by Justine Hemmestad, with help from Major Itamar Ben David
For the next two weeks my friend Itamar is answering the questions of people who are tuned into Iowa’s local government. Not only do we get insight into Israel, one of America’s closest allies, during a time of upheaval for the country and its people, but we get in- sight into Webster County candidates and incumbents through the questions they ask. This may be crucial in- sight that helps voters with their decisions on November 5. We at the Leader have truly appreciated those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to participate in the conversation with IDF Reservist Major Itamar Ben David, to learn what’s hap- pening in Israel and how it relates to Iowa. Only by learning about the world around us can we un- derstand ourselves better, and only by learning about the world around us can we learn how to participate in fixing its brokenness. Next week’s October 31st paper will carry the questions of Democratic Incumbent Mark Campbell and his Re- publican challenger Nathan Montgomery, as they vie for Webster County Supervisor, District 2. Our question for my friend Major Itamar Ben David this week is from our AMAZING Webster County Supervisor, District 4, Niki Conrad. Conrad asks, “Here in the United States, opinion seems to be split on religious lines, with some saying that you can’t question Israel without being anti-Semitic and supporting Hamas’ actions on October 7, 2023, and yet others saying that to aid Israel is Islamaphobic and supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people. Many people are both against the massacre that happened a year ago, but also against the repeated killings of innocents in Gaza. Nuance seems lacking as these two voices talk over anyone who wants to educate themselves about what’s happening, ending discourse before it has a chance to begin. What do you have to say to folks here in Iowa who may not have a firm understanding of the historical and religious con- text of the region and who are looking for truthful, unbiased reporting on the conflict?” Ben David sets the stage for his answer to Conrad with two verses: “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction… I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:15-19).” “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things (Isaiah 45:7).” “Hi Niki, thank you for this question. Although our read- ers know me as Itamar, the military guy, I’m also a tour guide and an educator in Isra- el, mainly in Jerusalem, so for this question, I will wear both hats. I’m taking the liberty of giving a longer introduction to establish my answer. (Editor’s note: Itamar is an amazing teacher, from his Bible studies to Israel’s history and ancient history to the current war with Gaza; he’s taught many nationalities from all walks of life). “Let’s start at the end of your question: Where can we find “truthful unbiased reporting on the conflict?” “I assume you refer to news reporting. Well, if a person wants to educate him/herself about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the news is simply not the place to go to. News reports aren’t built to educate a person on anything. A metaphor I like using is - news can give you beads, but they can’t give you the necklace, they can’t provide you with the thread that ties all these little bits of information into a cohesive story. For that, you’ll need education. Actual serious education. “Education comes from other sources and requires tremendous effort, especially now, when we are flooded with information and infinite knowledge is accessible on our phones and computers. On my YouTube channel I compiled interesting podcasts that go deep and bring you actual information about the different aspects of the conflict, so this could be a nice start. (Ben David’s youtube is a wealth of information about the war as well as Israel and Judaism: https://www.youtube.com/@itamarbendavid/ videos ) “We also have a problem getting “unbiased” information. I mean, sadly, we are immersed with postmodernist ideas that say there is not one truth, it’s all narratives. This idea stole our ability to make our own moral judgments on reality and tell right from wrong – we simply avoid doing so. Also, who is that person who can be unbiased if he/she doesn’t have any identity? No one is neutral, and when I write to you, I assume you and our readers already know I’m as Zionist as it gets. So, the question now is - is there a point in listening to me? “Now that we see that both “reporting” and “unbiased” doesn’t get us too far, we have to check “truthful.” I personally strongly believe there is one truth and not multiple equal narratives. The source of this belief comes from being monotheistic. In a world of multiple Gods or in the Dualistic myths that say this world is a power struggle between good and evil, there are indeed multiple truths, multiple narratives, and ultimately - multiple values to choose from, with an option to change those values when the circumstances change. This is the polytheistic world, the worldview the prophets of Israel were fighting against. So, where can we find the truth? Only with the God of Israel and the Hebrew Bible, as I will demonstrate at the end. “Let’s unpack the other part of your question: “Some saying that you can’t question Israel without being anti-Semitic and supporting Hamas’ actions on October 7, 2023, and yet others saying that to aid Israel is Islamophobic and supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people.” As an Israeli, I want to ask you, Niki, and I want to ask you, the readers - is it just me, or are the countless massive protests in multiple cities across the West (both Europe and America) against Israel since October 8 (while Hamas terrorists were still in Israel) a little more than “to question” Israel? Isn’t it more likely that they are to question the very existence of the Jewish state? Do you remember anything of that scale? Do you remember an outcry of the same scale for the multiple horrors, wars, and human rights violations in other parts of the world? I can give you a list of wars and conflicts with far more atrocities and casualties (Congo, Yemen, Sudan, Myanmar, North Ethiopia…) yet no one seems to care about those. “Now, I’m not saying this to deflect—but to make a point. I think it is a good thing people are hyper-focused on Israel. In a way, it proves that, unlike all the other conflicts that are raging now, this conflict is worth studying and taking notes on. It is also proof that this conflict touches the cultural, social, and religious nerves of so many worldwide. Why is that? You can easily take every accusation that the enemies and opponents of Israel make – and completely destroy it with simple logic and facts, yet – many choose to completely ignore all the evidence in the world in order to smear Israel and the Jews. If you want to “question” Israel – I don’t see any problems with that, as a tour guide I answer many questions regarding Israel for a living– but if you question the very existence of the Jewish state, if you question the right of the Jews for self-determination in the land which all scriptures (including the Quran see 5:21, 2:58, 4:154, 7:137, 10:93, 17:104, 24:55, 28:5-6) and all historical and archeological evidence tie them to – you should stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself – what other countries or nation do I question? If you only question the existence of the Jewish state and no others – you, my friend, have some journey to do. “Back to “aid Israel is Islamophobic and supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people,” this is an amazing claim: according to what we hear from Hamas – 41,000 Palestinians were killed in one year of the war. This is the least effective genocide in recorded history. In 100 days back in 1994, the Hutu killed hundreds of thousands, if not one million Tutsi, in Rwanda using knives and machetes. If Israel wants to make a genocide – it would take a few simple flyovers of the Israeli Air Force, and we wouldn’t be hearing about Gaza any longer. Now, all answers coming after that are simply conspiracy theories. The other part is the “Islamophobic” part. It is basically saying – that we, the Muslims in the US or anywhere else, are offended or feel under attack because the Palestinian Muslims are under attack after they waged a genocidal Jihadist attack on Israel. If you say it’s Islamophobic that a sovereign nation like Israel defends itself from Jihadist psychopaths – then it makes you a pro-Jihadist that hides behind women and children like Hamas does in Gaza. “The Palestinians made their priorities very clear during their 100 year fight against the Zionist movement – they won’t agree to any Jewish sovereignty on any piece of land within Israel/Palestine: they rejected all partition plans (1938, 1948, 1993, 2000, 2008, 2014) and they constantly aligned themselves with the genocidal empires of the time: Haj Amin Al-Husseini with Hitler in the 1930s and 1940, PLO with Jamal Abd-Alnasser in the 1950s and 1960s, Fatah and the other Palestinian terror groups with the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s and now the Shiites of Teheran and Lebanon in the 1990s until this day. That’s how they educate their children in their schools and mosques, that’s what they protest in the West Bank, Gaza and the West: “We don’t want two states – We want all of it/We want 1948.” The only content of the Palestinian Identity is the destruction of the Jewish state and the establishment of a new empire on top of it – be it the “Pan-Arab” state or the Muslim Khalifate. “Regarding “Many people are both against the massacre that happened a year ago, but also against the repeated killings of innocents in Gaza.” There is something about the geography of the US, simply its massive size, the fact that you have Canadians and Mexicans as neighbors and two oceans as your western and eastern borders – that makes this conflict very theoretical. The Israeli army isn’t fighting thousands of miles away from Tel Aviv. The fight is against the Palestinian people, right among us. The fight is against the Shiites in Lebanon, right on our northern border. The fight is against proxy armies of the Islamic Republic of Iran (which doesn’t have a border with us) in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and some in Jordan. All launched attacks on Israel and smuggled weapons to the Palestinians. So telling us Israelis, “We are really sorry so many of your people were brutally massacred, raped and abducted, but we can’t stand the pictures coming from Gaza,” is simply asking us not to protect ourselves, and that is something we can’t do and no other nation would do. “I want to end my answer with an optimistic point demonstrating why I think only the God of Israel and the Hebrew Bible are the source of truth. The end game of the Palestinians is an annihilation of the Jewish state, with catastrophic results for the Jews living here and the Jews of the diaspora, as October 7 and what followed proved very well. This is not the Israeli end game. We have no desire for Genocide. We view the Arab Muslims who call themselves Palestinians as the children of God, like all humans who were created in the image of God. Yet they have to repent from their genocidal ideology against Israel. They have to give up their Jihad, otherwise they will lead to their own demise. They have to give up their dehumanization of the Jews – because when they dehumanize us – they actually deprive the image of God from themselves. The Holiday of Sukkot is coming and it is known as the monotheistic celebration of all mankind in the city of Jerusalem: “ 16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.” (Zecharia 14). “It is time for mankind to unite around the God of Israel in Jerusalem, and bring war to an end.” Editor’s Note: I’ve learned just how much the Hamas-released death toll is a tactic of war, a tool to turn even Israel’s allies against it (I’ve wondered why America believes what Hamas releases when the majority of Americans and the American government supports Israel). Hamas’ ulterior motive by releasing those death tolls is in fact to turn the West against Israel, even though Hamas committed unspeakable acts on October 7. One of the most significant things I’ve learned from my friend Itamar is that consumers of news outlets won’t see how horrific the brutalization of October 7 was because Jewish custom is to respect and love their brethren by not showing them in death or brutalized, called “Kibud Ha-Met” or Kvod Hamet, honoring the dead.
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