Statement from Author Robert Spencer on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Through the years, I’ve learned so much about the Middle East through Robert Spencer, a New York Times bestselling author on Islam, Jihad, and Shariah. Last month I spoke with him on the radio about the Columbia protests.

Recently, I asked him for a statement about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at large.

In an email on 5/11/24, he wrote me: “The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is not based on land. It is based on Islam. The Qur’an says ‘Drive them out from where they drove you out’ (2:191). Although it’s actually a historical myth that Israel drove the Arabs out, it is widely believed, and makes destroying Israel a matter of obeying a divine command. This means that while Palestinians might accept Israel in some form as a step toward realization of that goal, ultimately they can never allow Israel to exist at all, no matter how small it may be.”