The Great Deception: How the West Shifted the Jewish Question to the Arab World

The great migration of Jews from Europe to the Middle East was a planned idea by Europeans, particularly the British. Before the exodus of the Jews to the land of the Palestinians, they were persecuted in many parts of Europe, particularly in Nazi Germany and Russia.

Adolf Hitler, the cruel dictator of Europe, hated the Jews so much that he decided to get rid of them by putting them in gas chambers. Historical records state that roughly 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust under Hitler's command, and many more died in the pogroms in Russia and other parts of Europe.

After Germany was defeated and following Hitler's death, as compensation for the wrongdoings and antisemitism, European leaders arranged for the Jews to be sent to the Middle East. The arrival of Jews in Palestine and the surrounding areas triggered the start of a conflict that has been ongoing to this very day.

It is not that the Arabs cannot coexist with the Jews, but Israel's hostility towards the Arab population-its greed for land occupation and the displacement of Palestinians, who happened to be the rightful owners of the land-and the illegal occupation of their homes seem to bring a lot of problems in the Middle East.

If European nations are the ones that mistreated the Jews, then it would have been more appropriate for them to create a Jewish homeland within Europe itself and contain the issue in that region of the world. In analyzing history, one could conclude that the problem of the Jews in the Middle East is a Judeo-Christian problem of Europe that has been passed down to the Arab world to deal with. Many political analysts view that it is unfair for the Europeans to pass on their wrongdoings to the Arab world.

The Jewish Community Under Muslim Rule

In browsing the pages of Islamic civilization, one would find that during the time when the Islamic world was thriving-its Golden Era-in fields such as philosophy, science, and technology, Jewish scholars who served under Islamic empires benefited immensely.

Later, in more modern times, when Jews were being hunted and persecuted in European countries under the accusation of being "Christ killers," they fled from European cities to seek refuge in Muslim lands, especially in North African countries, often referred to as 'White Africa.' The Muslims in those regions, without prejudice or discrimination, received them as the remnants of the people of Musa (AS).

To this day, Jewish communities still exist in some of these areas. And regardless of how the Zionists in Israel treat the Palestinians, Jews living in many Arab countries are not being attacked or intimidated in any way.

The Establishment of Israel

As a nation, Israel was established in the year 1948 on land taken from the Palestinians. At the time of its nationhood, it forcefully drove out the native people of the land, who were the Arabs. Around 750,000 people were driven out of their homes. Besides those who were displaced, many were killed. Those who refused to leave Palestine were subjected to all sorts of Israeli atrocities.

In the process of dividing the land in that region, Israel-with its small population-was given a large portion of land, while the Palestinian Arabs were given a much smaller share. It is all a conspiracy of the West. Now, it has been seventy-seven years since the establishment of Israel, and during this time, the Israeli authorities, army, police, and courts have ruled over Palestinians through an apartheid system.

Israel's brutality has continued for decades, and neither the UN, world superpowers, nor the neighbouring Arab countries have been able to stop it. Palestinian men, women, children, and even the elderly and disabled have all been subjected to the worst kinds of torture. No mercy has been shown to women and children, who are imprisoned, molested, and raped.

Neighbouring Arab Countries

Amid the ongoing persecution of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, oil-rich neighbouring Arab countries have forged close ties with the Israeli regime-a move widely seen as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. The myth created by Israel as the most powerful nation, with superior technology and a sophisticated defence system, has instilled a certain fear in Arab leaders.

In addition to that, they also try to avoid any form of confrontation with Israel, which would bring America-as the 'Godfather of Israel'-into the conflict. Witnessing the fate that befell Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), leader of the Iraqi people, and Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011) of Libya, existing Arab leaders fear that a similar fate might befall them.

The greatest betrayal of the Arab leaders in the Gulf countries regarding the independence of Palestine is the clandestine help they render to the government and people of Israel. While the Gazans were being attacked, maimed, and starved to death, the Arab leaders in the Gulf were secretly helping the state of Israel by supplying oil, food, and other essential items for Israel's survival.

While this was happening, the world was astonished to witness the homeless Palestinians observing their obligatory fast during Ramadan amid severe food and water scarcity, and while bombs were falling from the sky.

The Israeli Myth was Destroyed

In the recent developments in the Middle East, ever since 7th October 2023, the world has witnessed the shattering of the so-called claim that Israel possesses the best soldiers, technology, and defence system.

The Palestinian freedom fighters' spirit, war tactics, and tunnel engineering have mesmerized the world. Without any air defence system and relying solely on ground forces, the Palestinians have managed to give a tough time to the IDF (Israeli Defence Force).

The IDF's inability to match the fighting spirit of the Palestinians has lowered the morale of young Israeli soldiers. Frustrated by fighting a losing battle against the high-spirited Palestinian fighters, the Israeli army has resorted to targeting and killing innocent women, children, and the elderly.

As of today, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, a total of 57,000 civilians have been brutally killed by the IDF. If we take into account those who went missing or were trapped under the rubble since Israel began its bombing campaign in Gaza, the death toll could soar to over one hundred thousand Palestinian civilians.

Besides the Gazans, the Houthis of Yemen-though poor and under attack by the Saudis and Americans for more than a decade-came to the rescue to help the oppressed and downtrodden people of Palestine. With the slogan 'the army and helpers of God', they managed to assert control over the Red Sea.

They fought the Americans valiantly and succeeded in pushing them out of the region. In addition, they blocked cargo ships carrying armaments intended to support Israel in its genocidal attacks on the malnourished civilian population in Gaza.

The third force that caused the most devastating blow to the IDF was the mighty nation of Iran. The war between Israel and Iran was ignited by Netanyahu's government. By underestimating Iran's military capabilities, Netanyahu initiated attacks on Tehran in an effort to cripple Iran's military might permanently.

Contrary to his calculation, surprisingly, Iran's twelve-day retaliatory assault shook Israel to the very core of its foundation. The world watched in awe as Iran relentlessly attacked Israel, the aggressor. In calculating its losses in the aftermath of the Iranian attack, most Israelis realized that such an embarrassing defeat at the hands of a nation that suffered a long period of sanctions perplexed Israel.

Unlike in the past, during this era of the Internet and social media, people around the world are now well-informed of Israel's ambition to create 'Greater Israel' by stealing land from its neighbouring Arab countries.

To put it metaphorically, the very existence of the state of Israel is now seen by many as 'the cancer' of the Middle East. At the moment, in a desperate attempt to stay in power and avoid arrest as a war criminal, Netanyahu continues to provoke wars with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and Iran.

Recognizing that technology is not the exclusive domain of any one nation, the Gulf Arab countries-blessed with abundant natural wealth-should shift focus from building skyscrapers, megamalls, and entertainment hubs designed to rival Western standards.

Instead, a significant portion of their national budgets should be dedicated to strengthening educational systems, establishing more research centers, and fostering advanced scientific innovation, particularly in the field of defence technology.

The time has come for Arab nations to move beyond fear of the United States and Israel. The recent setbacks experienced by these two powers in confrontations with Iran and Yemen should serve as a wake-up call, prompting a reassessment of regional alliances. For the sake of lasting security and stability in the region, Gulf states would be wise to rebuild and strengthen diplomatic and strategic ties with Iran and Yemen.

On a broader scale, for long-term national and regional security, it would be advantageous for the Gulf countries to consider aligning themselves more closely with the emerging global bloc led by Russia, China, and Iran.

(The views expressed are those of Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak, Department of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Studies, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM, and do not necessarily reflect the views of IslamiCity).