"The sufferings of Auschwitz were not mere happenings. They were moral enactments. They were part of a plan. They confirmed the glory to come. Moreover, God was not merely angry with the Jews. He was also sorrowful. He wept with them. He went with them into gas chambers as he had gone with them into exile."
These are the poetic but tragic lines that Arthur A Cohen, American scholar, theologian, publisher, and author wrote while talking about Jews and their enormous capacity to bear suffering. Even Paul Johnson, offering religious justification for the creation of the state of Israel, writes, "The Holocaust and the new Zion were organically connected. The murder of six million Jews was a prime causative factor in the creation of the state of Israel... redemption through sufferings."
Religion is about faith. Its corridors, most of the time, are not embedded with rationality. Religious answers are for common people. It is a creative urge, it is therapy, and it gives followers the courage to face the worst of sufferings and terrible injustices. Any attempt to understand religion through the window of reason will lead to confusion and chaos. Religious history is not necessarily based on facts. But at times, it is more powerful than the realities of the historical processes. I am sure that a large section of Jews will find an answer in their religion to the question of why they had to go through the horrific incident of October 7, the massacre of 1,400 Jews by Hamas terrorists, and they are likely to hope that this suffering will lead to some kind of redemption soon.
The counterattack by the Israeli state on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has also caused massive death and destruction. As I write, more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 60 per cent women and children, as claimed by Gaza authorities. Western countries, including America, have stood firmly with Israel. US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have all visited Tel Aviv to extend their support to the Jews and are trying to find a solution. But what has been the most stunning is the muted response of the Arab countries. Except for Iran and Turkey, none of the countries have shown the resolve to openly defend Hamas. If Iran has threatened a "pre-emptive strike if killing in Gaza does not stop", then Turkey has called Hamas "mujahideen, a liberator who has been fighting to protect the land and people of Palestine". The UAE and Bahrain have condemned the Hamas massacre. In this context, is it fine for Jews to console themselves through their religious belief system, that October 7 will lead to some kind of redemption?
There is a reason for this question. Middle East Asia has been going through a churn for some time and there are serious signs of change in the Arab world. There are two factors behind this desire for change. The Arab Spring movement in 2011 jolted the rulers of the Arab world out of their slumber. That movement reflected the change rippling through Arab society for decades but not acknowledged by their authoritarian rulers. One fine morning, many of them, having ruled for decades, found themselves out of power and crushed by the people's yearning for a better and free world. Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt were some examples. The iconic picture of Hosni Mubarak, the dictator of Egypt, in a cage, would have shaken the dictators of the world over. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the strong man of Libya, was caught hiding in a drainage pipe while fleeing from rebels and died a coward's death. That movement forced rulers to think afresh and look toward reform.
The second factor is the realization that oil, which fundamentally changed the face of the Middle East since the 1970s, will not remain for eternity. Oil has brought unprecedented prosperity and affluence to the region, but unless other avenues of economic enterprise are discovered and tapped, the future is bleak. Political stability in the region is the first guarantee of economic boom and diversification. Israel's existence among the Arab states has been the major cause of instability in the region. The Middle East has witnessed three wars since the creation of Israel on 14 May 1948. These wars, instead of helping the Palestinians secure their state, have left them stateless in their land. Terrorist groups like al Qaeda and ISIS, in the guise of Islamic ideology and jihad to liberate the Islamic world from the influence of the West, have brought more disrepute and bloodshed than ever.
The Middle East has always been an axis of superpower politics. During the Cold War, the USA and USSR were out to create their client states in the desert land, which produced more conflict than peace. Since the demise of the Cold War and the dissolution of the communist world, global politics has transformed. Today it is more about economic relationships than military alliances. The Middle East is seen as an attractive market with immense potential. But for investments to reach, the Arab world must guarantee peace.
Two competing economic superpowers, America and China, have realized that peace in the region is only possible if hostility between Israel and the Arab world is normalized. The latter two also understood the logic of peace. The Abrahamic accords signed in 2020 between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and others is the manifesto of this new reality. Sudan and Morocco also signed accords with Israel later. The UAE and Bahrain established a full diplomatic relationship with Israel - a recognition of the sovereignty of the Israel state that was earlier unthinkable. This happened under the supervision of the US when Donald Trump was the President.
Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, much reviled for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has unleashed the reform process in his zest to liberalize the society to make it more inclusive and invite foreign investment. The Los Angeles Times sums this up beautifully, "Its aim includes diversifying Saudi Arabia's oil-dependent economy and revamping its long-held image from a puritanically religious kingdom inaccessible to outsiders into a regional entertainment mecca." The US has been working overnight to convince Saudi Arabia to join the UAE and Bahrain and sign the Abrahamic accord. China has been trying to normalize the relationship between two traditional enemies, the Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. Al Jazeera reported on 21 August 2023, "The surprise detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia, brokered by China in March followed years of bitter rivalry that had destabilised several Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Bahrain".
It is being vigorously argued in the Western world and academia that the Hamas attack is an act of desperation. It is to turn back the clock. Because if the Arab world normalises its relationship with Israel, then the issue of Palestine will take a back seat, and nobody will fight for the Palestinian cause. To some extent, Hamas has succeeded. The Palestine issue has bounced back to the global table. Rulers in the Arab world can't afford to ignore for long the support of their people for Palestinian people, which is swelling every day on their streets. The incessant bombardment by Israel in Gaza and West Bank is not helping them either.
Instability in the Middle East is advancing no one's national interest. Sooner than later, Israel will realise that devastation in Palestine will harm its own national interest. It is also in the interest of Hamas and Palestine to accept the two-state formula if peace must prevail in the region. Peace is the only redemption. It is my firm belief that the present suffering of Jews and Palestinians will open a new door, and the Middle East will realize that death is no solution and that peace is the only option. The winds of change have been interrupted by Hamas, but the doors are not shut permanently. They will open and they will open soon.
(Ashutosh is author of 'Hindu Rashtra' and Editor, satyahindi.com.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.