Pan-Semitism

Pan-Semitism is a pan-nationalist ideology that espouses the unification of Semitic-speaking peoples. Although most Pan-Semitic efforts have been between Arabs and Jews, they can also include Syriac Christians (Assyrians, Chaldeans, Arameans, Syriacs), Habeshas, Samaritans, Mandaeans, and Maltese people.

History

Pan-Semitism was formed as an idealistic movement which advocated for a union between Arabs and Jews, with Semitic identity being the unifying factor. During the 1920s, Pan-Semitic ideologues further developed Pan-Semitism as a solution for the Arab-Jewish tensions in Mandatory Palestine. They also cited historic events, such as the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain being under Al-Andalus. Different variations of Pan-Semitism also emerged. ^[1] Pan-Semitism was unpopular among both Arabs and Jews and eventually declined. ^[2] Some continued to espouse Pan-Semitism even after its decline. ^[3]

Pan-Semitism also saw Islam and Judaism as closely related religions which could coexist even without secularism, and hailed Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad as examples of Semitic religious glory. ^[4]

The united Semitic state proposed by Uri Avnery included Arab, Jewish, Samaritan, Assyrian, and Mandaean regions throughout the Middle East. ^{[5] [6]}

The Brit Shalom organisation espoused Pan-Semitism. Brit Shalom had Anti-Western views and saw Pan-Semitism as a way for Jews and Arabs to reintegrate in the land which was historically significant for both communities. ^[7] Many Jews who advocated for Pan-Semitism also sought to reverse the Westernisation of Jews and reintegrate to their historic Semitic lifestyle which was Oriental. ^[8]

Despite the conflict between Arabists and some Zionists, the relations between Arabs and Jews living in rural lands were cordial. Community leaders from both sides were close together. Many Arabs and Jews were even motivated by their personal friendships to embrace Pan-Semitism. A 1930 commission report stated that Arab-Jewish coexistence was very common in rural villages. ^[9]

Pan-Semitism was not the same as bi-nationalism. Bi-nationalism was broader and advocated for an Arab-Jewish one-state solution. While Pan-Semitism also advocated for a one-state solution, it advocated for a Semitic state rather than an Arab or Jewish state. Not all bi-nationalists were Pan-Semitists. ^[10] Bi-nationalism was not motivated by Pan-Semitism. ^[11]

References

1. Shavit, Jacob (April 23, 1987). The New Hebrew Nation: A Study in Israeli Heresy and Fantasy (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 141–143. ISBN   978-0714633022.
2. Dowty, Alan (June 1, 2001). The Jewish State: A Century Later, Updated With a New Preface (1st ed.). University of California Press. p. 48. ISBN   9780520229112.
3. Peace, Culture, and Violence, 2018, pp. 121, ISBN   9789004361911
4. Making History Jewish: The Dialectics of Jewish History in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Studies in Honor of Professor Israel Bartal, 2020, pp. 218-219, ISBN   9789004431973
5. Diamond, James S. (March–April 1990). "We Are Not One: A Post-Zionist Perspective; A Review of Boaz Evron, HaKheshbon HaLe'umi". Tikkun. Vol. 2, no. 2., pp. 106–110
6. The New Hebrew Nation: A Study in Israeli Heresy and Fantasy, Jacob Shavit, 1987, pp. 141, ISBN   9780714633022
7. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Second Edition, Mark Tessler, 2009, pp. 182, ISBN   9780253220707 , 9780253013460
8. Making History Jewish: The Dialectics of Jewish History in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Studies in Honor of Professor Israel Bartal, 2020, pp. 217, ISBN   9789004431973
9. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Second Edition, Mark Tessler, 2009, pp. 183, ISBN   9780253220707 , 9780253013460
10. The Bi-national Idea in Palestine During Mandatory Times, Susan Lee Hattis, 1970, pp. 30–32
11. The Royal Prerogative and the Learning of the Inns of Court, Margaret McGlynn, 2004, pp. 338, ISBN   9780511057373