In this piece I take issue with politics currently playing out in the Middle East, or ‘West Asia’ as it is often referred to nowadays. The cacophony of day-by-day reporting on the two-year Israel-Gaza war and noticing that it affects me far more than the Ukraine-Russia war or the civil war in Sudan motivated me to do my own research into the three main groupings shaping the future of that region, namely Israel, its Islam majority neighbours, and the West.
How would I explain these developments to someone who, say, has been absent from planet earth for the past decade? What are the discernible macro-patterns and can I explain them in a multi-partial way, i.e. in a way that acknowledges the perspective of all stakeholders?
Islamic countries of the Middle East
When it comes to the 48 Islam majority countries in the world, we know that there are three major groupings; the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Jihadists/Radicalists. All of these have sub-groupings.
The problem with both Shia and Sunni countries in the Middle East and North Africa is that they tend to be autocratic. Some have poor human rights records; most governments are a mix of monarchies and pseudo-democracies, i.e. dictatorships beholden to the theocratic leaders who legitimize them. The major royal and theocratic (caliphates) groupings generally amount to divides along tribal lines. The outcome is fragmentation, and the inability to speak with one voice when it comes to what is now playing out in the Palestinian region. This makes it easy for outsiders with vested interests in the Middle East to apply divide-and-conquer tactics. At stake is the wealth and power born from a natural resource locked into the desert sands of that region.
Making fossil fuels available to the global economy requires considerable infrastructure, advanced engineering and huge capital investment. This is where bankers and Western-led multinationals come in. The outcome is a cohort of people who get filthy rich, and with that comes the ability to buy sophisticated armaments and form protective alliances. The impact of this is an interesting mix of rivalry and co-operation which, at the end of the day, boils down to the strength of monopolies and those that benefit directly from them (indirectly we all do every time we refuel our combustion engines). The region’s strategic importance is further increased by the fact that it sits at the nexus of major global trade routes.
This then brings me to radical Islamists, also known as Islamic jihadist, insurgents, terrorists, militias. Earlier this year I attended the Integral European Conference where one of the speakers built her talk on Integral politics on the phrase, ‘a terrorist is an ordinary citizen who has repeatedly not been heard’. It seems to me that this phrase can be applied to most of the Muslim-majority countries. Unlike in Norway, the immense wealth resulting from natural resources extraction does not translate to a better life for all in the Middle East and North Africa. In fact, in some of these countries average citizens experience dire economic conditions, while others are also politically marginalized: all told, a perfect breeding ground for radical ideas. When religious fever is added to the brew, it becomes a potent mix of rage and idealism.
For such dissatisfaction to be noticed and heard at scale, organization is needed. Enter the smartphone, and there’s one in every pocket. As seen with the Arab Spring, after many decades of suppression, ordinary citizens came out to protest and challenge their governments. However, they were not heard, and their initiatives were taken over by radicals, whereafter the military stepped in later reinstating dictatorships.
When large segments of a population are still not heard, organization goes underground; arms are acquired and training camps are set up. Enter HAMAS, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, ALQAD, Syria’s many militias, the Taliban, Somali Pirates… too many to name; each representing a different sub-group, each with a slightly different protocol; all with the same agenda: to express their anger at their home rule and at the West (America in particular), their desire to be seen and recognized, and, who knows, to maybe one day gain a seat at the negotiating table.
Israel and Judaism
When discussing Judaism and Israel, blanket statements won’t do. How exactly do we speak about Jews, Zionists, Israelis, and Semites? If we’re grouping Jews together it helps to know that there are Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews and Mizrahi Jews. There are also Orthodox Jews (including Hasidism), Conservative Jews, Reform Jews and Secular Jews. All of these groupings are present in the country of Israel and throughout the world. Although only 0.2% of the world population is Jewish, their influence extends throughout the world. When it comes to the USA, it’s important to have some understanding of the power of Jewish Lobby (AIPAC) and the influence of the ‘Not in our Name’ Jews who tend to be liberal, intellectual and often secular.
I deeply admire the stance taken by this last group, yet, when YouTube’s algo rhythms recently suggested I watch the movie ‘The Chosen’, I did so. I had read Chaim Potok’s book with the same title in my early twenties and twice since. It’s great literature and a potent story. Watching the 1981 movie reminded me again of how, in the wake of the Holocaust, Zionism was such a heartfelt cause; Jews desperately wanted a country of their own and so, in 1948, some went out and claimed it. I also recall the impact reading Exodus by Leon Uris in the eighties had on me.
A great deal has happened since then. Defining the borders of Israel and its citizenship has been an ongoing project. The big question has been what to do with the other indigenous people of that region; the people who had made their life there post the 70 CE Jewish diaspora and even before that. In the Old Testament the Hebrews threw out the Canaanites and Philistines on their return from a 300-year absence in Egypt. While there was early on some talk of integration, it soon became apparent that Israelis intended Israel for Jews only, and if there were to be Arabs in the area, they would understand that they were second-class citizens. Currently, many Israelis refuse to use the word ‘Palestinians’, as that indicates a people with a distinct national identity. Peace brokers have tried to intervene several times, most notably in the Oslo Accords, but that did not last long.
Once again, outside parties are talking of a two-state solution as the way forward, but from the commentary I’ve heard, there does not seem to be much enthusiasm for this by those who actually live in the territory. Neither Israelis nor Palestinians see the two-state solution as a solution, even though it takes ethno-nationalism into account. Israel has built hundreds of kilometres of walls and has checkpoints everywhere to restrict and monitor the movement of Palestinians and prevent attacks by them. Conversely, in the West Bank Jewish ‘settlers’ continuously attack, displace people and occupy land long-owned by Palestinians. Talk about expropriation without compensation!
And that brings me to South Africa. The world did not think ‘homelands’ were an option for South Africa 40 years ago. Why? Because it recalled Apartheid. Yet, the global guardians and stakeholders of the Israeli-Palestine question maintain that such a form of apartheid is the only feasible solution. I find this breathtaking hypocrisy striking. On the other hand, the Israelis, fearing a numerical minority, want complete control of the state, much as the old Nationalist government did in South Africa. They seem ideologically vastly removed from the many South African Jews who tirelessly participated in the anti-apartheid struggle. People like Joe Slovo, Ruth First, Ronnie Kasrils, Denis Goldberg, Albie Sachs, Helen Suzman, Arthur Chaskalson, Arthur Goldreich, Andrew Feinstein, Harry Schwarz, Gill Marcus all fought apartheid tooth and nail, yet the current South African Zionist Federation fiercely supports Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government. I recall walking through the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg (by the way, it’s excellent) and noting that 115 people had died in detention between 1963 and 1990. This pales in comparison when, according to the United Nations, 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons since 7 October 2023; thousands more have been held in detention, many without even being charged.
Also noteworthy is how most Israelis consider the war as having started on 7 October 2023; they seem oblivious of the 80 years of oppression and dispossession that preceded Hamas’s attack on the music festival and surrounding settlements on that day. In spite of their own historic experiences of living in ghettos, many Israelis are surprised that Palestinians are not grateful for the economic and infrastructure improvements they brought to the land, including a vibrant manufacturing sector and the literal greening of the desert. This too has an echo in South African history; here white South Africans too discovered that such ‘advancements’ hold little credit if accompanied by suppression and denigration.
While Israelis may choose to tell their particular version of history, the current media hype has caused responsible citizens in the rest of the world to do their homework on the region. They are well aware of the sequence of events since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. I attribute this awareness, plus the visuals of an apocalyptic Gaza, to the pro-Palestinian marches now happening in cities the world over.
However, one cannot blame the Israelis entirely for their tone-deafness; the propaganda machinery of their government would put the communists to shame. When journalists interview ordinary Israelis, the same rhetoric is repeated about the Children of Israel once again returning to their rightful land, the Promised Land, having been victimized in every other country they settled in since Egypt. If you were to point to co-responsibility, you will be called anti-Semitic, and this is a label Westerners greatly fear. If this does not work, there is always Shin Bet and Mossad; their bribery /donations, threats, and assassinations have happened across the world. AIPAC’s generous ‘gifts’ to every American senator are now coming to light. It seems they have all the USA in their pocket.
Given the web of intelligence, information and disinformation put in place by the Israeli government, I greatly admire those Jews who find their own voice and speak out against the Netanyahu government; Norman Finkelstein, Gabor Mate, Naomi Klein, Senator Bernie Sanders quickly come to mind. There are many more, including holocaust survivors or their descendants. Particularly standing out for me were recent interviews with Yuval Noah Harari and Gideon Levy, where both independently expressed concern for ‘the soul of Israel and Israelis’, noting especially the burden carried by IDF soldiers having committed war crimes and atrocities in Gaza; they and other reporters point to the self-deception of Israelis and their total inability to recognize the plight of the other, to have empathy. In fact, Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy went so far as to call for sanctions on Israel ‘just like what was once done to South Africa’ in the hope that it would bring the Netanyahu government to its senses.
The West
The term, ‘the West’ generally encompasses Western and Central Europe and Northern America. It is a culturally rich region of the world encompassing many nationalities and religions. Yet, when wanting to describe the essence of Western Civilization, we end up referencing its Judaeo-Christian heritage. Even the many agnostics and atheists of this demographic cannot help but acknowledge this heritage, given its art, architecture and music, let alone its values and ethos. Thus, it is my contention that anyone who claims Western heritage is deeply touched by what is and has been happening in the Israel-Gaza war and the wider region. Anyone who has some knowledge of the Bible knows the place names, characters and mythology of the ancient Hebrews. Modern Christians tour the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. These are the stories that millions of people across the world grew up with, and, by and large, we appropriate them to make them our stories; it is as if we all have a stake in Israel and what happens in that region.
Christians too are not a single group. Not only are there the three main groupings – Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. There are many sub-groups; within these traditions people read the Bible in different ways: there are those who believe the text to be the literal word of God, without nuance or translation errors; those who consider it to be an interesting historical and anthropological record that inspires archaeological research while also providing moral and legal guidance, and those who maintain the Bible is divinely inspired but that its stories are best understood from a metaphysical and even mystical perspective.
In question here are the literalists. In the USA, Christian Zionists outnumber Jewish Zionists many times over. Like the Crusaders of the 11th to 13th century, they too believe that Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount, must be reinstated as the Judaeo-Christian ‘throne’/centre piece, and that only then is the second coming of the Messiah possible. Needless to say, they support Israel in its recent actions against the Palestinian ‘Philistines’ in Gaza, the West Bank and Southern Lebanon. What’s more, these Christian Zionists Walk their talk, financially supporting Israel to the tune of ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’.
Often forgotten is that the prophets of the Old Testament – Nathan, Elijah, Elisha and Micaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea and Micah – frequently warn their own kings about over-reach and the consequence of unjust and corrupt behaviour. Maybe this is what Witkoff and Kushner try to tell Netanyahu behind closed doors, while also closing business deals elsewhere in the Middle East.
While most Europeans distance themselves from the Zionist talk, their governments support Israel via trade and defence contracts, pouring billions of pounds and euros into that economy. Their motivation is different. At the heart of that collective psyche lies guilt. It’s not just about the Holocaust but also the sense that WW2 Allied nations did not do more to protect their Jewish populations and those that fled to them. If you read between the lines, Britain and France welcomed the newly established Israel as a place European Jews could migrate to. In fact, post the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France acted in favour of the Jews, double-crossing their Arab allies.
Today the military industrial complexes of the USA and Europe benefit hugely from the conflict in the Middle East. US military aid to Israel from October 2023 to September 2025 is said to total $21.7 billion.
Let’s now bring it down to the individual level. Each one of us can identify with stories about ostracization, if not also persecution. We all have a deep desire to ‘belong’ and when we are excluded, we suffer emotionally. The big difference is that while most people are happy to merge their identity with others, Judaism has such a strong identity – may I say tribal identity – that Jews do not wish to fully integrate with others. Like many Muslims, they consider their traditions to be exclusive. Deep down in their psyche, the notion of a chosen and separate people reigns.
As with all sacred texts, the stories told in the Bible are humanity’s stories, irrespective of time. In this sense we are all migrants, one part of us wanting acceptance and integration in the place we now call home; another part of us longing to go home. The stories of Abraham, Moses and David are also our stories. In South Africa there was a town called Nylstroom, so named because Voortrekkers in the 1800’s thought they had discovered the start of the Nile and if they followed it, they would eventually reach Jerusalem. They too thought of themselves as a chosen people. Many Christians do.
Birth of civilisations
The Middle/Near East is described as the region where the Agricultural Revolution began, where the first city-states and empires were built. We trace the birth of civilizations to that geographical region. As such it is steeped in conflict, as that is what happens to us humans en route to discovering ourselves and our organizing ability. Seldom do we think to share, let alone to share fairly and allow another a place in the sun. Rather it’s about one’s own tribe and the possibility of building an empire. When we add belief and ideology to the mix, things invariably get ugly. Power and dominance seldom co-exist with justice and compassion. Given that conflicts in this region span centuries, should one just conclude: ‘that’s the way it’s always been and always will be’?
At their core, all three Abrahamic religions profess to promote compassion, forgiveness, and peace in the name of the One God, but material gain for one’s tribe is the real god. Pride, power and how to manoeuvre each other off the chess board, the age-old game of humankind, is what reigns supreme. As long as we are locked in at this level of consciousness, a new Earth cannot be born.
Furthermore, I know from my counselling practice that the communication pattern known as ‘symmetrical escalation’ is one of the most difficult dysfunctional patterns to address; it invariably leads to an explosion in some or other form because neither party is willing to give an inch and they mimic each other in every way. Israel’s right-wing government and the Hamas-Hezbollah Shiites are locked into such a battle. Right now, the American, Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian mediators have made some progress; we all hold our breath expecting the ceasefire to collapse. Why? Because the Palestinian people are not being acknowledged. The narrative is that Hamas must surrender or expect to be wiped off the table. It’s not like what happened in South Africa, where eventually all parties sat round the same table. Is the outcome of second-class citizenship the one Palestinians must accept if they are to continue living where they are? The idea that the Holy Land can be a land where all people can co-exist as equals seems to be a mirage. I so hope that I am wrong.
The field of transgenerational trauma well describes the deep emotional and physical scars born by individuals, families and communities on both sides; generally, the trauma gets frozen over until it gets triggered yet again. Transgenerational trauma also reveals the way in which victims become perpetrators and perpetrators victims. (Imagine what Germany would feel like a few decades from now, if its guilt-pride lessened.) A reckoning also needs to take place, where all three major groupings discussed here take responsibility for their part in this. Without some sort of Truth and Reconciliation hearings at some time in the future, it will just be a matter of time before the hurts once again become conflict.
How do we start? I -Thou relationships, maybe?
[Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/2014-06_East_Jerusalem_090_%2814936890061%29.jpg]
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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