Jakarta, NOT Online
Long before they controlled land in Palestine, Jews were hated. It’s very popular to hate it. For example, during the time of Adolf Hitler, many Jews were murdered (such as the Holocaust), so they were scattered to various countries. There are those to Greece, France, England, Russia, Europe in general, and so on. Because they were scattered, they wanted to unite and have their own country.
This is how Muslim scholar Prof. Muhammad Quraish Shihab began his presentation discussing the history of the Jewish occupation of Palestine on his YouTube account Bayt Al-Qur’an quoted NO Online, Saturday (18/11/2023).
In World War I (1914-1918), there was a war between Britain, America and their allies, against the Ottoman Empire. At that time, the British Foreign Minister promised that he would give the Jews a country, so that they would build this country, and the Jews who were scattered everywhere would unite there.
Three places were proposed, some said four places. The first is Argentina, the second is Uganda, the third is Palestine. Some say also South Africa. The Jews chose Palestine. Then they look for religious excuses. It is found in the Old Testament that ‘God promised the Jews the land of their ancestors: Palestine,’ where the Prophet Solomon and the Prophet David once ruled.
But, continued Prof Quraish, if we read the Old Testament, then we find God’s promise to Prophet Abraham, that ‘your descendants will be promised a land in Al-Ardlil Muqaddasah, the Holy Land.’
“If we really say that is a promise to Prophet Ibrahim and his descendants, then the Arabs also have rights there. Yes, right?” asked Prof. Quraish.
However, they did not want to recognize Arabs as children of the Prophet Abraham. This happened because Prophet Ibrahim married a slave woman. According to them, offspring are not determined by the father, but by the mother. His mother was a slave, meaning she was not the child of Prophet Ibrahim.
“That’s their reason. But if we don’t, it should be the son of the Prophet Ibrahim, no matter what,” added the cleric who was born on February 16 1944.
In World War I, he continued, the British-Allies won against the Ottoman Empire. According to Prof. Quraish, this has given rise to the ambitions of Islamic and Arab countries. Jordan has extensive land ambitions. Egypt has the ambition to lead Islamic countries.
However, continued Prof. Quraish, the British promise gave the message that they must live side by side, between Arabs and Jews. But then it was chaotic, because England left Palestine, and let the two of them fight until war.
Prof. Quraish continued, the Arabs lost the war and were expelled from Palestine in 1948. In fact, said Prof. Quraish, at that time the majority of the Palestinian population was Arab, where Jews only made up around 5 percent of the population. At that time there was no Israel. “Now Israel’s population is around 10 million, but it is strong because they are helped by America and England,” explained Prof. Quraish.
Then Prof. Quraish said, when in 1973 the October war, the Ramadan war in Egypt, occurred, Israel’s defenses had been destroyed. Then the leader of the Egyptian Army said, “This is an opportunity, we attack, we control Jerusalem.” However, Anwar Sadat didn’t want to, “Don’t!” Why you do not want? “I can’t face the United States.”
“So there is something behind him that makes him strong, not his Israel, not his Jews, the 10 million. Now everyone is doubting, right?” he asked.
On that occasion, Prof. Quraish said that not all Jews were evil. The Jewish people today, broadly speaking, are divided or can be divided into two, some good, some bad.
“The bad thing is called the Zionists, that’s who is in power now. In Israel there are Jews who condemn it, in America there are protests from Jews who disagree, this is against humanity, this is the time when little children are killed, the time the hospital was bombed. So the humanitarian drive is there, there is something like that. The bad ones are Zionists, those in power now in Israel are Zionists, this is shuhyun, shuhyuniyin, we are facing them,” he explained.
Israel tak mau two-state solution
Prof. Quraish explained that there are many organizations in Palestine. In 1964 there were organizations gathered into what was called the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. The PLO is ready to make peace and agree to the UN decision, there are two countries, there is Israel and there is Palestine. “Israel doesn’t want to, instead he keeps wanting to take it. He took the Golan heights, right?” he said.
There is another Palestinian organization that does not want to join the PLO, namely Hamas. “Hamas is influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the war now. If the PLO is a bit soft because it wants to make peace in a two-state solution, then Israel doesn’t want to, and even has aspirations of controlling all of Arabia,” said Prof. Quraish.
When the UN proposed two countries and peace, Hamas didn’t want to. Hamas said, “I don’t want two countries, if I have a family I will be expelled, where will I go?” said Prof Quraish, imitating. Then Israel said, “Never mind, the Palestinians just live in Arab countries.”
“Yesterday, when they occupied Gaza, Israel said, ‘Come on, evacuate to Egypt, to Rafah.’ “Egypt refused, didn’t want to. Why? Because if he accepts the Palestinians, they will become refugees, the more happy Israel will be. No one will bother him. That’s the problem,” concluded Prof. Quraish.
2023-11-18 18:56:16
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