How was the term Palestinian used during the modern
day exodus of Jews into the Holy Land? Prior to 1948,
the land had not yet been renamed as Israel. Since the Roman nickname, Palestine
had been around for two thousand years, people were used to the title but this
was not
a designation adapted by the Arabs. As a matter of fact, Jewish
settlers referred to themselves as Palestinians. What did the Arabs
living in Palestine call
themselves? Hold on to your seats for
the big surprise: They called themselves Arabs. There was no Palestinian
identity in their mind. The idea of a Palestinian nationality for Arabs in the Holy
Land didn’t raise its head until the 1960s. It was a publicity
ploy invented by the notorious thug and terrorist, Yasar Arafat (who himself
was not even from the Holy Land, but rather, Egypt).
We will discuss Arafat and his strategies later. For now, all that’s important
to understand is that under British dominion, the Jews were known as Palestinians
and the Arabs in Palestine were
known as Arabs.
After World War Two, we were never the same again globally.
The United Nations was created in an attempt to prevent any similar future
catastrophes. The aftermath of the Holocaust also generated a worldwide
sympathy for Jews, a sympathy that seldom existed before. However, mercy toward Jewish refugees wasn’t
entirely worldwide. It came primarily from a rebuilt Europe
rising out of Hitler’s ashes and from the United
States. The Arab nations refused to even
consider the idea of a Jewish state in Muslim lands. New Arab countries such as
Saudi Arabia
and Iraq were
now part of the United Nations, but they were outnumbered. When the U.N. put pressure on Great
Britain to fulfill its promise to the Jews;
a country of their own, discussions broke forth over what to do with that
remaining 25 percent of Palestine,
which had not been turned into Jordan.
The Arabs insisted they were entitled to the remainder of the land. The United
Nations placated to them without entirely giving in. A vote was taken and it
was decided that the remaining 25 percent of Palestine
would be partitioned, creating both a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews
agreed to this proposal and decided to call their new home, Israel,
a proud title from long ago, before their Roman conquerors had renamed the
land. The Arabs gave no name to their side of the partition because they
rejected the United Nations’ decision, promising, in no uncertain terms, that if
the land was partitioned, every Arab country would unite, attack, crush and destroy
the new Israel
before it even had a chance to take its first breath.
Let me stop for a moment to point out some obvious ironies
and dispel some popular myths.
Myth One: Israel
came into existence illegally.
How can that be if they were granted their country by the
United Nations? Look, I’m no lover of the U.N. today. I think it’s an
organization that should be shut down. It was a nice idea, but it no longer
works. It’s useless at the very least and evil at the very most. But to those
who love the United Nations, to those who want to call America’s
war against Iraq,
illegal because we invaded without U.N. approval, you cannot have it
both ways. People from the left who object to the war in Iraq
also like to talk about Israel’s
illegal existence. Face it, Sam; if the U.N. is your barometer
for world legalities, then Israel
came into existence legally.
Myth Two: The Arabs in Palestine were never
offered a state of their own.
As a matter of fact, they were offered two states of
their own! The first one, they accepted and it has remained a state to this
day, Jordan.
The second state was the partition of the remaining 25 percent of the land.
This state, the Arabs turned down. Why did they turn down a chance to have half
of this area? Because they figured they
were entitled to all of the area. And the decision of the United Nations
(the same United Nations that Arab countries had joined and promised to abide by)
meant nothing to them.
Radio talk show host, Dennis Prager once had a female
journalism student on his program. She was from UCLA and she had just written a
Pro-Palestinian article for the school paper. The young lady was Jewish
herself. As I said before, Jews today tend to be their own worst enemies.
Anyway, in the course of the interview, Prager mentioned that “the
Palestinians” had been offered a state of their own back in 1948. The undergrad
journalist quickly retorted, “That’s not true!
They have never been offered a state of their own!”
“I’m very grieved to hear you say that,” Dennis said. “It bothers me that you would write an
article on a subject as important as this and not know the facts.”
It was a chilling conversation. Think about it. If her own
journalism professors (who evidently had never corrected her article) were not
teaching about what truly happened in 1948 under the auspices of the United
Nations, it displays one of two things; either an incredible ignorance which
should disqualify them from being college professors, or a dishonest agenda
which should disqualify them from being college professors.
This is the kind of historical revision being taught at our
universities today: Israel
is the horrible aggressor, victimizing the poor, innocent Palestinians.
Not that there shouldn’t be sympathy for at least some of
the Arabs who lived in Palestine
prior to the U.N. partition. There are always individuals who don’t care about
politics and simply want to live in peace. Although many of the Arabs in Palestine
sided with neighbor Arab countries and attacked the Jews with thunderous
enthusiasm, others were given no choice. They were told by countries such as Egypt,
“Join with us or get out of our path, because with or without your help, our
soldiers are coming to crush Israel
and we need to go through your neighborhoods to do so. Abandon your homes for
now. But have no fear. It’s only
temporary. In no time at all, the war will be over and you can return to your
homes. Indeed, you can expand your
terriroty because all of the Jews will be gone.”
IMPORTANT NOTE: The issue with the Arabs was not Israel’s
unwillingness to allow a separate Palestinian state. Israel
had agreed to the partition. The Arabs had not. The aim of the Arab nations was
actually much simpler: The total annihilation of Israel,
men, women and children.
If you don’t believe me, examine a few tasty quotations from
the time:
From Abid Saud King of Saudi
Arabia 1947:
“ There are fifty
million Arabs. What does it matter
if we lose ten million people to kill
all of the Jews. The price is worth it.”
From
Azam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arabs League 1947:
“This will be a war of extermination and momentous massacre,
which will be spoken of like the Mongolian Massacres.”
From
Haj Amin El Hussein Mufti of Jerusalem 1947
“ I declare a holy war my Moslem brothers. Murder the Jews! Murder them all!”
From
the same person:
“Allah has bestowed
upon us the rare privilege of finishing what Hitler began. Let the Jihad begin! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!”
Make no mistake about it: The complete, unconditional
genocide of Israel
was the only true intention of the Arabs. The very notion that they wanted a
separate state of their own to live in peacefully side by side with Israel,
is a downright lie and bumpkin for the masses. Unfortunately, too many useful
idiots have subscribed to this hogwash.
But the war didn’t go quite as the Arabs had planned.
Against miraculous odds, Israel
actually won the war and the Arabs from Palestine
who had joined the armies against Israel
now found themselves without a home.
Read Part Seven in tomorrow’s blog.