Understanding Zionism

First Published: 15th of May, 2021 by Patrick Carpen.

In order to properly understand Western support of Israel, it is important to understand the concept of Zionism. The word, “Zion,” is mentioned about 168 times in the Holy Bible, most of these references are in the old testament books of the bible which are also part of the Jewish religious scriptures.

In the biblical context, Zion is referred to as the city of Jerusalem, also called the City of David, and King David is sometimes referred to as “the great King” of Zion. According to the bible, after Solomon committed fornication with strange gods, God’s wrath was unleashed and he caused the Jewish people to be taken captive by their enemies and to subsequently scatter to all parts of the world.

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.

1 kings 11: 9-14

Nevertheless, God promised to regather them to the Holy Land of Israel in due time. After the loss of the throne of David and captivity, the Jews rebounded and became successful in business and industry in clusters all over the world. As a result of Jewish success and financial dominance, hatred and envy of the Jewish people developed by non-Jewish people. Non-Jewish people are referred to in the Jewish religious texts as “gentiles.” In fact, according to Jewish understanding, the world is principally divided into Jews (God’s chosen) and gentiles (everyone else).

The dislike or hatred of Jews, often referred to as “antisemitism,” culminated into the holocaust – Hitler’s persecution of the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s where millions of Jews were starved, shot, beaten, and killed in gas chambers in Germany.

Long before that, there had been talks among Jewish people around the world of returning to live in the Holy City of Jerusalem – the biblical Zion. But the holocaust served as a catalyst for this movement. After the end of the second world war, between 1947 to 1949, a Jewish military offensive expelled about 700,000 Palestinians from what was at that time part of Palestine, but what has been transformed by the Jews into what we now know as Israel.

A minority Jewish population was able to recapture the Holy city from the Muslims and push them back creating new borders for what was then Palestine and Israel. The Jews, because of biblical references, had the support of Christian nations such as the United States and the UK.

Related: Muslims and Jews Both Claim to Serve the God of Moses.

Since the formation of the state of Israel, the Jewish people garnered a new and firmer identify. Also, the power of the Jewish people became more pronounced, and their military capabilities, backed by the United States through Zionism, expanded.

We might equate the action of the Jewish people in retaking Jerusalem by force to bullyism. But to do so without taking into consideration the Islamic conquests of Jewish lands would be one-sided. Yes, the Palestinians were pushed back through force, but they had also conquered those lands by force in times past.

Since the 1948 formation of Israel and the Zionist movement, there has been constant conflict between Palestinian Muslims and Israeli Jews. These conflicts have often escalated into full scale wars leaving many dead. However, through the concept of Zionism, Israel has always enjoyed the backing of the world’s most feared military: the United States Armed Forces.