Feature: Israel, God’s Chosen People – And Others

“The government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket” – Pedro Sanchez, President of Spain (08/04/2026)

Why do we read History? Why read Geography? What about Religion? All these subjects have fascinating stories: you get to learn the past; you get to know where to put your faith in; you get to know which part of the world you live in..

Our history lessons were exciting: we learnt about Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons who lived as early Homo sapiens, our ancestors who were robust. Cro-Magnons had darker skin colour (not white).

They inhabited this earth about 60,000 years ago. Geographically, you would read about the Stone Age divided into three parts: Paleolithic Gathering (Old Stone Age: 3 million -10,000 before Christ) Mesolithic (Intensive (Middle Stone Age: 10,000 – 8,000 before Christ) Neolithic (New Stone Age: 8,000 – 3,000 BC with its agriculture and domestication of animals).

We also learnt about the movement of peoples and inhabiting the earth. Founding of empires, warfare… Amerigo Vespucci founding America when the West Indians were there, but the West Indians suffered annihilation. America was said to have been “discovered” by Amerigo Vespucci (c. 1500).

It was the cartographer, Martin Waldseemüller, who used Vespucci’s first name to call this continent which was initially thought to be part of Asia. We could not challenge our teachers for using the word “discover” when the inhabitants had been in existence all those years before the Europeans went there!

Africa from the people of Afri tribe; warm weather — the land of the Afri; the Berbers.. Carthage or Tunisia OR was it Latin “Aprica” — sunny or hot; or was it Greek “Aphrike” – without cold, without horror (as championed by Leo Africanus); OR was it the Phoenician “Afar” referring to ‘dust’ OR was it the Berber “Ifri” (cave… referring to cave dwellers?). The European cartographers gave Africa its name. Forget Al-Kebulan.

Geographically, we learnt of different types of weather — in different zones cold in the Arctic, warm in the Atlantic Ocean. Different types of food do well in different kinds of weather. Pygmies in the Congo area of Africa; Bushmen (or San tribe in Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa (Namiba and Botswana); Hottentots in the Western Cape area of South Africa and Australian Aborigines.

In religion we learn from the Bible that the whole human-kind originate from Adam and Eve, and they begat Cain and Abel. Then, Cain killed Abel. God drove Cain out of “His face”… and Cain said; “Behold, thou have driven me out this day… I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me?” Who would “slay Cain”? Were there people living elsewhere?

We in Africa had our own religion, our own culture. The Europeans who colonized us changed everything. Everything about us was wrong, the Europeans would say; the Europeans would “balkanize” Africa, introduce their culture, religion, language and social norms and political structure.

The Bible was introduced to us, and we read what God told Moses: Exodus 19:5-6: “Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine”

We have given all this Preface to prepare the reader’s mind to the US/Israel – Iran War. The million-dollar question is; why this war? And why is America supporting Israel? So, what would happen if another country on its part supports Iran? Are 76-year-old Netanyahu and 78-year-old Trump not displaying the instincts of war-mongers?

The hate-speech of the two Presidents of the US and Israel have energized new hardliners in Iran. And one cannot understand Trump and the government of America. The bellicose rhetoric of annihilating the Iranian civilization has energized many hardliners in Iran who are now more than they were five or more weeks ago.

An objective mind cannot understand the imperialistic mindset. Why should Trump say on Tuesday (07/04/26) that he would destroy Iran’s infrastructure and “send Iran to the Stone Age where they belong.” What an insulting language from the President of a democratic country to another.

Trump makes matters worse by the remark: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back.”  This is a threat of suicide and they call themselves Christians, and not guided by the exhortation in Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good…” We are urged to show kindness, love, righteousness, and thus break the cycle of retaliation. To the Iranians, they are in a war of survival, who groomed ISIS. Who nurtured Al Qaidas?

We do not want to believe the story that Trump’s Scottish-American mother, Mary Anne Macleod ever used the word “idiot” for her son nor would we believe that his German-born father, Drumpft would wish his son ill as the 47th President of the United States of America…

Now, Trump appears to be using softer words than he has ever used in the 40-day war: “Iran’s 10-point peace plan is workable”, given the proviso that the Strait of Hormuz is re-opened… To the Iranians, this ceasefire shows America retreating: they demand removal of US troops from the region;  Iran charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, reparation for the war expenditure …..Israel would continue to bully Lebanon, the latest being Sidon: displaced people numbering one million.

The justification is threat by Hezbollah. But Netanyahu says the ceasefire does not affect Israel and while the ceasefire is on, Israel has bombed Lebanon again – civilians, children… It is only Israel, God’s “chosen” people who matter, all others do not matter, because we have not been “chosen”.

We in Africa remember too well what Trump said about us: “shithole” And where has the world organisation, the United Nations, been? Has the U.N. been gagged or is it living the description given it since 1945 as a “toothless bulldog”?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterrez has lamely called on the warring nations U.S., Israel and Iran to de-escalate and follow international law. He was afraid that the situation was getting out of control. In a statement on 28th February, 2026, Guterres noted: “I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East.

The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across this region undermine international peace and security”. He repeated this statement when Israel bombed Lebanon in early April after the U.S, had agreed to a temporary 2-week ceasefire, Netanyahu saying the 2-week ceasefire had no effect on their acts on Lebanon.

Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Belie, Brazil, South Africa having cut ties with Israel would ordinarily send a message to the Israelis, but Israel would pray and 3 million-year-old or more Makemaker would hearken and come to His chosen, Israel’s. For us, we are revising our notes, but it is doubtful whether “Jerusalem, my happy home would continue to tickle us as it did before.

 

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