By Gal Sitty
Many people do it, but perhaps Ahmedinejad is most famous for it. In his attempt to not ‘recognize’ the State of Israel (despite the fact that it is as plain to see as the scruffy beard on his face), he always refers to the Jewish state as “the Zionist entity” or some other similar term using one form or another of the word “Zion.”
Oh the irony. By not officially recognizing Israel Ahmedinejad and other anti-Israel individuals seek to deny Jewish history, heritage and the right to self-determination. Yet by continually using the word “Zion” instead of “Israel” these haters are repeatedly acknowledging the ancient connection between the Jewish people and Israel, also known as the Land of Zion.
Yes, Zion is Israel. To be more specific, Zion is a certain hill within the modern day boundaries of Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. Abraham, the first Jew, offered his son Isaac for sacrifice near Mount Zion some 4,000 years ago. Later, Mount Zion was captured by the Jewish King David about 3,000 years ago. King David then founded the City of David, also known as Jerusalem (which means ‘city of peace’).
Mount Zion is also where of the First and Second Jewish Temples stood. Because of that “Zion” came to be another commonly used name for Jerusalem. Thus, Israel as a whole, with Jerusalem as its capital, has historically been called The Land of Zion.
Therein lies irony. Anti-Semites like Ahmedinejad seek to deny Jewish rights by denying Jews the right to self-determination. Because their argument is morally bankrupt, factually incorrect, and downright wrong they try to rewrite history by making it look like there is no real connection between the Jewish people and Israel, the Land of Zion. Yet their own words, “Zionist entity,” proves the rest of their argument wrong. Calling Jews or Israelis “Zionists,” as most truly are, means they are indeed connected to the Land of Zion, Israel, Jerusalem, the City of David, Judea, Samaria, Mount Zion, etc.
So thank you Mr. Ahmedinjad, thank you Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, and thank you to all the anti-Semites and Israel haters everywhere for being so inept in your perverse arguments that as a proud Jewish Israeli Zionist you continually recognize my rights, my history and my connection to the Land of Zion.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
