While I grew up aware of inherent racism in human nature—particularly racial and ethnic discrimination arising from historical interracial tensions—this issue became salient for me in my homeland of New Zealand in 1981.
Triggered by the South African rugby team’s tour, the largest civil protests in three decades included 150,000 people across 200 events over 56 days protesting South Africa’s apartheid policies. Although largely peaceful, civil unrest and national tension ensued. Galvanized by the injustice of apartheid (“apartness” in Afrikaans), the world united to advocate for change regarding racial segregation in South Africa.
UN resolution 3379, which equated Zionism with racism, was adopted on November 10, 1975, and gained support partly due to South Africa’s apartheid regime. Despite being revoked in 1991, this resolution is still referenced by those who oppose Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Chaim Herzog pointed out the resolution’s ironic timing, which coincided with the 37th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
Continuous calls for the nation’s destruction by groups like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, who support the Palestinians, have exacerbated divisions, leading to ongoing violence and terror directed at Israel.
Israel continues to face accusations of occupation and racism, with critics alleging apartheid against Palestinians and labeling Zionism as a racist ideology. In U.S. universities, Palestinian protesters harass students and question whether they are Zionists. They view Zionism as “a very violent, genocidal political ideology that is actively endangering people in Gaza.” Amnesty International persistently accuses Israel of apartheid, claiming, “Israel imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians across all areas under its control: in Israel and the OPT, and against Palestinian refugees, in order to benefit Jewish Israelis.” So, is Zionism racist?
Historical Origins
Zionism is often cited as “the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, which holds that Jews, like any other nation, are entitled to a homeland.” The Anti-Defamation League describes Zionism as “the movement for the self-determination and statehood of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel.”
Regarded as the father of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl fought for the Jewish Diaspora’s return to its homeland, which became reality in 1947 when the UN, led by the U.S. (Resolution 181), voted for the partition of Palestine that would provide for Arabs and Jewish people. The Arabs soundly rejected the resolution and declared war with Israel following Israel’s declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.
The establishment of a Jewish state opened the door for thousands of Jewish people, mostly Holocaust survivors, to come to the land they had only known by name. Over the past 77 years, millions have immigrated to Israel, primarily under Israel’s Law of Return, which allows the Jewish people to make Israel their home.
Many other countries also have this type of law; it is not exclusive to Israel. For example, the strict citizenship laws based on parentage in many Arab states, like Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, make naturalization almost impossible. Some nations ease naturalization for foreign Arabs, but Palestinians are often excluded. Conversely, Jordan’s own 1954 “law of return” granted citizenship to former Palestinian residents, except for Jewish and Gazan individuals. Unique to Israel, however, are the inhumane events of the Holocaust—the genocide of 6 million Jewish people, which helped cement the law at Israel’s formation.
Democratic Aspects
Journalist and author Alan Dershowitz explains, “[Israel] is the most ethnically, religiously and racially diverse and democratic entity in the Middle East. Arab and Muslim citizens vote, have political parties, hold high office and, with a few exceptions, have equal rights as their Jewish compatriots.”1
While Israel’s democratic system, like all, falls short of a divinely ideal political structure, it has fostered peace, prosperity, and stability for multiple generations. Despite its imperfections, Israeli democracy has successfully accommodated a wide range of ethnic, cultural, and religious differences compared to many other nations.
Biblical Basis
The name Zion appears 163 times in the Bible. It resonates in the hearts of Jewish people, as reflected in the exile to Babylon in the 6th century BC. Psalm 137 is synonymous with the Jewish people’s plight as they were extricated from the land of Israel and exiled: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion” (v. 1).
Christian interpretations of Zionism often center on biblical prophecies concerning the restoration of Israel in the end-times. These prophecies teach that the Jewish people, dispersed globally due to disobedience, will be divinely regathered to their ancestral lands based on God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The ongoing return of Jewish people to Israel is a miraculous fulfillment of these prophecies through divine intervention using human agency.
The Bible contains God’s instructions to the ancient Israelites regarding the treatment of foreigners. These include Leviticus 19:34, which commands treating foreigners as oneself; Deuteronomy 10:19, which urges showing love for foreigners; Deuteronomy 14:29, which promises blessings for caring for foreigners, widows, and orphans; and Jeremiah 7:6 and Ezekiel 22:7, which prohibit oppressing foreigners.
Humanitarian Principles
Israel’s commitment to humanitarian principles extends to treating wounded enemies and providing medical care to all within its borders, regardless of background. This dedication to the well-being of both its citizens and adversaries underscores a commitment to ethical conduct, even amidst conflict.
Interestingly, years before October 7, 2023, Israeli doctors treated Yahya Sinwar, who later became the architect of Hamas’s massacre. In 2004, an Israeli doctor saved Sinwar’s life by removing his brain tumor while he was imprisoned. Sinwar reportedly thanked the doctor and promised to repay this debt upon his release in 2011. In return, he orchestrated the October 7 attack, which resulted in more than 1,200 deaths and thousands of injuries. Tragically, the Israeli doctor’s nephew was among those killed. He died in Gaza after being abducted, following an attempt to fight off five terrorists.
Israel’s Right to Its Homeland
While Israelis and Palestinians may harbor deep-seated grievances against one another, Arab leadership historically has refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. Continuous calls for the nation’s destruction by groups like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, who support the Palestinians, have exacerbated divisions, leading to ongoing violence and terror directed at Israel.
The Jewish people have a legal, historical, and, most importantly, biblical claim to the land of Israel as their national homeland.
Islamic hatred towards Israel and Jewish people worldwide forces them to consistently defend themselves. Besieged by lawless neighbors, Israel requires strong security and deterrents, sometimes including military presence in Palestinian territories to halt weapon flows from Jordan and border restrictions around Gaza to prevent illegal arms acquisitions after its disengagement. The October 7, 2023, attacks proved the extent of Israel’s enemies’ intentions. Since Israel ceded Gaza in 2005, Hamas, funded by Iran and Qatar, transformed it into a terror base with an extensive tunnel network beneath civilian infrastructure, used for smuggling and launching thousands of rockets at Israel. These necessary security measures sadly are often mislabeled as illegal occupation and apartheid.
Zionism is not racist. The Jewish people have a legal, historical, and, most importantly, biblical claim to the land of Israel as their national homeland. Furthermore, Israel’s democratic framework includes Arab citizens and other ethnic groups in societal and political aspects. Israel not only provides for its own but extends care even to foreign enemies. As with any sovereign nation, Israel possesses the right to protect its borders and citizens from every existential threat, something in which, through God’s blessing, it has excelled.
Endnote
1 Alan Dershowitz, The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies: And How to Refute Them With Truth (New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2024), 37.
Photo Credit: Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/SIP/Newscom
About the Author
