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The Kairos Palestine II document, fully titled “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide” (November 2025), presents itself as a prophetic cry from Palestinian Christians amid suffering. It accuses Israel of genocide, ethnic cleansing, settler colonialism, and apartheid, framing the Jewish state as a racist, supremacist project rooted in 1948’s Nakba. It calls for BDS, sanctions, boycotts, and the rejection of Zionism as a “theological distortion and moral corruption”.

Yet its theological framing, historical claims, and political assertions raise serious concerns for Christians committed to biblical fidelity, historical accuracy, and the rejection of antisemitism.

This author offers a critique of Kairos II so you may understand the serious issues with it. This article exposes factual distortions and theological misapplications embedded within the document. It also addresses and debunks the accusation that Israel is committing genocide, and reaffirms Israel’s historic, legal, and biblical rights to the land.

The publication of Kairos II marks a significant moment in the ongoing theological and political discourse surrounding Israel and the Palestinian territories. While the document seeks to speak prophetically into a painful conflict, it ultimately advances a narrative that undermines Israel’s legitimacy, erases Jewish covenantal identity, and sanctifies political ideology with Christian language.

For Christians who honour Scripture, affirm God’s covenant with Israel, and reject antisemitism in all its forms, Kairos II requires careful and critical scrutiny.

Of note, the ‘woke’ Church of England (now disavowed by GAFCON and the majority of Anglicans globally) has endorsed the Kairos II document. This is a further nail in the Church of England coffin.

A Theology Without Israel: The Foundational Error of Kairos II

The most striking feature of Kairos II is its near‑total erasure of Israel as a covenant people. The Jewish story, central to Scripture and salvation history, is replaced by a political narrative in which Palestinians become the primary bearers of suffering, identity, and divine concern.

This is not a minor oversight. It is a theological reconstruction. Scripture affirms:

• God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
• God’s eternal promise of the land to the Jewish people
• God’s prophetic restoration of Israel in the last days

A Christian theology that omits Israel is not Christian theology. It is political ideology dressed in biblical vocabulary.

My article, “Jesus Was Not a Palestinian”, exposes one of the most common distortions in Kairos‑aligned activism: the recasting of Jesus as a “Palestinian”. Historically and theologically, Jesus was a Jew, living in Judea, fulfilling promises made to Israel. To detach Jesus from his Jewish identity is to detach Christianity from its roots.

One of the most inflammatory claims circulating in activist circles, and echoed implicitly in Kairos II, is that Israel is committing genocide. This accusation is not only false; it is morally irresponsible.

Genocide has a legal definition. Israel does not meet it.

Genocide requires intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such. Israel’s military actions target Hamas, a terrorist organisation responsible for mass atrocities, not Palestinians as a people.

In no way does Israel meet any real definition of genocide, in fact the civilian casualty ratio is 1:1.8 in Gaza vs a 1:9 global average. This is the lowest civilian casualty rate by far for any similar urban conflict. This is because Israel has gone out of its way to protect civilians!

Key facts:

• Gaza’s population has grown, not shrunk.
• Israel issues warnings, opens humanitarian corridors, and facilitates aid deliveries.
• Israel risks its own soldiers’ lives to minimise civilian casualties.

This article, “Australian Antisemitism, Christian Responsibility, and the Call to Stand with Israel”, notes that genocide accusations are often used as rhetorical weapons to inflame hostility toward Jews. They distort public understanding and fuel antisemitic sentiment.

War is occurring, a war initiated by Hamas. Genocide is not. Christians must reject false witness.

Debunking Genocide and Starvation Accusations

Central to Kairos II is the charge of Israeli genocide in Gaza following October 7, 2023. This is a grave misuse of the term. Genocide requires intent to destroy a group in whole or part. Israel’s actions, targeted operations against Hamas after the massacre of 1,200 Israelis, rapes, and hostage-taking, do not meet this standard. Israel warns civilians, facilitates aid, and operates under rules of engagement far stricter than most militaries in urban warfare.

Claims of starvation as a weapon are false. Israel has delivered nearly 2 million tons of supplies, including over 1.3 million tons of food, enough to sustain Gaza’s population multiple times over. Hamas diverts aid for tunnels, black markets, and fighters, attacks convoys, and embeds in civilian areas. Famine declarations rely on politicized metrics and Hamas-controlled data, confined mostly to Hamas strongholds. Total starvation deaths remain minimal compared to violence from the conflict Hamas started and prolongs by refusing to release hostages or surrender.

Israel’s population includes Arabs in the Knesset, judiciary, and professions, hardly apartheid. Settlements and security measures respond to terror, not racial supremacy. The Nation-State Law affirms Israel’s Jewish character, akin to other nation-states, without denying minority rights. Kairos II’s apartheid label echoes Soviet-era propaganda and ignores Palestinian rejectionism, incitement, and governance failures.

October 7 was not “resistance” born of occupation but a genocidal pogrom by Hamas, whose charter calls for Israel’s destruction. Israel’s response is legitimate self-defence under international law. Blaming Israel while contextualising Hamas atrocities whitewashes terrorism.

One‑Sided Political Narrative

Kairos II frames Palestinians as passive victims and Israel as the sole aggressor. This narrative ignores essential historical realities:

• The 1947 UN Partition Plan, accepted by Jews and rejected by Arab leaders
• The 1948 Arab invasion, aimed at destroying Israel
• The 1967 war, launched by Arab states threatening annihilation
• Decades of terrorism, suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings
• The Hamas Charter, calling for Israel’s destruction and the killing of Jews

A theology that ignores history becomes propaganda.

This article, “Did the Jews Steal Arab Land, or Did the Arabs Steal Jewish Land? A Critical Question”, dismantles the myth of land theft. Jews purchased land legally, often at high prices, from Arab landowners. Much of the territory was barren or uncultivated. The claim that Israel “stole” land is historically false and politically motivated. Kairos II repeats this myth uncritically.

Misuse of Scripture and the Weaponisation of Christian Language

The document frequently invokes biblical terms: “justice,” “liberation,” “oppression,” “exile” but applies them selectively and politically. It uses Christian imagery to frame Palestinians as Christ‑figures and Israel as Rome.

This is dangerous theology.

It echoes centuries of replacement theology (a.k.a. supersessionism), in which the Church replaces Israel and Jews become the villains of the gospel narrative. Such distortions fuel modern antisemitism, as documented in multiple Daily Declaration analyses.

Biblical justice cannot be separated from:

• God’s covenant with Israel
• Israel’s role in salvation history
• Israel’s restoration
• Israel’s future redemption

Here are the key scriptures affirming Israel’s covenant with God:

• Everlasting Covenant. God’s promises to Israel are eternal (Genesis 17:7–8)
• Not Rejected. Paul says God has not rejected Israel (Romans 11:1–2)
• Grafted In. Gentiles join Israel’s blessings, not replace them (Romans 11:17–18)
• Irrevocable Calling. God’s covenant with Israel stands (Romans 11:28–29)
• Future for Israel. Jesus affirms Israel’s role (Matthew 19:28)
• Prophetic Restoration. OT prophets foretell Israel’s return (Ezekiel 36, Zechariah 12)
• Israel in Revelation. Israel is present in end-time prophecy (Revelation 7:4)

A theology that erases Israel is not prophetic. It is political.

Silence on Hamas and Palestinian Leadership

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and allied Palestinian armed groups launched a large-scale surprise attack on southern Israel, breaching the Gaza border, firing thousands of rockets, and overrunning more than 20 communities, military bases, and the Nova music festival. Militants deliberately targeted civilians, killing approximately 1,195 people, including at least 828 civilians (among them 36 children and dozens of foreign nationals), in what has been described as the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

The atrocities included mass shootings of fleeing festival goers (around 360–378 killed at Nova alone), door-to-door killings in kibbutzim such as Be’eri (over 100 dead) and Kfar Aza, the burning of homes with people inside, and the mutilation and desecration of bodies. Hamas fighters also carried out widespread sexual violence, rape, torture, and hostage-taking, abducting about 251 people (including babies, children, women, and the elderly), many of whom were subjected to further abuse in Gaza. These acts have been extensively documented as war crimes and crimes against humanity by organisations including Human Rights Watch.

The scale and intent of these acts stand out as systematic targeting of civilians purely because they were Israeli or present in Israel. The deliberate nature — evident from bodycam footage released by Hamas itself, survivor testimonies, and forensic evidence — distinguishes this from collateral damage in conflict. While the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict involves deep historical grievances on both sides, the October 7 massacre represented a calculated campaign of mass murder, sexual violence, and abduction aimed at maximising civilian suffering.

Kairos II condemns Israel repeatedly but remains almost entirely silent on:

• Hamas’s use of human shields and civilian infrastructure for military purposes
• Hamas’s torture chambers
• Hamas’s sexual violence
• Hamas’s rocket attacks
• Hamas’s refusal to release hostages
• The Palestinian Authority’s corruption
• The PA’s “pay‑for‑slay” program
• Antisemitic indoctrination in Palestinian schools
• Since 2006 Hamas (and Hezbollah et al.) fired tens of thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians
• Conducted kidnappings, suicide bombings, and cross‑border raids
• Built attack tunnels for mass‑casualty operations
• Carried out the October 7 massacre, one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern history

These actions have caused immense suffering, destabilised the region, and repeatedly forced Israel into defensive military operations.

A ‘prophetic’ document that refuses to confront evil is not prophetic. It is selective moral outrage.

Israel’s Rights to the Land: Biblical, Historical, and Legal

Kairos II portrays Israel as a continuation of European settler-colonialism that displaced indigenous Palestinians. This narrative collapses under historical scrutiny. Jews are the indigenous people of the land, Israel, Judea, Samaria, with a 3,000+ year connection attested by archaeology, the Hebrew Bible, and continuous presence despite exiles.

The term “Palestine” was imposed by Romans after the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE) to erase Jewish identity, renaming Judea as Syria Palaestina. Modern Palestinian national identity emerged in 1964 when Egyptian Yasser Arafat with the help of the KGB co-opted the term Palestinian and formed the PLO, shaped by Arab nationalism and political manoeuvring, not ancient indigeneity. Jesus was a Jew from Judea, not a “Palestinian” in any modern ethnic sense. Projecting today’s identity backward distorts history.

Jewish land acquisition before 1948 involved legal purchases, often from absentee Arab landlords. Post-1948 displacements occurred amid wars initiated by Arab states intent on destroying the nascent Jewish state. Conversely, 850,000+ Jews were expelled from Arab countries, their properties confiscated, a massive “land theft” rarely acknowledged. Arab Israelis today enjoy full citizenship rights in Israel, while ancient Jewish communities across the Muslim world were erased. History shows Jews returning home, not stealing land.

1. Biblical Rights

God promised the land to Abraham and his descendants forever, starting with Genesis 17:7–8. This covenant was reaffirmed repeatedly throughout Scripture.

God’s covenant with Israel, through Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant, is eternal in its core commitments to Israel’s existence as God’s people, their connection to the land, and their role in God’s redemptive plan. While the Mosaic covenant’s blessings are conditional, the overarching promises to Abraham, David, and through the New Covenant use “everlasting” language, affirmed by God’s irrevocable call in Romans 11. Thus, the covenants collectively point to an enduring relationship with Israel, fulfilled ultimately through Christ in the New Covenant, which includes but does not replace Israel’s unique role.

2. Historical Rights

The Jewish people are the indigenous inhabitants of the Land of Israel, with a continuous connection spanning over 3,000–4,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows Israelite settlements in the central highlands by the late 13th–12th centuries BCE, evolving into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Jerusalem has been the spiritual, political, and religious centre of Jewish identity for 3,000+ years since King David established it as capital around 1000 BCE. It is mentioned 699 times in the Hebrew Bible; the First and Second Temples stood there, and the Western Wall remains Judaism’s holiest site. Jews have prayed facing Jerusalem for millennia, even in diaspora.

Even the Quran says the Land belongs to the Jews.

• Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:21): This is the most frequently cited verse. It records Moses telling his people, “O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah’s(God’s) cause] and [thus] become losers”.
• Surah Al-A’raf (7:137): States that God made the “oppressed people” (the Israelites) successors to the “eastern and western lands” as a fulfilment of a noble word because of their perseverance.
• Surah Al-Isra (17:104): Mentions that after Pharaoh’s destruction, God told the Children of Israel to “dwell securely in the land”

3. Legal Rights

Israel’s legal rights rest on a foundation of international law, treaties, and historical mandates:

• Balfour Declaration (1917): Britain supported “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
• San Remo Conference (1920) & League of Nations Mandate (1922): The international community recognised Jewish historical rights and entrusted Britain with establishing the Jewish national home across Palestine (including modern Israel, West Bank, and originally Transjordan). This was binding international law.
• Article 80 of the UN Charter (1945): Preserves rights granted under the Mandate, protecting Jewish rights to the land.
• UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181, 1947): Proposed two states (Jewish and Arab). Jews accepted; Arab states rejected and invaded the newly declared Israel in 1948.
• Armistice Agreements (1949): Established Israel’s recognised borders (Green Line) after defensive war. Israel gained additional territory in defensive wars of 1967 and 1973.

Israel declared independence in 1948 on the basis of these rights, self-determination, and continuous Jewish presence. Subsequent UN resolutions (e.g., 242) call for secure borders, not a full return to 1949 lines. No sovereign Palestinian state existed before 1948 or 1967; the territories were under Jordanian/Egyptian control.

Legal Principle: Jewish rights predate modern Arab national claims and were affirmed by the highest international bodies of the time. Defensive wars and peace treaties further solidified Israel’s sovereignty. Claims of “illegal occupation” ignore this legal history, and the repeated rejection of peace offers by Palestinian leadership.

Kairos II ignores all of these.

Framework for Peace and Justice

A faithful Christian response must hold three truths simultaneously:

• God loves Palestinians. Their suffering matters, we recognise this is fundamentally caused by Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah, Iran etc. Their dignity matters. We pray for their salvation.
• God loves Israel. The Jewish people remain His covenant people. Their restoration is part of His redemptive plan.
• Justice requires truth. Truth requires rejecting propaganda, false accusations, and theological distortions.

Peace cannot be built on distortion and lies. We need to recognise that the current 2 State Solution (2SS) is impossible in practice. A radical but viable alternative exists.

Toward a Theology That Includes Israel

The global Church must move toward a theology that fully includes Israel. It should firmly reject Kairos II, which erases Israel’s covenantal identity and sanctifies skewed political narratives.

In its place, Christians ought to embrace a theology that honours Scripture, affirms God’s enduring promises to Israel, and decisively rejects antisemitism. Such a theology upholds Israel’s right to exist as a nation while seeking genuine justice for Palestinians, without demonising Jews, and it fervently prays for a peace grounded in biblical truth.

This is the theology of the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus himself.

We Need to Speak the Truth

Kairos II claims to be a moment of truth. But truth requires accuracy, honesty, and fidelity to Scripture. Israel is not committing genocide. Israel did not steal land. Israel is not a colonial project. Israel is the covenant people restored to their homeland.

Christians must stand with truth, and therefore stand with Israel, while praying fervently for peace, justice, and reconciliation for all who dwell in the land God calls his own.

Please pray for peace by all means. We must pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). But we must also pray that Israel prevails and that they will quickly put an end to the terror capabilities of its enemies: Hamas, Hezbollah, et al., which will help stabilise everything in the long run. Any long-term peace deal must include Israel’s right to exist.