Israel Unholy War Of Total Annihilation
Zionist supremacist elements within the Israeli government and society, exemplified by figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), Bezalel Smotrich, Yoav Gallant, and Benjamin Netanyahu, are weaponizing biblical references—particularly 1 Samuel 15:3—to frame their actions in Gaza as a divinely sanctioned “holy war” of total annihilation against the Palestinian people. This verse, which commands the annihilation of Amalek (“put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep…”), has been invoked, either explicitly (e.g., Netanyahu’s October 28, 2023, transcript reference) or implicitly (e.g., Gallant’s “human animals” rhetoric, Smotrich’s “not a grain of wheat” policy), to justify a campaign of siege, starvation, and mass killing. This narrative portrays Palestinians, or at least Hamas, as modern Amalekites, legitimizing extreme measures such as the deaths of 46,600 people, including 13,319 children (UNRWA), and the displacement of 1.9 million, with 1.8 million facing acute food insecurity (IPC, BBC). However, under the Jewish legal framework (Halakha), these claims are invalid, and the actions violate fundamental Jewish commandments and ethics, including proportionality, the prohibition against suffering, pikuach nefesh (preservation of life), and b’tzelem Elohim (the divine image in all humans). Moreover, their defense mechanism of labeling criticism as antisemitism—extending to the UN, ICJ, and ICC—casts a shadow on Judaism’s ethical integrity, while the U.S. crackdown on student protests risks fueling a renaissance of antisemitism.
The invocation of 1 Samuel 15:3 as a justification for a “holy war” of total annihilation against Palestinians is halakhically baseless. The command to destroy Amalek was a specific, divine mandate given to Saul through the prophet Samuel, tied to Amalek’s unique historical aggression against the Israelites post-Exodus (Sanhedrin 96b, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 5:5). Modern application requires prophetic authority, which ceased with Malachi, and a clear identification of Amalek as a distinct entity—neither of which exists today. The Talmud notes Amalek’s assimilation into other nations, rendering literal identification impossible, and Rabbi Menachem Meiri (Beit HaBechirah, Sanhedrin 59a) interprets Amalek symbolically as evil, not a contemporary ethnic group. Palestinians, an Arab Muslim/Christian population with regional roots, have no historical or genealogical link to Amalek, making this framing a theological distortion.
Furthermore, declaring a milchemet mitzvah (obligatory war) to enact this annihilation lacks legitimacy. Milchemet mitzvah, as defined by Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 5:1), requires a Sanhedrin or divine command, neither of which is present. Even in defensive wars (e.g., post-October 7, 2023, Hamas attack), Jewish law demands proportionality and discrimination (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 6:7), targeting only combatants (rodef, Sanhedrin 72a). The siege, aid blockades, and strikes on civilian areas (e.g., UNRWA schools in Jabalia, UNRWA) exceed these bounds, affecting 1.9 million, including 1 million children, contradicting the war’s defensive intent.
The actions of Zionist supremacists violate core Jewish commandments and ethics:
Zionist supremacists, including Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir, have deflected criticism by labeling the UN, International Court of Justice (ICJ), and International Criminal Court (ICC)—which have accused Israel of war crimes (HRW, UN)—as antisemitic. This tactic shields their actions from scrutiny, framing legitimate human rights concerns as attacks on Judaism itself. This misrepresents Jewish ethics, which, as seen in pikuach nefesh and b’tzelem Elohim, align with universal justice and compassion. By equating criticism with Jew-hatred, they distort Judaism’s moral legacy, suggesting it endorses ethnic cleansing or genocide—claims antithetical to its teachings. This not only tarnishes Judaism’s global image but also alienates Jews who advocate for ethical governance, as seen in the opposition from groups like the Rabbinical Assembly.
The U.S. response, including crackdowns on student protests against Israel’s actions (e.g., arrests at Columbia and UCLA in 2024, NYT), risks exacerbating antisemitism. Suppressing free speech under the guise of combating antisemitism (e.g., conflating anti-Zionism with Jew-hatred) alienates young activists, who may perceive Judaism as complicit in oppression. Historically, antisemitism has surged when Jewish identity is tied to controversial state policies—e.g., post-WWII backlash against Zionist lobbying (ADL reports). A 2023 Anti-Defamation League survey noted a 140% rise in U.S. antisemitic incidents, partly linked to Israel-Gaza tensions. By stifling dissent, the U.S. risks fostering resentment, potentially reviving antisemitic stereotypes (e.g., Jewish global control), undermining Jewish safety and interfaith dialogue.
Israel’s war of total annihilation of Gaza, driven by Zionist supremacists wielding 1 Samuel 15:3 to frame Palestinians as Amalek in a misapplied milchemet mitzvah, is invalid under Jewish law, lacking prophetic sanction and misidentifying Palestinians as Amalek. The actions—killing 46,600, starving 1.8 million—violate proportionality, the prohibition against suffering, pikuach nefesh, and b’tzelem Elohim, contradicting Halakha’s ethical core. Labeling criticism as antisemitism misrepresents Judaism, casting it as a doctrine of supremacy, while U.S. crackdowns on students risk a renaissance of antisemitism by alienating critics and reinforcing negative stereotypes. True adherence to Jewish ethics demands rejecting this narrative and prioritizing life over ideology.