Theological wrestling with missiles in the Middle East
The Middle East has long been a brutal cauldron of mutual loathing and battles. This is/ has always been brought on by territorial claims, in large part 'justified' through use of theological arguments about who has been there longest and why the other has never had the right to be there at all, and is merely an occupier. That this region's history started from the earliest human settlements make this effectively a draw, lethal arguments have beset this region for most of its history.
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| This has become deadlier recently, making many wonder about the true nature of this heavily-armed shouting match. |
Judaism/Zionism/State of Israel/State of Palestine, etcetera...
Contrary to what many believe or want to believe, Judaism's texts, traditions, and values have had a profound influence over Christianity and Islam. According to Jewish and Muslim tradition, the Jewish and Arab peoples are descendants of the 2 sons of the patriarch Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. While all 3 religions believe in a solitary god, Jews do not consider Jesus or Muhammad to be prophets. Islam originated in the 7th century. Approximately then, according to the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad was flown overnight from Mecca to Jerusalem by a Buraq, which is a supernatural winged animal which is 50/50 mule-donkey. It was the last place he visited before he ascended to heaven. With such steadfast belief, it stands to reason why many Muslims took strong exception when Israel declared Jerusalem as its capital city.
Being limited to a solitary god without a specific prophet, Judaism's Hebrew God strongly emphasizes principal relationships with the world and those he created to live on it, thereby Abraham's offspring should create a great nation. Predating the rise Western culture by about a millennium, Judaism does not fit easily into its categories of religion, ethnicity, and culture.
Judaism's theological history began its latest evolution in the late 19th century, with the emergence of Zionism. It is an ethnocultural nationalist movement which aimed to establish a Jewish state through colonizing land outside Europe. The focus zeroed in on establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine, specifically a region of the Land of Israel in Judaism. Ultimately, the Jewish state was supposed to contain as many Jews and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible. During this period, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. Founding a Jewish state was viewed as returning to their homeland, finally ceasing exoduses and persecutions as particularly viewed by movement founder Theodor Herzl.
Once the State of Israel was founded on May 14 1948, Zionism has been Israel's national or state ideology, thereby enabling Jewish national self-determination. It contains 2 main factors: a shared tragic history including the holocaust, and a common threat posed by Israel's neighbouring enemies. "Zionism" is derived from Mount Zion, a hill in Jerusalem which symbolizes the Land of Israel, a term used in the Hebrew Bible.
The 2nd of those 2 factors gets closer to the reasoning for the Israeli/Zionist attitude towards Palestine. While its roots were long established, it continued and became more profound after the State of Israel had been founded. It was most tellingly expressed by former prime minister Golda Meir.
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| Fittingly with the 1st of those 2 factors, Mount Zion is where Oskar Schindler is berried. |
The 2nd of those 2 factors gets closer to the reasoning for the Israeli/Zionist attitude towards Palestine. While its roots were long established, it continued and became more profound after the State of Israel had been founded. It was most tellingly expressed by former prime minister Golda Meir.
"There is no such thing as Palestinians. When was there an independent Palestinian people with a Palestinian state? It was either southern Syria before the First World War and then it was a Palestine including Jordan. It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country from them. They did not exist." Non-recognition of Palestinians remains a doctrine of Israeli policy, especially under the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu who sneers at the mere mention of the '2 state solution.'
The region of Palestine without an actual long-standing state thereon amounts to the Zionist point of view being 'we got here first.' The local Arab population thereon began to oppose Zionism shortly after the arrival of the first Jewish settlers in Ottoman Palestine before 1900. The main motivation was due to fear of territorial displacement and dispossession. Events of the subsequent century and a half show that this anxiety was well-founded.
Ancient history bears much of this out. During occupation by the Romans, Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, decreeing it as part of the entity "Syria-Palestina". The name was inspired by the coastal territory of the ancient Philistines, long-standing enemies of the Israelites. The region was conquered in the 7th century and settled by Arab peoples - hence it coinciding with the account in the Quran about the Prophet Muhammad's last presence on earth being in Jerusalem. Muslim control remained for the just over 1,200 years thereafter, with the Jewish population remaining, despite them being outnumbered by the Arab population.
From this overall timeline, "Israel" predates "Palestine" by more than 1,000 years, with the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The subsequent millennium was predominantly an Arab population. Therefore, the geographic claims of both Jews and Arabs are legitimate. The determination of both sides are roughly equal, despite the occasional inconvenient fact. A census in 1922 conducted by the occupying British after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire revealed that the population of Palestine of 763,550 was 89% Arab, and 11% Jewish. The British mandate finished in 1947, thereafter UN Resolution (181-ii) voted in favour of partitioning Palestine into an "Independent Arab state alongside a Jewish state." Jerusalem was to become an international city.
The resulting ceasefire after about a year between Israel and the caliphate created armistice lines and boundaries which are still known as the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Ever since then, Israel and the region of Palestine have been plagued with battles with no peace agreement in place. The most significant alteration of the status quo came in 1967 with the Six Day War. The resultant Israeli occupation of the Sinai peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and most of the Syrian Golan Heights tripled the size of territory under their control.
Since the Six Day War, most Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as over the border in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Any return they could make is perceived by Israel as a threat to its existence as a Jewish state. This is despite Egypt having become the 1st Arab nation to recognize Israel in 1979. Their mutual border was formally agreed to, along with Israel withdrawing from the Sinai peninsula by 1982. The 2nd Arab state to recognize Israel was Jordan in 1994.
One elusive peace treaty is with Lebanon, which seems even more unlikely than it has ever been. Lebanon was invaded by Israel in 1978 and 1982. The 1949 armistice line has long been Israel's de facto northern border, even though it functions as a door that Israel can open at will.
The essence of the Israeli-Palestinian disagreement/unease is the plight of Palestinian refugees, whether or not Jewish settlements in the West Bank should remain or not, whether or not both should share Jerusalem, and whether or not a Palestinian state should be created and exist alongside Israel. The brief moment of vague hope, the Oslo peace process of 1993 enabled much of this to begin. This was quickly dashed with the assassination of Israel prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Even before Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister, he frequently denounced Oslo 1993 as a mortal threat to Israel.
Further to 1948, 1967, 1978, and 1982, the most recent battles before today took place in 2006 with the Second Lebanon War. The militaries involved was the IDF (Israel Defence Forces - their army) and Hezbollah paramilitary forces, which is not the Lebanese Army. Ended by a UN-brokered ceasefire, warfare resumed last year on 2 fronts at Gaza and southern Lebanon. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have found restrictions and Israeli military action there to be repressive. This could have been 1 of potentially many reasons for the attack by the militant group Hamas in Gaza and by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. The Hamas action included taking hostages to pressure Israel to release approximately 4,500 Palestinians held in its prisons.
Given how Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran before and during the war, a number of suspicions lead to some questions asking themselves.
Chief Ringleader
The Islamic Republic of Iran is officially a theocratic nation. While the concept of infidel has become obsolete in Christianity and Judaism, the term Kafir from the Quran, a synonym often translated as "disbeliever" is still active. While Muslims refer to Jews (and Christians) as fellow "People of the Book", ever since the Shah (Iran's former equivalent of a king) was deposed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran views Israel as a colonial outpost and not as a legitimate state. Instead, the Israeli government is referred to as the "Zionist regime", and Israel as "occupied Palestine".
Iran is effectively Israel's arch-enemy. The militias Hamas and Hezbollah, who started the conflicts in Gaza and northern Israel/southern Lebanon, are supported by Iran. Many have accused Iran of approving the assaults launched by both, even though Tehran has denied it. Hezbollah is Israel's strongest opponent on both of its fronts to an extent that this potentially pitched-battle could become known as the Third Lebanon War.
The proxies or subdivisions are in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. The Houthis in Yemen are almost as well known as Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran's own rogues' gallery for having attacked shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea. While Iran has a President, Masoud Pezeshkian, he is below the Supreme Leader who is also head of state. Effectively, Iran could be classified in its very own category: Ayatollahocracy.
Ayatollah Khamenei has been the 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the 3rd President of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He is the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East. In a TV documentary broadcast in March 2020, the son of Imam Sajjad claimed that Khamenei is the 38th descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
As Supreme Leader, he is therefore the most powerful political authority in Iran especially as he is concurrently head of state, commander-in-chief of its armed forces issuing decrees and has the final say in terms of main government policies regarding the economy, the environment, foreign policy, and national planning. Furthermore, he has direct or indirect control over all branches of government, as well as the military and the media. Khamenei has effectively merged the powers of the presidency with the office of the Supreme Leader so that he is the omnipotent overseer of Iran's political scene. He personifies "l'état, c'est moi" more than most do now, or ever.
Senior office holders in Iran are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader: Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Chief-of-Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Chief Justice, Chief of Police, Head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Head of Islamic Aza University's Board of Trustees, Head of Bonyad Mostazafan (a state-owned/private enterprise and foundation), Head of Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, and the Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi (a religious, cultural and business conglomerate).
Underpinning Khamenei's appointees is a matrix of factors including a vast network of commissars in strategic posts throughout government bureaucracies, and a weak conservative-dominated parliament which is headed by Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel who is a devout loyalist whose daughter is married to Khamenei's son. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards political and economic influence has increased significantly, while Iran's youth have concurrently become more politically disengaged. Even if they were more politically engaged, Iran is stuck with him as the only legal means to remove Ayatollah Khamenei from power is through the Assembly of Experts. This body of clerics elects, supervises and dismisses the supreme leader. If they conclude that he is no longer 'just and prudent', he could be disqualified from his position. The current Assembly of Experts are clerics selected by Khamenei due their loyalty to him, so the metaphorical deck is firmly stacked in his favour.
In his speeches, which double as sermons, there are numerous mentions of themes which have been ongoing since the 1979 revolution such as justice, independence, Islamic government along with the overwhelmingly familiar resolute opposition to Israel and the United States. The other revolutionary ideals of democracy and greater government transparency are conveniently omitted from his speeches/sermons.
As a crystal clear opponent of the State of Israel and Zionism, he has vilified Israel as a "cancerous tumor of a state" that "should be removed from the region", which is also a "rabid dog." One tweet attributed to him from 2014 contains a claim that there was no cure for Israel but its destruction. This is frequently interspersed with more general theological pronouncements taking advantage of the long-standing cultural attribute of blind obedience and unquestioning faith in Islam on the part of most/nearly all Iranians, along with extraterritorial Muslims. He has developed a quasi-personality cult, with some supporters even describing him as a "divine gift to mankind."
Therefore, his absolutism has engendered blind theological faith and therefore blind and unquestioning loyalty, void of any objectivity whatsoever. Anti-Semitic themes (Holocaust denial, etc.) are also frequent among Iranian proxies/subdivisions Hezbollah and Hamas.
Shouting Match/Unholy War, Rubble and Corpses...
During Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly, his determination and stubbornness were so self-evident that it was as if he had been daring Iran to bring it on. The Ayatollah has made implied threats, goading many into enthusiasm for armed battle, with their faith being the common denominator. One missile barrage was declared by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be retaliation for "violation of Iran's sovereignty and the martyrdom" of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh - killed by an explosion in Tehran. It was also a response to an Israeli air strike in Beirut, whereby a bunker-busting bomb killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The revenge missiles were apparently personally ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei.
The invasion of southern Lebanon by Israel trying to worm out Hezbollah is a clearer stage in what has been a shadow war with Iran which is perceived to be an existential threat. The Ayatollah has even openly stated as such. The subdivisions of Hezbollah and Hamas (etc...) further this interpretation, and have also provoked Netanyahu's hardline lack of sympathy/empathy for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Riled up by Iran/Iranian proxy missile barrages, Israel could even be pondering targeting oil production and nuclear facilities in Iran itself. Staying true-ish to 1979 Islamic Revolution phrasing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Iran's response would be "crushing" if Israel dared to retaliate. Is Israel just supposed to take it lying down?! Iran's proxies are committed to the destruction of Israel, as is Iran itself, at least by implication.
In addition to a multitude of deaths and displacement, how far it will go as well as the ultimate ending is literally anyone's guess. Outside the Middle East, many demonstrators waving Palestinian flags as a means of protesting the continuation of the IDF's dual offensives is beside the point. Those who started the shooting and rocket/missile launches are those who are responsible, not Israel which is simply defending itself. Overall, the instigator and controller of the antagonists has frequently expressed the desire for the state of Israel to be no more.
Prime minister Netanyahu's response has morphed into an overreaction. While extinguishing threats from the north and south, will Israel be able to annihilate Hamas, or Hezbollah, or both of them? Will this extend to sucker punching their enemy's boss, by directly striking Iran?
Israel along with Netanyahu should do themselves a favour and avoid replicating the mistakes that the Americans made in the wake of 9/11. Their rage got the better of them, the consequences of which were extremely counterproductive.
Meanwhile, the machinations of Ayatollah Khamenei seem unlikely to stop during his lifetime. He has long taken advantage of the blind faith of Iranians who are either sufficiently gullible or intimidated to actually believe that in the name of their messiah, a nation at the far side of their subcontinent should never have existed in the first place. Much of this theological mentality also extends to Iran's fellow Muslim neighbours.
Will Iran and Israel wear each other down until they are completely worn out? This could either be physically or mentally. However, there is an alternative means of ending this conflagration.
A general return to humanity would require both sides to compromise. Netanyahu and Khamenei compromising: stranger things have happened. In the geographic region of Palestine, there could/should be 2 states which leave each other alone - also known as peaceful coexistence. Iran could/should get over itself, recognize the state of Israel and cease using selective reading of the Quran as an excuse not to do so. Each should really accept each others' existence and their respective right to continue existing. This is common sense, so in the light of recent events and angry blather, it is probably unfeasible.
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