THE “GOSPEL” ACCORDING TO ISRAEL: A message conceived in hell.
In a recent article in THE NEW ARAB[1], Jonathan Fenton-Harvey[2], explored Israel’s newest implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the conflict in Gaza. Extremely disturbing from a Christian perspective is the terminology used by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) for their latest AI weapons system. It is named “Habsora” (“The Gospel”), a system that is aimed to quickly and automatically identify and eliminate targets, much faster than older methods.
Fenton-Harvey notes that Israel’s “precision” military technologies are not only responsible for the alarming death toll surpassing 18,400 and the displacement of nearly 90% of Gazans, but in Gaza, it marks a significant shift in the landscape of modern warfare.
Al-Jazeera[3] reports that this new military system – “The Gospel” – would enable the Israeli army to double their selected targets daily from 50 targets per day to more than 100 per day.
According to a former Israeli intelligence official, as reported by the +972 magazine, “The Gospel’s ability to select targets to bomb is so profound that it can be described as a ‘MASS ASSASSINATION FACTORY’, focusing more on the “quantity and not quality”.
The magazine reports that the Israeli soldiers using the AI targeting system are aware of the number of civilians they will kill; it is displayed in the category “collateral damage” in the target file.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF WARFARE
According to Fenton-Harvey, Israel’s use of “the Gospel” and similar strategies represents a further advancement in the integration of AI into warfare, a leap with historical precedents. From the Vietnam War, marking the initial foray into testing out laser-guided missiles, to the Iraq War, which witnessed the advancement into biometric systems for insurgent identification, along with more advanced guided munitions, the progression of ‘adopting and enhancing’ AI equipment in warfare is evident.
Governments across the globe are constantly in fervent pursuit of fresh AI advancements to enhance their militaries. Emphasising the role that the Gaza war may play in this trend, a former White House official, quoted by The Guardian[4], argued that “other states are going to be watching and learning” from Israel’s application of AI in its war.
“Israel has published numerous videos of its airstrikes, and this isn’t done to address just a domestic audience or influencing international public opinion,” said Antony Loewenstein. “The primary aim is to showcase their capabilities to other governments, essentially attracting foreign buyers.”
Israel’s arms exports are expanding, having doubled in value[5] in the last decade, according to the defense ministry. Ironically, The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 agreements known as the Abraham Accords, accounted for 24% of the arms purchases — up from 7% in 2021. North America accounted for 11%, and Africa and Latin America each accounted for 3%.
“Israel is actively marketing its equipment and methods, setting a precedent that is likely to be emulated by other nations in the future, particularly those that say they’re engaged in counter-insurgency operations” added Loewenstein.
“The exact countries that will follow suit may be unknown for now, but the trend is clear.”
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHRIST: A message conceived in heaven.
Bible.org describes the term “THE GOSPEL” as follows[6]:
The term gospel is found ninety-nine times in the NASB and ninety-two times in the NET Bible. In the Greek New Testament, gospel is the translation of the Greek noun euangelion (occurring 76 times) “good news,” and the verb euangelizo (occurring 54 times), meaning “to bring or announce good news.” Both words are derived from the noun angelos, “messenger.” In classical Greek, an euangelos was one who brought a message of victory or other political or personal news that caused joy. In addition, euangelizomai (the middle voice form of the verb) meant “to speak as a messenger of gladness, to proclaim good news.”1 Further, the noun euangelion became a technical term for the message of victory, though it was also used for a political or private message that brought joy.2
That both the noun and the verb are used so extensively in the New Testament demonstrate how it developed a distinctly Christian use and emphasis because of the glorious news announced to mankind of salvation and victory over sin and death that God offers to all people through the person and accomplished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as proven by His resurrection, ascension, and session at God’s right hand. In the New Testament these two words, euangelion and euangelizo, became technical terms for this message of good news offered to all men through faith in Christ.
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia summarizes the gospel message this way:
The central truth of the gospel is that God has provided a way of salvation for men through the gift of His son to the world. He suffered as a sacrifice for sin, overcame death, and now offers a share in His triumph to all who will accept it. The gospel is good news because it is a gift of God, not something that must be earned by penance or by self-improvement (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8–11; II Cor 5:14–19; Tit 2:11–14).3
[1] The Gospel: Israel’s controversial AI used in the Gaza war (newarab.com)
[2] Jonathan Fenton-Harvey, a journalist and researcher who focuses on conflict, geopolitics, and humanitarian issues in the Middle East and North Africa Jonathan Fenton-Harvey, a journalist and researcher who focuses on conflict, geopolitics, and humanitarian issues in the Middle East and North Africa
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/4/fact-or-fiction-israeli-maps-and-ai-do-not-save-palestinian-lives
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/01/the-gospel-how-israel-uses-ai-to-select-bombing-targets
[5] Israeli arms sales doubled in a decade, hit new record of $12.5 billion in 2022 | The Times of Israel
[6] https://bible.org/article/what-gospel