According to Gatestone Institute, Palestinians are flocking to the Islamic State…
The fundamental problem in the Arab-Israeli conflict is that the Arab states don’t want Israel’s presence anywhere in the region. This was clearly demonstrated in 1948 when Israel reformed as a nation and the Arab states immediately attacked it. Over the years Israel has managed to defend itself from a number of attempts to destroy it.
In the interim, the Two Palestinian Leaderships have used Palestinians as political pawns against Israel. Israel has suffered from negative public relations campaigns conducted against it by secular and religious NGOs. One Irishman (Nicky Larkin) recently visited the Middle East and learned that what he’d heard about the conflict was biased. His experience was the diametric opposite to that of Megan Giesecke who attended a Christ at the Checkpoint conference. You can read about Larkin’s perspective HERE.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has now taken on another serious dynamic with many Palestinians aligning themselves to the ideologies of the Islamic State. This brings further existential challenges for Israel and Christians in the area:
The terror group Islamic State has become extremely popular among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Four recent public opinion polls show that at least one million Palestinians support the Islamic State.
The Palestinians’ two governments, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA), have good reason to be worried about the Islamic State. In recent weeks, Islamic State spokesmen have issued threats against both the PA and Hamas, accusing them of “collaboration” with the “Zionist entity.”
Christian activist Sam Butrous noted that the widespread support for Islamic State among Palestinians is a sign of increased extremism and a denial of Christians’ rights in the Holy Land.
The PA and Hamas can only blame themselves for the surge of Palestinians joining the Islamic State. The two governments allow anti-Western incitement in their mosques and media outlets. Their leaders regularly glorify and endorse Palestinians who carry out terror attacks against Israelis, encouraging others to follow suit. If these Palestinians are unable to attack Israel from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, they travel to Syria and Iraq to join the jihad against Israel’s allies, namely the U.S. and other Western countries.
Palestinian leaders cannot evade responsibility for inspiring dozens of Palestinians to join the Islamic State. The fiery rhetoric of these leaders and ongoing incitement against Israel and the West are further radicalizing Palestinians and driving them into the Islamic State’s open arms…keep reading
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