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The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel according to the Book of Genesis Biblical Prophecy Predicted that the Lost Tribes of Israel would be found amongst Western Nations. Biblical Verses analysed in the light of the Hebrew language, Rabbinical Commentary, and Historical Reality. A valuable educational, inspirational, and enjoyable work |
Zionism - A Brit-Am Perspective
Contents:
Invitation to send in your reaction.
The Torah Injunctions: God is a Zionist
Secular Zionism versus True Zionism
The Anti-Zionist Religious Jewish Argument
The Secular Zionist Rationale
The Real Anti-God, anti-Jew Agenda of anti-Zionists
The Beginnings of Zionist Settlement
Independence and Refugees
Liberation of the "West Bank" and Recommended Movement of Arab Populations
Why is the entire world against Israel?
Does Israel Oppress the Palestinians?
Invitation to send in your reaction.
Below is an outline of Zionism as it really is and according to what really motivates it.
Readers are encouraged to send us their reactions, criticisms, observations and questions on this subject.
The Torah Injunctions: God is a Zionist
The Torah (and the traditional Jewish interpretation of the Torah and related traditions) says that a Jew is commanded to live in the Land of Israel. e.g. YE SHALL POSSESS IT, AND DWELL THEREIN [Deuteronomy 11:31].
The Jewish Community is also commanded when living in the land of Israel not to allow non-Jews to rule over them.
THOU MAYEST NOT SET A STRANGER OVER THEE, WHICH IS NOT THY BROTHER [Deuteronomy 17:15].
These two basic injunctions have all kinds of qualifications, exemptions, and extenuating circumstances attached to them but in principle they remain in force and were never abrogated.
These two rules comprise the essence of Zionism, i.e.
(1) a Homeland in the Land of Israel (or more correctly the Land of Israel as a Homeland) and
(2) Independent Jewish rule over this Homeland.
Secular Zionism versus True Zionism
The term "Zionism" has received the connotation of secular Jewish nationalism associated with the geographical region of Israel. This is misleading. Secular Jewish nationalism, modern "Zionism", only reflects a truncated version of proper Zionism. True Zionism is based on the Torah and justified through it. This is the basis of our belief.
The Anti-Zionist Religious Jewish Argument
There are some religious Jews who say they not Zionists and that Zionism is against the Jewish Religion. Most of those who advertise such positions on the Web often sound like adolescent-type personalities who may not necessarily know much. They represent a minority view. Most of the relatively few Religious Jews who seriously hold such a viewpoint resent it being publicized in the Public Domain. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that there are (or were, things are changing) some Rabbinical scholars of stature who are genuinely against Zionism. Their position basically is that the religious "Zionist" injunctions we mentioned above are valid but the Jews need to be at a higher spiritual level to apply them; at present we are in Exile and must honor the will of the Gentiles; and end-time goals should not be prematurely strived for.
Gentile anti-Zionists who quote Religious Jewish anti-Zionists should realize that in principle the main point of difference between Religious Jewish anti-Zionists and Religious Jewish Zionists is one of timing. They both agree in principle but one party says that the time is not ripe. The other party says that not only is the time propitious but historically it is a question of survival. The Jews through the League of Nations and after that United Nations received permission (if they indeed needed it?) from the Gentiles to return to the Land. After the Holocaust (which culminated centuries of persecution and abuse) the Gentiles finally lost their validity to act as "hosts" for the Jewish Exiles. Jews no longer have any real justification to remain in Exile if they have a choice in the matter, unless they wish to remain citizens of foreign countries. With the Creation of the State of Israel they do have a choice.
The Secular Zionist Rationale
Secular Zionists present other arguments such as the need of the Jews for a national Home, historical claims to the land, the legitimacy of Jewish settlement, etc.
These claims are legitimate and justified. Even if they were not we would still support Zionism since our beliefs are as outlined above, re The Torah Injunctions: God is a Zionist. Nevertheless we also believe that if something is true at a higher level it will also be justified at a lower one. We believe in Zionism because we see it as part of the Torah. Because it is true at the Torah level it will also be justifiable at the practical down-to-earth level which is what the Secular Zionists relate to.
The Real Anti-God, anti-Jew Agenda of anti-Zionists
Anti-Zionists whether Secular Jews (in some cases) or (as is more usual) Gentiles will criticize Zionism at the Secular Zionist level. We can argue with them because our case even at this level is justifiable. In the same way however that ultimately our belief in Zionism relies on a higher source so does the anti-Zionism of many of the Gentiles and some of the Jews. The source of their anti-Zionism is hatred of God, the Bible, morality, and the Jewish People.
In a sense we are sparring with each other while wearing masks.
Neither side is prepared to admit its instinctive rationale. At lower levels many may not be aware of it. The audience often assumes that the masks are real faces and so the players must act as if they were.
This however is legitimate and is how the world manages its affairs.
Keeping all of the above in mind, let us examine what happened in the past and what the State of Affairs is at present:
The Beginnings of Zionist Settlement
The Jewish People were exiled by force from the land of Israel and scattered amongst the nations. The Romans renamed the Land of Judah "Palestine" in honor of the Ancient Philistines in order to erase remembrance of Israelite ownership over the Land. Ever afterwards small groups of Jews continually attempted to return to the Land. There were always some Jews in the Land, about as many as were allowed to come by the Gentiles or who could be supported by the economic reality around them. After the Romans in "Palestine", came the Byzantines, then came the Arabs. The Muslims imposed their religion along with Arabic language and culture. The Turkish Ottoman Empire came to rule over the Arabs (from ca. the early 1300s to 1917). Due to corrupt ecological practices (destroying vegetation, overgrazing with goats, etc), social oppression and the anarchy occasioned by robbery, extortion, internecine warfare, etc the population of the Land of Israel decreased considerably. In the 1700s and 1800s much of the area was a virtual wilderness. The Arabs who sojourned in the land did not consider themselves Palestinians but rather identified according to their religion, or as Syrians, or in some cases as Egyptians, etc. In the late 1700s and early 1800s there was an arousal amongst Religious Jews who began to return and establish settlements. Jews came from Eastern Europe, from Yemen, from Morocco, and from elsewhere. In the 1880s Jews comprised ca.80% of the population of Jerusalem. The Jewish return was supported by the British and intermittently by other European powers and by the USA. The Muslims did not like it but did not resist it though at times they took advantage of the comparative weakness of the Jews to rob and assault them referring to them as "Children of Death". Parallel to the return of Religious Jews "Zionism" as a secular movement sprang into being. The secular Zionists established different political movements as well as an umbrella organization, the Jewish Agency, in Europe. In "Palestine" they encouraged the immigration of "Zionist Pioneers" to "Palestine" creating farming communities and settlements. These were often (but not always) influenced by the prevailing socialist ideology that was then popular in Europe. The first "kibbutzim" or collective communes appeared. In World War-1 the Ottoman Empire fought on the side of Germany and Austria against the West. Conditions of near-starvation and general hardship prevailed in the region. The Turks oppressed the Jews whom they considered sympathetic to the west. Many Jews left. In 1917 the British issued The Balfour Declaration which declared that His Majesty's Government supported the establishment of a Jewish National Home in the Land of Palestine. The League of Nations representing the peoples of the world confirmed in 1920 the giving of Palestine to Britain as a Mandate in light of the Balfour Declaration. British investment alongside that of individual Jews, Jewish immigration, and the activities of the Jewish Agency ("Soknut") resulted in an economic "boom". The British provided infrastructure, order and security, and relatively progressive government. Muslims from all over the world began to arrive attracted by the improved conditions and economic possibilities. They came from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, North Africa, Bosnia, and even from as far away as the Sudan and Afghanistan. This process had been preceeded by the Turks who towards the end of their time had began to encourage the immigration of Muslims from remote parts of their Empire in order to repopulate the relatively waste land that then comprised "Palestine". Possibly as much as 30% to 40% of the population that later termed itself "Palestinian" derived from the movement of Muslim outsiders into the area. This has been documented by Joan Peters in her work, "From Time Immemorial", 1984.
Independence and Refugees
The Land developed, Jews kept coming. In Europe there was an upsurge of new nationalist virulent hatred of Jews accompanied by pogroms and persecutions. Hitler came to power in Germany. In the Middle East there was a growth of Arab nationalism fed by radical re-interpretations of Islam along with an attraction to Fascism and to the National Socialism of Germany. Riots and acts of violence in Palestine against the Jews and British resulted. The British on the whole were pro-Jewish and pro-Zionist and always had been. This is discussed in "The Vision Was There" by Franz Kobler, 1956. [The work has been out of print for time but is now available in full for free on the Brit-Am website]. Nevertheless anti-Semitic elements were also present amongst the British. Before World War 2 the general climate in Europe was anti-Semitic. This is even reflected in academic and "scientific" works of the time. Social Darwinism was popular and the new "Racial Science" often presented Jews as "scientifically" degenerate and inferior. Fascist-type tendencies were also popular at first and there was a hankering after the "old" values which often included the old Jew-hatred. In the past, Jews had been persecuted in Russia and East Europe and in many cases forced to abandon or modify their religious observances. Consequently many were attracted to socialist movements. On the one hand most Jews politically held what today we would consider conservative mildly liberal political views that nevertheless were progressive for their time and place. On the other hand many of the early Communists and Socialist Revolutionary leaders were of Jewish origin even though they opposed the Jewish faith and ethnic identity. The Russian Revolution in 1917 was accompanied by acts of terrorism and subversion that terrified respectable people all over the world. In the eyes of outsiders Jews were often identified with the Communists even though the Communist Leadership soon disposed of its Jewish members. In the USA Henry Ford and others were active in spreading belief in a Jewish plot to take over civilization. All this led to increased anti-Semitism all over the world. Another factor as far as the British were concerned was the presence of 100s of millions of Muslims in the British Empire. There was growing agitation amongst these subjects for their independence, increasing difficulty in controlling them with the limited manpower and resources at hand, and the possibility of a European War on the horizon. Muslim propaganda presented the British as favoring Jews at the expense of Muslims. In Palestine the Arab disturbances and pressure from Islamic polities induced the British to limit the immigration of Jewish settlers. World War-2 broke out. The Germans aided by other powers and nationalities murdered by axe, gun, gas, deliberate starvation and deprivation, and whatever other means were available at least six million Jews. A number of Jews (the exact numbers are disputed; some say very very many; others say much less) could have been saved if the British had have been more open to helping Jews find refuge in "Palestine".
[The British however, despite everything, did a lot to help Jews and this should not be denied them. When all things are considered, the British took in Jewish refugees, facilitated the safe passage of Jews to different places of refuge, and fought to defeat the enemies of the Jewish people. They probably did more to help Jews than any other nation.]
After the war hundreds of thousands of Jews were in Displaced Person Camps all over Europe. The Arabs became more violent. The British Government (under a Labour ministry) became more anti-Jewish. More and more Jews legally and illegally entered Palestine. Jews turned against the British. Outbreaks of hostilities between Jews and Arabs became more frequent. The British decided to leave. The Jews declared their independence in May, 1948, a day before the last of the British left, establishing the State of Israel. Eleven minutes after the Declaration of Independence the USA recognized the new state. Jews fought "Palestinian" forces who were supported by units of volunteers from Arab lands. The Arabs lost. In some cases the Zionists forced Arab "Palestinians" to leave. Most of the time however the Arabs left of their own volition. Agents of the Arab forces encouraged Palestinians to leave in order to clear the area and make it easier for them to return and massacre the Jews as they intended to. Arab armies from the surrounding nations invaded the land. They were beaten.
The United Nations voted as to whether to recognize the establishment of the State of Israel and accept it as a member in May, 1949. The voting was in alphabetical order. Australia was the first nation to vote in favor. Afghanistan was the first nation to vote against. Britain abstained. The majority vote was in favor. The Gentiles had approved transferance of sovereignity over the Land of Israel back to the Jewish People. The new state struggled for survival. At first it was helped by France then later by the USA. In the period leading up to the declaration of Indepdendence and shortly after it, about 800,000 Jews from Arab countries were turned out of their homes often after being robbed of virtually all their possessions. Most of them came to Israel. On the other hand, ca. 630,000 Palestinians had become refugees. Arab nations prevented many of these refugees from assimilating into other Arab countries, kept them in camps, and indoctrinated them against the Zionist entity.
Liberation of the "West Bank" and Recommended Movement of Arab Populations
In 1967 after another war imposed upon her against her will Israel liberated East Jerusalem, and the areas of Judah and Samaria commonly referred to as the "West Bank".
[It is indeed the "West Bank" of the Jordan River. According to the Bible, The True Borders of the Land of Israel should encompass parts of Egypt, Saudia, the Gulf States, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, part of Iraq, southeast Turkey, and Cyprus.]
The State of Israel needs to control those areas it liberated in 1967 in order to defend itself from sudden attacks by its neighbors, because it needs the water resources, due to ecological considerations, and also because of its growing population. In principle there is enough room for both the local Arabs and the Jews to live alongside each other in prosperity. For some time after 1967 such was the situation. In 1987 there was an "Arousal" (Intifada) of Arabs in the West Bank and in Israel itself triggered by outside elements. Mutual existence is no longer a viable option. Jewish settlements have been established on the West Bank. They now number hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens. To give up on these settlements in effect could well mean the end of the Jewish State. The Arabs know this. In their governmental announcements, media propaganda, and education syllabus, and in the mosques over loudspeakers the Arabs announce their intention to eliminate the Jewish State altogether and as many of the Jewish people as they can lay their hands on. The Arabs do not want the Jews around. They advocate committing suicide just to get rid of them. Most Jews do not want to commit suicide. Nor do they wish for Arabs to kill, rape, or pillage them as the Arabs constantly threaten to do. The two groups cannot live together. This is the reality. The Torah commands us in such situations to distance the cause of harm from us. The Arabs must go. To facilitate movement of the "Palestinian" Arabs to another part of the world under the circumstance is the most humane and just situation.
Why is the entire world against Israel?
More than 80% of the declarations and voted decisions in the UN concern Israel and nearly always they are in condemnation of her. Of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel. The Media all over the world also takes an anti-Israel stance. The US and (to some degree with much reservation) France at present, sometimes the UK, Australia, Canada, and Micronesia are usually the only nations that support Israel and the USA and Micronesia were the only nations (that up until now) could more or less be consistently relied upon. Even this support may be only temporary and is qualified by demands that Israel surrender the West Bank, stop the Settlements, relax its security procedures, etc. The primary source for the attacks on Israel by UN members is hatred of the Jews leading to resentment of their existence. There is no other logical explanation other than Jew-hatred. In some cases anti-Israel sentiments are fed by Media presentations of Israel mistreating the Palestinians.
Does Israel Oppress the Palestinians?
The Palestinians hate the Jews. A Jew cannot go by light of day to an area in Israel dominated by Palestinians. He is liable to be lynched or worse. Arabs on the whole can (and do) go anywhere in Israel quite freely. Arabs blow themselves up in order to kill Jews. They even seem to prefer targeting women and children. They also molest women and demean Jews when they can, however they can. Admittedly, most Arabs most of the time are actually decent people just trying to get by but a sizeable minority exists amongst them that they allow to take control and at crucial moments are liable to identify with. On the whole the Israeli state treats the Arabs fairly and reasonably under the circumstances. The Relationship between the two peoples is not an easy one. In some cases Arab complaints may be justified. Israel uses women soldiers in policing the Arabs and this offends their sensibilities. The use of women soldiers by Israel is motivated by secularist ideaology and part of the fiction between Arabs and Jews is caused by secularist policies. This is somewhat paradoxical since the secularists are the ones who are otherwise more conciliatory in their outlook. Israeli policemen and soldiers can be unpleasant. The same applies to their counterparts all over the world.
Nevertheless many of the complaints against Israel are exagerrated and sometimes downright false. A recent pro-Palestinian PhD. Thesis from the Hebrew University claimed that Israeli soldiers were racists. The proof was the comparatively very low incidence of sexual assaults by Jewish warriors on Arab women! In Lebanon there were similar complaints. The Lebanese maidens nicknamed Israeli troops "Impotents"! What should Israel do to counter such criticism? Encourage the opposite? Adopt Arab mores in treating subject populations?
Not all the complaints against the Jews however are so "innocuous". Ancient blood libels against the Jews have been revived and new ones invented. Islamic money and influence on behalf of the "Palestinian" cause have made anti-Semitism respectable and fashionable once again.
At all events, getting back to "reality" in the State of Israel, in individual cases Arabs may suffer unnecessarily and wherever possible this should be prevented.
On the whole however the unpleasantness is a result of the Arabs own attitude, actions, and real deadly seriously intended threats.
Movement of the Palestinians to somewhere more amenable towards them is the best solution.
Beasts run with the pack.
Mankind stands with the Jews.
