel unfavorably, with deep disapproval spanning across various political demographics.

• CHANGE. ‘While both Nations have historically relied on each other, the relationship has entered a highly precarious period.’ Observers argue that Israel’s independent geopolitical maneuvers are beginning to clash with the U.S. global agenda. Former Israeli officials like Naftali Bennett have warned that over-relying on the sympathies of a single American President is disastrous. Meanwhile, others suggest that friction between leadership is not new and the Alliance is evolving rather than breaking.

DK: My View is the latter, since the Scriptures rather clearly show that the Antichrist Trump will ultimately destroy the American Babylon and move to Jerusalem to declare himself as King of Israel and God in the Abomination of Desolation around 3.5 Years through the Seven Year Time of Jacob’s Troubles. Whether by Benjamin Natanyahu or Hard Rightist Gadi Eisenkot, or the Post-Netanyahu candidate Naftali Bennett, I don’t see Israel’s Rejection of America – UNTIL the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 11:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

CHRIST’S COMMAND.  “SO BE ALERT [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you [who follow Me] must ALSO BE READY [‘Hetoimos’ (ἕτοιμοι), ‘fully prepared, complete, mature’]; because the Son of Man is coming at an HOUR when you do not expect Him.” – MATTHEW 24:42-44; AMP

SELAH.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/sWAkJtlLWIg