Europeans will be European
The Berean challenge (part 4)
"Our brother has gone to Europe and to the West and come back something else. He has come back with a totally different conception of things, West and not Eastern [...] our old cousin, coming back with imperialistic ideas, with materialistic ideas, with reactionary or revolutionary ideas and trying to implement them first by British pressure and then by American pressure, and then by terrorism on his own part – he is not the old cousin and we do not extend to him a very good welcome. The Zionist, the new Jew, wants to dominate and he pretends that he has got a particular civilizing mission with which he returns to a backward, degenerate race in order to put the elements of progress into an area which wants no progress. Well, that has been the pretension of every power that wanted to colonize and aimed at domination. The excuse has always been that the people are backward and that he has got a human mission to put them forward..."
—Azzam Pasha, March 1946 to the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry1
"With compulsory transfer we have a vast area [for settlement]. I support compulsory transfer. I don't see anything immoral in it."
—David Ben-Gurion, June 1938
He touched the butt!
Right now, you’re swimming in the ocean. What is the ocean? You don’t know. You’ve always been here and never anywhere else. And water… What is water? You’ve never heard of it. It’s just the way things are. You’ve heard tales of another kind of place, an ancient place where the god of gravity holds inescapable sway and where his accomplice, the sun, breaths fire on living things. It’s probably just a fairy tale.
Then one day, your friend Nemo swims out to sea. “He touched the “butt”! Tad whispers. And the unthinkable happens— Nemo is abducted, taken above, and returned with stories to tell.
European nationalism
Right now, you’re swimming in nationalism. What is nationalism? You don’t know. You’ve always seen the world this way and never any other way. “Nations”, “races”, “ethnicities”, and the like… they have always existed. It’s just the way things are.
When reading ancient and medieval sources, we find seemingly modern terms like those above and forget that these words have changed their meanings over time. In English translations of the New Testament, for example, there are numerous references to “peoples”, “tribes”, “tongues”, and a mandate to “go into all the nations [ethnos]”. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom”, Jesus says.2 Wait a minute! Nation… kingdom… Are nations and kingdoms the same thing in Jesus’ day? Or is he referring to two different things here?
We habitually interpret phrases like this based on a contemporary understanding of the world. But in reality, the English word “nation” did not take on its current meaning until the 20th century.3 Prior to this there were various meanings. In the New Testament the word(s) we translate as “nation” refer to human groups of various sizes with any kind of connectedness— no political or ethnic connotation.
The idea for a Jewish nation, as with all nationalisms, was born in the modern era.4 How could it be otherwise? The first “nation” in history was not conceived until the end of the 18th century— a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”. A new idea. A “kingdom” in which sovereignty resides with the subjects, not the rulers. In 1789, the first nation was established. It was as a state comprised of people of various cultures, tribes, languages, and races united by participation in their own imagined community— the United States of America. In the 19th century, as nationalistic fervor spread eastward from America through Europe, breaking empires apart, the idea of Jewish nationalism was born.5
“A lot of pro-Zionists in London and New York don't really understand what their great-grandparents felt about Zion. It was the most important place in the world in their imagination, as a religious, sacred land, not a place to emigrate." That "Israel" was a metaphysical destination to be reached at the End of Days. The modern Israeli state is a political enterprise, conceived in the late 19th century…”
—Shlomo Sand, January 2010
When reading the Bible “backward” in time as we tend to do, it’s easy for those of us with religious sympathies to imagine that the ancient Israelites were the inventors of nationalism and that the subjects of the Judean kings followed their sometimes-benevolent sovereigns with patriotic pride. In reality, this could not be farther from the truth.6
European superiority
Nationalism was not the only thing that Zionist settlers brought with them from Europe. They also brought a prototypical attitude of European superiority.
Before we get judgmental let’s remember that for Europeans, superiority was just the way things were back then. It was the “ocean” they swam in. If you and I were born in 19th-century Europe, we would think the same way. Even the more neighborly Zionists of history, like Asher Ginsberg (Ahad Ha’am)7, viewed the world through the European lens. In 1891, for example, while summarizing his recent excursion to Palestine, Ginsberg laments that the Arab farms produce crops while the farms of recently settled European Jews do not.
“The Arabs sow and reap, the Germans sow and reap, only on us alone has the wrath gone forth.”
But in classic European style, he assumes that the harvests of the native population could not possibly result from any merit or strategy. After all, they don’t seem to work as hard as the European settlers do.
“…fields and vineyards bear their fruit despite the indolence of the Arabs” […] “The Arabs do not like to exert themselves today for a distant future” […] “They would produce much more if they farmed with European tools.”
True or not as his assessment may be, the perspective is classically European.
Nonetheless, Ginsberg was more noble-minded than most Europeans of his time, and he strongly disapproved of the “Political Zionism” of Theodore Herzl. He believed that European settlers should cooperate and coexist with the other inhabitants of Palestine, and he was critical of the attitudes of other Zionists.
“From abroad we are accustomed to believing that the Arabs are all desert savages, like donkeys, who neither see nor understand what goes on around them. But this is a big mistake.”
“[The Zionist settlers] were slaves in their land of exile, and they suddenly find themselves with unlimited freedom […] This sudden change has engendered in them an impulse to despotism […] they walk with the Arabs in hostility and cruelty, unjustly encroaching on them, shamefully beating them for no good reason, and even bragging about what they do […] To be sure our people are correct in saying that the Arab respects only those who demonstrate strength and courage, but this is relevant only when he feels that his rival is acting justly, it is not the case if there is reason to think his rival’s actions are oppressive and unjust…”
—Asher Ginsberg, Truth from Eretz Israel, 18918
Similar statements from the diaries, writings, and speeches of early Zionists are abundant9, but there is little benefit in sifting through it all. More relevant for our discussion is the way in which these anachronistic attitudes have endured and transformed in present-day Israeli society. As with all places where the European empires left a footprint, the past still echoes powerfully. Israel, far more than most former colonies, has engendered a particular kind of racism accompanied by an attitude of entitlement and superiority.10
The effects of this are not limited to outsiders. Jewish people who emigrated to Israel from Muslim regions, who speak native Arabic and have Arabic names, or who have darker colored skin— these, too, have historically been the subject of harsh discrimination in Israeli society. At times these “Mizrahi” Jews have joined forces with the gentile minority of Israel to advocate for the civil rights of both groups.11
“The coexistence was forced, not genuine. Coexistence is expressed in everyday life, in deeds, not in theories. It was hypocrisy per se, and I think that the same hypocrisy exists to this day. The kibbutzim believe above all that this is a Jewish state and that the Jews in it are more privileged than the Arabs and have priority in everything. This, in my opinion, is the spirit that resides in every Jewish Zionist…”
—Walid Sadik, one of the first Arab government ministers in Israel, describing his time on a kibbutz
European Colonialism
The European Zionists that rallied behind Theodor Herzl (most Zionists) envisioned the Jewish national movement as a colonial project long before Britain got involved. The letters, writings, and speeches of Political Zionists abound with colonial language and concepts. Even non-political Zionists, like Asher Ginsberg, thought in colonial terms and used (or invented) colonial vocabulary. In the essay quoted above, Ginsberg refers to his followers as “colonists”, for example.
However, Ginsberg did not employ much colonial language in his 1891 essay because at this early stage of the movement, the recently revived Hebrew language was still building its modern vocabulary. The Hebrew words for “settler” and “pioneer” had not been invented, and words like “aliyah” (Jewish return to the homeland) and “moshava” (agricultural settlement) were not yet in common usage. These terms and many others were invented in the following years to describe the pioneering activities and nationalistic ambitions of 20th century Zionists.12
A quick survey of Israeli newspapers, magazines, books, etc. will demonstrate a rich vocabulary of words and ideas that were adopted into modern Hebrew to describe the colonial nature of the Zionist movement— 'settlers' and 'pioneers', 'settlements' and 'colonies', 'dismantling' and 'resettling', 'expeditions' from Europe, immigration as 'aliyah', yet to be annexed land as 'territories', expulsion of natives as 'transfer' or 'removal', land as 'inheritance', and phrases like "Yesha is here" and “river to the sea”. This short Haaretz article describes some of this vocabulary for English speakers.
From a distance, the settler motif endeared the Zionist cause to the American public. The pioneering settler ethos evokes a certain nostalgia among patriotic Americans, hearkening to idyllic stories from America’s past. Up close, however, the Zionist ethos is a definite turnoff to most of us. Our own society has long since moved on from the colonial era of world history.
Touch the butt with me
Today, I am asking you to reach out and “touch the butt” with me. Become an observer of the water we’ve all been swimming in and return to tell the story.
See below for a brief overview of this topic…
quick overview
The Iron Wall (12min. read). A 1923 essay from Ze'ev Jabotinsky which became foundational Israeli policy.
Interview with an Arab Jew (Mizrahi) Israeli soldier (5min. video clip, from 17:30 to 22:10)
especially for Christians
Remembering the Yemenite Babies Affair (5min. read)
news & visuals
Recent articles on the popularity of the transfer option— Ha'aretz | Times of Israel
Colonization Overview and Population Replacement (visuals)
Born Unequal. Infographics about Israel’s population groups. (visuals)
Israeli ministry proposes transferring Gaza civilians (AP News)
…and if you have lots of time on your hands, scroll down a little more.
optional deep dive for the curious
Inside Israel. Excerpts from an interview with Ilan Pappe, an Israeli Jewish historian. (10min. read)
“Is Israel a “settler-colonial” state? The debate, explained” by Haleema Shah on Vox (15min. read)
“The untold story of Arab Jews — and their solidarity with Palestinians” by Sigal Samuel on Vox (15min. read)
The Concept of "Transfer" in Zionist Thinking and Practice by Nur Masalha (30min. read)
Racism in Israel (Wikipedia article)
books for the readers
Avi Shlaim. Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew. Book summary here, or see this one-hour interview about the book here.
Avi Shlaim. The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World.
Gershon Shafir. Land, Labor and the Origins of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1882-1914. Book summary here.
Bryan Roby. The Mizrahi Era of Rebellion: Israel's Forgotten Civil Rights Struggle.
NOTE: We use a variety of sources for the weblinks and include primary sources where possible. We try to select sources that are not annoyingly biased, while also avoiding a false (and boring) sense of balance. Our primary goal is to provide information and perspectives that are interesting, thought provoking, reliable, and unfamiliar to most Americans. We do not link to information that is already well known to our audience or reinforce perspectives that do not lead to a positive outcome. The opinions espoused in the linked resources are not necessarily our own.
Be wary of sources claiming to promote a “balanced” perspective…
—"A dangerous balancing act" by David Robert Grimes, EMBO Reports
—"Lies, Misinformation Play Key Role in Israel-Hamas Fight" by Todd C. Helmus and William Marcellino, RAND
Footnotes
Azzam Pasha (popular nickname for Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam) was a highly regarded statesman in Egypt and throughout the Arab world and was the first Secretary-General of the Arab League. David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, said of Azzam in late 1947:
“[he is] the most honest and humane among Arab leaders ... one of the few Arabs in the world who has a humane outlook and ideals.” —source
Many others, like the American journalist Vincent Sheean, also spoke highly of him.
Curiously, this same Azzam Pasha is often credited with making genocidal threats against Jews in the build-up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. His threats were thoroughly propagandized in Israel and the West, although no one could find the source of the quotations. More on this can be found here.
For example: Mat 28.19, Mat 24.7, Acts 2.5
See the discussion on the history of nationalism at the beginning of Shlomo Sand’s The Invention of the Jewish People
For example, see Stephen M. Walt, “National Stupidity: In international politics, pride goeth before a fall”. Foreign Policy, 14 Jan 2014.
Liora Halperin, “The Origins and Evolution of Zionism”. Foreign Policy Research Institute, 9 Jan 2015.
“Jewish National Movements” (Wikipedia)
Note that even in the Bible, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are not represented as nations in any modern sense with democratic pride, a homogenous population, or citizens that voluntarily take up arms to defend their communal pride or sovereignty. Consider 1Samuel 8, for example, where the nature of the Israelite kings is summarized and foreshadowed.
Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. He said,
"This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
see “Ahad Ha’am” (Wikipedia article)
Alan Dowty. "Much Ado about Little: Ahad Ha'am's 'Truth from Eretz Yisrael,' Zionism, and the Arabs". Israel Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, fall 2000.
This article has a brief anthology of quotes from Ze'ev Jabotinsky who we introduced in the previous article. And the same source has compiled quotes from several other early Zionists.
For example, see Max Blumenthal’s Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel.
Adam Raz, “When Israel Placed Arabs in Ghettos Fenced by Barbed Wire”. Haaretz, 27 May 2020.
Adel Manna, “Palestinians Under Military Rule in Israel, 1948-1966”, PalQuest.
“Racism in Israel: Sephardim and Mizrahim” (Wikipedia)
Bryan Roby. The Mizrahi Era of Rebellion: Israel's Forgotten Civil Rights Struggle.
see Shlomo Sand’s The Words and the Land: Israeli Intellectuals and the Nationalist Myth
and/or this brief article on Haaretz— “Early Zionist Pioneers Adhered to the Same Founding Ethos as Today's Settlers”, 20 Dec 2021.