by Day Sibley
Artist: Fatima Shbair
Two days preceding the attack on Israel, I was unable to sleep and began experiencing open visions, and to my annoyance seeing bad spirits. October 7th was when I received the news that Israel was attacked by Hamas. Several days after, I said I supported Israel.
Due to my advocacy for marginalized communities, my colleagues have been confused or angry about this. They know in the past I would’ve supported the opposite. But guess what? I still advocate for the marginalized.
Let me explain.
I immediately fell in love with God after renouncing witchcraft and becoming Born-Again two years ago! He has taught me to love, to view the individual through His eyes, to intercede with prayer and to take positive action. Since I serve El Elohe Yisrael, naturally, I would pray for Israel. It’s a biblical principle. As a follower of Christ, I adhere to His teachings.
While Christians aren’t a monolith in their beliefs, nations, or experiences, Christ calls us to judge righteously. In 1st Corinthians 1:10, Saint Paul warns against sectarianism. So my heart hurts for the Palestinians as well, and I’m sending them prayers.
Even though I believe Israel should be a state, I loathe that it was at the expense of so many individuals. I don’t agree with everything the Israeli government does, and they’re not exempt from criticism. Did John the Baptist not rebuke King Herod? Did Nathan not rebuke David? Did Elijah not rebuke King Ahab? And they did this without rebuking Israel, you understand, I hope. I want to point out that the Palestinian Authority is not immune from criticism either. I most certainly don’t I agree with Hamas! What they’ve done was treacherous both in nature and in the eyes of God.
I was also disturbed by the hatred shown by some protestors on both sides, both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel. Posters depicting hostages were torn from the walls. There’s been fights, death threats and rape wishes, spitting, and much more. We must understand there’s nuances to this predicament, and that there can be two truths at the same time. As Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger states, “we must humanize the other. It’s difficult but not impossible.”
A filmmaker and activist, Hassan Akkad, stated in his Instagram story that Hamas does not equate Palestinian people. He also stated that the Israeli government does not equate Israelis. I understand that this message may be off-putting to many who come across it, and I also understand that it is impossible to ask that we put our personal feelings aside. The only victims are citizens and children.
Day Sibley
Multidisciplinary Artist
