Is Israel a Colonial State?

Thank you for allowing me to share a growing concern on my heart—namely, the rapid rise of anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment around the world, including among some who identify as politically conservative or even as Christians.

At its core, this is not merely a political issue. It is a spiritual one. There is a cosmic battle taking place between the Savior and Satan. Simply put:

Whom the Savior loves, Satan hates.

In my emails, I’d like to help acquaint and equip you to respond thoughtfully and biblically to claims that are increasingly common in media, academia, and even Christian circles. One such claim is this:

“ISRAEL IS A COLONIALIST STATE.”

Is that statement true or false?

Before answering, it’s important to define what colonialism actually means. Most definitions include the following elements:

• A foreign power sends its own people into another land

• The goal is economic gain or political control

• The process often erases the culture, language, or religion of the indigenous people

If this accurately describes Israel, then the accusation is valid. If it does not, then the accusation is false. So let’s consider the facts.

After the Holocaust, the Jewish people emerged from unimaginable devastation. Six million were murdered.

What foreign power, what “mother nation” sent them out to conquer another people and take its land?

They came not as oppressors, but as survivors.

Moreover, the Jewish people are not foreign to the land of Israel. They are the indigenous people of the land. Their connection to the Holy Land, as descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is affirmed by Scripture, history, and archaeology. In fact, archaeological evidence of Jewish life has been uncovered at more than 30,000 sites throughout Israel.

Even the very word Jew comes from Judea, the ancient name for the land.

When the Jewish people returned to their ancestral homeland in May of 1948, they did not arrive as conquerors sent by an empire. They returned as exiles and refugees, under the authority of the United Nations and in accordance with international law.

As one observer put it:

“Unlike colonial empires that seized land by force, Israel was founded through legal frameworks and global recognition. The Jewish return to Israel was not a march of conquerors but the homecoming of refugees, survivors, and exiles.”

Unlike true colonial powers, Jewish people did not force Arabs to leave when they returned. Much of the land was barren. When Mark Twain visited the Holy Land in the 19th century, he wrote:

“Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes… a barren, desolate land… Her greatest need is that of a population.”

If you have visited Israel, you know that Jewish culture, language, and religion are not being imposed on other people groups. Israel is, in fact, the most vibrant democracy in the Middle East. Arab citizens of Israel enjoy the same civil rights as Jewish citizens—freedom of speech, worship, education, and political participation.

To describe Israel’s return to the land as a “colonialist imposition” is not only historically inaccurate—it is theologically troubling.

God Himself promised Israel’s return, and it is God Himself who brought it about.

Instead of falsely criticizing Israel, shouldn’t we be praising her God for keeping His promises to her?

God Himself promised Israel’s restoration.

“I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:15)

“I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

“For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.” (Jeremiah 16:14–15)

To assert that the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is due to anything but the divine providence of God, is to insult God.

Now why is it even necessary to address this mislabeling of Israel as a colonialist nation?

Because as Israel is increasingly portrayed as a colonial oppressor, global antisemitism grows. Even young evangelicals are being persuaded to oppose Israel using the language of social justice and human rights—based on a false narrative.

I hope you can see, however, that the social justice argument falls short. The Jewish people have been brought back into their ancestral homeland, not by oppression, but by the mercy of God in fulfillment of His promises.

And yet, Israel has repeatedly offered land for peace. It has offered Palestinian statehood on a number of occasions yet, each time, these offers have been rejected—not because Israel seeks domination, but because hatred of Israel has too often outweighed the desire for peace.

Two million Arabs live in Israel today as full citizens. Israel has no empire to serve, no foreign power to enrich. This is their land by divine promise, and they returned not to exploit it, but to cultivate it. By God’s grace, a once desolate land has become one of the world’s most productive nations, benefiting Jews and non-Jews alike.

While an increasing number of people, even Christians, explain Israel’s prosperity on the basis of her oppression and injustice, the real explanation, God’s fulfillment of His promises, is tragically being overlooked.

Is Israel a “colonialist” nation? Leaving out all else, and merely by consideration of the commonly understood definition of the word, the answer is a resounding…

NO!!!

There you have it folks. Blessings to you.

Stuart