As the State of Israel became a reality, mass societies in North Africa and the Middle East unleashed their rage on the Jews in their proximity. Mobs pillaged, raped, and murdered. Families hopped across rooftops to escape calls from street level to slaughter the Jews. The vast majority of the region's 800,000+ Jews fled or were outright expelled, and their property and wealth were expropriated.
These mass societies were engaged in a dialectical struggle against Zionism, whose goal of Jewish sovereignty (as it happens, in these societies' midst) jeopardized their sense of superiority. If only these societies had seen that by turning against local Jews, they were aiding the very object of their struggle.
Arab Muslim societies missed a golden opportunity to weaken or even outright defeat Zionism. Had they embraced their native Jewish populations, these Jews would have remained where they were, thus depriving the fledgling State of Israel of much-needed Jewish demographic support. Embracing their Jewish populations would also have pushed back against Zionism's understanding of the world, in which modernizing mass societies invariably turn on their Jews. Such a choice would have marked a civilizational victory far greater than anything these societies had imagined possible.
Instead, Arab Muslim societies chose to embed their longstanding disdain for Jews in the struggle against Zionism. As a result, these societies' anti-Jewish rage fueled the new Jewish state and served as further evidence of its necessity.
The huge boost that Arab Muslim societies inadvertently gave to Zionism did not spur a mindset change. Far from it – their struggle deepened and expanded among Arabs and non-Arabs, who pushed forward iterations rooted in Arab nationalism, Marxism, Islamism, and post-modern neo-Marxism. These iterations kept the Palestinian national cause focused on eliminating Jewish sovereignty. They also caused societies to spiral out of control.
Maddened by failure but convinced that victory is inevitable and even imminent, these societies have forgone the slightest introspection, choosing instead to blame everyone but themselves for their humiliating setbacks. Each delusion breeds dysfunction. This leads to more delusions, which in turn exacerbate the dysfunction. With no safety net or rock bottom, the cesspool of narcissism gets ever deeper.
This self-sabotaging cycle extends beyond the Middle East. In powerful Western countries, supporters of the struggle against Zionism have made a habit of harassing and attacking local Jews, especially since Hamas' October 7th attack on Israel. In so doing, they present voters with small but meaningful samples of what drove Jews out of dozens of countries in the twentieth century. For portions of these electorates, including those whose political choices affect the Middle East, watching the resurgence of antisemitism on home soil has made them appreciate the Jews' need for a sovereign safe haven.
Arab Muslim societies' propensity for peddling delusions is definitively a curse for Zionism more than it is a blessing. If these societies had dared to engage in any sort of serious introspection, Israel could have had durable peace (including a two-state solution) many years ago. Instead, the Jewish state faces terrorism and war launched from societies that are yet to hit rock bottom.
But while it is more of a curse, it is somewhat a blessing. Insofar as these societies remain bent on annihilating Jewish sovereignty, their rage and delusions perpetuate the very ineptness that makes it easier to stay several steps ahead of them. This is why, with every step they take, no matter how much their blood vessels throb as they scream that Zionism is the source of all pain in the world, people who hate the Jewish state cannot help but further solidify its permanence.
Josh Warhit runs Warhit Media Services. He made aliyah from the United States in 2012 and served in the Nahal Brigade (infantry) in the Israel Defense Forces.
