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The Jews Are Not Colonizers in the Land of Israel
The Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
A friend recently forwarded a podcast, Environmentalists Against War, by the economist Jeffrey Sachs. While mainly about global geopolitics, Sachs also touches on the Middle East. He questions the Jewish connection to the Holy Land by pointing out that before the start of the modern Zionist movement in the late 1800s, Jews constituted only five percent of the population of Ottoman Palestine.
It occurred to me that today, Canada’s indigenous people, the First Nations, also represent about five percent of Canada’s total population (42 million). Yet, despite the small percentage of their numbers, nobody disputes their indigeneity and their connection to the land.
Why are the First Nations numbers low in relation to the total population of Canada? Well, after centuries of mistreatment by European colonialists, including genocidal conflict, outbreaks of European-introduced infectious diseases, policies of forced assimilation (for example, residential schools), and large-scale immigration from Europe and beyond, the wonder is that they and their culture and traditions still exist. Indeed, some, such as the Beothuk of Eastern Canada, no longer do.
I recently learned a new word: self-abnegation, which is, “The denial of one’s own interests in favour of the interests of others” (Collins English Dictionary). The comment by Sachs is a good example.
A prime instance in my mind would be a 2017 Haaretz article about Mark Twain’s 1869 book, The Innocents Abroad. The book describes a voyage that Twain (Samuel Clemens) took to Europe and the Levant in 1867, aboard the ship Quaker City.
The Haaretz author, Moshe Gilad, questions Twain’s description of the desolation and unpeopled nature of Palestine, “a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land.” Heaven forbid that Twain’s description should provide support for the Zionist agenda by suggesting that Palestine was empty and desolate.
Gilad explains that Twain’s visit to the Holy Land coincided with a period of serious economic difficulty. Many residents were riding it out in neighboring countries such as Egypt. That is why, he said, it appeared to be so unpeopled. (The Palestinian site Palestine Remembered makes a similar argument in pointing out that Twain’s visit took place during a hot Mediterranean summer.)
What about the experiences of the Jews of the Holy Land in the mid-1800s? Most of them lived in urban centers: Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberius. Why were their numbers low?
In 1834, Jews represented half of the inhabitants of the town of Safed (Tzfat) in Galilee. That same year however, the land that is now Israel was caught between Egyptian and Ottoman rivalries — and local Arabs took it out on the Jews of Hebron and Safed.
The situation in Safed was particularly dire. Safed’s Jews experienced a month-long pogrom of looting, raping, and killing by local Arabs. Five hundred Jewish inhabitants were killed. (A second and equally devastating pogrom befell the Jewish community of Safed in 1838, this one instigated by Druze rebels.)
In 1837, a severe earthquake, with an epicenter near Safed, and felt strongly from Beirut to Jerusalem, destroyed the entire Jewish Quarter of Safed and many Jewish homes in Tiberius, killing and injuring many thousands. This was not only a Jewish calamity, but the effect on the Jewish community was especially devastating because Jewish areas were the quake’s primary foci.
Can it get worse? Yes. Cholera epidemics plagued the Holy land throughout the 1800s but especially after 1831, when steamships made it easier for Muslim pilgrims to travel back and forth to Mecca. While the disease affected all the inhabitants in the land, the densely populated urban Jewish centers were very vulnerable. Fear of cholera was a primary reason for building housing units beyond Jerusalem’s city walls during the 1860s.
The Jews in Palestine of the 19th century did not have to deal with the nightmare of residential schools, as did the First Nations of Canada. (Jews in Russia and Yemen did.) But they did face Ottoman immigration restrictions and this meant that the majority were elderly and not gainfully employed. Their impoverishment made them susceptible to the missionizing efforts of a variety of Protestant organizations, such as the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews.
So yes, Jewish population numbers were low in the Land of Israel during the mid-1800s. But there were extenuating circumstances. In the final analysis, the Jewish people never abandoned the Land of Israel, neither physically nor spiritually. They are not colonial settlers. They are indigenous. In 1939, Martin Buber wrote a letter to Mahatma Gandhi contesting Gandhi’s view that Palestine belongs to the Arabs. Buber said “By what means did the Arabs attain ownership in Palestine? Surely by conquest and, in fact, a conquest by settlement.” Who are the colonialists?
Jacob Sivak, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a retired professor, University of Waterloo.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action
Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.