"But we are acting here together with the US, in the name and for the sake of all humanity. In this week's Torah portion, we read 'Remember what Amalek did to you.' We remember and we act."
"Amalek, in the Torah, is described as one of the nations that fought against the Israelites. In the Bible, the prophet Samuel tells the Israelite King Saul that God wants him to 'go and destroy Amalek. Destroy all they have, and do not let them live. Kill both man and woman, child and baby.'"
"Israel has long sought to deemphasize the invocations of Amalek in its Western-facing communications, not just because there may be unfamiliarity with the religious reference but because Israel routinely compares modern-day Palestine to Amalek as part of its justification for the Gaza genocide."
"Now, by linking Iran and Amalek, Israel's government seems to be bringing that same genocidal logic to its latest conflict-only one of a number of different religious frameworks Netanyahu's government is working within as it wages war alongside the United States."
On March 2, Iranian ballistic missiles struck Beit Shemesh, killing nine Israelis and injuring 27. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded from the attack site by invoking the biblical reference to Amalek, stating Israel was acting with the US "in the name and for the sake of all humanity." Amalek represents a nation the Torah describes as enemies of the Israelites, with biblical commands to destroy them completely. Israel has historically used Amalek comparisons to justify actions against Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. By linking Iran to this religious framework, Netanyahu extends the same genocidal logic to the Iranian conflict, demonstrating how religious justifications are being employed across multiple conflicts.
#netanyahu-rhetoric #amalek-biblical-reference #israeli-iranian-conflict #genocidal-language #religious-justification-for-war
Read at The Nation
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