I am not Christian nor Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist.
I am not an adherent of any of the numerous religions scattered about the world.
I do believe that almost all people practice some religion formally or informally, or at least adhere to religious principles to varying degrees. Religion seems to be a human imperative across cultures.
This includes almost all people who are self-declared atheists. They may not believe in a supreme deity or deities, but most of them absolutely practice other forms of religion, and follow the doctrines and dogma of those religions.
I am a skeptic of all forms of religious faith, including these atheistic religious ideologies.
I first clarify the religious question because my support for Israel is not based on any religious beliefs.
So with that, I am a committed Zionist.
I believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in the area we today call Israel and I believe that these people have a right to a state of their own. Why?
I believe that it is a benefit for all of humanity that this state exists.
And further, I believe that Christians of any stripe should be supportive of the idea that their sacred places are administered by the Jewish state of Israel, rather than any conceivable alternative. If nothing else, the state of Israel insures freedom of movement into and out of the birthplace of Christendom.
I believe that Israel has a right to defend itself as any other state.
I believe that if a state, any state, is attacked by combatants out of uniform, using innocents as shields, and taking civilian hostages, women and children, then that state will, out of necessity, have to use unconventional tactics to counter-attack.
If collateral damage is high, the culpability for this lies exclusively with the attacking combatants and their cowardly form of warfare.
If one blames the state that is so attacked then one fails to offer that state the same sovereignty, respect, and agency that one would offer any other state.
If you single out the so attacked state as unable to respond to such an attack, you can only have personal animus towards the people of that state.
For what other reason would you wish to limit their available responses?
Israel really has only two possible responses: Conduct the counter-attack as they have or surrender.
If your family and friends and neighbors were so attacked, would you surrender? What if you knew beyond doubt that if you surrender, there would be more attacks?
There is a name for this double standard:
Antisemitism.