Is there a difference between a Jew, a Zionist, and an 'Israeli'?
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I referred back to a Hebrew dictionary and scrutinized the
meanings of three specific words as they were recorded. I noticed that all
three carry the same meaning; according to the dictionary, a 'Jew' is a
'Zionist' and an 'Israeli,' and the terms 'Zionist' and 'Israeli' are assigned
the exact same definitions. While this unified understanding of these terms'
connotations may be prevalent among many in the Arab and Islamic world, it is
contrary to the truth. It is inconsistent with the actual terminology, which
points to ideological, intellectual, and political concepts that vary from one
term to another. I shall address these in detail, supported by field evidence
Part One: Defining 'The Jew
A Jew is an individual who believes in the
Jewish religion as set forth in the Hebrew Tanakh, provided that their mother
is Jewish. It is not sufficient for a person to simply embrace the faith to
become a Jew; they must receive a specific endorsement and blessing from
certain Jewish rabbis, alongside rigorous obligations. Under this condition,
Judaism becomes a hereditary and closed religion, incapable of expansion or
proselytization.
Furthermore, an adherent of
Judaism is not required to reside in the State of Israel or even recognize it.
There are millions of Jews living in Europe and America who have no desire to
live in Israel, and some of them actively oppose Israeli policies, such as U.S.
Senator Bernie Sanders, who supported the Democratic candidate for New York
City mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Similarly, one may find a Jew residing in Israel who fights
against Israeli policy, such as journalist Gideon Levy or the Jewish poet Rami
Ditzny.
Part Two: Who is the Zionist?
A Zionist is any person on Earth who believes
in the right of Jews to return to the land of Palestine. They view the stretch
of land extending from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in
the west as the 'Land of Zion'—the ancestral land that God gave to Abram and
his descendants after him, as stated in the Book of Genesis. There, the Lord
made a covenant with him, promising that his offspring would inherit a land
stretching 'from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates'.
According to this ideological
understanding, Zionism—which is named after Mount Zion in Jerusalem—is an idea
embraced by both Jews and Christians, particularly Evangelical Christians. The
latter believe in the Second Coming of Christ and the inevitability of the
Battle of 'Armageddon.' Just as a Zionist is not necessarily required to be
Jewish, they are also not required to move to the land of 'Israel.' One can be
a Zionist while residing in America, such as former U.S. President Joe Biden,
who publicly declared this, saying: 'You don't have to be a Jew to be a
Zionist.' This same belief is held by the current President Donald Trump, who
is a lover and servant of Zionism.
These non-Jewish Zionists pose a greater
danger to the world as a whole, and to the Middle East in particular, than
those who adhere to the Jewish faith, or those who hold 'Israeli' identity,
reside on the land of historical Palestine, bear arms, and serve in the
military.
Part Three: Who is the 'Israeli'?
An 'Israeli' is any individual who holds the
citizenship of the state established by Zionists on the land of Palestine on
the eve of the 1948 Nakba. An Israeli may be Jewish by religion, or could be
Druze, Armenian, or have no religion at all. An Israeli could even be a
Buddhist married to an Israeli woman, thereby obtaining Israeli nationality.
In this context, we cannot
ignore the presence of two million Arabs who did not leave their towns and
villages during the 1948 Nakba. They lived for a period of their lives under
Israeli military rule before the usurpers of their land granted them the
identity of the State of 'Israel.' Consequently, they became Israelis and hold
Israeli identification; they are Arab Muslims, yet they are 'Israelis.' These
Arab Muslims have no alternative but to carry Israeli identification to
identify themselves and to travel from place to place using their Israeli
citizenship.
Three words carry the same meaning in the
Hebrew dictionary, yet each possesses distinct linguistic, political, and
ideological connotations. Distinguishing between these terms is vital for a
political understanding of the conflict with the Zionist enemy. A Jew living in
Europe or America is not our enemy, so long as they do not embrace Zionist
ideology or serve its objectives. Conversely, a person might not be Jewish yet
still believe in Zionist thought, sacrificing all that is precious out of
conviction; such a person's hostility toward Arabs and Muslims is blatant and
unrestrained. Furthermore, a person may be an 'Israeli'—holding Israeli
identification and residing within the State of 'Israel'—yet remain an Arab
Muslim in heart and soul, defined by a pure sense of belonging and a profound
faith in their historical right to the land of Palestine.
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