As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, it is good to understand who we are praying for! Therefore, we need to recognize Israel’s key enemies and adversaries today and what they are doing to harm Israel and Jewish people. Though some of these opponents are individuals, we will focus on the movements and organizations dedicated to Israel’s destruction.

The massacre of October 7 was by far Hamas’ bloodiest strike, though the group has a long track record of terrorist activities against Israel. The name “Hamas” is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Arabic for “Islamic Resistance Movement”). Although the word “resistance” might make it sound like they are merely a political movement, Hamas was responsible for numerous suicide bombings across Israel in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, receives the majority of its funding from Iran, and operates out of Gaza, which it has controlled since 2007:^[1]

Hamas’ goal is to destroy the State of Israel and Jewish people everywhere. Its 1988 charter calls for a holy war between Islam and Jewish people:

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. (Preamble)

The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.+” (Article 7)^[2]

Hamas blames “the Zionists” for global conflict, concluding “there is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.”^[3]

Based upon Hamas’ charter, its leaders openly call for the extermination of Jewish people.^[4] This demonic hatred led to the slaughter of more than 1,200 civilians in Israel on and following October 7. Hamas’ sympathizers around the world claim they are fighting for freedom for the Palestinians. The group’s own words, however, reveal hate and murder are its motivations.

Hezbollah arose as a Shiite Muslim militia during Lebanon’s fifteen-year civil war (1975–1990) and has since

become part of the Lebanese government. Iran helped fund and train this group, which took the name Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God.” Its 1985 manifesto calls for the destruction of Israel and swears allegiance to Iran. Hezbollah is the most heavily armed non-state entity in the world. Its arsenal has grown exponentially since 2006, when it only had around 15,000 missiles. By 2018, Hezbollah accumulated an estimated 130,000 rockets and missiles.^[5]

Since the 1983 bombing of the American embassy in Beirut, Hezbollah has instigated numerous attacks against Israelis and Americans.^[6]Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel intermittently for several years, killing hundreds of Israelis. Following the October 7 massacre, the terrorist organization has intensified attacks along Israel’s northern border.

Iran covers much of the Persian empire mentioned in the Bible. It has been a polarizing Islamic state since 1979.^[7] By the 2000s, Iran became a major enemy of Israel,^[8] and Iranian leaders have consistently denied Israel’s right to exist. Some of the most dangerous remarks came from Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005–2013). He called Israel a “tumor” to be “eliminated” and denied the Holocaust.^[9] Though some still debate Iran’s role in the October 7 massacre, the nation has backed and funded Hamas for years.

In the last several years, both Israel and the United States have been concerned about Iran developing nuclear weapons, which could be used to threaten Israel. Under the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) in 2015, Iran agreed to limit its stockpile of uranium. Though Iran claims the nuclear program is peaceful, as of October 2023 its uranium supply is eighteen times the permitted level.^[10]

The Palestinian Authority emerged as the local administrative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1994 during the Oslo Accords peace process. According to the agreement, the Palestinian Authority would govern part of the West Bank and Gaza pending a long-term solution. Negotiations broke down, but the Palestinian Authority still oversees much of the West Bank.^[11] Its present leader is Mahmoud Abbas who has been in his position since he was elected in 2005. Abbas has long minimized the Holocaust and blamed Jewish people for bringing persecution upon themselves.^[12]

The Palestinian Authority officially supports terrorism against Israelis. It regularly pays stipends to terrorists and the families of so-called “martyrs”—terrorists who died while slaughtering innocent Israelis. Payments like these totaled $300 million in 2016.^[13] Media from the Palestinian Authority, including children’s programs, encourage violence against Israel. Children are indoctrinated to pursue “martyrdom.” Parents are taught to celebrate the deaths of their own children if they perish while attacking Israelis.^[14]

Antisemitism has a long history in the West. In the past few years, and especially since October 7, antisemitism has grown more overt and vicious, unlike anything seen since the 1930s. It continues to take many forms in the West, arising from both the far right and far left of the political spectrum. While both ends accuse Jewish people of being the source of all problems, each side does have some distinct motives for its hate. On one extreme, some sympathize with Nazism, feeding on old antisemitic tropes to attack Jewish people based on racial and socioeconomic factors. On the other, antisemitism often arises in the context of sympathy for Islamic extremism and for the Palestinian cause. This support is especially dramatic among young adults. According to one US poll, more than half (51 percent) of eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds say Hamas’ attacks on October 7 “can be justified by the grievance of Palestinians.”^[15] But, there is no excuse for massacring defenseless Israeli civilians in the most brutal ways.

The recent appalling surge in antisemitic incidents proves how quickly hatred of Israel boils over into hatred of Jewish people.^[16] Globally, it has grown increasingly acceptable not only to place full blame on Israel for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also to present the Jewish community as a powerful, malevolent force in the world. These lies have consequences. Threats, intimidation, and violence toward Jewish people will grow ever more serious if present trends remain unchecked.

“Love your enemies” is among Jesus’ most challenging teachings. It is especially difficult when one’s enemies pose a lethal threat to Israel’s existence, like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Loving Israel’s enemies does not mean supporting their vile goals for Israel’s destruction. We should pray for people involved with or who are sympathetic to these groups and countries’ leaders. May God convict them of this poisonous hatred and change their hearts.

We should act kindly toward those who spread misguided lies about Israel, even as we strongly denounce their words. We must proactively oppose antisemitism and support the Jewish community. We must educate ourselves, and especially this young generation, who is growing alarmingly more and more anti-Israel, about the deadly dangers of antisemitism.

Israel has many enemies, and as followers of the Jewish Messiah, we must stand with Israel as we pray Israel’s enemies will renounce their demonic hate for both the political entity—modern Israel—and Jewish people around the globe. Pray those who hate and defame Israel will repent and turn to the Messiah of Israel so they can understand the promises God made to Abraham about Israel and Jewish people.