The Hamas terrorist organization has singled out Christian supporters of Israel, putting them on notice that it views their actions as “criminal,” making them enemies of the Palestinian Arabs.

In an interview published in the Arabic language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat last Thursday, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Gaza-based Hamas leader said, surprisingly, that his organization did not regard the West as the enemy.

“We do not consider the West as an enemy but we believe Christian Zionism is criminal,” he said.

While no Arab nationalist or Islamic group has thus far targeted Christians specifically for standing with Israel, the news that Hamas hates them as it hates the Jewish state will not surprise many who regard themselves as “Christian Zionists.”

Christian Zionists ” “ who are to be found mostly, but not exclusively, in the ranks of Evangelical Christianity ” “ not only believe that the God of Israel gave the Land of Israel to the People of Israel. They also believe that they are to stand with Israel against those who are out to rob the Jews of their land.

Millions of Christian Zionists around the world support the Jewish claims to the Land of Israel and reject Arab assertions that they have national rights to this land.

While Arabs may and should be allowed to live in peace in the State of Israel, these Christians believe, any Arab efforts to assert sovereign control over any land in the biblical country of Israel are rejected.