The Iranian-Israeli conflict in terms of the historical origins of the Jews
I. The Family Origins of the Jewish People: From Abraham to Jacob
The ancestors of the Jews are the Semites, with their patriarch believed to be Abraham in the Old Testament, who lived in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia. Abraham is known as the "father of faith" and is a common ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Abraham made a covenant with God: to believe in the one true God, Yahweh. Yahweh commanded him to leave his homeland and go to the "Promised Land" of Canaan (which is the area of present-day Israel), and promised that his descendants would become a great nation.
Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac.
Ishmael was the firstborn, but his mother was the maidservant Hagar. Ishmael had 12 sons, becoming the "ancestor of the Arab nations," and Islam regards Ishmael as the "forefather of the prophets."
Isaac was the second son, but his mother was Sarah, the legitimate wife of Abraham. Since Sarah gave birth to Isaac when she was nearly 90 years old, Isaac is referred to as the "miracle child." Isaac also had two sons—Esau and Jacob, with the elder son Esau being the ancestor of the Edomites, and the younger son Jacob being the ancestor of the Israelites. Jacob had 12 sons, and Judaism regards Jacob as an ancestor.
Judaism considers the "three generations" of the Jews to be Abraham-Isaac-Jacob.
2. Moses Exits Egypt: National Law and Identity Awakening
Jacob had a favorite son—Joseph. Because Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age and often spoke ill of his brothers to his father, his brothers did not like him. Later, Judah suggested selling Joseph to a passing Ishmaelite caravan that was heading to Egypt, and thus Joseph was ultimately sold into Egypt.
Joseph was in Egypt by interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, and mixed up with the prime ministers, who were above ten thousand men under one man in Egypt. Later, when the new pharaoh of Egypt came to power, Joseph lost power and was politically persecuted, and Joseph's son Moses led the Jews in Egypt out of Egypt. During this period, Moses laid the core of Judaism, establishing the Torah and the prototype of theocracy, which became the legal foundation of the Jewish people, forming a clear moral framework between God's promises and human behavior.
Moses never returned to the "Promised Land" of Canaan before he died; he only led his people to the east of the Jordan River, where he gazed at Canaan from afar on the plains of Moab.
After Moses died, Joshua inherited Moses' leadership and led the Jewish people across the Jordan River to begin the conquest of the "Promised Land" Canaan.
Through classic battles such as the "Conquest of Jericho," Joshua divided the land and became a 12-tribe federation bound by religion. During this period, there was no central authority, only religious leaders known as "judges."
3. Establishing a Kingdom for the First Time: National System and Centralization of the Temple
With the threat of strong enemies such as the Philistines, the 12 tribes of Israel began to request the "Judges" to establish a king. As a result, there were kings such as Saul from the tribe of Benjamin (who unified the tribes), David from the tribe of Judah (who defeated the giant Goliath, unified the north and south, and established Jerusalem as the capital), and Solomon, the son of David (who built the First Temple).
The First Temple solidified the "presence of God," marking an important transition for Judaism from a nomadic religion to an urban religion, and from scattered tribes to a national form.
After Solomon's death, the kingdom was split again into the northern kingdom of Israel (10 tribes), with its capital at Samaria; and the southern kingdom of Judah (2 tribes), with its capital at Jerusalem. The capital of the southern kingdom is Jerusalem, so they controlled the temple.
The Northern Kingdom's 10 tribes were destroyed by Assyria, the Southern Kingdom's 2 tribes were destroyed by Babylon, the temple was also destroyed, and the royal family and elite class were forcibly relocated to Babylon - a period known as the "Babylonian Captivity."
IV. Dispersal and Division: The Exile After the Destruction of the Temple
During the 70 years of Babylonian exile, the Jews had no state, no temple, and had to rely on the written word and the law to maintain their identity—the Pentateuch, the prototype of the Hebrew Bible, and without temples, "synagogues" were set up everywhere "as centers for the study of the law and for assemblies."
After Jerusalem was captured by Babylon, it was later conquered by the Persian Empire. The Persian king Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, thus the Jews rebuilt the Second Temple and established the scribe class and the high priesthood, replacing kings as the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people.
Later, Alexander conquered the Middle East, and the Jews were caught up in the conflict between Hellenization and tradition, splitting into two factions:
Traditionalists - Adhering to the law, Hebrew, and the Jerusalem Temple;
Greek faction - speaks Greek and is willing to integrate into a broader culture.
Until the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty period, the dynasty forced the Jews to worship Zeus and prohibited the observance of the Sabbath. The Jews erupted in rebellion, and the Hasmonean family successfully restored the Jerusalem Temple, establishing a brief "Hasmonean Kingdom".
Then the powerful Roman Empire came again, and the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. The Roman Empire ruled the Jews by supporting puppets, such as King Herod. During this period, although the Jewish temple still existed, the conflict between religious authority and political power became increasingly intense. The ideological differences also led to the emergence of numerous factions within the Jewish community.
This segment of history shows that the Jewish people have actually suffered from foreign domination for a long time, from the Assyrian destruction of the Northern Kingdom's 10 tribes, the Babylonian destruction of the Southern Kingdom's 2 tribes, to the successive occupations of Jerusalem by the Persian Empire, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. The Jews had virtually no real political sovereignty, and they could only struggle to pass down Jewish laws and culture under the rule of various powers.
During this period, Jesus also appeared. He was doubly attacked by the Roman government and Judaism at the time—the Jewish priesthood considered Jesus's claim to be the "Messiah" a threat to the authority of the temple and handed him over to the Romans for punishment on the charge of "blasphemy"; although the Roman government was not interested in Jewish affairs, it viewed him as a political rebel and had Jesus crucified. After Jesus's death, his followers gradually established Christianity, parting ways with Judaism.
Five, Discrete Two Thousand Years: The Great Anti-Semitism in Europe
In the year 70 AD, the Second Temple was destroyed, and the Jews began a two-thousand-year exile.
This was the most admirable period of the Jewish nation. The Jews of this period had no temple, no state, no army, no territory, and were scattered throughout Europe, Arabia, Persia, North Africa, and other places. As a result of the death of Jesus, Christendom imposed multiple restrictions on Judaism – treating Jews as "god-killers", restricting Jews from engaging in business and higher education, and subjecting Jews to long-term discrimination and persecution (such as the anti-Semitic Act in the European Middle Ages, the Pogrom Holocaust in Russia, etc.). In this context, Jews still excel in the fields of finance, medicine, philosophy, and technology.
By the beginning of the 20th century, there were nearly 10 million Jews in Europe, located in Poland, Russia, Germany, Austria, and other countries. In the face of a wave of nationalism, economic turmoil, and cultural conflicts, Jews became "scapegoats", and Germany set off an anti-Semitic storm by blaming the Jews for the defeat, economic collapse, and instability of the Weimar government. The Jews were accused of being the manipulators of finance capital, the originators of the Bolshevik Revolution, and the traitors of Germany, and Hitler massacred 6 million Jews during World War II.
In this context, at least 2 million Jews fled to the United States.
6. The Restoration of Israel: America's Middle Eastern Allies
The Zionist movement of the Jews, which arose in the late 19th century, was initiated by Austrian Jewish journalist Herzl, advocating for the restoration of the Jewish homeland and the establishment of a state in Palestine (then part of the Ottoman Empire).
During World War I, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration supporting the establishment of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine. By the end of the war, Palestine was occupied by Britain, and by this time, a significant number of Jews had already migrated back to Palestine.
During World War II, Jewish people who fled Eastern Europe to the United States established themselves firmly through their outstanding influence in education, research, and finance, deeply infiltrating various sectors of American politics and business. Jews make up about 2% of the total population in the United States, but hold a very high proportion in higher education, wealth, media, and think tanks.
At the end of World War II, the Zionist movement reached its peak. In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan to divide Palestine into two states, Jewish and Arab.
In 1948, the Jewish people declared the establishment of Israel, achieving nationalization of Jewish nationalism. The then President of the United States, Truman, was the first to announce recognition of Israel's establishment. Later, during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, Israel served as the United States' stronghold against Soviet influence in the Middle East, while Arab countries (Egypt, Syria) were generally pro-Soviet.
7. Middle Eastern Bully: The Territorial Expansion of Israel
According to the partition plan proposed by the United Nations in 1947 through Resolution 181, the former British mandate of Palestine was divided into two states—Jewish state occupying 56.5% of the land and Arab state occupying 43.5% of the land, with Jerusalem designated as an internationally administered city.
This partition plan is something that both Arab countries and the Palestinians will certainly not agree to, and thus war is inevitable. After several Middle Eastern wars and multiple peace negotiations, the territory actually controlled by Israel has far exceeded the map of the partition plan in the United Nations Resolution 181.
First time: The War of Independence of Israel. In 1948, a coalition of five countries - Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq - fought against Israel. As a result, the territory controlled by Israel expanded from the 56.5% allocated by the United Nations to 78%.
Second time: Six-Day War. From June 5 to 10, 1967, Israel launched a blitzkrieg against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, completely defeating the armies of the three countries within six days. After the war, Israel's territory directly doubled, effectively controlling not only the entire "historical Palestine", but also several additional areas.
The Third Time: Yom Kippur War. From October 6 to 25, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during Yom Kippur, but later Israel successfully counterattacked, resulting in no change in the territory controlled by Israel.
The fourth time: The Egypt-Israel Peace Agreement. In 1979, Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt under the mediation of the United States, returning the entire Sinai Peninsula in exchange for Egypt's recognition of Israel. Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel and was consequently temporarily expelled from the Arab League.
The fifth time: the annexation of East Jerusalem. In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem as "the eternal and indivisible capital."
There are many more wars of all sizes to come, and anyway, the territory controlled by Israel continues to expand.
8. Israel-Iran Conflict:
The conflict between Israel and Iran is not rooted in border disputes or direct historical hatred, but is a multifaceted game deeply rooted in religion, geopolitics, and ideology.
In the early years of Israel's founding, Iran was still under the "Pahlavi Dynasty" and was one of the first Muslim countries in the Middle East to recognize Israel. At that time, both sides were close allies of the United States, both concerned about the rise of Arab nationalism.
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution occurred in Iran. Khomeini came to power, overthrowing the pro-American regime and establishing the "Islamic Republic," a form of "theocratic system." Iran began its anti-American and anti-Israel stance, viewing Israel as a "Satanic regime" and claiming that Israel was an illegal occupier, supporting the Palestinian "sacred resistance."
There are mainly two levels of contradictions between Iran and Israel:
1. Religious Conflicts
We need to analyze this from the three religions and six sects derived from Abraham. This includes: Judaism, Islam (Sunni, Shia), and three branches of Christianity (Eastern Orthodox, Catholicism, Protestantism).
They all believe that there is only one God (God); one or more apocalyptic prophets (Abraham, Moses, etc.); All agree on the importance of the Holy Land of Jerusalem. The difference between them is that their views on the content of divine revelation, the Messiah (Jesus), the canonical holy books, and religious authority are very different.
The Iranian regime is based on the theological foundation of the "Shia Islamic Revolution" and views Israel as the source of blasphemy, as the Jewish priesthood is believed to have killed Jesus for the sin of blasphemy against God. Israel, on the other hand, is established on the foundations of "Judaism" and "Zionism," emphasizing sovereignty over the "Promised Land." Therefore, the Iranian regime of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cannot be allies with Israel in terms of religious belief.
2. Safety Contradictions
Iran's nuclear program development is viewed by Israel as a threat to its national survival. The United States certainly also opposes Iran having nuclear weapons, as this could alter the "regional balance of power" in the Middle East.
Iran views Israel as the military proxy of the United States in the Middle East, suppressing Islamic forces with the intention of overturning Shia regimes. Therefore, Iran supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, backs Hamas, the Islamic Jihad organization in Palestine (the ruling power in Gaza, Hamas is Sunni Islam), supports the Assad regime in Syria, and backs the Houthi movement in Yemen, essentially supporting various proxies against the U.S. proxy, Israel, in the Middle East.
Nine, Parasitism: Jews possess the United States
Jewish capital has completed its comprehensive control over the United States through political donations, infiltration, intermarriage, and group lobbying, leaving the Anglo-Saxons in the U.S. largely powerless to resist.
The penetration of Jews into the American political arena cannot be said to be shallow. The current president's wife is Jewish, the former president is the son-in-law of a Jew, and the mother of the previous president was Jewish. The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Deputy Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the National Security Advisor, the Deputy Director of the CIA, the Director of National Intelligence... they are all Jewish.
Jews control the economic lifeline of the United States. The position of the Federal Reserve Chairman has essentially been monopolized by Jews for a long time, with Greenspan, Yellen, Bernanke... they have influenced America's financial policies; financial giants like BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Goldman Sachs CEO Solomon, Soros, Buffett, and Samuel are all Jews.
Jews also monopolize the media and arts in the United States. The owner of Disney is Jewish, the big boss of Warner Bros. is Jewish, the owner of Viacom is Jewish, ABC is controlled by Jews, NBC is controlled by Jews, and the New York Times is controlled by a Jewish family… Almost all world-class media in the United States are controlled by Jews.
Through over a hundred years of operation, the Jews have basically completed the "takeover" of America. In political governance, Jewish capital supports competition among blacks, Latinos, and white Anglos; in controlling public opinion, Jewish capital has seized control of all newspapers, television, movies, the internet, and social platforms in America, making all voices unfavorable to Jews disappear; in financial penetration, Jewish capital controls the economic lifeline of America, and even if the President of the United States does not align with their wishes, they cannot expect a favorable "monetary policy" during their term; in geopolitical terms, the United States, in its "unconditional support for Israel," has already fallen into the costly "geopolitical trap" of the Middle East; in terms of religious beliefs, the Christian evangelical belief that "the return of Jews to the Holy Land = the precursor to the Second Coming of Jesus" therefore firmly supports Israel.
In the 20th century, Germany, due to its defeat in World War I, faced massive war reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, lost territory, saw a collapse in national morale, and experienced turmoil in the Weimar Republic, severe inflation, and the global Great Depression... Hitler initiated a populist movement, claiming that "Jews control the banks, media, and parliament," blaming Jews as the culprits for the nation's decline, financial exploitation, and cultural decay, asserting that Jews "parasitized" Germany, draining it of resources, and launched a state-organized "anti-Semitic movement"—from the Nuremberg Laws to Kristallnacht, and then to the concentration camp system, initiating a comprehensive plan for extermination.
Although the United States claims to be a country with a separation of powers, there is one thing that cannot be denied—through a century of operation, the bankers behind the Federal Reserve have hollowed out America, leaving the government and the people with enormous debt. If one day the United States finds itself in a situation similar to "post-World War I Germany," will the Anglo-Saxons similarly blame the Jews?
"The overturning of the preceding cart serves as a warning to the following cart; not forgetting past events serves as a teacher for future matters." —"Strategies of the Warring States"
10. Anchor Points and Boundaries of Faith: A Perspective Without Believers
The reason humans need faith is actually to have an anchor point in the spiritual world.
It can be:
Belief in deities (religion);
Belief in historical laws (communism);
Faith in technology, civilization, and progress (modernism);
Belief in an abstract idea (freedom, equality, democracy).
I believe that many people have already freed themselves from the belief in "God," but it is difficult for us to believe in nothing. Because the core of belief is a mechanism of explanation for humanity when faced with uncertainty, suffering, death, and a sense of nihilism.
If everyone has no faith and only speaks of utilitarianism and rationality: love becomes nothing more than reproductive efficiency, family is reduced to functional cooperation, morality turns into a transaction, heroism becomes risk arbitrage, and death is merely a system shutdown.
I feel that faith is a remedy for humanity's battle against nihilism. Take the Tibetan practice of "kora" around Mount Kailash, for example. I used to think that these pilgrims spend a lot of time doing kora, which means they can't support their parents, can't raise their children, and don't create value for society or others. Why should they be able to cleanse their karma and gain blessings...? But the logic of religion may simply be a resistance to "meaninglessness." If a person is suffering and lonely inside, and through "kora" they overcome depression, avoid suicide, let go of hatred, and prevent negative output towards society, that is also a form of good. Some acts of faith may not directly benefit others, but they can still earn blessings by not doing harm to others. Some religions do not use utilitarianism or "social value" as a standard for judgment; faith may be a way to help humanity endure pain and chaos that cannot be explained.
In the past, when I came across videos of those "kora" pilgrims, I couldn't understand it. Are the lives and time of these pilgrims really that cheap? Later I realized it was just because I am a utilitarian. I am a person without faith.
I try to view many historical religious conflicts from the perspective of an observer— I understand that the essence of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity is the same. They all teach that humanity comes into the world with original sin, and we should have a mindset of atonement to do good and do good deeds. Such beliefs can indeed regulate the order of the world and help us become better versions of ourselves.
Just believing in this thing, in the hands of people with selfish intentions and conspiracies, often becomes a tool to destroy peace and enslave the congregation. Because most religious believers do not understand that faith should only be a constraint on oneself, and should never be regarded as a constraint on others, even if they were or are still believers in name. Because faith can only be used as one's own moral constraint, the upper limit of human order; Only the law can be used as a constraint on others, and it is the lower limit of human order.
The Crusades, the Battle of Karbala, the Inquisition, the Taliban, extreme Sikhism... all of them turn faith from an internal anchor into an external weapon of pressure. If the boundaries between faith and law are not clearly defined, it can easily lead to "holy war fanaticism."
The Jewish people have preserved wisdom in suffering and passed on faith in exile; may they not forget compassion in their revival.
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