Why do people refer to Israel as “colonial”?
English isn’t my first language, so I’m trying to understand how the term “colonialism” is being used here.
My understanding of colonialism is that it historically involved an imperial power sending settlers to establish colonies in another territory, usually in order to control the land, population, or resources for the benefit of the colonial power.
So when people describe Israel as colonial or settler-colonial, what exactly do they mean? Who is considered the colonial power that sent the settlers? What “mother country” or empire is Israel supposedly serving, and where are the resources or benefits being sent?
I’m genuinely trying to understand whether the term is being used in a different academic sense here, and if so, what that definition is.