Netanyahu’s invocation of “Amalek” in relation to Iran, and at this moment in time, is more than a passing reference. The word is loaded with darker meaning for those with ears to hear.
The timing of the US and Israeli attack on Iran bears symbolic meaning in Judaism, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced the upcoming holiday of Purim in his first statement.
“Twenty five hundred years ago, in ancient Persia, a tyrant rose against us with the very same goal, to utterly destroy our people,” Netanyahu said of the story, which takes place in what is now Iran. “Today as well, on Purim, the lot has fallen, and in the end this evil regime will fall too.”
Netanyahu frequently references religious events or symbols in his statements.
Ahead of the upcoming Jewish holiday , worshippers read a specific portion from the Old Testament, known as Zachor.
The passage from the book of Deuteronomy commands the ancient Israelites to remember an unprovoked attack by the nation of Amalek, located in modern-day Sinai and southern Israel, and to eradicate the memory of Amalek once the Israelites are settled in their land.
The passage is read publicly before Purim to fulfill what Jews consider the mitzvah – or commandment – of remembering Amalek as Israel’s achetypical enemy. Amalek is often referenced as an historical enemy of the Jewish people, and Netanyahu invoked it shortly after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
IAK NOTE: What CNN does not mention here is that the biblical story of Amalek is a story of genocide. In 2024, Netanyahu’s reference to this passage was presented as evidence of intent to commit genocide in the International Court of Justice case against Israel.
In the Hebrew Bible, God commands the ancient Israelites to destroy every person belonging to the rival nation of Amalek:
Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
This command, to commemorate what Amalek did to the Israelites and the order to wipe them out, is carried out every year on the Sabbath before Purim.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs—head of T’ruah, a rabbinical human rights organization—said that rabbis generally agree that Amalek no longer exists, and the story is not an example to be followed today. “The overwhelming history of Jewish interpretation is to interpret it metaphorically,” she said.
But that doesn’t stop Israeli extremists from taking it literally and applying its message to the Palestinians – as Israeli PM Netanyahu did in October 2023.
In 1994, Brooklyn-born extremist Baruch Goldstein, who had emigrated to Israel, massacred 29 Muslims praying at a mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron. The incident took place on Purim, a week after he would have heard the story of God’s command to wipe out Amalek (Goldstein’s grave is now a pilgrimage site for far-right Israelis).
One Israeli rabbi wrote in 1995 an article drawing this very conclusion, the title of which has been translated, “Genocide: A Commandment of the Torah,” as well as “The Mitzvah of Genocide in the Torah.”
Another rabbi said in 2004, “we are all obligated to carry out genocide [against the Palestinians,” because his research indicated that Palestinians are descendants of Amalek.
When Netanyahu echoed their words in 2023, he was calling (in language that extremist Israeli Jews and Christian Zionists understand) for the violent deaths of all Palestinians, at least in Gaza.
More on this topic from Breaking Points. Krystal and Saagar discuss the US and Israel launching a full scale war on Iran. At about 22:00, Saagar breaks down the significance of the date the war began.
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