The nations have taught Israel how to win wars. Why should Jews in Israel allow their enemy to be fed, now, when in all of history it wasn't done?
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Romans 12:20)
In the Book, Jews are told not to destroy fruit trees when placing their enemy under siege (Deut 20:19). They aren't told to feed their enemy. Nowhere.
In the Book of record: Benhadad the king of Syria besieged Samaria (1 Kings 20:1) so there was famine in Samaria (6:25) – they paid to eat doves dung. They ate their children (2 Kings 6:29).
Hunger is not starvation or famine.
In 2024, the IPC spent months warning of an ‘imminent famine’ in Gaza that never materialized. Undoubtedly, there is hunger in the coastal enclave of a kind that few in the West ever endure. Still, it remains critical to distinguish between a highly distressing situation and the widespread death by starvation associated with an actual famine fdd.org
Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to besiege Jerusalem, 'but he himself laid siege against Lachish' (2 Chron 32:9) They are saved from eating their own dung (Isa 36:12) only by miracle (Isa 37:36).
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem. (2 Kings 24:10)
So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. (Jeremiah 52:5-6) The children fainted in the street (Lam 2:12,19).
Later Flavius Josephus witnessesed, as translator for the Roman general Titus, the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, including the horrific starvation and death of 1.1 million, mostly Jews. Josephus records Mary of Bethezuba who killed and ate her own baby. They ate leather. At the end if they ate, they ate in secret, even hiding in a well. At the Roman siege of Masada 72-3 they chose to die rather than starve.
In the first Crusade, the 'Christians' were in no way feeding their enemy, in the Siege of Nicaea, in 1097 or again the Siege of Antioch (though they also had trouble feeding themselves). Then after obtaining the city they were besieged in it by the Muslims, but won in breaking out. The final battle of the First Crusade was the Siege of Jerusalem from June 1099. On the 15 July the Crusaders broke through and then massacred most of the Muslim and Jewish population of the city.
The expanding Islamic world used sieges, though they preferred other methods. The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb involved many sieges from 647 to 709. They blockaded and starved Byzantine 'Christian' Constantinople in 1453 forcing people to flee.
In the 17th century Ottoman Turks besieged Candia on Crete for 21 years, when, finally, few in number they gave up in 1669.
The Brits blockaded all of France because they didn't like Napoleon from 1803-15.
In 1863 America the Union army besieged the Confederates at Vicksburg. Here surely Christians of the same nation, should have fed their enemies? No. In fact the Union effectively naval blockaded all the Confederacy.
In the 1870–1871 Siege of Paris, the Prussians caused starvation, forcing Parisians to eat rats, cats, dogs and elephants from the zoo.
The Allies blockaded all of Germany, Austro-Hungary and the Ottomans during and after WW1, including all food, until the Treaty of Versailles was signed.
In the 1941-4 Siege of Leningrad a million civilians died, many of starvation. People ate everything from wallpaper paste to shoe leather. The US sent supplies, but they weren’t specifically caring for the starving Russians.
In WW2 even after the Allies knew Jews were starving, was there any any food drops to the known Concentration camps, or any special effort to liberate them? Do you know why Denmark was blessed? The Nazis captured and deported about 500 Danish Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Bohemia in 1943, most of these survived due to Danish intervention.
Denmark only of all nations might have some moral ground to stand on, though in 1700 they besieged the Swedish fortress of Tönning… .. The first tactic of any war is to surround an enemy so they can't get supplies in .. food included.
Why shouldn't Israel treat others as they have learnt all nations do, as they have been treated?
Let us consider – if nations wish to project power and win wars – they can't be Christian. All of history shows success only comes if you starve your enemy, of everything. And now once Israel is a nation, among nations to have power over another, rather than the boot being on the other foot, now, and only now in all of history, the standard of nations is .. to be Christian?
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:43-4)
