Calling for Genocide: The Invocation of ‘Amalek’
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently sparked controversy by invoking the story of 'Amalek' from the Bible, attempting to draw parallels between his military actions against the Palestinian people and the biblical narrative surrounding the cursed nation of the Amalekites.
"You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible." Netanyahu said invoking the story of Amalek.
The Amalekites, presented as archenemies of the Israelites, originate from the Hebrew Bible. According to biblical accounts, they resided in the Negev region, which corresponds to present-day Palestine. The Amalekites were known for their hostility, driven by idolatry and hatred for the monotheistic beliefs of the Israelites. This hatred led to divine intervention, with a revelation given to Moses, outlining God's commandment to obliterate the Amalekites from existence.
Arguments about the legitimacy and preservation of this revelation aside, both Exodus and Deuteronomy explicitly condemn the Amalekites, emphasising the divine imperative to erase their nation from history. This narrative has persisted within traditional Judaism, reinforcing their duty to destroy the Amalekites.
Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
Deuteronomy 25:19 When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
So, why does this ancient tale hold relevance in twenty-first-century Palestine?
If I was to ask a Christian for the interpretation of the above passages, their exegesis might view these passages as divine punishment directed at a specific people in a specific time. Traditional Judaism broadens the command to annihilate the Amalekites at all times. It also takes it a step further by encompassing all who symbolise the enemies of the Jewish people, transcending the initial restriction of a particular ethnic group (the Amalekites).
So, who are the Amalekites today?
This broad interpretation includes contemporary adversaries, notably the Palestinian Muslims, as outlined by this rabbinical interpretation. The continuous "war against Amalek" is seen as a perpetual struggle against those who embrace the ideology of Amalek and aim to annihilate the Jewish nation.
Contemporary Halakhic Problems, Vol I, Part I: It is usually assumed that because population shifts have occurred and ancient peoples are no longer ethnically identifiable…the commandment to destroy Amalek extends not merely to genealogical descendants of that ancient people but encompasses all who embrace the ideology of Amalek and seek to annihilate the Jewish nation.
But just how serious is this perpetual war?
Netanyahu's invocation of the story of Amalek, seeks to justify Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people. In his analogy to Amalek, the Palestinians are being portrayed as ‘embracing the ideology of Amalek’. According to Netanyahu’s logic, it is therefore fitting and biblically justifiable to totally annihilate them.
At most, these extremist views may resonate within the Zionist movement, but they should not sway the minds of fair-minded individuals. The moral implications of applying genocidal biblical narratives to contemporary conflicts cannot be understated. These justifications, outlined by Netanyahu, will undoubtedly perpetuate hostilities and result in the “blotting out” of the Palestinian people, from existence.
