Editorials & Other Articles

Frankly, when the Zionists and the existing Arabic leadership were negotiating Jewish emigration to Palestine, both before and after the British took over as a protectorate, there were Jewish people who felt more secure moving to Palestine and living among the Arabic population, some of whom were even welcoming, than they did living among the Anti-Semites in Eastern Europe. It wasn't until the British took over control of the region, dividing it up into Protectorates and setting things up in their own economic interests that the more radical elements of Islam became involved, seeing themselves as being in a struggle against an outside imperialist power. Over time, the radicalized groups have gathered support, and are now the primary threat to Israel, backed by Iran.

It's hard to say for sure how things would have developed, but Israel is seen by the more radical political and religious elements of Islam as a foreign intrusion and a foreign imperial outpost aimed at their economic and political subjugation, because of its backing by Britain and the US in particular. I wonder, if it had been allowed to develop naturally, as it was in the decade or so before World War 1, when Jews were emigrating to Palestine and building settlements under Ottoman rule. Even though their religion was seen as impure and wrong, Islamic tradition accepted their presence in the land and acknowledges their prophets. If Israel were not seen as an imperialist, foreign invasion, I wonder if that would have made a difference. Islam is not a monolithic political unit, the various groups of Muslims also fight against each other.