"What if"...Israel had never existed?

What if we could turn back the hands of time and simply stop those particular events that led to the formation of Israel? What if the Holocaust had simply not happened and the Jewish diaspora simply never came together to claim their "historical homeland"? That is to say, what if the state of Israel had simply failed to become a realization?


With this speculative scenario one might wonder how things would be different...in the Middle East, in the world.

The first question that comes into my mind, given this scenario, is whether the world would see the Middle East as a "troubled region"? It seems that most of the problems of the Middle East are blamed upon Israel / Palestinian issue. But what if the Palestinians still lived in Palestine and the Middle East did not have a Jewish state to blame for all the problems?

Would Iran be developing nuclear weapons? Would Islamic fundamentalism be regarded as a global threat by the West or would it simply be ignored as religious pap? Would the nations of the Middle East be prosperous with democratic societies? What do you think?

Heavy topic!
I certainly am no expert, but I would have to assume that the Mid East would be a completely different place if Israel never came to be. As you stated, it seems that almost all of the "hatred" in the Mid East is somehow tied to Israel in one fashion or another. Whether it's true, or whether Israel is a convenient scapegoat is a matter of opinion.
My opinion is that it would be more peaceful without Israel. However that part of the world would probably not know true peace. Just look at the hatred between Sunnis and Shiites.
Interesting question, I'll be sure to follow this thread.

If there wasnt a Israel,hmmmmmm....
I assume the world would find another ccountry to dub its whipping boy.

Originally posted by lombozo

My opinion is that it would be more peaceful without Israel. However that part of the world would probably not know true peace. Just look at the hatred between Sunnis and Shiites.

That is the way I tend to lean lombozo. I can't help but feel that without Israel ever having come into existence, the Middle East would probably be far more peaceful.....except ....the sectarian rivalry between the various sects of Islam would probably be at war much as they are today in Iraq.

while it would be far different if Israel didn't exist, I doubt it would be more peaceful...violence replaces violence, dumbass humans always find reasons to do bad or violence....even without Israel, look at the middle east: Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc....alot of stuff there happening isn't related to Israel.....................this is a heavy/hard topic though

So, even after just a couple of posters, the consensus is that there would be no peaceful existence in the Middle East. Is Israel the foil for a culture that can't take responsibility for it's own situation or is Israel the focus that actually unites the Middle East? Without Israel as the "common enemy" would the Arab nations of the Middle East simply turn on each other or, more likely, turn on themselves -- implode?