NEW YORK, CMC – A Caribbean-born evangelical Bishop in Brooklyn, New York, has come to Israel’s defense, saying that it has the right to defend itself in the war against Hamas, the Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement.
“I am of the strongest opinion that every nation has a sovereign responsibility to defend itself from any force of terror and anything or anyone who will impede upon the rights and livelihood of its citizens,” said Dr. Kenroy A. Cuffy, founder and bishop of Judah Worship Center Ministries, Inc., on Church Avenue in Brooklyn, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) exclusively on Wednesday.
“So, let me be clear, Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens,” added the Vincentian-born bishop, who, on June 28, 1999, founded Judah Worship Center Ministries, Inc., formerly known as Abundantly Life Brooklyn Church of God. “Hamas terrorist attack on innocent Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023, who were just enjoying themselves, is incredible and evil.
“This provocation is extremely hard to resist,” continued Cuffy, who earned his doctoral degree in theology from Open Bible Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. “As a result, Israel has intensified its offensive strategies in retaliation for the Hamas-initiated atrocities that killed over 1,139 Israeli civilians and seized approximately 200 civilians as hostages. However, residents of Gaza are caught in the crossfire of Israeli counterattacks on Hamas’ cruelty.
“Understandably, Israel’s response to the attacks from Hamas is within the scope of what any sovereign nation will do,” he said, noting a New York Post article that states that a child’s backpack was found on October 22, 2023, filled with seven kilograms of remote-activated Hamas explosives “meant to detonate upon being picked up.”
Cuffy said Israeli President Isaac Herzog confirmed that Hamas militants were found carrying out instructions to deploy cyanide-based chemical weapons.
In addition, he said the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Hamas of blocking American citizens from leaving Gaza after the original attacks.
“These actions of Hamas seem to suggest a total disregard for civilians who are stuck in Gaza,” Cuffy said. “This is the extent to which this war is affecting innocent lives and the cruelty they are suffering.
“I think that the escalation of the war is due to Hamas’ refusal to back down and a meaningful attempt by both sides to reach a peace deal,” he added. “This again has provoked Israel to continue its mission to destroy Hamas entirely. Consequently, thousands of innocent civilians are caught in this dreaded rivalry between Israel and Hamas.
“Why do the innocent have to always pay the price for the guilty?” Cuffy continued. “Why do so many innocent civilians have to suffer? Why children are at the point of dying from starvation? Why do innocent families have to live in fear, driven from their homes, and, in so many cases, have no homes to return to?
“Undoubtedly, this situation has been raised to the state of a humanitarian crisis,” he said. “Innocent civilians are suffering the greater consequences of this war.”
Cuffy pointed to reports that, since October 7, 2023, at least 31,184 Palestinians have been killed and 72,889 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
On the other hand, he noted that a revised death toll in Israel from the October 7, 2023 attacks stands at 1,139.
“These numbers of casualties on both sides bear witness to the fact that the consequences of this war are inhumane, heart-wrenching, and painful.”
He noted that Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.
It was a spinoff from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist religious, social, and political movement, said Cuffy, adding that the rivalry between Palestine and Israel is “deeply rooted in biblical history and has never been one of genetic differences.”
“This is a rivalry based on cultural and religious differences,” he said. “Archaeological, biblical, and genetic data support that both Jews and Palestinians came from the ancient Canaanites. Hence, these people seem to have more in common than that which divides them. They are all descendants of Abraham and should find a common ground to coexist.”
At the same time, Cuffy said Anti-Semitism is “one of the significant threats against the Jewish people.
“It is my opinion that all nationalities, races, colors, or classes must be treated with respect, decency, and dignity,” he said. “No one should be hostile to the Jewish people, and the Jewish people should not be hostile to anyone as well.
“The issue of Anti-Semitism, in my view, lacks cultural identities,” Cuffy added. “Examining cultural identities and values will showcase that societal norms and values help individuals understand a particular culture precisely.
“Such norms emanate from primary or secondary socialization processes that instill among people what their society expects them to do or not do to guide morality,” he continued. “Each culture has different norms and values, which explains why people from different cultures differ in their worldviews. Such differences differentiate cultures, offering each an identity regarding the unique characteristics, values, and beliefs that set them apart as a group.”
In this nexus, he said the Jewish people “must be viewed as a people of unique descent, characteristics, values, and belief.
“Hostility against them is inhumane and unaccepted,” he said. “They must be treated with respect and dignity. Anti-Semitism should not be tolerated or given any consideration in today’s society. It is my opinion that all leaders of religious faith must engage in teaching the importance of cultural identity, cultural humility, and cultural integration.”
From a broader perspective, Cuffy said culture is the characteristics and knowledge that an ethnic group possesses, such as a unique language, religion, and art.
“Therefore, all people of race, color, beliefs, or class need to coexistcoexist together so that our world can experience the vastness of our profound uniqueness and abilities,” he said. I endeavor to teach the youths and all people of my congregation the importance of embracing different cultures,” he noted.
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