Dangers and Opportunities in the Role of Religion in the Israel-Hamas War

Dangers and Opportunities in the Role of Religion in the Israel-Hamas War By Nazirudin Mohd Nasir SYNOPSIS Religion has been appropriated to fuel tension and hatred in the current Israel-Hamas war. [...] By likening the Palestinians in Gaza to the Amalekites, he framed the Israeli military response in biblical and religious terms. [...] In fact, biblical scholars have called out the error in Netanyahu’s reading of the Amalek story, especially in its implied comparison of the Palestinians with the Amalekites. [...] The current war, and the images of violence and destruction coming out of Gaza, now give the impression that peace with the Palestinians was never really on the agenda. [...] It was in this spirit that I wrote to the Chief Rabbi of Singapore soon after the outbreak of the war.