Jews Are a Fifth Column: A Libel as Old as the Pyramids
5 min read
4 min read
For Iran and its allies, the conflict does not concern borders, refugees, prisoners, settlements, or checkpoints. It is actually about Israel’s continued existence in the Middle East.
A letter sent recently by the Palestinian “resistance” groups in the Gaza Strip to Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, serves as a reminder that Iran and its terror proxies view the conflict with Israel as a Jihad (holy war) to eliminate the Jewish state.
For Iran and its allies, the conflict does not concern borders, refugees, prisoners, settlements, or checkpoints. It is actually about Israel’s continued existence in the Middle East. They contend that Israel has no right to exist on Muslim-owned territory (Waqf) and that it is the responsibility of all Muslims to carry the banner of Jihad in the world toward the objective of wiping out Israel. In their eyes, this is a religious war between Muslims and non-Muslims who have “usurped” Muslim-owned territory.
“By Allah’s will, we will witness your might and your Jihad in action, alongside our brothers in the Axis of Resistance—from Islamic Iran to Arab Syria, from proud Iraq to dear Yemen, which has inscribed the most profound meanings of loyalty to Palestine and its cause in Islamic and Arab history with blood and gunpowder,” the Palestinian groups wrote in their letter to Nasrallah.
“Today, dear fighting heroes, the time has come to advance toward opening the gate of Khaybar once again and to work for the eradication of ‘Israel’ from existence. Victory is near, and we have seen it through the blessed efforts of our glorious fighters in our steadfast [Gaza] Strip and our heroic West Bank. So, patience until victory and the full liberation of beloved Palestine and its sanctities. May Allah accept your Jihad, patience, and sacrifices. Indeed, it is a Jihad of victory or martyrdom.”
Khaybar was a Jewish stronghold in the Arabian desert. In the year 628 C.E., a few years after the prophet Mohammed’s migration from Mecca to Medina, Khaybar fell into the hands of his army. The battle of Khaybar resulted in the subjugation, mass expulsion, and the slaughter of the area’s Jewish communities.
Ali fighting at the gates of Khaybar. Islamic artwork, circa 1610. (Khalili Collections / CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Muslims who seek the destruction of Israel sometimes chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud! Jaish Mohammed soufa ya’oud!” (Khaybar, Khaybar, Oh Jews! The army of Mohammed will return!).
Hamas first used the slogan during the first Intifada, which erupted in 1987. The battle cry is a warning to Jews that they will meet the same fate as the Jews of Khaybar.
In their publications and discourse, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – regularly describe their slain members who are killed by Israel as “mujahideen” (warriors or Jihadists). The goal is to show that these men are devout Muslims who sacrificed their lives during the Jihad against the “enemies of Allah and Islam.”
In mourning its slain men, Hezbollah has been announcing that each one of them was killed “on the road to Jerusalem.” The message is clear: these Muslim warriors were on a sacred mission to liberate Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Jews.
By calling its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas is seeking to remind everyone that the conflict against Israel is a religious one.
The attack, according to Hamas officials, came in response to the “desecration” of the mosque by Jews, in reference to tours by Jews of the Temple Mount. The intention is to present Jews as “aggressors” and “desecrators” of Islam’s third holiest site. This, Hamas and other Palestinians hope, will rally millions of Muslims behind the Palestinian struggle against Israel.
Regardless of how the current fighting between Israel and Iran’s proxies in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon turns out, it is crucial to remind everyone that Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad do not recognize Israel’s right to exist and regard its presence in the Middle East as a threat to all Muslims and Arabs. Since these Islamist groups view the conflict as a religious war, any ceasefire or hudna (truce) will only serve as a reprieve or a moment of rest before they resume the Jihad to destroy Israel.
This op-ed originally appeared on https://jcpa.org/
I wonder if ADS is really Jewish, he/ she sounds more like a enemy of Jews/Israel, the person always wants to see Jews and Israel in a bad light, if they are Jewish they must be like George Soros a self hater if he even considers himself Jewish in my view he seems like a anti semite to me he was the one to support colleges/ universities to make protests against Jews and Israel
Is the so called Holy War to destroy Israel Gog and Magog which is written in the Machzor of Succot by the prophet Ezekiel about a war where a lot of countries want to fight Israel and Jews/ Hashem, before the Moshiach comes this will happen and after this Israel will be redeemed and the Jews will be united I hope with the lost 10 tribes of Israel
If Allah was a god, why would he have created Israel and the Jewish people? I heard that after Mohammad married the 6-year-old girl, Aisha, this child told him she didn't like the Jews telling him what to insert this law into his Kohran.
Many have tried, but none have succeeded. Just as
k Hitler.
You are right, whoever starts up with Jews gets defeated
So much description of way into the battleground...where is the wisdom concerning the road out of the battleground. Is this the best that the best of the international press can produce. It amounts to NOTHING!!!
I wouldn't say that it amounts to nothing. The author is pointing out that from an Islamic perspective there is no way out of the battleground other than ceding Israel back to the Arabs. The author makes no suggestions for change because he knows that the religion cannot change. Does the author separate himself from the Jihadist ideology? Is there even one pro-Israel sentence in the article?
Nothing in this article should be news to Israelis. Nothing has changed since the establishment of the State of Israel. The Arabs made it clear even before Israel was established that they would fight until it was destroyed.
We hear what they are saying but we are deaf to what we don't want to hear. We need to learn how to listen.
Did this essay appear anywhere in the general media, may they be mendacious as ever? If not, why not? The general public nor most Jews have no idea of the basis of Jihad nor the details you presented so excellently. Jewish sisters and brothers, we need to improve our message and "propaganda".
Also it says in the prophets before Moshiach comes the Jews will have a lot of trouble from Ishmael, and the Jews have to prayer a lot, do mitzvahs, and other holy pursuits, also before the High Holy Days we are all judged and put on two scales our good deeds and not good deeds, I hope all Jews together will avert this bad degree, also Psalms 83 talks about all the enemirs of the Jews and in the end Hashem will protect Israel and the Jews, when you start with Jews/Israel you start with Hashem
Like it says in "Kohelet" "There is nothing new under the sun", why I say this before Iran became a Muslim country, in ancient times this country was called Persia and we read the book of Esther on Purim, how the Prime minister(2nd big head of the kingdom) Haman(may his name be erased) to kill the Jews from 127 provinces that they governed, and in the book of Esther the whole story unfolds, in the end the Jews were saved and we ended up with the holiday of Purim, so once again after the all these years in a different name and religion, they still want to finish Haman's(may his name be erased), so once again the Jews have pray, fight,( we also fast on Yom Kippur) and the 3 things we do prayers, return to Hashem, the Jewish version of charity
This is an important piece!
You write: "Since these Islamist groups view the conflict as a religious war ..."
Since the religious war began with Muhammad, the first Islamist and exemplar for all Muslims, would it not be correct to say "Since Muslims view the conflict as a religious war ..." The conflict began even before Khaybar with Muhammad ordering the destruction of the Jewish communities around Medina.
You do not refute any part of the "Islamist" argument.
You make it sound like only particular Muslims "contend that Israel has no right to exist" but where are the Muslims who contend otherwise? Some Arab leaders have recognized that Israel does exist, but that is, as you said, "a moment of rest".
May Hashem keep Israel strong and steadfast.
Amen!
Thank you, Kalad Abu Tomeh
We are deluding ourselves if we think the Muslims will stop with the, G-D forbid, the destruction of Israel and the extermination of its Jewish population. They want to murder us all.
However, we must not give in to hatred. You do not hate the rabid dog. You just put the dog down.
While Iran's Supreme Leader leads a holy war against Israel from outside, Israel's High Court seems to be waging an "unholy war" from within. Just as Iran’s Ayatollah overrides government decisions to align with his theocratic vision, Israel's High Court has placed itself above the Knesset, frequently overturning laws passed by elected representatives and pushing its own extreme secular agenda. This goes well beyond the scope of most democratic courts, including the US Supreme Court...
Iran's Ayatollah ensures loyalty by selecting heads of military, judiciary, and media. Similarly, Israel’s High Court is self-appointing, ensuring a continued ideological dominance often at odds with Israel's Jewish character and democratic will.
Most importantly, the court also often overrules military and security decisions made by experts in those fields - often to the risk (or worse) of Jewish soldier and civilian lives.
Israel's "High" Court is a low one indeed, an interior enemy of the majority of the Jewish population; however, the leftist media always seeks to make it seem that it represents the voice of the people, which is a falsehood that's potentially as detrimental—or perhaps even more so—to the nation's security as all the outright lies of Arab propaganda that incite violence and antisemitism.
Problem is that though our history shows our redemption from evil outside enemies, this is not the case when we suffer from internal strife.
Elul is the perfect time to return to our Source! The Left apparently wants no part in that, so it's up to the rest of us to daven sincerely.
There’s a real need to restructure the Israeli Supreme Court in line with the U.S. model. The Israeli Court has far too much unchecked power to intervene in government, military and religous affairs. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, which sticks to deciding if laws align with the Constitution, the Israeli Court can strike down any law on arbitrary grounds like “reasonableness.” Also, anyone, with a political axe to grind can petition the court, while the U.S. Court requires petitioners to show direct injury or standing. Additionally, the judicial appointment process in Israel gives too much power to the existing judiciary (they apoint themselves!) making it feel more like a self-perpetuating elite than a balanced branch of government. Until all this changes, Israel's 'democracy' is a facade.
So glad people are beginning to realise this! Israel has become an Oligarchy instead of a Democracy, and given the current political situation it will be hard to reinstate the Democracy.
Everything you say is absolutely so, unfortunately.
May we merit to see the so-called High Court deposed, replaced by a just system, but without bringing on civil war, God forbid.
It's compicated. The Supreme Court has become the extreme left's ultimate tool. They know that if the court’s powers stay as is, it doesn’t matter who gets elected—left, right, or center—because the court can always override them. Notice how they went ballistic when the current government tried to reshape the court closer to the American model. They didn’t react that way to any election since election results aren’t the real threat to their control. Some claim the Hamas invasion was allowed by the leftist elite just to derail judicial reforms. While I don't believe that, it's not unimaginable for a regime about to lose power. Even civil war wouldn’t break their grip, given their near-monopoly over Israel's power and resources. At this point, it seems only a miracle can turn things around.
OK, let's daven for such a miracle, then!
We should also make a cheshbon hanesh and any necessary amends to increase our merits.