CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Zionism and the Iran War

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The U.S.-Israel war with Iran is a continuation of Zionism’s project of expanding its hegemony in the Middle East, begun definitively with the Six-Day War in 1967 but ideologically with the formulation of “revisionist Zionism” in the 1923 article by Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky, “The Iron Wall.” In a March 11, 2026 article in Mondoweiss, Qassam Muaddi calls our attention to this expansionist project:

According to Palestinian historian Bilal Shalash, Israel has entered a phase where it is trying to bring its conflict with its enemies to a “decisive end.” This is clearly evident in its ongoing aggression in Iran and Lebanon, but the West Bank is another arena where Israel seeks to clear the deck. “Israel is motivated by the fact that its main sponsor and ally, the U.S., is trying to do the same thing at a global scale, from Latin America to Iran,” Shalesh explains. “And in the case of Iran, it also happens to be the center of opposition to Israel’s domination in the region.” (“Why is Israel trying to cause an ‘explosion’ in the West Bank?”)

According to Palestinian historian Bilal Shalash, Israel has entered a phase where it is trying to bring its conflict with its enemies to a “decisive end.” This is clearly evident in its ongoing aggression in Iran and Lebanon, but the West Bank is another arena where Israel seeks to clear the deck. “Israel is motivated by the fact that its main sponsor and ally, the U.S., is trying to do the same thing at a global........

© CounterPunch