Abstract:
The conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Zionist regime extends beyond the realm of geopolitical competition and is rooted in the political theology and foundational texts of Religious Zionism. The central problem of this study is to explain how religious concepts—such as the messianic mission, the command concerning Amalek, and the Purim paradigm—are “reproduced” within Israel’s security and military doctrines, thereby contributing to the sacralization of aggressive action. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and a critical-interpretive reading of texts, this article argues that Religious Zionism transforms theological teachings into an operational logic, elevating the doctrine of “preemptive war” from the level of strategic calculation to that of a religious duty.
The article then critically examines this formulation at three normative levels: a monotheistic critique, which challenges the sacralization of aggression as contrary to tawḥīd al-afʿāl (the unity of divine agency); a dignity-based critique, which critically analyzes the concept of “chosenness” and its transformation into a logic of supremacism; and a juridical-political critique, which invokes the principle of nafy al-sabīl—the rejection of domination—as a basis for opposing subjugation.
The findings indicate that the conflict between Iran and Zionism reflects a confrontation between two ontological paradigms. Any analysis of the aggressive policies emerging from this framework that disregards their legitimizing theological dimension would therefore be subject to analytical reductionism.