THIS article describes amongst other things correspondence between me and an Israeli Zionist in the two years leading up to October 7, 2023. I will refer to him as Michael although that isn’t his real name.
Michael told me in one of his first emails that he was not religious but that he was a Jew. This was just one of many inconsistencies in our correspondence. I pointed out to Michael that the word Jew described someone of the Jewish Faith. He agreed but said he was a secular Jew. He said he was not religious and that he didn’t follow the religion of Judaism or any other religion. I discovered when researching Zionism that one of its constructs was that you could be a Jew without in any way following the religion of Judaism.
That it was even possible to be an atheistic Jew. This suited the modern Zionists especially the founder of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, who had Jewish parents but was himself an atheist. Herzl refused his children the right to be brought up in the religion of Judaism. The Zionists have claimed since and before the Zionist-Nazi trading pact of 1933 (The Haavara Agreement) that being Jewish, unlike being Christian or Muslim, denotes that you are a race apart rather than a follower of a religion.
There is neither historical nor genetic evidence to substantiate this but Zionists have never let the truth get in the way of a good story, especially one which supports their right to have a Nation State in someone else’s country.
It is understandable that genuinely Jewish people, those who follow the religion of Judaism or who recognise that being Jewish is a religious not a racial classification, find such a Zionist construct objectionable.
I first made contact with Michael on a Zionist Forum. At the time, I had considered writing a book about Zionists. I wanted to understand the Zionist mindset, so I posted a few things mentioning that I had an open mind about Zionism (the truth) and that I was an English Muslim living in Oman.
This peaked Michael’s interest. A Muslim writing on a Zionist Forum living in Oman and seeking information about Zionism with an open mind was rare.
I think Michael considered me ripe for conversion to his Zionist ideology. Therefore, we agreed to correspond by email. All of Michael’s emails had attachments containing a long list of biblical, historical, and archaeological texts to prove that Zionists had a right to occupy Palestine and that it was their promised land.
At first, I researched these assiduously. I also examined research papers of Jewish academics from prestigious Israeli universities. I am perhaps open to criticism here for using Jewish academics who were known to be inimical to Zionism.
In my defence, I found it difficult to find evidence from any Zionist academic who did not peddle the same falsehoods and Zionist revisionist history I was receiving in Michael’s emails. Whenever possible I cross-checked his evidence. Hardly anything Michael sent me could be substantiated by facts.
Michael appeared unable or unwilling to distinguish between belief and knowledge. Between objectively provable knowledge of the kind arrived at by archaeologists from studying human history, prehistory, and the excavation of sites containing physical remains, and beliefs that often depend on one’s personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and even one’s family connections.
There is of course nothing wrong in having a religious belief but you cannot be taken seriously if you use religious beliefs of the kind laid down in the Bible as though they are interchangeable with objective knowledge produced by academics such as historians, archaeologists, and scientists. Especially if, like my erstwhile Zionist pen pal, you have no religious belief.
When the Palestinian Hamas Freedom Fighters entered their land and committed, it has to be agreed, serious and indefensible atrocities against civilians, my relationship with Michael quickly deteriorated. By then, despite his unwavering belief in Zionist myths to justify the occupation of The State of Palestine, I had developed a genuine affection for Michael. He, like so many Jews, had been indoctrinated since birth. He was not unintelligent and must have known that his so-called evidence to justify the occupation of Palestine could not be substantiated. He also knew, I think, that Israel was living on borrowed time.
I only received two more emails from Michael. The first was in response to my expressing a genuine concern for him and his family and in which I suggested they should consider leaving Israel before it was too late. His response had a less-than-friendly tone.
He wrote that he would defend his country to the last even if this meant using a kitchen knife. In my second email, I was open and frank. I pointed out that his evidence and justifications were not based on verifiable facts. That they were Zionist myths.
Michael’s response was immediate and uncompromising. He accused me of being a Jew-hater and he regretted ever corresponding with me. This response was not unexpected but it saddened me. Despite our many differences, I had come to like Michael. I saw Michael as much the victim as the culprit. Had he been born into a Jewish family without being subjected to the Zionist manipulation, half-truths and outright lies his life and the lives of his grandchildren would not now be in danger. His insult that I was a Jew-hater is the typical Zionist response to anyone who criticises Israel or Zionists. I am not a Jew-hater. However, I would not argue with anyone who replaced Jew with Zionist and described me thus.
There is a Hebrew word 'Hasbara,' which means literally 'explanation.'
In Israel, the word describes a method of continuing to convince international Jews and Israelis that the Zionist myths have a foundation. It’s a hard sell and fewer and fewer people are buying it.
Karim Easterbrook
The writer is a Former School Principal from Cambridge
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