The Centrality of Palestine

Israel is not supported by the US and European establishments in spite of the fact that it is a settler colonial state. It is supported so fervently exactly because it is a settler colonial state.

There’s been a whole host of reasons why Palestine has been seen at times as the center of the world. The German Bünting cloverleaf map, above, shows Jerusalem at the center of Africa, Asia and Europe.

That map was made in 1581. In the half millennia since, the main feature of global affairs was imperialism. Europe colonized most of the rest of the planet.

In its most insidious form, it was settler colonialism. Some Europeans would not only oppress and enslave native people, they would exterminate them and take their land.

Imperialism was supposed to end with “decolonization” after World War II.

It didn’t.

Most notably, after centuries of Christianity and White Man’s Burden being the main pretexts for colonialization, a new excuse was made, that of Jewish suffering at the hands of Nazis.

I’ve sensed for years that main reason that Israel is so important to the US and European establishment is that it is the last remaining expanding European settler state. The notion of European settler colonialism must be kept alive to repressive elements in the US and Europe. It being kept alive in Israel ensures the concept is not extinguished and makes a mass revival of colonialism possible.

Israel is not supported by the US and European establishments in spite of the fact that it is a settler colonial state. It is supported so fervently exactly because it is a settler colonial state.

And now we see the notion of a revived explicit colonialism is being openly raised more and more. Blackwater founder Erik Prince said in February:

If so many of these countries around the world are incapable of governing themselves, it’s time for us to just put the imperial hat back on, to say, we’re going to govern those countries … ’cause enough is enough, we’re done being invaded. …You can say that about pretty much all of Africa, they’re incapable of governing themselves.

When questioned, “Erik Prince is talking about being a colonialist again —” he doubled down: “Absolutely” and then added it would be good for much of Latin America too. See video.

Palestine is central now because it is fighting the tip of the spear of the settler colonial project.

If that project wins in Palestine, several possibilities open up. Israel itself will move to expand further. And it seems quite likely that other settler colonial movements would be revived or start anew.

I believe that billions of people know this instinctually. That’s why you see the Palestinian flag appear amid struggles around the world, especially in the global south. And it’s why you see the Israeli flag appear with the most dangerous figures like Bolsonaro in Brazil and Milei in Argentina.

Thus, people, especially formerly colonized people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, have strong reason to defend Palestine. If they are far-sighted, they will see that the same imperial forces attacking Palestine today may well be at their doorstep in the coming decades.