When I look at Israel and Sudan side by side, I see a comparison that many people refuse to acknowledge.

In Sudan, large-scale Arab colonialism reshaped the demographic and cultural landscape over centuries, often at the expense of indigenous African populations. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, I see a similar historical dynamic of Arab expansion into a region with an older, deeply rooted Jewish history. Yet in much of the West and in many Muslim-majority societies, Arab political presence is rarely framed in colonial terms. Instead, the language of “indigeneity” is used by Muslim conquest propaganda to confuse westerners about the Middle East.

I want to be clear: when I say that Arabs are not indigenous to Gaza or the West Bank, I am not saying they have no human rights. My criticism is about historical narrative and honesty. Too often, Palestinian political discourse presents Arabs as if they are the original, uninterrupted inhabitants of lands they historically conquered. That claim ignores centuries of Muslim conquest, migration, and demographic change.

What bothers me is the lack of self-criticism. In the West, European nations can openly examine their colonial past, acknowledge wrongdoing, and debate reparations or reconciliation. In much of the Arab world, however, there is little equivalent reflection about historical expansions, slavery, or cultural imposition. For me, the issue is not denying modern rights, but insisting on intellectual honesty: if we value truth and historical consistency, we should acknowledge the realities of conquest, settlement, and empire — even when it challenges modern political narratives.

I have been sharply critical of Palestinian political identity in the past, sometimes even questioning whether it functions as a traditional nation-state in the historical sense. I’ve gone so far as to say that Palestinian Arabs have no distinct culture from other Arabs, no separate language, and no history except as a modern invention of a nation state. My frustration has centered on what I perceive as a refusal to acknowledge the layered history of the land — including the ancient Jewish connection to Judea and Samaria, names rooted in the Bible and predating the modern term “West Bank.” Gaza, too, has been governed at different times by outside powers such as Egypt. Arabs refuse to admit that they arrived in Gaza and the West Bank as colonizers. They might be descendants of the local people, but their ancestors took on the mantle of the colonizer. I don’t blame them for what their ancestors did. My ancestors were colonizers too. But I do except some honesty about history.

Unlike Arab Colonizers, Western Civilization is Self-Critical

If I compare this to my own country, Canada, I see something different. Canada is undeniably a settler society. Many Canadians openly acknowledge that reality and seek reconciliation with First Nations. Acknowledging that I am not Indigenous does not mean I cannot live here peacefully with the First Nations and co-exist peacefully. There is an awareness that the modern Canadian state emerged through colonization, and that honesty about that past is a prerequisite for moral legitimacy. I find myself wishing for a similar level of historical self-awareness in the Israeli–Palestinian context — not to delegitimize anyone’s humanity or rights, but to ground political claims in transparent history.

I am frustrated by what I see as propaganda from extremist Palestinian groups, who claim that all of Israel was stolen from them. This misrepresents the historical reality of the Mandate of Palestine, where Arabs were allocated Transjordan — a much larger territory east of the Jordan River. See the map to see how much land the Arabs actually got from the Mandate of Palestine. Modern Palestinians could choose to settle there, and historically, even the King of Jordan acknowledged that Palestine and Jordan are essentially the same land. Culturally, there is little difference between Arabs on either side of the Jordan river, so this is not about denying anyone’s rights, but about confronting a selective narrative that ignores historical facts.

I do not believe Israel could safely accept Gaza or the West Bank as a separate nation-state. The long history of terrorism directed against Israel makes such an arrangement highly unfair and a serious security concern. Similarly, granting full Israeli citizenship to these populations would not resolve the underlying threats. The Arab citizens of Israel today are largely descendants of those who chose to stay and integrate, unlike the families who left after following the Grand Mufti’s calls and are still living in refugee camps.

Workable Solutions for Palestinians Must Include Self Awareness

I am not suggesting anyone be forcibly removed or coerced in any way. However, I do think a voluntary, fair settlement and compensation plan could be a solution — for example, Palestinians who choose to relocate to Jordan could receive adequate support, a large compensation payment to move, and integration, helping resolve the refugee crisis. This would only be possible if the threat of terrorist attacks, like those from Hamas and Hezbollah, is neutralized and civilians are assured safety. Palestinians must be given an option to be free from retribution from Hamas so they can make their own self determined decision to accept compensation to move.

In that context, Palestinians could be convinced to accept a fair settlement while preserving their dignity and rights.

It seems that only the Arab–Jewish conflict in Israel gets widespread media attention, while a very similar dynamic in Sudan is largely ignored. There, too, I see a pattern of Arab expansion and colonialism clashing with indigenous populations. Sudan is strategically important, not only for its location but also for its gold reserves and other valuable resources, yet because it is an African country, the international focus and outrage are minimal. To me, both cases reflect the same underlying tension between Arab colonial ambitions and the rights of the people who were originally there.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)