Finances News Hebdo: Your latest work plunges us into the depths of the war between Israel and Hamas. What motivated you to write about this hot topic?
Dr. Ali Benziane: After the events of October 7, 2023 and the start of the Zionist offensive in Gaza, it was initially a long silence that imposed itself on me. An absence of words in the face of horror and daily suffering. The hundreds of deaths in the middle of a ruined landscape, the unbearable images of children cut down at dawn their lives… Especially since this difficult period coincided with the birth of my daughter. She was born in peace and serenity. Newborns in Gaza were not so lucky. It was a trigger for me… I was able to find the strength to write about the massacre of the Palestinians and confront the unbearable. I had no right to remain silent. The writing was particularly trying, but I am happy and relieved to have been able to give a voice to the voiceless. I started by writing poems, then several texts published on different media which all constituted the material of this book. In the foreword, I tell how what was supposed to be a simple article for a French media outlet turned into an essay of almost 300 pages.
FNH: “Banding Gaza”, the title is expressive, but above all revealing a sad reality. In your opinion, will the Gaza Strip manage to heal its wounds?
Dr AB: Through the homophony between the words “think” and “dress”, the title is at the same time ambivalent and contradictory. How heal the stigma of a real genocide, heal wounds that will last for several generations? It’s in the realm of the impossible… Likewise, how can we think of the unthinkable, of horror in its pure state? For this, I drew inspiration from the poets and intellectuals who had the courage to try to understand the Nazi concentration camps: Paul Celan, Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben…Because I am convinced that in the future, history will remember Gaza like a new Auschwitz. What is taking place before our eyes, in this open-air camp that is the Gaza Strip, constitutes the first live genocide in history. This is completely new, never seen before… Thus, it is by trying to understand the reasons for such an outburst of irrational violence that we can help to relieve the suffering of the Palestinians, but also our own internal wounds due to our helplessness in the face of the scale of the massacre. This effort of reflection was a real challenge for me, which required a multidisciplinary approach: poetry, philosophy, geopolitics, theology, anthropology… “Banding Gaza” is the result of this fascinating research work which nevertheless brings a note of hope…
FNH: In your work, you put forward a reflection specific to you which will tirelessly reveal to us the underbelly of an ideology. What is it exactly?
Dr AB: The main object of my book is the deconstruction of what I called messianic Zionism. Modern Zionism began as a nationalist enterprise that manipulated the Jewish religion for colonial purposes. This misguided religious component became more and more important, leading to the appearance of a parodic Judaism totally assimilated to Zionism. For me, the tipping point was in 1967 with the Six Day War, which led to the emergence of a supremacist and racist messianic Zionism, of which the coalition currently in power in Israel is the most extreme incarnation. I carry out real archaeological work which traces the genesis of this particularly violent current, the starting point of which is the movement of revisionist Zionism founded by Vladimir Zeev Jabotinsky, and of which Benjamin Netanyahu is the ideological heir. Revisionist Zionist ideology is directly responsible for the worst massacres of Palestinian villages in 1948, including those of Deir Yassine and Dawaimeh. If the abuses of Hamas against Israeli civilians during October 7, 2023 must be denounced, we must keep in mind that Palestinians have experienced thousands of “October 7” attacks at the hands of Zionist forces. And this has been going on for almost 80 years. Since the appearance of this extremist Zionist movement, several Israeli intellectuals have firmly opposed the national-messianic ideology. One of them is the philosopher and scientist Yeshayahou Leibowitz, to whom I pay homage at length in my book. After October 7 and the war in Gaza, leading Jewish figures dissociated themselves from the State of Israel, including the violinist Michael Barenboim and professor Avi Shlaim. Because messianic Zionism is to the Jewish religion what Islamism the most violent is to the Muslim religion. Except that current Zionists rely on sophisticated technical means to carry out their messianic agenda. Moreover, the cult of technology is an integral part of their ideology, as I demonstrate in the chapter “Prometheus Unleashed”. I also show how the Zionists used the Hebrew military tradition (which, moreover, has several similarities with prophetic warfare) to form war corps which gave rise to one of the most immoral armies in the world. From the paramilitary militias of 1948 to the defense forces of the Israeli state apparatus, it is the same spirit that predominates: the desire for permanent ethnic cleansing which is currently turning into pure and simple genocide.
FNH: For you, it is therefore necessary to distinguish Zionism and Judaism?
Dr AB: It is absolutely necessary to differentiate between Judaism and Messianic Zionism. The proThe problem is that this amalgam is maintained by the Zionists themselves for political purposes, but also in the discourse of certain anti-Zionists who tend towards anti-Judaism. Thus, it is particularly distressing to hear Moroccan political leaders maintain this conflation by stigmatizing the Jewish community and denying our Judeo-Arab history. The centuries-old history between Morocco and the Jews is unique in the Arab world and it is precious. It is important to preserve it and not to foster hatred. Especially since Arab Jews have also been victims of Zionism and its deadly propaganda, which has carried out a real brainwashing within Israeli society. We must also denounce the deafening silence of certain personalities very involved in the dialogue between Jews and Muslims; the speech of peace is no longer enough. The Gaza genocide brings us back to the foundations of all religion, whatever it may be: peace and living together. Jews and Muslims must denounce Zionist hyperviolence, but also this unsustainable recovery of Judaism by messianic Zionism which brandishes the anathema of anti-Semitism to continue to massacre and terrorize the Palestinians (but also the Lebanese) with complete impunity. May my message be heard and understood. I am particularly proud to have been able to bring together the three Abrahamic religions in my book thanks to the contribution of the philosopher of the Christian tradition Alain Santacreu, theorist of counter-Zionism and author of a high-level preface, as well as the French anti-Zionist rabbi. Israeli Gabriel Hagai, who wrote a memorable afterword, a true plea for peace, humanity and understanding between the sons of Abraham.
FNH: Your next work is entitled “Le Cheveu d’ange”. This is an essay dedicated to the relationship between poetry and spirituality through the Sufi poet Ibn Arabi. What secret lies behind your flexibility to navigate against all odds?
Dr AB: My passion for writing and my thirst for knowledge since childhood have fueled my curiosity and this desire to understand despite all odds… Nevertheless, poetry remains the common thread in my works. Most of the time, it is a poetic impulse which is at the origin of my desire to write, whether it is an essay or a novel. This is also the case for my next book which will be published in the Theoria collection at L’Harmattan and which was born from a questioning of the origin of poetic inspiration. I had the privilege of being supported in this work by Professor Éric Geoffroy. He is one of the most eminent French-speaking specialists in Sufism. More generally, this book is a link between East and West through poetry and spirituality, which is also one of the common threads of my literary work.
FNH: How do you manage to reconcile your interest in science and your literary passion?
Dr AB: While it is true that literature is my true passion, science also helps me understand the world and is therefore an extension of my literary work. Writing represents a form of therapy for me. In my works, I always try to create bridges between the two fields, as is the case in my essay “The Truth Test”, dedicated to the 2020 pandemic and the post-Covid world. In my next book, “The Angel’s Hair”, as well as in my other novel currently being written, it is my job as a pharmacist which occupies a very poetic place…
