THE WAR between Israel and Hamas has revealed some beliefs about Israel among Christians that we find surprising.

We address an Internet conspiracy theory that claims Israelis are not “real Jews,” but descendants of a Turkic people from a central Asian kingdom called Khazaria that collapsed about a thousand years ago. There is no historic or genetic evidence to support this idea.

We also discuss Replacement Theology, which holds that Christians have replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. This is a dangerous belief that turns Israel into nothing more than an obstacle to be overcome—and it can be the basis for antisemitism.