Dugin: Greater Israel and the Conquering Messiah

From Arktos

A profound shift in the global perception of Israel — and perhaps of the
Jewish people as a whole — is underway. After the catastrophe European
Jews endured under Hitler during World War Two, they evoked widespread
pity, compassion, and sincere sympathy on a global scale. This moral
capital facilitated the establishment of the State of Israel. The
Holocaust, or Shoah — signifying the horrors and persecutions suffered
by Jews — served as the foundation for the universal consensus: after
such suffering, the Jewish people unquestionably deserved their own
state. This sacred status of the Holocaust became a cornerstone of
Jewish identity and moral capital.

The philosophers of the Frankfurt School proclaimed: henceforth, one
must think “from Auschwitz.” This meant that philosophy, politics, and
morality were to take into account the scale of crimes committed by
Europeans (primarily Germans) against Jews. Western civilization and
humanity at large were now called upon to repent.

This framework rested on the image of Jews as victims, elevating them to
the status of a sacral people. Others were urged to repent and never
forget their guilt. Any hint of anti-Semitism, let alone attempts to
revise the sacral status of Jews or the metaphysics of the Holocaust,
was met with legal repercussions.

However, Israel’s increasingly hardline policies toward Palestinians and
neighboring Muslim populations gradually eroded this image — at least in
the eyes of Middle Eastern peoples, who, it must be noted, bore no
responsibility for the crimes of European Nazis. On the contrary, the
Zionists’ dismissive attitude toward the local population provoked
direct protests and, eventually, the anti-Zionist Intifada.

The self-perception of Israelis and Jews in the diaspora also began to
change. A growing tendency emerged to display strength, power, and the
ambition to create a “Greater Israel.” Concurrently, messianic motifs
intensified: the anticipation of the imminent arrival of the Messiah
(Moshiach), plans to rebuild the Third Temple (which would entail
demolishing the Muslim holy site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque), the expansion of
Israel’s territories “from sea to sea,” and the final resolution of the
Palestinian question (even including calls for deportation and genocide
of Palestinians). These ideas found support among figures like Benjamin
Netanyahu and ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
They were openly articulated in works like The King’s Torah by Yitzhak
Shapira, and in the sermons of rabbis such as Kook, Meir Kahane, and Dov
Lior. Strategically, they were outlined as early as the 1980s in an
article by Ariel Sharon’s advisor, General Oded Yinon. Yinon’s plan
proposed the overthrow of all established Arab regimes with nationalist
Baathist ideologies, plunging the Arab world into bloody chaos, and
establishing Greater Israel.

Following a decade of the Arab Spring and particularly after Hamas’
terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023, these plans appear to be
materializing at an accelerated pace.

Netanyahu leveled Gaza, mercilessly killing hundreds of thousands of
civilians. This was followed by an attack on Lebanon and the elimination
of Hezbollah’s leadership. Next came exchanges of missile strikes with
Iran and active preparations for war, including attacks on Iranian
nuclear facilities. Subsequently, there was an invasion of the remaining
Golan Heights and strikes on Syria. A month prior, Bezalel Smotrich
declared that Damascus would become part of Israel, and Ben-Gvir hinted
openly at the demolition of Al-Aqsa. With the fall of Bashar al-Assad,
the last Baathist regime crumbled, plunging the Arab world into chaos.

Greater Israel and the extermination of Palestinians are becoming a
reality before our eyes.

Here is what is critical: the policies of right-wing Zionists are
effectively turning the page on the Holocaust. The moral capital of
victimhood has been entirely expended. Israel used it to fuel its rise
to power — its current formidable and ruthless stature, akin to the Old
Testament grandeur. Jews are no longer pitied; instead, they are either
feared, hated, resented, or admired — but, in any case, acknowledged as
a formidable and ruthless force.

Jewish identity has transformed.

No longer a symbol of humiliation and suffering, Jews are now seen as an
exemplar of dominance and triumphant victory.

Thinking “from Auschwitz” is no longer necessary. Now, one must think
“from Gaza.”

Jewish tradition contains prophecies of two Messiahs: the suffering one
(Messiah ben Yosef) and the triumphant one (Messiah ben David). After
the European Holocaust, the suffering Messiah, sacrificed as a victim,
was emphasized. Now, this foundational gestalt is shifting, and the
triumphant, attacking, and victorious Messiah is taking center stage.

This shift is most pronounced in Israel itself. But it is clearly not
confined to Israel alone. The messianic archetype is changing among Jews
worldwide.

In this context, Donald Trump — a staunch supporter of right-wing
Zionism and a close ally of Netanyahu — comes to power in the United
States. Much of his administration consists of Christian Zionists who
are prepared to provide unwavering support to Israel. Once again, the
capital of compassion has been converted into the capital of aggression.

This is extremely significant — and will only grow more so.

However, one must refrain from hasty conclusions, reactions, and
judgments. The first task is to comprehend this state of affairs, to
weave countless facts, events, and occurrences into a coherent and
non-contradictory narrative.

(Translated from the Russian)