The occupation of Palestine is not a recent conflict born out of modern headlines — it is a deeply rooted injustice with over a century of history that every truth-seeker must understand. In this powerful episode of The Deen Show, Sanford Pass — a man born into a Jewish family who embraced Islam in 2009 after a lifelong pursuit of truth — breaks down the real history behind the Israel-Palestine occupation, the human cost being paid by innocent families, and why people of faith and conscience everywhere must speak up for justice.
The Occupation Did Not Begin with World War II
One of the most critical points Sanford Pass makes is that the Zionist plan to take Palestine was set in motion at the Zionist Congress of 1897 — when Adolf Hitler was only eight years old. This fact alone dismantles the widespread myth that the establishment of Israel was simply a humanitarian response to the Holocaust. While the suffering of World War II was real and deserving of compassion, Zionism as a political movement had its own agenda long before those events. The Balfour Declaration was never intended to be honored in good faith — it was, as Sanford explains, merely a foot in the door. By 1920, Zionist leaders like Chaim Weizmann were already making it clear that they were coming to Palestine whether the native population liked it or not.
“The zionist congress of 1897 decided to take Palestine. That was 124 years ago. Hitler was eight years old. This has nothing to do with World War II or the sympathy for the world for the Holocaust… They’re using it as a red herring argument to justify what they’re doing now.”
Gaza: An Open-Air Prison with No Escape
- Israel destroyed Gaza’s infrastructure in 2005 and then sabotaged every attempt to rebuild it, blocking raw materials and expert access
- Families in Gaza were surviving on just eight hours of electricity per day — and during bombardments, even that was destroyed entirely
- Food rots without refrigeration, children fall ill from food poisoning, and there is nowhere to flee — only the ocean and the fences
- Palestinian families like that of Sister Nevin — a single mother with four children, a sick mother, and a slain brother — simply wanted to be self-sufficient, not to receive handouts, yet even that basic dignity was denied
This Is Not a Jewish-Muslim Conflict — It Is About Justice and Truth
Sanford is clear that this struggle is not between Islam and Judaism. For over a thousand years during the Islamic Golden Age, Jews thrived under Muslim governance in places like Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Jewish professor David Wasserstein has written that Islam saved Jewry. Orthodox Jewish rabbis like Rabbi Weiss publicly condemn Zionism as a betrayal of Torah values. Former Israeli military figures like Miko Peled stand on the side of Palestinian justice. The occupation is a political crime carried out by a secular, nationalist movement — not a religious one. People of every background, from Irish parliamentarians to Jewish activists, are standing up because truth and faith demand it.
“It totally baffles me how the Christians hate Muslims and love the Jews when the Jews rejected Jesus and the Muslims love Jesus… Muslims are holding the fort for monotheism right now and have been for 1,442 years.”
What People of Faith Must Do Now
- Educate yourself on the real history of Palestine — watch the documentary Occupation 101 on YouTube for a thorough introduction
- Contact your elected officials and demand they stop enabling the occupation with military aid and political cover
- Speak the truth regardless of labels — being called “anti-Semitic” for opposing injustice is a silencing tactic, not a valid argument
- Strengthen your connection to Allah through prayer, fasting, and obedience — as Sanford says, “obeying Allah will give us the energy we need to do what we have to do”
- Do not put leaders on pedestals — be a voice for truth yourself, because every believer is responsible before Allah for what they knew and what they did about it
The history of Palestine is a history of calculated theft, broken promises, and unspeakable human suffering — but it is also a story of resilient faith, unwavering truth, and the enduring justice that Islam commands every believer to uphold. Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or simply a human being who loves the truth, the time to speak is now. As Sanford Pass reminds us, Allah gave each of us a brain, a mouth, and a heart — and on the Day of Judgment, we will answer for how we used them.
