Zionist Israel is waging a proxy war on behalf of the United Kingdom

In this column, I'll try to show that Germany’s support for Israel isn’t directly tied to its historical guilt over the Holocaust committed against Central European Jews during World War II. It’s well known that the ideology of Zionism—aimed at establishing a new homeland for Jews on the Eastern Mediterranean coast—didn’t face resistance from Central European nations. In fact, Germanic and Slavic peoples of Central Europe played an active role in the founding of Zionist Israel. Like the Germans, British, and French, Czechoslovakia also supplied Zionist militias with weapons during the conflict with Palestinians. Arms shipments from the Czechs and Slovaks were particularly crucial in the early stages of Israel’s establishment.

This support can’t simply be explained as an effort to “offload” Jewish populations. There was a larger vision at play: building a new Europe in Palestine. This, too, was an extension of 19th-century colonial expansion. Previously, European nations had taken part in the colonization of the Americas. Now, as before, it was the British who led the charge—this time in the effort to create a European outpost in Palestine. This historical context gives weight to a striking statement made by UK Conservative Party Chair Kemi Badenoch: “Israel is waging a proxy war in Palestine on behalf of Britain.”

Few likely expected Badenoch to speak so plainly. One would have anticipated at least a token gesture of concern from the UK in the face of Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza—now surpassing 600 days—and its campaign of blockade, displacement, dispossession, and starvation. British policy is often praised for being shrewd and self-interested, so this active participation in open Zionist brutality may come as a surprise. But our expectations have failed us.

Britain has stood firmly with Zionist Israel—not only since October 7, 2023, but throughout the decades-long blockade. After October 7, the UK ramped up arms shipments to Israel. In addition, the British have offered their military bases in southern Cyprus to the Americans and have used these bases to provide logistical support to Israel.

As Middle East Eye journalist Jonathan Cook observed, Britain and other Western powers aren’t just backing Israel against Hamas—they’re directly participating in and shaping this war. To them, Israel’s genocidal campaign is central to their national interests. At first, they used Hamas as a pretext. But recent events have rendered that excuse hollow. Targeting civilians as they scramble for flour after days of starvation is indefensible by any standard. The UK’s decision to reject rulings from the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice reflects this deeply immoral stance. No matter the cost, these powers want to ensure they have a stake in Israel’s expansionist colonial aggression.

It’s also telling that accusations of “terrorism” against Palestinian groups are losing traction. Globally, more and more people who support the Palestinian cause are beginning to interpret Western violence—especially from the UK and its allies—through the lens of colonial expansion.

Kemi Badenoch’s statement that “Israel is fighting a proxy war for Britain in Palestine” doesn’t carry a tone of condemnation. Nor would anyone expect such criticism from the Conservative Party. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party have also embraced the same stance. In this light, it’s entirely reasonable to interpret British and German support for Zionist Israel as expressions of each country’s deep-state logic. And in Britain’s case, it’s not surprising that this support might ultimately trace back to the monarchy.

This reality doesn’t align with widely held views in Türkiye, where many still rely on interpretations shaped by Jewish theology. For some reason, the image of Britain as a racist, genocidal actor seems to hit a wall of preconceptions. Some nationalist and conservative circles even downplay Britain and Germany’s role in this genocide, preferring instead to fixate on Türkiye itself. That Western-oriented liberals do this is no surprise—but that nationalist and conservative voices are adopting the same attitude is more significant.

Yet Britain was the imperial force that conceived and built settler-colonial Israel from the very beginning. Zionism itself was nurtured and developed under British guidance.

We’re used to thinking of proxy wars in various geopolitical contexts. But in our region, the most critical proxy war is the one being waged through Israel.