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PrintBy Abu al-Sous (Salah Mansour)*
General view of al-Maliha taken during after Nakba, and in the foreground Israeli are looting Palestinian properties
While living my childhood in occupied Palestine, I witnessed unexplainable negative emotions (often in the forms hatred and anger) from Israelis, many of whom were young soldiers humiliating Palestinians daily whenever they can. I always knew there is more to it than just the normal hatred or anger between enemies. However, I could not understand what's the source of this abnormal hatred and anger? Frankly, I thought that we Palestinians should be angrier, not the Israelis, after all Israelis are the ones who dispossessed and thrown us out of our homeland; not the other way around. Years passed, I immigrated to the United States, and I was in touch with more Zionists (Jews and non-Jews alike). Overtime, I developed a theory for this unprecedented negative emotions, which I like to share with you in this small article.
Briefly, I believe the source of this negative emotions is deeply irrational, and its core is very emotional. The more I researched the Zionists movement (especially from its founders), the more I found that the vast majority of Jews (especially before WWII) were not Zionists and many thought it will be dangerous to Jews, which explains why over 99% of the emigrating European Jews preferred America over the "Jewish state" to be in British occupied Palestine! However, the Holocaust was a deeply traumatic experience which shocked the Western Jews who survived the genocide. As a result, the extreme and the fringe in Jewish politics became the mainstream, and the "Never Again" slogan was born. For the average Westerner, this slogan may not sound harsh; after all European Jews suffered European anti-Semitism for centuries. On the other hand, to us, the Palestinian people, this slogan implies "Never Again" regardless of the price; "Never Again" even if others become the victim, "Never Again" period.
This slogan carries behind it deep negative emotions, which is rarely analyzed or debated; it is a taboo to discuss. Many Western Jews felt betrayed by their respective nations who persecuted them for centuries, and many of these nations openly collaborated with Nazi Germany, who often handed their Jewish citizens to the SS. This was deeply a traumatic and a very humiliating experience not only to European Jews, but also to the European nations (no exception) who witnessed the genocide and at minimum turned their heads the other way. Those who survived the Holocaust found in the Zionist ideology their salvation. Zionism gave them the feeling of empowerment where Jews and Jews alone (no gentile or Goyim) must be the masters of their own future, and they promised themselves never to be the victim again. Consequently, I believe this is the moment when the Spartan Jew was born and the "Never Again" slogan became its moral facade.
When Israelis strikes at Palestinians; they are not only sending messages to Palestinians, they are not only retaliating against Palestinian violence, they're also sending messages to their deprived self-esteem (for lack of a better term) and to the rest of the world that the Jew will not be the victim again. From my experience, rarely you rationally can discuss the conflict with neither a Jew nor a Westerner without the memories of the Holocaust being so close behind; I always felt those memories even when not a word of the Holocaust was mentioned; simply it is there, simply it cannot be discussed. That is the primary reason why discussing this conflict with many Jews and Westerners is very frustrating; you want to discuss the real issues (dispossession, ethnic cleansing, & colonization), but you can't. Sadly, the emotional barriers are so great to overcome, especially when those emotional barriers cannot be discussed. Often in such discussions, the Palestinian is painted as the anti-Semitic, and Palestinian resistance to Israeli war crimes becomes "terrorism". Sometimes I wonder why the West is scared of confronting this emotional barrier? Could it because this barrier masks the way Westerners treated their Jewish citizens for centuries? Could it be that discussing this particular problem will open a Pandora's Box? I don't know if I am right or wrong, however, I am certain that this emotional barrier should be studied further; I believe this taboo contains few of the important keys that are essential to resolving this conflict.
This analysis explains why often many Israelis believe that: Arabs understand only the Language of Force; as if the Language of Force knows how to discriminate between an Arab and a non-Arab! This racist and derogatory slogan (often repeated openly by Israeli leaders) gives the Spartan Jew the moral green light to respond as he wishes to Palestinian violence, and as a result also he compensates for his deprived self-esteem. In that respect, the Spartan Jew sees no Palestinian resistance to Israeli war crimes, he sees only Palestinian "terrorism"!
Bulgarian Jewish living in the recently ethnically cleansed Palestinian village of al-Bassa (1950), click here to find more how the indigenous population were driven out
Some of you may say: Palestinians also carry negative emotions (hatred and anger as well), however, in my opinion the source of these emotions isn't the same; the source in the case of Palestinians is more rational than emotional. Palestinians have been dispossessed and ethnically cleansed of their homes, farms, and businesses so they make way for the persecuted European Jews, and now they see alien colonizers living in their looted homes, and tilling their fields which they've farmed for generations. From my experience, this is a deeply emotional and a very humiliating experience as well. It should be noted that Palestinians directly deal with this traumatic event by directly confronting their oppressor, and they clinch to whatever is unique in their national identity (i.e. art, food, literature, folklore, customs, dresses, history, ...etc.).
Sadly, it scares me to think that we Palestinians started to look also for the Spartan amongst us; I seriously hope not. The Spartan Jews is no example. In my humble opinion, every victims has the right to defend his family and home by all possible means; this is a God given right which I extend even to the Israelis who deprived us from our homeland. However, the victimhood gives no moral grounds to become a Spartan; gives no moral ground to dehumanize the other! Once you become a Spartan, you will always live by the sword, and sadly the sword becomes the preferred communication tool.
Finally, I wish to tell every Westerner and a Jew reading this article how this conflict has little to do with religious differences; this conflict would have been the same even if other Arabs dispossessed Palestinians. We Palestinians don't wish to become anybody's psychological experiment; we don't want to become a make me feel good pill, we don't wish to become anybody's punching bag. We Palestinians don't wish to become anybody's messiah, and definitely we don't wish to be crossed for somebody else's sins. Sincerely, I wish Palestine was a commodity that can be bought and sold; I would have sold it. I could be one of the few Palestinians who actually empathizes with Jewish suffering, however, my homeland is so dear to give, no human can do that! For us Palestinians, Palestine is not only our homeland, Palestine is our identity; Palestine is the intoxication of our memories; Palestine is the Jewel of all Jewels. My homeland, Palestine, isn't for sale.
Our DATE is 60 years LATE, God willing sooner or later we shall return.
* Salah Mansour is the founder and editor of
PalestineRemembered.com, the
largest Palestinian online community.
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I agree with your other points as well.
But you are missing the point. political zionism is what I'm against- but I am not against Israel. From the time that every Jew is able to talk- we are imbued with a love for our land. This has always been the case. It always was our land and it always will be. Each time we pray, no matter where we are in the world- we try to figure out which direction is our Temple Mount- and we face that direction. For hundreds of years, Jews dreamed of returning to their land. Read any of our literature, it's full of yearning for the land of Israel, this is in books that were written before the religion of Islam was ever invented. Some Jews managed to make the difficulty journey and come to Palestine, but most couldn't, and the conditions for the Jews there were extremely harsh.
Our connection to Israel has nothing to do with political Zionism, and it's never going to go away, no matter how much you try to wish it would.
But, you still haven't answered a few questions that I often ponder:
1) The classification of a Palestinian is someone who lived in the state of Israel from 1946. That is no co-incidence that that is A MERELY 2 YEARS B4 THE CREATION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL. That is b/c the majority of the "Palestinians" who wax poetic about their connection to palestine- only lived there for a few years!!!!!!! At best, they came to the land once the Jews started coming, and the land started becoming prosperous. prior the the large immigration of Jews- the land was desolate and barren, unused, reeking of poverty. the land was dry, unable to be irrigated. Read about Mark Twain's account of his journey thru Israel. The Jews took this desolate land, with barely any inhabitants and figured out an irrigation system to make it grow.
2) At the same time that the hundreds of thousands of palestinians became refugees, around 1 MILLION JEWS BECAME REFUGEES B/C OF PERSECUTION FROM ARABS IN THE LANDS THEY HAD LIVED IN FOR 2 THOUSAND YEARS.
now, I ask you, refugee from palestine- where are those Jewish refugees today??
Are they living their lives out in anger over the land that they were forced to flee?
Have they set up shop next door and lobbed rockets into their old homes to try to get them back?
Have they refused to go with their lives and made themselves permanant refugees bec they are angry?
Have they ruined their own lives, and their childrens lives to spite those whom they hate?
Or have they made peace with their pain over their stolen homes, businesses, and thousand year old communities that were uprooted?
Are they now successful businessman, built themselves new lives with strength and determintation, educating their children to love, not hate, to focus on building good futures for themselves, not ruining their own lives and their childrens lives b/c they are angry at something that happened 60 years ago.
at the end of the day- which group of refugees has fared better?
Assume you are correct, then why over 90% of the polled young Jews say that it was the Holocaust that shaped their Jewish identity and it was not the exodus?
The mass a majority of Jews are secular, but when it comes to the the so called Promised Land and Israel, they are all Jewish all of a sudden?
Anyhow, if you monitor Zionists literature during WWII, they didn't care much about the Holocaust and what was happening in Europe, they just exploited to the teeth later on and that continues until now. See Abraham Burg's new book: The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise From Its ashes, and pay especially attention to the Jewish Bunds.
Anyhow, Israel was not created to solve the "problem" of the Arab Jews .... there was no problem there, at length we've destroyed that myth here
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General/Story2126.html
And more myths have been destroyed based on what has been declassified from the Zionist archives here too
http://www.palestineremembered.com/ZionistFAQ.html
Incidentally- at the same time that you claim that hundreds of thousands of palestinian refugees were created in 1948- around ONE MILLION JEWISH refugees were created when they had to escape from the arab lands that they had been living in since the destruction of the second temple.
Maybe because our Homeland is (rather than homalands are) not for sale.
The author completely misses the mark in thinking that Zionism is a side-thought in Jewish life, and not the main source of Israeli fervor. To know the centrality of the Zionist idea in Judaism, it is enough to surf for a translation of the siddur, the Jewish prayer book, and read just how often a Jew prays for the restoration of the people to its land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The main prayers like the Amidah and the Grace After Meals pre-date the Second Temple, i.e. they are well over 2,000 years old. Both are loaded with references to the land, to Jerusalem, and the Return of the Nation of Israel to Zion and to the Land.
So why did more Jews move to America than Eretz Yisrael (BTW, about a 5-1 ratio, not 99-1). The #1 reason "only" some 50,000 Jews moved to Eretz Yisrael during the 19th century was because it was extremely dangerous especially for Jews, and until the Turkish capitulations (esp. 1856 and onward), Jews had virtually no rights, including no right to own land or to build where they rented. As rights increased, Jewish immigration increased. However, there is no denying that many Jews then and now embarrassingly cling to the comforts of their diaspora homes, rather than returning, even when Jews have full rights and it is no longer truly dangerous. Certainly modern Palestinian Arabs can recognize the phenomenon of "getting comfortable" already happening in their communities around the world. But that doesn't negate fundamental national rights, does it?
And that leads me to my final point, which I'll phrase as a question: Why do Palestinian Arabs feel that dispossession can never cause a nation to lose its national rights...except when it comes to the Jews?
I appreciate your article about the Spartan Jew, and the contribution of the holocaust to it. I only want to add that this kind of Jew developed even before the holocaust, in the early days of Zionist immigration to this country. their offspring born here rejected the diaspora Jew and developed this kind of traits, the physical power became dominant, they despised the culture brought by European Jews, the culture, the intellectual hoard, the first decades of 20th till the holocaust were characterized with the development of such a society - appreciating the physical power. It was intensified after the holocaust, and the holocaust was a very powerful political weapon of Ben Gurion and the rest till very day. They play on the guilt feelings of all collaborative countries with the Nazis. The new Israeli Jew even despised the Jewish refugees coming from the holocaust because they did not fight, as we say "they went like sheep to the slaughter". They received a very cold reception when they came here, nobody wanted to listen to their experience there, and they learned to be silent. Ben Gurion said one time that if he could choose to save 50,000 miscellaneous Jews or 10,000 who benefited Israel he would have chosen those 10,000. Amazing, no? Ben Gurion and the Zionists were obsessed with power and building a strong Israel was the ultimate goal which surpassed any humanity or morality. From this came the Nakba, also the attitude toward the Oriental Jews, or the Arab Jews, who brought to Israel by falls promises and intimidation and were used as the unskilled workers.
Here I added my few cents to your excellent review.
This is a reply to the below comment from Hagai.
Thanks for visiting the site and for writing the below reply. If I have to guess, you have not read our Zionists FAQ section. With regards to Germans and Palestinians, actually it was few who actually collaborated during WWII, the mass majority either were neutral or they've supported the war effort against the Germans and their allies (I know this was the majority based on the interviews we have done), at length we have replied to this Zionist Myth:
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story420.html
Any how, I am wondering what its your point? May be you are not aware that there are many Israelis (Stern Gang) tried to <a href="http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story799.html"> collaborate</a> with the Nazis, therefore what do you think should be done to Israelis and Jews? I hope you don't miss the below scanned page!! Hold on to your seat.<br> <a href="http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story799.html"> http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story799.html</a><br> So what do you think Zionists should do now to Germans (note I am not saying Nazis) and many European nations who collaborated with them in this crime? Based on your writings you're advocating their dispossession?</p> <p>With regards to the immigration of Jews and how that could have helped diminish the Holocaust's affect; again what is your point? If you have not noticed Palestinians were (and still tare colonized people; it is their right to refuse more Jewish immigrants especially when land of the free and the home of the brave (USA, your most loyal ally/servant) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis">refused</a> their entry; their excuse that those Jews didn't have a returned address! I guess you have not heard about the the recent Jewish rioting in Tel Aviv against African immigrants? or about the MS St. Louis in 1939, click below for details:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis</a>. Actually what you wrote enforces the main point behind this article, Palestinians cannot and will not pay for the Holocaust; not only it is unfair it's immoral; I hope you agree that it should be Never Again for anyone; not just <i>only</i> for Jews!</p> <p>Any how, Zionists at the time were not interested in saving Jews per say; their priority at the time was saving Jews as long they come to Palestine. The ones who were actually working to save European Jews were called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Jewish_Labour_Bund_in_Lithuania,_Poland_and_Russia">Bunds</a>; who were anti-Zionists many of whom lead the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (their book was allowed into Israel only recently, see Abraham Burg recently book). If you are interested to learn more about this subject click below for the letter Ben Grunion send to his son in 1937, and Abraham Burgs most recent book.<br> <a href="http://www.palestine-studies.org/files/hebrelett.pdf"> http://www.palestine-studies.org/files/hebrelett.pdf</a><br> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-Over-Must-Rise-Ashes/dp/0230618979"> http://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-Over-Must-Rise-Ashes/dp/0230618979</a><br> One thing I have to credit you, your below comment didn't mention the Bible or the Promised Land myth; I guess that is coming my way anytime soon! Usually secular Zionists pull that card as a last resort effort to win the argument, <a href="http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story418.html"> here</a> is our reply just in case.. It will be a day when Zionists and their supporters send us an original responses backed with original research rather than copying and pasting bankrupt Zionists propaganda</p>
I read with great interest your article on the roots of negative emotions of israelis, and perhaps zionists in general, towards palestinians. You correctly point out the holocaust as one source of emotions that, rightly or wrongly, feeds militarism in Israel. However you neglect to mention that the palestinians were by no means a neutral party in the second world war: The leader of the Palestinian cause, Haj Amin Al Husseini, allied himself with the nazis, and spent the war as a personal guest of Hitler in Berlin. He recruited bosnian muslims into the SS and created a special SS corps that hunted down jews and resistance fighters in the balkans. Please, could you explain the source of this animosity among the palestinians towards the jews, particularly in Palestine, before 1948, and before a single palestinian peasant was disenfranchised? How do you explain the arab revolt of 1936, aimed at halting jewish immigration to Palestine, which would have prevented the holocaust altogether, or the massacre of the jews of Hebron in 1929? Were there massacres of muslims by jews that precipitated these actions, or are they otherwise justified in your opinion? How did the jewish immigrants, and also the established jewish community (the jewish community in Hebron was not composed of immigrants) earn this treatment at the hands of the muslim community in Palestine?
It's pretty simple: I'm in. When Jewish Voice for Peace asked me if I would renew my membership, there was no question about my response—"Count me in."
I'm in because I want to be part of the change and hope Jewish Voice for Peace represents to me. I can't imagine not being in, and I'm hoping I am not alone. Will you join me?
I grew up in a New York Jewish household, in the shadow of the Holocaust. Like my family, I believed the creation of a Jewish state was a necessary and wonderful thing.
I did not know about the 750,000 Palestinians who became refugees or the more than 400 Palestinian villages that were erased when Israel was created. As I came to understand what
had happened, Israel’s use of the history of Jewish suffering to perpetuate occupation became a great sorrow in my life. I watched my government support Israel as it prevented Palestinians from having access to water, education, health care, the things that allow people to live and thrive.
When Israel commenced its 2009 assault on Gaza, I realized I had to take action. What Israel was doing, supposedly in the name of Jews like me and for our benefit, was unconscionable. And just when I needed a way to express my outrage, there was Jewish Voice for Peace. Finally, a Jewish organization that helped make sense of my sadness and helped me express my desire for peace and justice. As the bombs landed in Gaza, I signed up to become a member.
Since then, I have told everyone who would listen to me why I joined. Jewish Voice for Peace is the only national Jewish group that truly represents me and others like me who believe that peace in the Middle East must be achieved through full equality for both Palestinians and Israelis. I wanted to be a part of this growing, effective, powerful movement.
Jewish Voice for Peace gives me hope, and gives me tools to act. JVP gives me the opportunity to show that those who were victims of oppression have a special responsibility to make sure that they are never guilty of the injustices that were inflicted upon them. And JVP gives me the tools to own that responsibility myself, acting strategically alongside others.
I hope you will join me and others today. We will all be stronger for it.
Jethro Eisenstein, Board Member
Jewish Voice for Peace
A very insightful article. I am from a Jewish family that rejected Zionism, but I can recognize even within myself the feelings that have led so many other Jews to embrace Zionism, and you have captured their essence.
I would add a few points.
1. The "Spartan Jew" was born earlier, especially in response to persecution in tsarist Russia. But it was the Holocaust that turned the Spartan Jew into a mass phenomenon.
2. Although the Spartan Jew arose out of real persecution, Zionist propagandists and rabbis routinely exaggerate the extent of anti-Semitism, often seeing it where it does not really exist. This is to inculcate the paranoid (but unfortunately self-fulfilling) idea that the whole world is against us, stimulating our fear and reactive aggression.
3. There is a central sexual element in the mentality of the Spartan Jew. He yearns to recover his "masculine" identity. Persecution undermined his self-esteem not only as a person but also specifically as a man. Traditional Jewish society was extremely patriarchal, but in an unusual way. Respect as a man was won by means of religious (and later secular) learning, not physical prowess. When that society broke down and Jews became part of modern society, the criterion of masculinity changed and to regain respect the Jewish male felt he had to remodel himself as a man on the Gentile pattern. Zionism was an ideal means of doing this.
Respectfully
The holocaust and the Western media's stereotypes of Arabs makes it easier for them to believe this.
Jews like me have a very hard time challenging the propaganda. I knew something was wrong but wasn't aware of al-Nakba until my 40s.
I still can't talk to family and friends because they have a war mentality. They believe criticism endangers them.
It is not about the Holocaust, but it covers the State of Israel, so part of my paper.
www.Palestineremembered.com
It has been very interesting reading quite the opposite that I read and am told here in America - it is like a completely different story.
Why do Arabs not make a bigger issue of the fact that after Israel was created, they murdered, and ethnic cleansed Arabs from the new Israel?
Why do you not have a more vocal organization here in America.
The Jewish community have many Jewish politicians.
Why do you not fight more in the press and have an organization like the Jews do and tell the truth of what happened?
This is what I was reading on the website WIKIPEDIA:
"On 3 January 1919, Faisal and Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the World Zionist Organization signed the Faisal–Weizmann Agreement for Arab-Jewish cooperation, in which Faisal conditionally accepted the Balfour Declaration based on the fulfillment of British wartime promises of development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and on which subject he made the following statement:"
""We Arabs... look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement. Our deputation here in Paris is fully acquainted with the proposals submitted yesterday by the Zionist Organisation to the Peace Conference, and we regard them as moderate and proper. We will do our best, in so far as we are concerned, to help them through; we will wish the Jews a most hearty welcome home... I look forward, and my people with me look forward, to a future in which we will help you and you will help us, so that the countries in which we are mutually interested may once again take their places in the community of the civilised peoples of the world."
So if this was the initial intention - what went wrong?
Why did Israel attack and murder so many Arabs, or make them leave their homes and go to refugee camps in other countries.
Why does Israel have such a terrible opposition to friendly Arabs who have shared their history and geography together for so many years.
Under different rulers - Romans, Turks, Europeans....everyone suffered.
Why fight each other?
Why did they cause this problem.
Arabs did not cause the Holocaust - so why did Jews turn on them as soon as they got an Israeli State / Country?
Arabs must have suffered as much in WWII in their own homelands - in fact there were very few Jews in North Africa / Arabia at that time - they were Italian, French and British Colonies!
Arabs suffered under these colonial regimes.
There were very few Jews in Arabia / Palestine / North Africa at that time.
So would somebody please explain what went wrong?
So why hate the Arabs and turna against them in such a brutal way as to ethnically cleanse, murder, kill, arrest, torture, burn villages, push them out of homes and occupy them.
Why did they do that?
They had the word of the Arabs.
Arabs were not in France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Check,, Poland or anywhere else giving Jews to the German Nazi's to murder.
Why do the Jews hate the Arabs so much?
They were victims of the same Ottoman Empire - if not more than Jews.
I recently watched this movie - the story of a lowly British soldier that unites the Arab tribes against the Turkish Military that had ruled Arabia for 400 years!
Although the movie does not go into great detail of the Arab Revolt and it is all about France and Britain carving it up - it reminded me of the fact that:
There were no Jews in that movie.
Where were they?
If Jews claim that Israel is their country and has been for thousands of years - where were they when the fighting began to free Arab countries from the grip of the Turks?
Anyone?
I have fought in British wars - in Northern Ireland (1972 thru 1974)- one white Christian tribe (Catholics) fighting and hating against another white Christian tribe (protestants).
I have fought in Rhodesia - a white Christian minority against black African Nationalists from all over Africa supported by Communist regimes - the White claiming the blacks cannot run their own country, and the new black Marxist communist dictator tribal cleansing, and ruining the country while the world looks on.
A hundred thousand killed, Millions dispossessed, countries torn in two, feuding militia, politicians that lie and deceive, murder and steal.
I have witnessed Beirut - Christians ruling Muslims (in the constitution) Muslims, Druze, Arabs, fighting against Christians and Israeli Jews invading (1982).
A hundred thousand killed, millions dispossessed, countries torn in two, feuding militia, politicians that lie and deceive, murder and steal, civilians that only want peace used by both sides as bait.
And Israel / Palestine - White Jew against Arabs, hundred thousand killed - a constant civil war.
A hundred thousand killed, hundreds of thousands dispossessed, countries torn in two, feuding militia, politicians that lie and deceive, murder and steal, civilians that only want peace used as bait.
Why?
The Palestinian people have been dispossessed and ethnically cleansed by persecuted European Jews; if you wanna call our resistance to Zionist colonization, occupation, dispossession, and ethnic cleansing as hatred/terrorism to Jews; then that is your problem! We are not different than the Vietnamese, Lebanese, Iraqis, Afghans, ...etc who fought oppression with all possible means; those people have been called worse and now they are being called heroes!
I have written a popular article about what you have written called the The Spartan Jew. The psychological ploy you have used is meant to deflect the core issues of the conflict; it is carefully analyzed in this article:
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General/Story11920.html
The cheap tactics of exploiting antisemitism and the Holocaust as a shield to sell Israelis and Zionist war crimes sells pretty well in the US and Europe; go sell this where there is market for it. Europeans are the ones who took turns gang rapping their Jewish citizens; not Palestinians. Ironically the best selling car in Israel is the Volkswagen Jetta; what a transformation once Europe has vacuumed itself of its Jewish citizens! No Wonder, Hertzl and Jabotinsky called antisemitism their greatest ally! Continue diverting your negative energy towards Palestinians; continue using us as the punching bag; I can feel remotely the spartan Jew in you; it says: oh yaah. The Spartan Jew may have created a state although racist and criminal; but will never live in peace. That is no surprise; you have equated both! I truly feel sorry for you!
Our DATE is 62 years LATE, we shall return; it is a matter of time only.
Take care,
Abu al-Sous (Salah Mansour)
Chicago - USA
As a Palestinian I know how Jews feel; may be I am the only one. When I came to the USA I passed a toll booth for cars, I thought it is a military check point. You might laugh, but that was true. I was pulling my passport out! The idea that we both psychological disturbed. When I live in a cage, I thought everybody lived like us and the truth that is not normal. When an Israeli friend visited me her in Chicago, he was surprised that no metal detectors are needed when you enter malls or when you enter restaurants. What I am trying to tell you that both of us do not know what is normal; that is sad; is that life? Once upon a time we Palestinians knew peace; you Jews never and I believe will never know peace. For you peace is security; it is not. We had very little before Nakba, but we had peace. I can see it in the eyes of the refugees I have met; they describe Palestine as paradise. I wish you can understand Arabic; they are all posted at the site. You have no idea how Nakba is a generational wound. I call it pain transfer. Zionists have transferred their generational pain to us, and now we transfer our pain to ourselves and to others. It is viral! It is contagious! The conflict and pain transfer continues! This conflict threatens world peace as you are seeing now.
I often hear Israelis Jews say what you said: if we didn't do it to you, you would have done it to us. I believe this thought process is a result of the Spartan Jew theory. I believe it is wrong for two reasons: First I have interviewed 600 people, and the interviews are all posted on the site. I have not heard one person telling me they had bad feelings towards their Jewish neighbors, by the way; also they didn't love them as well. I assure you that our people never thought that Jews will kick them out; at most they thought that you will rule the country. It should be noted that many Palestinians also left during the 1936-9 uprising and they returned. I know many refused to move far from their villages so they can return. Palestinians recognized the Zionist plan only at the end by Sept. 1948 and onwards after 80+% of us already left. The 2nd reason is how Muslims and Arabs dealt with Crusaders!! You are aware they were allowed to stay!! Many of us Palestinians around Hebron are not Arabs (many converted to Islam), same goes to Jaffa, Acre, and Bethlehem! In other words, what you wrote is a result of the fortress mentality you wrote about in your article where winning is everything!! I say no to that, it is how you win, that is everything. I say wining is easy! I urge you to read the following article where I have articulated a response to this point:
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story422.html
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story423.html
It is ganna take time; but I believe eventually you will recognize the fortress Zionists created easily can be destroyed; the fortress mentality hides deep insecurities and that can be easily destroyed. Not with bombs; not with weapons, but with ideas. That is why time is Zionists main enemy; not bombs.
Might is not right ! Might is not right! Might should only provide the protection to the right!
Our DATE is 62 years LATE, we shall return.
Take care,
Abu al-Sous (Salah Mansour)
Chicago - USA
Moreover, the zionist movement deliberatly organized events to take european jews to Palestine with the help of the british. The jews didnt spontanously flee to Palestine, it was organized and after they came they have the nerve to kicked out the natives and create a state on OUR LAND.
How dare you even suggest that we have demanded the whole world? We want what is rightfully ours, nothing else, we dont want Miami, Russia, Argentina, Norway, Spain etc, we want our country Palestine, that is all!!!
Your the one who is saying that Palestinians should agree to loose their country and be massacred, exiled and opressed to keep foreign jews happy!!! Well keep dreaming, your propaganda wont help you the day justice comes. Even as i write this, israel is self-destructing. Israel has no chance of remaining in any part of Palestine, most of the colonializing jews will return to either their countries of origins or move to the US or the UK.
Thank you for this thoughtful article, which is full of empathy. It is rare in this conflict to find someone who genuinely tries to understand the deep motives of both sides, especially the other side, without taking the easy way out by adopting a prejudicial or racist point of view. I deeply respect the humanist outlook on your part.
I think you are right in that Israeli society is dominated by a sense of post-trauma. The underlying emotions shaped by the Holocaust and years of war have a profound influence. Maybe that's why political discussions here tend to flame up very quickly, people start to shout slogans and rarely can a thorough exchange of ideas take place.
Both our peoples' histories present a very heavy burden. I am in part optimistic because I see many Israeli people of the younger generation who, acknowledging their history as well as that of the other side, really want to put their future first and live peacefully. I sincerely hope this will be possible. Meanwhile I will continue to educate myself about the Palestinian story.
I like to introduce you to a documentary I have seen lately called : Into the Arms of Strangers.
http://www.amazon.com/Into-Arms-Strangers-Stories-Kindertransport/dp/B00005MEPK
This documentary tells the story of 10,000 German Jewish children who managed to immigrate out of Germany in late 1930s, on the eve of Kristallnacht .
What is amazing about this documentary that it shows </font></p> <ul> <font size="3"> <li>How the "so called civilized West" (peoples & Governments) rejected the persecuted European Jews at a time of need;</li> <li>How they became so smart in finding excuses not to save European Jews, especially the children.</li> <li>How the US congress rejected 20,000 entry visas for such children based on flimsy excuses.</li> </font> </ul> <p><font size="3">It should be noted that those 10,000 children were allowed entry into Britain under the strictest conditions, such as they should work as house maids and their parents should not be allowed to follow.<br> <br> As the Western people turned a blind eye and their hearts become of stone, Palestine was forced to receive hundreds of thousands of persecuted European Jews (especially the German and Russian Jews) beyond its capacity and against the wish of its indigenous population. Ironically, America refused entry to those persecuted European Jews even to the state of Alaska!<br> <br> As this injustice was brewing in Germany, <a href="http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Famous-Zionist-Quotes/Story638.html">Ben Gurion</a> (the first Israeli PM) stated in December 1938:</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="3">"If I knew it was possible to save all [Jewish] children of Germany by their transfer to England and only half of them by transferring them to Eretz-Yisrael, I would choose the latter----because we are faced not only with the accounting of these [Jewish] children but also with the historical accounting of the Jewish People." (<a href="http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Palestine-Remembered/Story592.html">Righteous Victims</a>, p. 162) For those of you who thinks this is an exception or an anomaly think twice; Zionist at the time thought the most important thing is creating the "Jewish state" and not necessarily saving Jews; they were mostly considered a human material that was essential to building the state.</font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="3">Every time I hear Westerners makes an anti-Semitic comments, I remind them that I (the Palestinian) is the one who pays for their anti-Semitism, and their anti-Semitism legitimizes the Zionists state on the expense of the Palestinian people. For those who like to know more about this subject, I suggest reading about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis">MS St. Louis</a> ship which was sailing in the late 1930s from one port to the other looking for any state to allow its passengers in. Sadly, one of the excuses given by the American officials that the German Jews on board had neither a valid return address nor a valid visa, and the ship was forced to return to Europe. Later on during WWII, some of its passengers were murdered in the Holocaust:<br> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis</a><br> <br> The Holocaust should be a warning to all humanity that the Jewish slogan of "never again" must be never again to any one; never again to watch silently the persecution of others irrespective of race, nationality, or religion. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Our DATE is 62 years LATE, we shall return.<br> <br> Sincerely,<br> <br> Salah Mansour (Abu al-Sous)<br> Chicago USA</font></p>
I very much enjoyed your thoughts on the Spartan Jew. It helps a westerner like me, to order my own conflicting thoughts on the subject.
In 1891, 'Ahad Ha'am (a leading Eastern European Jewish essayist) issued a warned of the increased militancy amongst the Jewish colonizers at the time in Palestine:
I think that you are right and you hit the nail on its head. Holocaust! Israel made and still making use of this painful historical past in every way it can. Because the holocaust is so horrible, it allows us to ignore other people's suffering, we suffered the most, therefore we have the right to make other suffer without paying for it, or even acknowledging it.
On the other hand we always overreact (even among ourselves), you are right on that too. As if every minor incident is a threat to our existence. As a child I was taught that we are so weak and threatened by the all Arab countries around us.
We learnt the wrong lesson from the Holocaust and that is very painful, instead of being sensitive to the other, to minorities, to any sign of Fascism, we use it as an excuse to be Fascist ourselves. This can be said about most of our leaders, politicians, with some exceptions. The late Prof. Leibowitz said that occupation corrupts, how right he was! He called the Jewish soldiers in Gaza Jewdo-Nazis and turned to be Persona non Grata.
What can be seen now after I am educating myself about the Nakba (doesn't even appear in Babylon Dict.) I can see a continuation of what was done in 1948. Only after 1967 war Israel could not ethnically clean the territories she took and to this very day hasn't decided what to do with all the Palestinian population.
It is a reverse logic, the victim get to be blamed for being a victim, we see that many times with raped girls and women that get blamed for seducing the rapist. You live and learn.
Miri
To all zionsisms
whom are belong to jews, cristians, muslems religons,or any kind of people.
I have to say that zionism never have a regligon any way, their believes only considered how to hate, how to steel from others, how to loot, how to bogi, how to kill for one cent or doller.
But when you face them with real truth they are saying we are jews, and we are suffering for the naziems masqra. And now I will ask them, how many of them born to Profit Ishaq, and where they are now and how many?, I will ask where are the jews whom are escaping from eygpt because of Faroon the king, and how many of them disapeared in the desert, when they refused orders of ALLAH, to inter Palestine, and where the jews who are refused to fight against the Palestinians
because these Palestineans are braves and highly stronger and that before thousands of years. When they said to Profit MOSA go and fight with your GOD while we are staying. And to whom
these Plestians are belong and after Profit Ishaq or before hem, and who born before Profit Ishaq or profit Ismaeil. and why Palestinians stayed in Palestine and the Israiles left to every where.
I am asking about those jews who killed many of PROFITS, and the last was our profit Issa (JESUS), where they are, and what they done with the latest PROFIT(MOHAMMAD) pease be
upen all of those profits.
I remembered one women of these zionism, she said one day I escaped from europe to Palestine because of strongly hating against us by crestians. and I ask why all people all over the ground feel unlikly and hating these zionisms. and I have not to think once that all that people are wrong, and
the zionisms are the right. because they have to ask themselves why other people are fully respecting, and we are not. I am sure that they will never ask themselves this quistion, becaaust they already knows the reason which come from their wrong doings against all the humanity.
I will say more with more details in future or in one of my next posts.
www.dawateislami.net
" My visit to Yad Vashem in 2006, during the war with Lebanon, was a painful
lesson. The museum of the Shoah is being used to indoctrinate young
Israelis, esp. the military, that the whole world is and always has been
against the Jews, and that the only solution is for Israelis to be firm and
resolute against the whole world, even if it means being inhuman to the
Palestinians. The "righteous among the nations" are cited as flukes, as
anomalies, with no explanations offered for their sacrifices because for the
Israelis though these people did something good, their motivations MUST
remain in the shadows (e.g. Christian faith; social justice; their own
experiences of oppression, etc.) so that the survival of the State of Israel
can remain the one and only center stage concern. Yad Vashem is an immoral
propaganda museum, and as such is a disgrace to the State of Israel and to
Jewish moral and prophetic tradition. There is great risk in this symbol of
moral obtuseness: if the Jewish people are AGAINST the whole world, then
Israel's role as the priestly people, as the people through whom God has
revealed himself through the Torah is fundamentally undermined. The Jewish
people thus LOSE their spiritual role in the history of the world, fail in
their duty of faithfulness to the Mosaic covenant, and run the risk of a
kind of spiritual suicide. Anyone can see that this spiritual suicide might
become a prelude to a material one, alas. The individuals you mention who
have the courage to oppose the apartheid policies of the State of Israel are
in fact true heirs of the Biblical prophets, whose messages of apocalyptic
warning were meant to show a "way out" when the ancient people of Israel had
lost their way. It is pretty clear that the Israelis of today have truly
lost their way both spiritually and politically, and absolutely need the
help of prophetic voices."
I look forward to reading more logical and balanced articles like this even though what is happening to Palestinians is making me furious.
.IHAVE SOME LATE PHOTOS OF THE RAF CAMP BUT THE VILLAGE SEEMS TO HAVE VANISHED.
IVOR
The fie of this anger is continuously fed with stories of the holocaust and the terrorists Arabs that hope to bring another holocaust on the Jewish people if allowed. From birth to school to army conscription stints the hate gauge is kept up, and then when they’re finally unleashed then the world get a look at a brand new massacre.
Zionism uses Jewish children not for the freedom of Jews but for its own ulterior motives. The Jews got a country but they are still fighting even fifty years on
They-the Zionists are not Jews but they found you vulnerable and decided to use you and a good job you have done for them. But day by day more Jews are realizing that Israel is not a haven for Jews. Its just a source of human power for men who want to use them to do their dirty work for them.
I ask the Israelis does the words ‘Greater Israel’ sound familiar? Who do you think will bring it about-empty whole countries of its original inhabitants and repopulate them with Jews. Will you let your sons and daughters and several more generations of your children to become fodder for this murderous cause? Will these kids really know peace when all the Arabs are vanquished? If they are vanquished
danoj
Kaufman, a frequent critic of Israel who was raised as an Orthodox Jew, sharply criticized Israel in a House of Commons debate on Gaza, saying that "The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt from Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians."
The MP also commented on the claim that large numbers of the Palestinian victims were militants, saying that "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants," he said.
Kaufman urged the British government to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
People have to be careful to distinguish between Jews and Israelis, Jews and Zionists, and Jews and Pro-War Israelis. It's gotten to the point where I hear Palestinians and others using "The Jews" to describe everything the state of Israel does. They do not speak for Jews worldwide, plain and simple. I'm certain that most of my American Jewish friends certainly don't refer to al-Qaeda or other violent Muslim groups - who DO NOT speak for all Muslims around the world - as "The Muslims", or much less "The Arabs." That would be racism, religionism, whatever you want to call it; that is exactly what calling Israelis "The Jews" amounts to. The problem is with Israel, not the Jews.
Thank you.
I'm a palestinian living in Lebanon, lived my childhood in Kuwait, studied in Jordan, in all my life I always had the feeling of enstrangement, never belonging, I never felt attachment to anywhere, as if I belong to nowhere...I wish if i could for one time in my life enjoy the smell of nature, for a scent of a peice of land where my Ancestors put their seeds...I was deprived from this blessing and I; like millions of Palesinians suffer a special case, it's painful...
Just "google" "Deir Yasin' sometimes spelt "Deir Yassin" and lots of things come up. It was a village wher the Irgun massacred 240 or so inhabitants - the village had a non-agression pact with a neighbouring Jewish village because they saw, early in 1948, what was happening. The Irgun ignored this pact. You will get google results from both spellings.
Im not trying to provoke. Its just that Im not so familiar with that.Im not kidding. Can you direct me to an objective source of information in the web that conferms what youve said?
To be honest Im the last person to critisize Palestinians. Traveling aound the world made me understand that nobody wants war for nothing. Humen nature wants peace, dosent want to deal with the waste of time of war. I dont realy believe that the arab world is so angry with Israel just because of primative pride, like many Israelies think.
I was referring to the fact that prior to May 1948 Jews had taken, eg. Deir Yasin - several miles outside the area proposed for the Jews and well inside the territory proposed for the Arabs. A lot of Arabs left their homes after hearing about this massacre, fearful for themselves, and the Jews took those villages/towns also. That is one example - there are others. I agree with you that the lines drawn by outsiders determining the boundaries were illogical in many cases, given the Jewish population cf the Arab population. But that is history. and I doubt Israelis would ever countenance a majority of Arabs in Israel.
As it is shown in the maps of this site, the zionist armed forces were holding only the territory that was given to them by the UN, in may 1948. However a demographic map following thet map explains why the UN Partition was far from being fair to the native residents of Palestine. Tel Aviv and Haifa were the only regions where there was a majority of jews. According to these facts Arab rejection to the separation is definitely understandable. The Jews were not ready to accept being under Arab control but were expecting the Arabs in their given territories to be under Jewish control. It is wrong and assymetric; physically, spiritually and politically.
Yet, nobody said this problem couldnt be solved in unviolent ways. But passion was strong among the Arabs(for a good cause) and this was the way that was chosen to solve this injustice, and was the prefered way after that and still is.
Imagine what would have happened if Arabs chose differently. How israel could have looked today, with an Arab majority in the Kneset. Yes, to remind you, Israel is a democracy and its Arab citizens get fully represented by their leaders in the Parliament. If Arabs didnt start the war, the Zionist army wouldnt have committed the crime of kicking people out of their houses; the huge inhumane crisis of refugee camps wouldnt exist.
I am not a big fan of my home counry, Israel. I dont like the people's mentality, the politicians, the artificial culture and the lack of authentity which governs most aspects of it. But as a Jew, I cannot forget that this counry at its basics was founded as a refugee camp for Jews. And Judaism is not a violent culture, no matter how unsuccesful I think it is, and as refugees from the holocaust, the last thing Jews looked for in Palestine was war(although they found it very comfortable to unleash their revenges from history on the week Palestinians, as the author of the spartan jew claims).
In conclution, I believe the one side that can really lead to end this conflict, and stop the Israeli over used aggresiveness, is the Arab side. I believe that with enough intention, Palestinians can get compensetion for all they deserve. But continuing to use violence will lead to more violence, just like it happened before.
I think putting the words "empathy" and "human" in the same sentence is wishful thinking.
As for selling Palestine, the Jews can sell their own Israel: they are the ones after the money!
Israel has created a huge problem for itself - it cannot give back the West Bank because the settlers just won't go, and if they were forced, it would create civil war. They cannot just create little bantustans for the Palestinians, because even the US wouldn't accept that, and without US support they would disintegrate. And they cannot annex the West Bank and Gaza because, as people claiming to be a democratic country, they would then have to give the Palestinians the vote, and then in one generation the Palestinians would outnumber the Jews. Politically, here is no solution for Israel. The moral (and legal) solution is that they must return to the 1967 borders. The West Bank can then run as a normal country, and Gaza will settle down, as Hamas will have no further beef with Israel.
You are absolutely right in every single word. Your article represents every palestinian's feelings. I am a Palestinian who lives in Europe and I feel very embarrassed that I am considered an Arab because of the attitude of the arabic republics towards the situation that is taking place these days, as I know that they have the power to stand up for the palestinian rights.
Thank you for expressing our feeling,
Respectfully Efat Giakoub.
I think your analysis is absolutely correct, and fits perfectly with the behavior and rhetoric I've encountered in the Jewish community, as well as my own reflections on the subject.
I'll add a couple of thoughts, regarding American Jews in particular. My experience has been that many of my people here, particularly those of the older generations who lived through the Holocaust period, rely on idealized images of Israeli strength/potency/dominance to compensate for their own deeply rooted sense of physical weakness and vulnerability. I think this anchoring of people's fragile self-esteem in romanticized views of Israel is a major reason why American Jews are often more ideological, and more difficult to engage rationally regarding Israel/Palestine, than the Israelis themselves.
I suspect that this is also a major factor explaining the American Jews who join extremist settler groups in Israel. Many, and I suspect most, of these settlers were not raised in religious families, but rather joined strictly observant Jewish sects in an attempt to compensate for low self-esteem and fragile self-concepts (particularly regarding their Jewish identity). At least one of these sects runs large, religiously-based rehab programs for Jewish drug abusers. While this is a worthy enterprise, many of the young people coming out of these programs are deeply troubled, and I suspect that they are heavily represented among the religious settlers.
One of the earlier posters mentioned the tendency for victims of abuse to become abusers, themselves, which reminded me of an encounter I had in Tel Rumeida, Hebron. While working with the ISM in Tel Rumeida, I was attacked by a group of five teenage/young-adult religious school students with Brooklyn accents. The striking thing about the attack was that these were physically very weak boys, almost incapable of doing me serious harm (they were unarmed), who clearly would never have dared to accost me (or anyone else) here in New York. Only with Israeli soldiers standing watch a few yards away, and knowing that my role as a non-violent activist prevented me from striking back, did they feel empowered to attack.
May we live to see the day when all Palestinians who desire to do so return to freedom and equality in their homes and lands in Palestine/Israel. And I pray, when that day comes, that my people will also return to their true and better selves.
Respectfully,
Aaron Levitt
Israel doesn't want peace
By Gideon Levy
The moment of truth has arrived, and it has to be said: Israel does not want peace. The arsenal of excuses has run out, and the chorus of Israeli rejection already rings hollow. Until recently, it was still possible to accept the Israeli refrain that "there is no partner" for peace and that "the time isn't right" to deal with our enemies. Today, the new reality before our eyes leaves no room for doubt and the tired refrain that "Israel supports peace" has been left shattered.
It's hard to determine when the breaking point occurred. Was it the absolute dismissal of the Saudi initiative? The refusal to acknowledge the Syrian initiative? Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's annual Passover interviews? The revulsion at the statements made by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in Damascus, alleging that Israel was ready to renew peace talks with Syria?
Who would have believed it? A high-ranking U.S. official says Israel wants peace talks to resume and instantly her president "severely" denies the veracity of her words. Is Israel even hearing these voices? Are we digesting the significance of these voices for peace? Seven million apathetic Israeli citizens prove that we are not.
Entire generations grew up here weaned on self-deception and doubt about the likelihood of achieving peace with our neighbors. In our younger days, David Ben-Gurion told us that if he were only able to meet with Arab leaders, he would have brought us peace in his time. Israel has demanded direct negotiations as a matter of principle and Israelis have derived great pride from the fact that their daily focus on "peace" has concealed their state's lofty ambitions. We were told that there was no partner for peace and that the ultimate ambition of the Arabs is to bring about our destruction. We burned the portraits of "the Egyptian tyrant" at our bonfires on Lag Ba'omer, and were convinced that all blame for the lack of peace lied with our enemies.
After that came the occupation, followed by terror, Yassir Arafat, the failed second Camp David Summit and the rise of Hamas to power, and we were sure, always sure, that it was all their fault. In our wildest dreams, we wouldn't have believed that the day would come when the entire Arab world would extend its hand in peace and Israel would brush away the gesture. It would have been even crazier to imagine that this Israeli refusal would have been blamed on not wanting to enrage domestic public opinion.
The world has been turned upside down and it is Israel that stands at the forefront of refusal. The policy of refusal of a select few, a vanguard of the extreme, has now become the official policy of Jerusalem. In his Passover interviews, Olmert will tell us that, "The Palestinians stand at the crossroads of a historic decision," but people stopped taking him seriously a long time ago. The historic decision is ours, and we are fleeing from this crossroads and from these initiatives as if from death itself.
Terror, used as the ultimate excuse for Israeli refusal, only helps Olmert keep reciting, ad nauseum, "If they [the Palestinians] don't change, don't fight terror and don't adhere to any of their obligations, then they will never extract themselves from their unending chaos." As though the Palestinians haven't taken measures against terrorism, as though Israel is the one to determine what their obligations are, as though Israel isn't to blame for the unending chaos Palestinians suffer under the occupation.
Israel makes a point of setting prerequisites and believes it has an exclusive right to do so. But, time and time again, Israel avoids the most basic prerequisite for any just peace - an end to the occupation. Of all the questions asked during his Passover interviews, no one bothered to ask Olmert why he didn't react with excitement to the recent Arab initiatives, without preconditions? The answer: real estate. The real estate of the settlements.
It's not only Olmert who is dragging his feet. A leading figure in the Labor party said last week that "it will take five to 10 years to recover from the trauma." Peace is now no more than a threatening wound, with no one still talking about the massive social benefits it would bring in development, security, freedom of movement in the region and by establishing a more just society.
Like a little Switzerland, we are focusing more these days on the dollar exchange rate and on the allegations of embezzlement leveled against the Finance Ministry than on the fateful opportunities fading away before our very eyes.
Not every day and not even in every generation do we encounter an opportunity like this. Although it's not for sure if the initiatives are completely solid and believable, or if they are based on trickery, no one has stepped up to challenge or acknowledge them. When Olmert is an elderly grandfather, what will he tell his grandchildren? That he turned over every stone in the name of peace? That there was no other choice? What will his grandchildren say?
Great and excellent Webmaster arts
God Will erase israel
Palestine will grow
Long live Palestine
Keep on inform us about our mother Palestine
Wish you wild success
Talal MEHYAR
Fance - Lebanon - Ramallah
However, the real issue is not philosophical, but rather practical: how to reconcile the three Mosiac religions. In this regard, I believe that one major obstacle is that the various news agencies are subjective in their reporting. This coupled with the typical American disdain for reading and analyzing the news is another principle obstacle.
Having taken the Palestian side more often than not, I began urging my pro-Israel friends to start reading the Israeli Internet news source: Ha'aretz. This news source clearly outlines on a daily basis, the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government and the Israeli fanatics. Interestingly, those who began reading Ha'aretz, have almost universally begun to change their attitudes on the conflict. What my previously pro-Israeli friends conclude is that: 1) Israel main objective is to take posession of the entire Levant, and 2) when there is relative calm, the Isrealis continually provoke the Palestinians, e.g., a) the June 2008 Gaza Beach artillery firings, b) targeted assassinations of 'suspected' terrorists, usually in vehicles carrying innocent family members, c) continual expansion of their religious settlements, d) the siege of Gaza, preventing the Gaza from establishing a civil society and e) most recently as the last 'cease fire' was ending, proclaiming that they will never vacate their large settlements in Palestine.
In summary, my previously pro-Israeli now believe that the Israelis are a very insidious people and believe that the Israelis themselves are the root cause of Antisemitism.
This is not about Israelis stealing Palestinian land, this is a conflict of cultures. And Palestinians have used every excuse they can dredge up to blame others for maintaining their own pathetic existence in the Arab world.
In the Americas, the indigenous population was overrun and their land taken away from them. The injustice remains, but despite the heroics of Wounded Knee, there are few rockets being launched from the reserves on which they have been relegated. The aborigines of Oz and the Maoris of New Zealand have, for better or worse, survived the English colonization, and learned to live in their corners of their traditional lands. The Hawaiians have lost most of their islands to pineapple farms, but do not demand aid from from the rest of the world.
Only the Lebanese seem to understand the Palestine issue - and that is why, they have reluctantly allowed Palestinians to settle in their land, but with the proviso that they live in designated, self-governed areas, which we deem refugee camps, totally separate from Lebanese governance. Any squalor and/or deprivation is solely the responsibility of the Palestinians.
It is interesting that even the Jordanian representative, Muashar, cites the relative better position of the Palestinians of the West Bank, who may yet attain their own self-governing country, only because they negotiate with the Israelis, rather than launch rockets.
It is the definition of insanity to continue to repeat the same behavior, and expect a different result.
Despite the interesting take on the "Spartan Israelis", remember that Ben-gurion accepted the UN decision to slit Palestine, giving the Jewish Palestinians (the official designation on passports as issued by the Mandate government) only a portion of the land that Balfour had promised - and it was the Palestinians who rejected the compromise, expecting to overrun the Jewish Palestinians within the week.
Lastly, Matthew, ask yourself why it is that Egypt closes the Rafah border, and restricts passage of goods and people into and out of Gaza, but all the ranting is focused on the restrictions enforced by the Jewish Palestinians? How come Hamas does not protest against Egyptian closed borders by launching rockets into the Sinai?
You are right this "conflict" is not about religion but about plain and simple theft of Palestinian land by Israel.
The Jews have created the World's largest open air prison in Gaza where it has reduced the population to survive by eating grass -- there is/was no way in or out -- there is/were targeted assassinations -- bombs at any time -day or night -- continual non stop terror 24/7 !!!!!
Continued requests by the elected Palestinian Government (HAMAS) for a peaceful solution were dismissed and as a protest Palestinians continued to send their "home made" rockets into Israel in response to let the World know that in 2007--2008 there was this Warsaw type Ghetto situation being "allowed" and supported and paid for by US Taxpayers !!!
The Geneva Convention and many UN resolutions were ALL ignored by Israel and the US.
As with Lebanon in 2006 Jews are killing Arabs in Gaza at will and destroying any and all infrastructure that Israel has not destroyed previously again supported and paid for by American Taxpayers !!!!!
The logic of this is surely not unknown to Jews Worldwide and one can only wonder their long term objective !
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Jews consists of 0.02% of the World’s population.
Islam consists of 23% of the World’s population.
How can Jews or ANYONE think that 0.02% of the World’s population killing 23% of the World’s population at will is acceptable ?
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Israel with 250 NUKES the 4th strongest Military in the World created by the USA is just “completely” out of control!!
Shamefully it says a lot for the USA and its 80% Christians who have supported Israeli Nazi Zionist tactics for over 60 YEARS !!
The hypocrisy of Americans and Jews is shameful and shows their near total "ignorance" fed them by the US media as in the lead up to the US "War" in Iraq !!!
To really help Jews and Israel in its search for “peace” the USA must stop giving Israel $10 Billion of American Taxpayer dollars every year!!!!
The only solution is to educate the American masses --Jews especially - via personal contact and the Internet ----to explain with knowledge that it is a Jewish solution that is necessary -- Jews have to "rejoin" humankind and admit that they are not "chosen" but regular humans and rejoin "humankind"!!!
G.W.Bush called it a Crusade. A Judeo/Christion Crusade against 23% of the World's population who "adhere" to Islam.
Can any Jew or American still wonder "why do they hate us" ??????????
Israel is the out of control Jewish Nuclear super power in the middle of a sea of Islam.
HELP WANTED PLEASE -- the World may be counting on all of us humans yes you and the rest of us !!! NOW !!!!
You wrote rightly when you said this has nothing to do with a regious war I am 100 % with you.. this has to do with hanger of injustice and hanger of dispossession, in change of nothing but blood shed...
Unfortunately I have to tell you that western people don't live on their skin all what you are suffering in the body and in the soul.. I have lost any hope any help will come from outside.. Probably this half a century war has become a part of our present story .. as something which cannot be disclosed... Horrible!
I would just say that there are two choices among the number of possible solutions.. One is fighting to the end of lives and keeping the "rights" there and the other just at the opposite is: Nobody has rights (on both parts) coz they have beeen canceled by rivers of blood and we are simply here to find a way how, inch by inch, to share what is there... Probably you will need generations to start becoming "friend" .. and I know very well you have different degrees of involvment and attitudes.. But really I have lost any hope on the International Community and willing do something decisive to assist any of you..
I can only hope and pray you just change your point of sight and shift to a peacefull mediation but I insist this has to come by talking between parts ready to talk!!
If I was in the power I would have given back all your lands but nether me neither others will do on behalf of involved parties..
I am always strongly with you and your families and my heart tears apart when I hear of your children victim of this great historical western mistake.. Giulio
As you had rightly pointed out, the Jews who live in Israel today are immigrants from Europe. These are not the original Jews who are descendants of Abraham but rather the decedents of the ‘khazar’ tribe that lived in the Caucasian mountains who converted into Judaism. These so called Jews do not prescribe to Judaism but rather believe in the doctrine of Zionism. The Holy Quran points out about the emergence of this group of Jews:
O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guided not a people unjust.
Al-Maidah; 5:51
I would like to bring your attention to the underlined verse. God Almighty restricts Muslims to become friends with Jews and Christians, but the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had friends who were Jews and Christians. In fact, the Prophet himself instructed the Muslims who were persecuted in Mecca to seek shelter in Abyssinia which was ruled by a Christian monarch. To have a clear understanding of this command, we must further look into the verse whereby God Almighty commands Muslims not to become friends with Jews and Christians who are ‘friends and protectors to each other.’
Therefore, this verse clearly explains that that would come a time whereby the Jews and Christians would become friends and allies of which we are witnessing before our eyes. I rest my case.
Palestinian 'effect' in my gene's (I came to this country as a 4 year old child from Mexico) I understand your 'passion' and 'respect' it very much.
I have been pro-Palestinian for many years and write about 100 emails each week to my Senators, President and many of the Jewish sites (Zionist) regarding Israel's criminal past and present. As the bombs explode in Gaza, as I write, I feel an intense desire to raise money, print anti-ZioNAZI posters and stickers and distribute them (as I distribute many of the handout brochures and magazines produced by the 'Washington Report on the Middle East magazine.' Like, 'Remember These Children,' please check-out www.RememberTheseChildren.com , the 'Nakba anniversery issure 300 copies!, and others).
Unfortunately, my local Palestinian friends are always reluctant to 'boycott,' 'march the synogogues,' etc. etc. But, after thinking about it I was no longer angry at them - remembering what happened to Proffessor Sammy al-Arian in the hands of the racist federal courts in Florida.
God Bless, I pray for Palestine and it's people,
Salaaaam!
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
In the most recent example, Israel has repeatedly violated its cease-fire with Hamas including the killing of 6 Gazans in a Nov. 4 attack (while the US and world press were preoccupied with our election) on one of their lifeline tunnels to Egypt, and again on Dec. 2 killing two Gazan children with a drone-launched missile, as well as increasing rather than easing its strangulation of Gaza in violation of the cease-fire agreement. Hamas nevertheless honored the truce until its expiration on Dec. 19 before retaliating with its very low-tech rockets, causing one Israeli death. Israel, aided and abetted by a duplicitous press, then used this as an excuse to launch their genocidal, high-tech, machismo-proving attack killing some 360 as of this writing while only 5 more Israelis have died - a 60/1 kill ratio, as usual vastly favoring the bullies, protected as always by their indulgent, abuse-enabling Great Uncle Sam.
This is a classic, and sickening, addictive abuse relationship facilitated by a classic enabler (the US) that the watching world finds as appalling as it finds Israel’s excuses absurd. It is a “third degree game” (played for keeps) as described by transactional analysis founder Dr. Eric Berne, which is part of an ultimately tragic, self-destructive cultural script. The hatred that Israel is arousing and the soul-poisoning spiritual corruption this generates within the body politic will inevitably bring the Zionist experiment to an ignominious end. These forces are already visible to observers within Israel such as author Michel Warshawski (see “Toward an Open Tomb”).
Their only hope would lie in a 12-step type model involving abandonment of the extreme hubris upon which Zionism is based, acknowledgment of failure to achieve a decent society worthy of mankind’s trust and respect, “a fearless moral inventory” from 1948 to the present, and full, voluntary restitution to their many, many victims, perhaps determined by the International Court of Justice to whose judgment they should humbly submit.
But like the central protagonist in a classic Shakespearean tragedy, Israel appears instead to be rushing headlong and heedlessly toward the edge of the precipice above the flames.
THE FUTURE OF THE JEWS
PALESTINE AND ZIONISM
VIEWS OF ANGLO-JEWRY
In view of the statements and discussions lately published in the newspapers relative to a projected Jewish resettlement in Palestine on a national basis, the Conjoint Foreign Committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Anglo-Jewish Association deem it necessary to place on record the views they hold on this important question.
The Holy Land has necessarily a profound and undying interest for all Jews, as the cradle of their religion, the main theatre of Bible history, and the site of its sacred memorials. It is not, however, as a mere shrine or place of pilgrimage that they regard the country. Since the dawn of their political emancipation in Europe the Jews have made the rehabilitation of the Jewish community in the Holy Land one of their chief cares, and they have always cherished the hope that the result of their labours would be a regeneration on Palestinian soil of a Jewish community, worthy of the great memories of their environment, and a source of spiritual inspiration to the whole of Jewry. Accordingly, the Conjoint Committee have welcomed with deep satisfaction the prospect of a rich fruition of this work, opened to them by the victorious progress of the British Army in Palestine.
THE “CULTURAL” POLICY
Anxious that on this question all sections and parties in Jewry should be united in a common effort, the committee intimated to the Zionist organisations as far back as the winter of 1914 their readiness to cooperate with them on the basis of the so-called “cultural” policy which had been adopted at the last two Zionist Congresses in 1911 and 1913. This policy aimed at making Palestine a Jewish spiritual centre by securing for the local Jews, and the colonists who might join them, such conditions of life as would best enable them to develop the Jewish genius on lines of its own. Larger political questions, not directly affecting this main purpose, were left to be solved as need and opportunity might render possible. Unfortunately, an agreement on these lines has not proved practicable, and the conjoint committee are consequently compelled to pursue their work alone. They are doing so on the basis of a formula adopted by them in March, 1916, in which they propose to recommend to his Majesty’s government the formal recognition of the high historic interest Palestine possesses for the Jewish community, and a public declaration that at the close of the war “the Jewish population will be secured in the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, equal political rights with the rest of the population, reasonable facilities for immigration and colonisation, and such municipal privileges in the towns and colonies inhabited by them as may be shown to be necessary.”
That is still the policy of the conjoint committee.
Meanwhile, the committee have learnt from the published statements of the Zionist leaders in this country that they now favour a much larger scheme of essentially political character. Two points in this scheme appear to the committee to be open to grave objections on public grounds.
NATIONALITY AND RELIGION
The first is a claim that the Jewish settlements in Palestine be recognised as possessing a national character in a political sense. Were this claim of prely local import, it might well be left to settle itself in accordance with the general political exigencies of the reorganisation of the country under a new sovereign power. The conjoint committee, indeed, would have no objections to urge against a local Jewish nationality establishing itself in such conditions. But the present claim is not of this limited scope. It is part and parcel of a wider Zionist theory, which regards all Jewish communities of the world as constituting one homeless nationality, incapable of complete social and political identification with the nations among whom they dwell, and it is argued that for this homeless nationality a political centre and an always available homeland in Palestine are necessary. Against this theory the conjoint committee strongly and earnestly protest. Emancipated Jews in this country regard themselves primarily as a religious community, and they have always based their claims to political equality with their fellow-citizens of other creeds on this assumption and on its corollary – that they have no separate national aspirations in a political sense. They hold Judaism to be a religious system, with which their political status has no concern, and they maintain that, as citizens of the countries in which they live, they are fully and sincerely identified with the national spirit and interests of those countries. It follows that the establishment of a Jewish nationality in Palestine, founded on this theory of Jewish homelessness, must have the effect throughout the world of stamping the Jews as strangers in their native lands, and of undermining their hard-won position as citizens and nationals of those lands.
Moreover a Jewish political nationality, carried to its logical conclusion, must, in the present circumstances of the world, be an anachronism. The Jewish religion being the only certain test of a Jew, a Jewish nationality must be founded on, and limited by, the religion. It cannot be supposed for a moment that any section of Jews would aim at a commonwealth governed by religious tests, and limited in the matter of freedom of conscience; but can a religious nationality express itself politically any other way? The only alternative would be a secular Jewish nationality, recruited on some loose and obscure principal of race and ethnographic peculiarity; but this would not be Jewish in any spiritual sense, and its establishment in Palestine would be a denial of all they ideals and hopes by which the revival of Jewish life in that country commends itself to the Jewish consciousness and Jewish sympathy. On these grounds the conjoint committee deprecate most earnestly the national proposals of the Zionists.
UNDESIRABLE PRIVILEGES
The second point in the Zionist programme which has aroused the misgivings of the conjoint committee is the proposal to invest the Jewish settlers in Palestine with certain special rights in excess of those enjoyed by the rest of the population, these rights to be embodied in a Charter and to be administered by a Jewish Chartered Company. Whether it is desirable or not to confide any portion of the administration of Palestine to a Chartered Company need not be discussed., but it is certainly very undesirable that Jews should solicit, or accept such a concession, on a basis of political privileges and economic preferences. Any such action would prove a veritable calamity for the whole Jewish people. In all the countries in which they live the principle of equal rights for all religious denominations is vital for them. Were they to set an example in Palestine of disregarding this principle they would convict themselves of having appealed to it for purely selfish motives. In the countries in which they are still struggling for equality they would find themselves hopelessly compromised, while in other counties where those rights have been secured, they would have great difficulty in defending them. The proposal is the more inadmissible because the Jews are, and will probably long remain, a minority of the population of Palestine, and because it would involve them in the bitterest feuds with their neighbours of other races and religions, which would seriously retard their progress, and would find deplorable echoes throughout the Orient. Nor is the scheme necessary for the Zionists themselves. If the Jews prevail in a competition based on perfect equality of rights and opportunity they will establish their eventual preponderance in the land on a far sounder foundation than any that can be secured by privileges and monopolies.
If the conjoint committee can be satisfied with regard to these points they will be prepared to cooperate in securing for the Zionist organisations the united support of Jewry.
(Signed) DAVID L ALEXANDER, President,
Board of Deputies of British Jews.
(Signed) CLAUDE G MONTEFIORE, President
Anglo-Jewish Association
London, May 17, 1917
We are not denying the concentration camps but the figure was much much lower. A losing Nazi retreating army devoting its resources (rail,fuel,manpower etc) on a vast scale (6m) over a 13-15 month period. Simply not logically or logistically possible. 6m is a fake propaganda figure.
Of course the propaganda of this figure allowed the Zionists to create Israel. Aren't there any Palestinian scholars who have researched this 6m figure scientifically based on the demographics of 1938 extrapolated to today??
Don't the Arabs have the money to foot such research? Or are they buying the fighter planes that rust in the desert instead of buying the real weapons - the newspapers and other media that the Jews are so successfully using?
Thanks and go on with this great work.