Who the aggressor, who the victim?

By Gulamhusein A. Abba

When Hearst Media’s News Times published a piece by me in which I detailed how the U.S., in addition to vetoing UN resolutions critical of Israel, protects Israel in the UN in various other ways, including bullying UN Secretary General into abandoning appointment of a Palestinian to an important position in the UN and withdrawing a UN report on apartheid in Israel, a reader responded.

He did not dispute a word of what I had written. Instead he rolled out what appeared to be talking points that are distributed to a network of Israel supporters to be used whenever anything critical of Israel appears in the press,

He pointed out that every U.S. president since Israel’s founding in 1947 has supported Israel, implying that it proves Israel was deserving of US support. He then went on to claim that Israel has been the victim of Palestinians who want to eliminate Israel and that Israel has made several peace proposals but the Palestinians have rejected them.

President Obama declared Israel to be America's "best friend"

 There are some who continue to honor the Goebbelsian belief that repeating a lie often enough will turn it into a truth.

Far be it from me to accuse the reader of lying. I am sure he honestly believes that what he has stated in his letter is true. It is not.

Such falsification of truth needs to be corrected lest others start accepting it. It is in that spirit that this is being written.

Below are the statements made by the reader. My response to them appears in italics below each statement:

Reader: Mr. Abba in his Where I Stand article of May 24 questions U.S. support of Israel, which has been reaffirmed by every U.S. president since Israel’s founding in 1947.

Response:Every US president has affirmed U.S. support for Israel since its founding in 1947 because U.S. politicians rely on the votes of Christian evangelists and Jewish supporters of Israel in U.S and on huge donations that AIPAC is able to funnel into election funds of those who support Israel. It may be noted that every US president has also referred to land East of 1967 borders to be “occupied land” and has also held Israeli colonies built on this land to be illegal

Also, consider this. It would be so very, very difficult to establish a huge military base in the middle of all the Islamic nations. And so "offensive". It would alienate most if not all the Islamic nations. It would not be in U.S. interests to do that. Much easier to help a group of rabid Arab haters, "people without a land" seeking a homeland in "a land without people". That could be promoted as a noble thing to do and also help atone for the sins of our past. Then, once this "homeland" was established, pump millions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition into this new State to help it keep an eye on, and keep in line, the "pesky" Islamic nations in this region so rich in resources we need.  

Reader: Since then, Israel has had to defend itself against invading Arab armies pledging its extermination in 1948, 1967 and 1993.

Response: In 1948 the Arab armies entered Palestine to protect Palestinians from being massacred by Israel. Jewish militias and paramilitary forces, such as Irgun (The Etzel), Haganah (Irgun Beth), Lehi (The Stern Gang) had started the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from areas they wanted to be part of a Jewish state BEFORE the founding of Israel. These massacres, including the Dir Yassein massacre, occurred before a single plane from any Arab country had made its appearance in the area. The Palestinians were helpless. The British, whose duty it was under the British Mandate to protect them did nothing. Instead, when the Palestinians needed them most, they decided to abandon the Mandate and leave the Palestinians to the tender mercies of the Zionists. This gave the Zionists a free hand to carry out the massacres.  

Dir Yassein massacre

The ethnic cleansing is acknowledged by Jewish historians like Ilan Pappe and Benny Norris. Look it up yourself. See also Rosemarie M. Esber’s meticulously documented history “Under the Cover of War: The Zionist Expulsion of the Palestinians”. For now listen to the testimony of a Jewish veteran who took part in this ethnic cleaning:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8IjnRsRPCQ

The 1967  war was initiated by Israel. It was launched to acquire territory needed to accomplish Zionist dream of establishing Ertez Israel in the whole of British Mandate Palestine and beyond.

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin acknowledged in a speech in 1982 that its war on Egypt was a war of “choice”

Menachem Begin

Reader: It is ironic and perhaps not coincidental that on the date of publication Israel was celebrating Jerusalem Day, the 50th anniversary of the unification of the city

Response:The date of publication is not decided by me. It is an editorial decision. What is more,  East Jerusalem is land occupied by Israel through force. It is recognized by the international community as such. Its retention by Israel is in violation of international law. The unification of West and East Jerusalem by Israel is to be condemned, not celebrated.

Reader: Mr. Abba understandably feels for the disaster that befell the Palestinians in 1948, but the consequences of that war were due to their refusal to accept UN partition and to reject the existence of the State of Israel in Palestine, the ancient homeland of the Jews.

Response:The disaster that befell Palestinians in 1948 was not due to the justified refusal by them to accept the UN partition plan but due to the aggressive war of acquisition that Israel waged.

Palestine may have been the “ancient homeland of the Jews”. That is neither here nor there. Palestine has been part of the Ottoman Empire since living memory and it is the homeland of the Palestinians who have lived on it continuously all this time.

Reader: The hatred of Israel still exists and has prevented the Palestinians from saying yes to the various offers for peace over the years.

Response:Israel has made not a single genuine and viable offer of peace over the years. Palestinians on the other hand have studiously and patiently carried on the unending peace negotiations and have agreed to recognize the State of Israel not only in the area earmarked for it  in the UN partition proposal (about 55% of British Mandate Palestine) but in area within the 1967 borders, ie. in about 88% of the British Mandate Palestine. It is Israel that refuses to accept a Palestinian state in this vastly truncated Palestine and goes on building illegal Israeli colonies in West Bank in direct violation of international law and of the Oslo agreement.

Israel remains committed not to living in peace and friendship with Palestinians but to establishing a Jewish state in the whole of Palestine, including West Bank and East Jerusalem. less areas with predominantly Arab populations, which cluster of Bantustans it will “recognize” as the State of Palestine! 

 

Reader: Mr. Abba, let’s place a note in that Wall!

Response: Mr. Reader, I will gladly accompany you to post a note in the Wall you have in mind if you will accompany me to break down the “separation wall” that Israel has built, most of it on land earmarked in the UN partition plan for an Arab state.