Blood Guilt Argument Visited or Revisited
The skewed blood guilt concept of Tucker Carlson relates to the Israel and Hamas war that started on October 7, 2023 with the slaughter, raping, and taking hostage of Jewish men, women, and children. He uses the concept to argue for ending monetary support of Israel by the United States. He also sees a possible future war for the United States in the Middle East with continued involvement with Israel like we have.
Someone can argue that the United States should not support Israel financially, not send foreign aid to Israel, as a part of an America First foreign policy. A consistent position that supports ending Israel’s foreign aid, however, would mean ending aid to all foreign nations. Tucker Carlson makes a scripture-like argument without referring to a passage or verse. He sounds like he must be making a biblical argument, because blood guilt is a truth from scripture. The Bible does express a doctrine of collective guilt and punishment.
The blood guilt argument that Carlson at least intimates about Israel is something else. It says that Israel wants to kill all the inhabitants of Gaza because of their ethnicity, something like that. That argument would mean that the United States won’t support that position, which apparently is genocide. After the Hamas attack, Israeli leaders did use language of collective guilt and with the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, alluding to the Old Testament. Almost all the statements came in October-November 2023, right after the horrific event occurred, when emotions were very high.
Genocide or Not?
Israel did not enact genocidal action against the Palestinians in Gaza. They didn’t immediately go about annihilating the entire population, even though they have the military capability to do so. Hamas purposefully makes it very difficult for Israel’s defense forces (IDF) to kill Hamas fighters without civilian deaths or collateral damage. In trying to retrieve the still living hostages and then defeat Hamas fighters, it means separating them from positions mixed or woven into the general population of Gaza.
Many reading here have likely already read or heard this, but Hamas strategically and purposefully puts their own women and children and other more vulnerable people in harms way. Hamas is the terrorist organization and military arm of Palestine, waging a propaganda war, using a cooperative media. It is the governing party of Gaza. The ideology of Hamas blends Palestinian nationalism with Islamist principles, emphasizing jihad against occupation with political participation, as seen in its 2006 electoral victory and subsequent control of Gaza.
Polls and Support
Israelis know what Hamas says and does and what Palestinians believe and say about the attack on October 7. An AWRAD Poll (Arab World for Research and Development) in November 2023 surveyed 1,200 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and the results were these:
85.9% rejected coexistence with Israel
74.7% supported a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” (a slogan often interpreted as calling for Israel’s dissolution)
71.1% aimed to restore “historical Palestine.”
75% supported the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks (which killed ~1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians)
These imply widespread opposition to Israel’s existence. If Palestinians had the same military capabilities as Israel, how different would they behave toward Israel? On the other hand, a Haaretz Poll, an Israeli newspaper since 1919, (reported May 2025, conducted March 2025) surveyed Jewish Israelis with these results:
82% supported expelling all Palestinians from Gaza (a sharp rise from earlier years)
56% backed expelling Arab citizens of Israel (up from 31% in 2003)
47% support for the IDF to “act more like in the conquest of Jericho” (implying total destruction, per biblical reference)
66% believing Palestinians represent a modern “Amalek” (a biblical enemy to be annihilated)
93% of those saying the command to eradicate Amalek still applies today
Netanyahu said that he meant Hamas and not Palestinians with his reference to Amalek. Those accusing Israel of genocide refer to the rhetoric and then the actions, especially citing statistics on numbers of Palestinian dead in proportion to Israeli dead. I would assess that the world, if honest, holds Israel to a unique standard in the history of warfare. I’m not going to give examples, because there are thousands.
Unjustifiable Hatred of Jews
Anyone, who visits the Middle East and reads, knows about the unique, unjustifiable hatred of the Jews in the history of mankind. I understand a biblical argument that says that this is the collective chastisement of Israel by God. However, the nations that hit Israel, God brought vengeance down upon them too. That’s also a long list. Even if Israel deserves it based upon God’s standard for Israel, He punishes the nations who oppose and harm Israel. This is also a point of collective punishment.
Are opponents of collective punishment against the collective punishment of Israel? God did that again and again in their history. What a privilege to be God’s chosen people! Other nations don’t have that “privilege.” History also provides numerous examples of God collectively judging entire empires, nations, and tribes.
Collective Guilt in Gaza
The Palestinians in Gaza voted for Hamas. In 2006, voter turnout in Gaza was high, around 74.6–76%. Hamas dominated the constituency seats, winning 45 out of Gaza’s 66 seats. This strong performance reflected widespread support for Hamas in Gaza, where it had roots as a local Islamist movement. According to multiple polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), a significant majority of Palestinians have expressed support for Hamas’s October 7, 2023 murderous actions, the highest percentages immediately afterwards.
The question here is whether the collective guilt or responsibility of the Palestinians in Gaza justifies what Israel did. Is this really against God’s will or disobedient to the Bible, Old and New Testaments? Even if the United States doesn’t send money to Israel to support its war, it should support Israel’s right to exist in a secure and safe manner.
More to Come