From the beginning, there was no intention to damage the identity of the native-born Arabs, or to merge it with the traditional Jewish identity. Because the Arabs had no corresponding historical model from which to learn how to relate to the phenomenon that had overtaken them, they tried to interpret Zionism as colonialism, and thought that other nations’ fight against colonialism provided a model for resistance.
复国主义的目的是更新和深化一种旧有的认同。从一开始，它就无意破坏土生阿拉伯人的认同感，或将其融合到传统的犹太认同之中。因为阿拉伯人没有相应的历史模式来学习如何应对这种让他们错愕的现象，所以就试图将犹太复国主义诠释为殖民主义，并认为其他民族的反殖民主义斗争为其抵抗提供了一种范例。