When Washington became an arbiter in shaping the Arab Affairs in the early 1950s, it gradually eclipsed the influence of London and Paris in the Middle East. Such an eclipse has since enabled Washington to provide security protection for the authoritarian Arab regimes. At the time, Washinton was occupied with defeating the Soviet Union and curtailing its influence in the region. It invested considerable resources to defeat the nationalist leader in Egypt, Jamal Abdul Naser, and the progressive political leader of Iraq, Abdul Karim Qassim. It was thought that these two regimes would derail Washington’s plans for the Arab World.
During that era, Washington managed to find support among a few Arab intellectuals, but it never reached its goal of having a wide range of collaborationists. Arab intellectuals were primarily progressive and patriots and were unwilling to compromise on defending the Arab people’s rights for liberty, independence, and self-determination.
After the death of Naser, and especially after the attack against Iraq in 1991, Washington created a fifth Column of intellectuals who were encouraged to promote poisonous messages that were primarily tailored to serve Israel’s interests and weaken the Arab’s resolve to gain their independence and the rights to build a democratic society. This shift accompanied the rise of the neoconservatives in Washington and their penetration of vital security, financial, and media institutions.
By 2003, a wide range of Arab intellectuals were emboldened to espouse and spread messages intended to ensure national interests were subordinated to foreign ones. Arab authoritarian regimes encouraged and often provided financial support to those who readily falsified facts and discredited national interests and progressive messages. It is during this time that many Arab intellectuals either warmly espoused Zionism or unknowingly become Muslim Zionists. Both opportunists and religious extremist intellectuals joined the crowd and aggressively promoted dangerous concepts.
These notions were originally advanced by media outlets, especially newspapers and TV stations that were created by oil rich Arab autocrats. After the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, several outlets thrived in many Arab countries, especially Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, and Morocco. AlHara, Al-Hadath, Al-Jazera, Ad-Diyar, Al-Mustaqbal, Nidaa al Watan, etc. were sponsored either by Washington and London or by Arab authoritarian regimes to progressively promote dangerous messages intended to poison Arab thought and paralyze progressive thinking. The Los Angeles Times (Nov. 30, 2005) ran a story on how the U.S. successfully schemed with an Iraqi newspaper, Al Mada, to write stories deemed necessary to improve the image of the military occupation of the country. The report stated that “the U.S. has paid Iraqi newspapers to run . . . articles, with headlines such as “Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism,” since the effort began this year.”
The thriving of Arab intellectuals who promote political Zionism and the necessity to broadly endorse Washington’s design for the Arab world is the outcome of dedicated efforts to derail genuine democratic transformation and wide political participation. These Arab Zionists advance the following notions: Washington holds the key for upending political impasses in the Middle East; Iran rather than Israel is the source of instability in the region; sectarian conflicts are the norms in Islamic history; reality on the ground has changed and Arabs must accept Israel’s “peace proposals” and forget their lands, which were taken by force; resistance to the neo colonization project is delusional; a weak political center is the preferred political system; and a neoliberal economy is the salvation for Arab economic stagnation.
In the context of Iraq, intellectuals and journalists have engaged in alarming propaganda meant to strengthen terrorism and maintain a state of perpetual instability. The campaign focuses on disbanding the mobilization forces and the resistance forces, inciting hatred toward Iran, justifying Turkish military intrusion in Iraq, denying the rights of Iraq to protect or provide help for abused minorities in Syria and other states, and calling for not only giving economic and political concessions to Washington but also a complete surrender to its dictates.
In promoting their agenda, the Zionist Arab intellectuals seek to deceive the public and divert attention from the fact that the Arab people and their culture are facing an existential threat. The threat is real and is encouraged and promoted by influential players in Washington. This threat is different from the one that appeared in 1991. During that time, there was a secular alliance between Christion nationalists, represented by Dick Cheney, then Defense Secretary, and secular Jews, represented by Paul Wolfowitz, Assistant Secretary of Defense. The alliance had two primary objectives: to put an end to the Arab street myth and transform Islam into a ritual religion.
Today’s threat is completely different. The administration in Washington is a joint venture between extreme Evangelical Christians and right-wing Jewish groups. The objectives are crystal clear: to end Islam as a faith with its moral principles and its way of life, and to deprive Arabs of any right to live in peace or prosperity. These two objectives are being forcefully pursued and all means have been utilized to achieve them.
President Trump has denoted those who protest war against Palestinians and call for a ceasefire as terrorists stating, “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country—never to return again.” His appointed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, once chanted, “Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!”(Rolling Stone, December 2, 2024) and asserted that Islam “is not a religion of peace, and it never has been” (Washington Post, Nov. 23, 2024).
Recently, the Israel Hayom (March 3, 2025) was direct in attacking the Prophet Mohamed and inciting hatred against all Muslims stating, “We have avoided discussing the brutality and murderous nature of Muhammad and early Islam. However, the fact that many Muslims regard this bloody history as a religious and moral symbol, . . . compels us to change our approach.”
The ongoing crimes committed against people in different parts of the Arab World are not a mere coincidence. Rather, they are part of a well-orchestrated racist project that is aimed at perpetuating destruction and misery with the complicity of the Arab rulers and intellectuals. The rise of Zionist Arab intellectuals is a frightening development. Confronting this development is a moral responsibility and patriotic duty, as it is a menace to civilization. Ignoring it is a recipe for bloodshed and chaos.
Abbas Ali is a distinguished University Professor, IUP.
