October 7th Lest we forget

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Today is the 2nd anniversary of the atrocity committed by Hamas, an antisemitic terrorist organisation.  There are still many Israelis grieving the loss of loved ones.  There are still many with physical and emotional scars because of the violence they suffered.  There are still  hostages that have not been allowed to go home to their… Continue reading October 7th Lest we forget

Were those demonstrations okay?

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On Thursday, a terrorist attacked a synagogue on the Jewish holy day, Yom Kippur.   On Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday, demonstrations went ahead against Israel despite the police and politicians appealing for them not to.  A big concern regarding the regular demonstrations about Israel has been that legitimate protest about Israel’s actions in Gaza so… Continue reading Were those demonstrations okay?

Approaching October 7th – some reflections on Israel Hamas and antisemitism

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We are approaching the 2nd anniversary of the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel.  Since then, Israel have been involved in an ongoing military attack into Gaza which started as an effort to free the hostages taken but has become more than that, an existential struggle to try and destroy Hamas completely.  Here are… Continue reading Approaching October 7th – some reflections on Israel Hamas and antisemitism

Return of the King

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We want to read the times rightly. Recent events in the Middle East including October 7th 2023, the Gaza conflict and the recent military engagement between Israel and Iran have got people talking about “The End Times.” This often gets people looking up the book of Revelation with its beasts and dragons. Is the book… Continue reading Return of the King

Was Israel’s military strike on Iran lawful?

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One of the big questions raised about Israel’s military strikes against Iran is as to whether or not they amounted to a breach of International Law and meant that Israel had crossed red lines.  To answer that question, we have to consider whether or not Israel’s action amounted to self defence. This means considering whether… Continue reading Was Israel’s military strike on Iran lawful?

Iran and Israel

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We won’t up this morning to reports of a massive military attack by Israel on Iran. Israel’s declared intent is to neutralize a potential nuclear threat from Iran.  How do we respond? First of all, some Christians are tempted to support Israel “right or wrong” regarding the country as the fulfillment of God’s promises, God’s… Continue reading Iran and Israel

Are we depending too much on military might?  A response to Symon Hill on Keir Starmer’s increase of the Defence Budget

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Symon Hill argues in Premier Christianity that Kier Starmer is wrong to spend more on defence.  His argument is two-fold.  First, he argues that a strong military defence does not work as a deterrent and secondly that it is wrong to do this because it means that we are putting our trust in military forces… Continue reading Are we depending too much on military might?  A response to Symon Hill on Keir Starmer’s increase of the Defence Budget

Two wrongs don’t make a right. A look at two muddled responses to the Israel-Hamas-Hezbullah conflicts

Every so often I get a spike in readers looking for specific articles.  This particular spike coincides with outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and this seems to cause  a lot of interest, especially from US quarters concerning what I’ve written about Israel, prophecy and end times.  Israel’s recent incursions into Lebanon, the targeting… Continue reading Two wrongs don’t make a right. A look at two muddled responses to the Israel-Hamas-Hezbullah conflicts

The problem with the “appeal to authority” fallacy

When I wrote in response to the recent letter from lawyers and former judges about Israel and Gaza, I highlight that one problem with it was that it encouraged a form of logical fallacy which is known as “appeal to authority”, or if you want to posh term “ad verecundiam.” Fascinatingly, the problem with this… Continue reading The problem with the “appeal to authority” fallacy

Israel, red lines and the arms trade: How do we know if a red line is crossed?

I recently wrote about a letter from lawyers concerning the ICJ’s interim ruling on whether Israel were in breach of the Genocide Convention.  In the discussion around that article, someone asked me: “what ‘red line’ Israel would need to cross before we should stop arming them?” My response was to note first that before we… Continue reading Israel, red lines and the arms trade: How do we know if a red line is crossed?