The Zionist mentality and the theology of extermination

Author's name: Qutaiba Qasmedar Publisher: Tabaq for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2023 Literary classification: Intellectual study Book overview: The book (The Zionist Mentality and the Theology of Extermination) presents a set of four objective studies that extensively address the Zionist movement based on its moral, doctrinal, historical, and military ideology, in its conflict as an aggressive party in the Palestinian issue. These studies primarily aim to refute the Zionist narrative and establish a genuine Palestinian story that proves the historical right of the landowners. Through these studies, the researcher aims to uncover the root causes that pushed a people oppressed under Nazism—imprisonment, torture, burning, and killing—to practice the same criminal approach on the Palestinian people immediately after its occupation, especially with the increasing severity of "fascist, barbaric, and racist tendencies." Those involved in the crimes have even become a subject of questioning by some Israeli officials, leading some researchers to label them as "the new Nazis in Israel." Regarding this extremism, the Palestinian politician (Isa Qaraqe) comments in his introduction to this book: "It is no surprise that the extremist religious Zionism rose to power in Israel's 2023 elections, under the slogan (Death to Arabs)." This research group features the Palestinian prisoner from South Nablus (Qutaiba Muslim), who is currently fifty-five years old and has been in the occupation prisons for more than two decades. According to the information network, his prison sentences amount to thirty-seven years, with a total of thirty arrests, the first of which dates back to his childhood. This did not weaken his resolve or prevent him from completing his education while in prison, earning a master's degree, in addition to his literary publications besides this book. This demonstrates his spirit of determination and free will in his struggle through knowledge and words, even behind bars! According to the book, the researcher relied on the available library tools in the prison, despite the difficulty of obtaining them, especially considering what he had previously read from books and references as part of his research. In this review of the book (published by Dar Tabaq for Publishing and Distribution), the main outlines of each study will be presented, which are as follows: First: The Zionist mentality and the theology of extermination. Second: The role of the communist current in confronting the colonial Zionist project. Third: Bedouins: the conflict of place and ideology. Fourth: The Zionist view of the Arab Palestinians. The book's cover features the publishing house's vision: "We create a book that shines with a promising future." This study addresses the Israeli army in terms of its moral conduct, primarily represented by crimes of ethnic cleansing, massacres, genocide, and mass killing, mainly derived from biblical texts, in addition to its claimed adherence to democratic principles, especially concerning human rights. The study is divided into three chapters, each branching into several discussions. The first chapter (The army between origin and challenges) discusses the army's formation, the factors that contributed to its creation both internally and externally, and the extent to which it is maintained free from party interference, balancing the foundations of alleged security and democracy against international laws. The second chapter (The army between religious heritage and Zionist ideology) examines how the army relies on doctrinal heritage on one side and Zionist thought on the other, to create an elitist and racist personality type that believes in killing as the only language in dealing with others, making the shedding of the Palestinian individual's blood a moral act. The third chapter (The status of the military institution) discusses how this status is considered sacred by most Zionists, from both the right and the left, despite voices rejecting the methods of mass killing practiced, which could shake public opinion and thus affect the unity of the army, contrary to what has been prepared for it. The researcher states in the section (Obedience to God: Embodying Racism) that killing is a fixed core value in Zionism, both religiously and ideologically, after reviewing some of the sacred texts: "And Israel, which carries out these commandments through Zionist ideology, always tends toward militarization and killing, the tendency of fanaticism, barbarism, and claiming the purity of arms, and creating a military tendency among all citizens, based on the view that war is a permanent factor and a constant component of human life, and that peace is merely a preparatory truce for it."