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)

The lesson seems to be that even anti-Islam activists should not be allowed into Europe.

Breitbart: “Christmas Market Attack Suspect Was a Saudi Arabian ‘Leftist’ Asylum Activist Promoted by BBC”

…

According to reports, the Saudi Arabian man arrived in Germany in 2006 after allegedly fleeing his homeland for fear of persecution for being an atheist. He was granted asylum in Germany in 2016 and had been living in the town of Bernburg — near Magdeburg — where he worked as a psychiatrist.

After moving to Germany, the suspect reportedly established a service to assist other asylum seekers move to Germany. For this work, he was profiled in “several media outlets from FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) to BBC to promote his mission for human rights in Saudi Arabia,” Welt reports.

The BBC noted in 2019 that he focussed on helping ex-Muslims flee from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, with a particular focus on women.

In an interview with FAZ during the same year, Taleb proclaimed that he was “the most aggressive critic of Islam in history,” claiming that he was ostracized from the Muslim community in Germany over his atheism. In the article he also detailed his move to become a pro-asylum seeker activist in Germany.

An editor’s note attached to the article following him being identified as the suspected Magdeburg attacker, FAZ wrote: “This interview with Taleb Al A. was published in June 2019. Entries of the alleged assassin in the social media indicate that he has also been increasingly quarreling with Germany and its migration policy over the five and a half years since then. There are also signs of persecution delusions. Nothing of this was felt in 2019. Here is the unchanged wording of the conversation.”

Since then, Taleb A became increasingly critical of the German government and its migration agenda, accusing Berlin of promoting the “Islamization” of Europe. He appears to have been particularly angered over the acceptance rate of “Syrian jihadists” compared to ex-Muslims from Saudi Arabia.

While much media attention in the wake of the attack has focussed on statements Taleb made in support of the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party over its critiques of Islamic immigration, he apparently considered himself to be a leftist.

“Taleb A. said in the interview that he was not a right-winger and described himself as a leftist,” Der Spiegel reports.

The German news magazine also reports that Berlin security agencies received three warnings from Saudi Arabia about the suspect. They were also warned following a 2023 post vowing “revenge” against Germany for supposed persecution of Saudi Arabian refugees and that the country would pay a “price”. However, officials allegedly dismissed the statements and reportedly did not consider him to be a threat as a potential extremist.

In another post in 2024 reported by Welt, he is claimed to have said: “I assure you: If Germany wants war, we will have it. If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die or proudly go to prison. Because we have exhausted all peaceful means, we have only encountered more crimes from the police, the state security service, the public prosecutor’s office, the judiciary and the Ministry of the Interior. Peace is of no use to them.”

There are increasing suggestions that the suspect may have suffered from some form of mental illness, with German media describing his posts online as having been “confused”.

According to the BILD newspaper, a saliva drug test taken after the attack indicated that the suspect may have been intoxicated at the time of the attack. While it is currently unclear what drug he may have been on, the paper notes that the test scans for seven different drugs, including amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, cocaine, and methamphetamines (MDMA, ecstasy).