Algerian intellectual labels Israel a 'product of Western colonialism'

By Halil Ibrahim Medet

ISTANBUL (AA) — Algerian intellectual Abderrazak Makri described Israel as a historical product of Western colonialism, asserting that the state's formation was deeply rooted in the legacy of Western powers.

Makri, who also serves as the secretary-general of the Kuala Lumpur Forum for Thought and Civilization, spoke to Anadolu about the role that the values upon which Western civilization was founded and its colonial experience play the genocide in Gaza Strip.

He said Western civilization was built on colonialism, oppression, aggression, and the violation of people's rights.

"The state of Israel is a historical product of Western colonialism, and the similarities between them are not based on imitation but are fundamentally organic. The US was founded on the extermination and replacement of indigenous peoples. This is what the Zionists desire," he said.

Underlining that Israel has not accepted a two-state solution with Palestinians or a single state model where Muslims, Christians, and Jews live together, which has resurfaced following Oct.7, Makri said, "They want to deport some Palestinians to Sinai and Jordan, exterminate some, and force the remaining minority to renounce their culture, land, and rights."

Makri argued that despite the destruction, oppression, and humanitarian tragedy caused by Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, the resistance that Palestinians have mounted in the enclave, as well as the surprise cross-border attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, have shifted the overall trend in the civilizational perspective in favor of the global Islamic community, or ummah.

He further said that in addition to halting the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations, Israel suffered deepening losses in terms of territory, population, and external support.

- Western colonialism portrays murderer as victim

Makri said Western civilization secured its rise by exterminating the peoples of other civilizations, destroying cultures, and alienating peoples from their civilizations.

"After the discovery of the Americas and Australia in the 15th century, criminals who committed mass genocide in these regions were brought in. Ancient civilizations like the Inca, Aztec, and Maya were crushed," he said.

Over time, he elaborated, colonized countries adopted European languages and many converted to Christianity, while indigenous cultures were reduced to folklore. Makri said that even today, peoples who were colonized are still faced with issues such as disease and addiction and live as second-class citizens in concentration camps.

He highlighted rights violations such as the abduction of Africans and their enslavement in America, severing them from their roots, noting that what Europeans did in the Americas was repeated in the countries they colonized in Africa and Asia.

"During French colonialism in Algeria, nearly 7 million Algerians were massacred between 1830 and 1962. This corresponds to almost half the population, according to Algeria's official statistics and French archives.

"Despite these horrific crimes, Western colonialism, Spanish, Portuguese, French, British, Italian, and German, and now American and Zionist colonialism, portrays the victim as the murderer, savage, and barbaric. Films, media, and Western history books perpetuate this manipulation," he said.

"The mindset of Western barbarism has evolved into a philosophy and academic doctrine in politics and international relations under the name 'realism.' This doctrine is based on racism, selfishness, chaos, oppression, and power," added Makri.

He emphasized that Western colonialism is driven by interests and that the Middle East is extremely important in terms of resources and geostrategic position. Makri explained that to maintain control over this region, the West sometimes uses proxy governments, and at other times, as in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, resorts to direct military intervention.

Underscoring the religious dimensions of the Old and New Testaments, he said the the convergence of Christian Protestantism and Jewish Talmudic belief in particular have turned the conflict between the Arab-Islamic world and Jewish-Christian civilization into an existential struggle in Palestine.

It was unrealistic to expect the West to establish relations with the Islamic world based on mutual interests, international cooperation, mutual respect, and inter-civilizational dialogue, Makri said.

- West established Israel to keep region backward, fragmented

Asserting that the Islamic world will play a key role in shaping the global geopolitical and geo-economic future in this century, he societies struggling with material capitalism and moral decay are thus uneasy about the Muslim world.

Makri argued that Israel's existence in these lands is meant to prevent the Islamic world from breaking free from its chains and liberating the world from Western oppression.

He stated that Western colonialism established Israel as an advanced outpost in the heart of the Islamic ummah, designing it as a military base serving colonial interests and striving to preserve its superiority in all aspects.

Makri explained that colonial powers use Israel as a tool to divide the Islamic world and create internal conflicts and disputes to ensure the continuation of the historical conflict between the West and the East.

He warned that as long as "Zionist occupation" persists in Palestine, no Muslim state will find peace, and Muslims will not be able to find a way to revive their unity and civilization.

Makri concluded that Israel is a functional state that prevents the region from achieving independence and civilizational freedom and that as long as its occupation exists, the world will not be free from the oppression, corruption, and deviations of Western capitalism.

He said the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, dubbed "Al-Aqsa Flood," has raised "unprecedented awareness, even in the Western world, of the danger of the Zionist entity to the world.

"Now, students at the most prestigious American and Western universities are demanding the end of Israel for the sake of their countries and the peoples of the world. Israel was presented as an ideal model of Western civilization and values, and it was claimed that the absolute support for Israel was to defend Western civilization and interests."

According to him, Al-Aqsa Flood "shattered the image that took years and vast sums of money to build. The world has seen the barbarity, extreme brutality, and disregard for human rights and international law by the Israelis. The world has realized that what is happening in Gaza is a second Nakba and is no different from the genocide committed against Jews by the German Nazis.

"Large masses of people and many governments have recognized that the state of Israel is a threat to world peace and security and that a solution cannot be achieved for world peace and security without ensuring Palestinian rights."

* Writing by Seda Sevencan