Zionism beyond Israel

I believe the question of what difference the distinction between Judaism and Zionism makes occupies the minds of many people. This was not even an issue that was dwelt upon before October 7, 2023. Of course, it has been spoken of and debated in certain circles. We can assume that those who follow the Palestinian cause seriously are familiar with such distinctions. The comments coming from our readers also show that those who find such a distinction unnecessary are in the majority. For this reason, the fact that a broader context—one that also includes the distinction between "Judaism" and "Zionism"—has begun to take shape in Türkiye after October 7, 2023, is, at least for me, a very important development. Because both the distinction between Judaism and Zionism and the broader context that includes these two concepts are much more meaningful and functional. What is truly important is that the broader context allows for the systematic analysis and interpretation of its various elements.

It is not easy to criticize those among our readers who find the distinction between "Judaism" and "Zionism" unnecessary. Because it is known that among Jews, those who want to overlap and identify Zionism with Judaism are in the majority. Those who observe Israel and Israelis can easily detect this situation. But we must also see that the matter is not simple. Today, especially in the UK, Germany, and to some extent France, it is the Zionists who want all criticism directed at Israel to be included in the category of antisemitism. These Zionists, who accuse those who react to Israel and Zionism of being antisemitic, are very widespread both among Jews and among Protestant Christians. The fact that the British and German states include all criticism directed at Israel in the category of antisemitism and treat it as a crime is enough to show that the distinction between Zionism and Judaism is in fact not an ordinary thing. It is not an ordinary event that the UK, Germany, France, and the US, by invoking anti-Jewish sentiment, neutralize all criticism directed at Israel. In this framework, after the sanctions decision by twelve countries, including the UK, regarding the settlers in the West Bank, the audacity of the British prime minister and foreign secretary to act as a shield for Israel in their speeches was striking. It is very clear that the countries we have listed are not willing to separate Zionism from Judaism.

We especially need to state to our readers that the country hiding behind "Judaism" is not limited to Israel. Today, this truth is much more obvious. The UK, Germany, France, and the US, along with Israel—which was built as a Zionist colony—hide behind the status of being "Jewish." The real element that brings these countries together with Israel is Zionism. Zionism is an ideology, and this ideology first emerged among Christians and developed as a colonial ideology. Zionism gathered supporters among Jews long after it did among Christians. As will immediately be noticed, regarding Zionism, Christianity ceases to be encompassing. It is known that this colonial ideology also gathered supporters among Catholic Christians, but the countries that gave rise to this ideology are Protestant. When it comes to Israel and Zionism, a different window must also be opened onto the Orthodox. Beyond these, lower subcategories may be much more important. The differences of Germany, the UK, and the US from the other Protestant Northern European countries must certainly be evaluated.

I can say that we need to have more information about Zionism. There is a need for new and detailed studies on the relationship between Christian Zionism and Jewish Zionism. These studies will also bring new concepts with them. In this way, we will have the opportunity to better analyze certain behaviors of the UK, Germany, and the US. Today in Türkiye, the mistaken convictions that Germany, the UK, and the US have submitted to Jewish power still persist. Even after October 7, 2023, the belief that Germany is "inferior" and "indebted" before Israel and the Jews was widely accepted. However, I believe that when Germany's complicity in genocide became understood, many people could not hide their astonishment. The whole world now knows that Germany is using the historical lands of Palestine as a laboratory to develop its war technologies.

Because the UK led a sanctions decision regarding the settlements in the West Bank, excessive interpretations were made about the relationship between the UK and Israel. Yet their prime minister and foreign secretaries say that the UK's decision concerns only the settlers in the West Bank and that it has no practical counterpart.