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Before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Jewish religious tradition, such as it was interpreted by its scholars, was deeply pacifist and advocated moderation, mediation, and compromise. Peace (“shalom”) is ever present in the traditional Jewish texts and applies to all humans, even if it is not a question of blind idealism, since Judaism accords self-defense and just wars their place also. At the root of the Arab-Israeli conflict, religion properly speaking played an almost negligent role. The origin of the conflict is the political desire of part of the Jewish diaspora to return to the land of Israel and establish a sovereign Jewish state. In the nineteenth century, the majority of the Torah scholars in Europe were radically opposed to the Zionist ideology and movement. Zionism appeared to them to be complete heresy, as it forced the hand of God by provoking a redemption movement to end the punishment of Exile. Other rabbis believed that the political rebirth of Israel followed the messianic process foretold by the sacred texts. These rabbis were part of the “religious Zionism” movement that actively participated in the creation of the state and its armed forces. When the lands of biblical promise (Jerusalem and the West Bank) were conquered in 1967, with the exception of certain individuals and groups that practiced moderate Judaism, the majority of rabbis and orthodox religious figures in Israel were not prepared to sacrifice these biblical lands on the altar of the peace process. Today, the religious population, which follows and sometimes precedes its leaders, has generally evolved toward displaying a hardened nationalism and a desire for military victory over the adversary, rather than a desire for conciliation.