Drawing parallels between “Gazens and Amalekites”

The smell of needless destruction, death, and untold misery in this case is only matched by the cowardly collapse of conscience, especially among the United States and other nations who refuse to call for a ceasefire and are supplying Israel with military weapons. Surely, a den inhabited by barbarians and cowardice. The war on Gaza and the Palestinian people makes clear what the death of humanity looks like through the lens of militarisation, extermination, colonialism, and war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently in a televised message refered to the Biblical Amalek narrative while discussing the conflict between Gaza and Israel. The narrative was employed to justify the military actions against Gaza, in which the ongoing hostilities had led to over 1,200 Israeli deaths and nearly 60,000 deaths in Gaza. Netanyahu stated, “You must remember what Amalek had done to you as per our Holy Bible. “The public’s response to the Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks regarding the Amalek narrative and the Gaza fatalities was predominantly negative. Following this televised speech of the Israeli PM, which was originally delivered in Hebrew language, I wanted to delve into the historical backdrop of the Amalekites and God’s directive to “now go and smite Amalek. And utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not; but slay both men and women and infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

In the vast tapestry of ancient civilisation and the people mentioned in the Holy Bible, the Amalekites hold a unique and often contentious position. My exploration of the Amalekites aims to foster a new understanding of this Biblical group, their historical context, and its portrayal in religious texts. The narrative of Amalekites is intertwined with themes of conflicts, divine commands, and moral questions that arise from these elements. In today’s world where the interplay of history and belief continue to shape societal dynamics, revisiting Biblical narratives such as that of the Amalekites offers an opportunity for reflection and discussion. 

Historical context of Amalekites

The narrative of the Amalekites finds its roots in the ancient Near East, a region known for its historical significance and the cradle of several civilisations dating back to around the 2nd millennium BC. The historical context of Amalekites is largely intertwined with their interactions with Israelites as recorded in the Holy Bible. However, the exact historical and geographical details of the Amalekites remain a subject of scholarly debate. The Holy Bible portrays Amalekites as a nomadic group with their realm extending across parts of modern-day southern Israel, Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula. The Holy Bible says that Amalekites were descendants of Amalek, who was the grandson of Esau, brother of Jacob also known as Israel, and the elder son of Isaac. As such, the Amalekites weren’t total foreigners to God. 

Esau was the one who had sold his birthright and his part in God’s promise. He had been part of God’s covenant people, but he valued his own appetites more. So the Edomites (Esau’s descendants, including the Amalekites) were people who had opted out en masse of the covenant that defined God’s people. Further simplifying while Israelites are decedents of Jacob also known as Israel and Amalekites are decedents of Jacobs’s elder brother Esau. However, some Islamic historians consider Amalek to be one of the most ancient of the Arab tribes. Their interactions with the Israelites commenced soon after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt around 1200-1300 BC marking the beginning of a prolonged conflict that is documented in multiple books of the Old Testament. 

One of the earliest encounters between the Amalekites and the Israelites occurred at Rephidim a place mentioned in the Book of Exodus 17:8–15 but its exact location remains uncertain. This skirmish set the stage for the enmity that would characterise the relationship between the two groups for generations. The Amalekites as depicted in the Biblical narrative often opposed the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness symbolising a significant challenge to their quest for the Promised Land. The area that stretches from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. The Biblical narrative is a rich source of references to the Amalekites with various books of the Old Testament shedding light on their interactions with the Israelites. 

Amalekites’ enmity with Israelites

Here we look into key passages that paint a picture of Amalekites illuminating their enmity with the Israelites and divine commands associated with them. In one of the earliest mentions the Amalekites are described as aggressors attacking Israelites at Rephidim. As stated earlier the battle is narrated in the book of Exodus chapter 17 verses 8 to 15 with Moses holding up his staff as a symbol of divine intervention leading to Israelite victory. The passage states then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And in the book of Deuteronomy, there is a divine mandate to remember the hostilities of Amalek and to blot out their memory. The passage underscores the animosity between the two groups with a call for remembrance and action. 

In Deuteronomy 25: 17 – 19 “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land, he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” 

The narrative in the Book of 1 Samuel recounts a divine command to King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites as a form of divine Judgment. However, Saul’s failure to fully execute this command was seen as disobedience to God’s commandment and the Lord rejected Saul as the king of Israel. The passage elaborates on 1 Samuel 15:3 “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” 

These Biblical passages offer a glimpse into the long-standing conflict between the Amalekites and Israelites as well as the divine injunction surrounding the Amalekites. The portrayal of the Amalekites in these passages is deeply intertwined with themes of divine justice, obedience to the commands of God, and the moral and ethical dilemmas that arise from these interactions. The narrative of the Amalekites within the biblical text serves us a window into the broader theological and ethical discourse surrounding divine commands, warfare, and the journey of Israelites to their Promised Land.

But the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s drawing parallels between “Gazens” or “Hamas” a militant group recognised as a terrorist group by Israel and several other countries, and the biblical Amalekites has ignited discussions in various religious, political and social circles. This comparison has opened up dialogues on numerous themes; from the ethical aspects of using Biblical narratives in contemporary political discourse to the historical and theological basis of such analogies and the expansive socio-political dynamics enveloping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. King Saul received his commands from God himself. The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) receives their commands from Benjamin Netanyahu and that is not the same. There is a gaping hole when it comes to the integrity of the commanding authorities in the case of King Saul and IDF. 

Urgent moral crossroads

Escalating atrocities in Gaza present an urgent moral crossroads and States must act now to end the violence or bear witness to the annihilation of the Palestinian population in Gaza – an outcome with irreversible consequences for our shared humanity and multilateral order, UN experts warned today, demanding immediate international intervention.

“While States debate terminology – is it or is it not genocide? – Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza, through attacks by land, air and sea, displacing and massacring the surviving population with impunity,” all major news agencies report.

“No one is spared – not the children, persons with disabilities, nursing mothers, journalists, health professionals, aid workers, or hostages. Since breaking the ceasefire, Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians, many daily – peaking on 18 March 2025 with 600 casualties in 24 hours, 400 of whom were children. This was the fate of Biblical Amalekites too”.

The aggression has transformed Gaza into a landscape of desolation, where nearly half of the casualties are children; thousands remain displaced and very hungry as the supply of food is limited resulting in widespread malnutrition and deaths due to starvation. 

This is just one example of the horror the Israeli state is inflicting on Palestinians as part of its right-wing war of revenge. This is a horror magnified thousands of times. The smell of needless destruction, death, and untold misery in this case is only matched by the cowardly collapse of conscience, especially among the United States and other nations who refuse to call for a ceasefire and are supplying Israel with military weapons. Surely, a den inhabited by barbarians and cowardice. The war on Gaza and the Palestinian people makes clear what the death of humanity looks like through the lens of militarisation, extermination, colonialism, and war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is “no way” Israel will halt its war in Gaza — where airstrikes on two hospitals last Tuesday killed at least eight and wounded dozens — even if a deal is reached to release more hostages, Associated Press reported. Nevertheless, I on behalf of all Sri Lankans pray that Netanyahu and his war cabinet would change their mind and look for a peaceful alternative to get the hostages released and bolster the security of Israel. As for Hamas, they are equally complicit in this horrible Genocide. On 7 October 2023 Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages giving an invitation and a license for the right wing, Zionist Government of Benjamin Netanyahu to obliterate Gaza. Hamas knew exactly what the repercussions of their actions on 7 October would be and they still went on to kill the innocent Israelites. “WOE unto Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas – Killers of Children of Abraham. 

Note: I am extending a huge appreciation and thanks to Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee and Rev. Nicolas Jesudasan for enlightening me on the Amalekites, and historical and theological contexts of the entire story, which became extremely helpful and inspirational in writing this article. 

(The writer is Principle and the History Teacher of British College – Akurana.)