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Short answer
The claim that Israel is the root of all Middle East problems is pure propaganda.
Far more Muslims have been killed by other Muslims in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Sudan—conflicts that have nothing to do with Israel.The Middle East has faced war, conquest, and religious conflict for millennia, long before modern Israel existed. Assyrians, Romans, and Ottomans all fought for control. Muslim sectarian violence began right after Muhammad’s death in the 7th century, followed by Crusades, Mongol invasions, and tribal wars.
Modern instability stems from the Ottoman collapse, colonial meddling, and deep-rooted tribal and religious divisions. Blaming Israel for the region’s instability isn’t just wrong—it’s historically absurd.
Blaming Israel for the region’s instability isn’t just wrong—it’s historically absurd.
Long answer
The claim that Israel is the root of all problems in the Middle East is a politically motivated and absurd distortion. It ignores the far deadlier and more widespread conflicts caused by tribal, political, and religious divisions within the region itself.
Intra-Arab conflicts have long preceded the establishment of modern Israel in 1948 and have continued independently of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These internal disputes—often rooted in sectarian, tribal, and political divisions—have led to significant violence and instability in the Middle East.
In Syria, over 500,000 people have been killed—mostly Muslims—by the Assad regime in a brutal civil war.
In Yemen, the war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition has claimed over 377,000 lives.
Iraq suffered massive sectarian bloodshed after Saddam’s fall, with ISIS adding more terror. The Iran–Iraq War killed around 1 million people.
The Middle East was shaped by centuries of war, conquest, and religious conflict—long before 1948.
Empires like the Assyrians, Romans, and Ottomans fought over the region, followed by Islamic conquests, Crusades, Mongol invasions, and endless sectarian strife.
Muslims began fighting each other immediately after Muhammad’s death. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and European colonialism only deepened the chaos, sparking revolts, coups, and wars well before modern Israel existed.
In contrast, while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ongoing and tragic, it has resulted in significantly fewer casualties than these wars. According to global conflict data, deaths in that conflict are a fraction of those caused by internal Arab or Muslim conflicts. Yet somehow, Israel is still blamed as the central cause of regional instability.
What’s often ignored is Israel’s positive role in the region. Through the Abraham Accords, Israel has built diplomatic and economic ties with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan—boosting trade, tourism, tech, and regional security. Israeli hospitals have treated thousands of Palestinians and Syrians, including children.
And in global crises—from earthquakes to epidemics—Israel sends aid and rescue teams without hesitation.
