The war in Gaza and the “sinat chinam” in Israel itself, when the elite openly turned against its own people, made me remember an interview I conducted almost 20 years ago, in the now distant year of 2007. My interlocutor was the historian Asher Eder from Jerusalem. He was not a so famous, he was not invited to prestigious world conferences, forums, TV studios; he had no titles or positions. But I think he could give them all a head start in erudition.
His story was amazing: an ethnic German, a former member of the Hitler Youth, who dreamed of flying a Messerschmitt, he, having learned about the crimes of his people, converted to Judaism and moved to Jerusalem. A Torah scholar and Jewish site guide, he carefully studied Islamic texts, rightly believing that the path to peace lay only through the Islamic clergy's acceptance of the special role and purpose of the people of Israel. Modest, but unusually disciplined and persistent, he was engaged in the spreading of suras of the Quran, which contained positive and even laudatory reviews of the Jews; where the Jewish state in the future was predicted and blessed. He also co-founded and co-chaired the Islam-Israel Fellowship, which, unfortunately, did not receive support from politicians either in the West or in Israel.
Eder said things that were obvious, but still not understood by either the Western or Israeli elite. “The path to true peace lies through the sacred texts of Islam. Islam is the soul of Arab society. Muslims do not separate religion from politics, worldview, or everyday life. Israel will be a 'cursed state' of 'evil creatures', 'poisonous insects', 'dogs of hell and 'the offspring of Satan' in the eyes of Arabs until the Muslim clergy blesses it and sanctions its right to exist. If this does not happen, any negotiations are meaningless. We are dealing with a total jihad, the ultimate goal of which is the destruction of Israel by any means: force, deception, through decomposition from within.”
That's one side of the coin, he continued. But there's another problem: the Jews themselves. The Arabs are watching what's happening in Israel very closely. They see Israel's moral decline, discord, strife, and this only confirms their conviction that the Jewish state is bound to collapse. From the point of view of Islamic theology, a Jew can only be respected if he observes his own religious commandments. Democracy for the Arabs is synonymous with licentiousness and immorality. A Jew who doesn't observe the Torah is, in their view, not a Jew at all. And so, the claims of such a Jew to this land are completely meaningless.
“The paradox is that left and so-called liberals calling for 'peace now' only legitimize jihad. For they, these liberals, from Arabic point of view, renounce both their land and their Jewishness. This is an approach that our enlightened elite is unable to understand, and this is their tragedy and ours,” Asher said.
In Israel's internal corruption, weakness and compliance they see in this the will of Allah.
And here we come to the main aspect of problem, mentioned by Asher: The “will of Allah”. Muslims firmly believe that “everything is the will of Allah”: in affairs, in wealth, in luck, in tribal disputes, and, of course, in peace and in war. In such specific vision of the world there is no place for chance or rational interpretation, and this is a fundamental point.
Allah demonstrates his will always and in everything. It was the will of Allah that Israel was divided and engulfed in turmoil on the eve of October 7. It was the will of Allah that Israel was caught unawares, unarmed and disorganized. It is the will of Allah that the West supports “Free Palestine”.
God-fearing and uncritical thinking in Islam establishes a direct connection between the outcome of wars and the will of Allah. In particular, the unspoken Muslim tradition dictates that if Muslims suffer successive crushing defeats from their enemy or enemies, this should be interpreted as Allah's displeasure with the faithful - asserted Asher. And in this case, one should abandon armed jihad for an indefinite, long period.
As I know, the history of Arab conquests confirmed this. At the dawn of Islam, conquest was accomplished by rapid invasion and defeat of the enemy. When several attempts failed, the Arab armies retreated and did not return, as happened in France and India, although the previously captured by them land (a sacred concept in the Arab collective mentality) remained in the hands of their enemies. For such was the will of Allah.
The outcome of the current war in Gaza could be fateful. If Hamas returns to power, it will be interpreted as Allah's favor, opening the door to new victories. If Hamas is completely defeated, it will be another defeat for the Arabs after the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, and thus will be evidence of the consistent will of Allah.
If Israel leaves Gaza entirely to the Arabs, this will be interpreted as Allah's will for Gaza to remain a "Ribat" - a springboard for an offensive against the "infidels." If part of Gaza will be returned to Israeli control and Jewish settlements will be revived there, this will be perceived as Allah's displeasure with the jihad.
If Israel renounces its own roots in the name of “liberal values”, this will be interpreted as the will of Allah, seeking to destroy it. If it becomes a state that honors the laws of the Torah and its own prophets, faithful to the biblical commandments, this will be interpreted as recognition of it by Allah.
Ironically, the will of Allah is today in the hands of the Jewish people of Israel itself.