Palestinians/ The Eternal Wailers
By Johann • Jan 5th, 2009 • Category: Politics • 10 CommentsAs an Indian Christian i had this admiration for Israeli David who felled the giant Palestinian fighter Goliath with his catapult. So when Indian government favored the Palestinian state over Israel I used to be emotionally aligned with Israel till i read the Arnold Toynbee’s article about the history of Israeli/Palestinian conflict which explained the injustice done to Palestinians very lucidly. Still the Munich Olympics, Laila khalid hijacking of 3 planes and burning them in desert of Jordan,Black September and Entree raid all were moulding opinion of Indians like me.
Thousands of Arabs , ranging from wealthy ABSENTEE land lords to fellahin small holders sold land to Zionist organizations during British rule.Many sold land for money while many sold land to improve their life amongst their clans.Many Arabs also collaborated with Zionists due to their intense hatred for Amin al_Husayani whose role is very important in Palestinian history.His role as Grand Mufti of Al haqsa Mosque, collaboration with Nazi Germany and so many other activities at that time are folklore of Palestinians.Many could not fathom his rejection of white paper of 1939 in the Balfour Declaration which promised Jewish Homeland along with Palestinian Arab majority rule and independence.
Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. On 15 May 1948, the British Mandate officially expired and, in an official cablegram, the seven member Arab League, including Lebanon, publicly proclaimed their aim of creating a democratic “United State of Palestine” in place of the two-state solution proposed by the United Nations. The League soon entered the conflict on the side of the Palestinian Arabs, thus beginning the international phase of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, and Iraq declared war on the new state of Israel. They expected an easy and quick victory in what came to be called the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Lebanon army joined the other Arab armies in the invasion. It crossed into the northern Galilee. By the end of the conflict, however, it had been repulsed by Israeli forces, which occupied South Lebanon. Israel signed armistice agreements with each of invading neighbours. The one with Lebanon was signed on 23 March 1949.As part of the agreement with Lebanon, Israel forces withdrew to the international border.
By the conclusion of that war, Israel had signed ceasefire agreements with all its Arab neighbors.As between itself and the area set aside for Arabs under the United Nations Partition Plan, Israel’s territory was greatly beyond the borders allocated to it under the Plan.Out of 1.8 million Palestinians nearly 0.8 million Palestinians became refugees.The 1956 Suez canal crisis created by President Nasser of Egypt and also the 1967 Arab/Israeli war produced different borders for Israel.Israel had completed its final offensive in the Golan Heights, and a ceasefire was signed the day after. Israel had seized the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River (including East Jerusalem), and the Golan Heights. Overall, Israel’s territory grew by a factor of three, including about one million Arabs placed under Israel’s direct control in the newly captured territories. Israel’s strategic depth grew to at least 300 kilometers in the south, 60 kilometers in the east and 20 kilometers of extremely rugged terrain in the north, a security asset that would prove useful in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War six years later.
THE 1973 Arab-Israel war gave Arab states (and Egypt in particular), healing of their the psychological trauma of their defeat in the Six-Day War .In many ways, it allowed them to negotiate with the Israelis with some honour. However, given that the war had started about as well as the Arab leaders could have wanted, at the end they had made only limited territorial gains in the Sinai front, while Israel gained more territory on the Golan Heights than it held before the war; also given the fact that Israel managed to gain a foothold on African soil west of the canal, the war helped convince many in the Arab World that Israel could not be defeated militarily, thereby strengthening peace movements. The war effectively ended the old Arab ambition of destroying Israel by force especially after the separate treaty of peace with EGYPT.
What one sees from the beginning of Palestinian /Israel conflict in the modern times is that OF A VICIOUS CYCLE
1.A deal is offered to Palestinians and Arabs.
2.they reject the deal offered by international community as they find it unjust from their point of view.
3.They go to war or indulge in guerrilla warfare.
4.They get a wallop and loose territory and now ask for the the very deal offered by the International community in the first place.Now Israel rejects their demand as it has gained TERRITORY.
5.Palestinians vow revenge and continue their fight for the elimination of occupation by Israelis.
6.Again a deal is offered which is much worse than the number 1 and so the rejection by Palestinians as unjust and so the cycle continues till they loose more territory.
The Palestinians are unable to understand that now they are the suckers just like the global Jehadies for the rich playboy Arabs who wear black goggles,have American wives,play golf in Texas ranch but also fund them so that they slog,build homes,grow food and get ready to fight for the next round of sacrifice for MUSLIM UMMA.
This suits the Permanent five of UN also.
My Air-India pilot friends used to say that a layover in Beirut used to be heaven and it used to be called the
Switzerland of east. They used to say that it is the Palestinians who are the brainy hardworking lot and who slog and do all the work while it is owned by Saudies . Lebanon had a peculiar political setup with Muslims,Maronite’s,Druzes all having an equal say in the governance just like Jammu Hindus and Srinagar Muslims used to have equal say in the governance of Kashmir kingdom. But then Terrorism of Muslim Umma and the folly of joining 1948 Arab/Israeli war killed its uniqueness.
GEORGE HABBASH of the Popular front for liberation of Palestine was more dreaded by Israelis than even Fatah for its uniqueness in fighting and its secular following. But then Saudies have to intervene with wink from USA/UK and they supported Arafat and his Fatah through which the secular appeal of Palestinian resistance was changed to one of MUSLIM UMMA’s resistance.
Today as Israel pulverises Gaza the MUSLIM UMMA IS DOING THE FOLLOWING.
1. Saudi Arabia , the richest nation and so called protector of two of Islam’s holy sites is blaming Hamas for the conflict. Saudies never acknowledge their own role in the scuttling of a reasonable deal between Arafat and Ekud Barack which is the at the root cause of the present conflict.Iran continues to be their main enemy.
2.Pakistan the only Islamic Nuke power and the second largest Muslim nation whose General Zia-ul-haq killed Palestinians in aid of King Hussein of Jordan will not send its troops or its nukes. (It sends troops for Jundollah or LET).It threatens India with first strike of Nukes but not Israel. It even organized a demonstration in support of Hamas in Kashmir and even in India!!!!
3. Indonesia and Bangladesh also are organizing demonstrations.
4.Iran which is the main sponsor of Hamas is afraid of US power and can give only verbal support through its President as it fears it can be attacked by US itself in the guise of Nuclear ambition( a false reason)
5.The only Arab nation which can be of any help is Egypt and it has closed its Rafah border even for refugees and
humanitarian help.
So the Palestinians continue to bleed.
SOON THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL WILL ORDER CEASEFIRE WHICH WILL STOP HAMAS ROCKETS ALONG WITH ISRAEL WITHDRAWAL BUT BY THEN THE CYCLE WHICH I MENTIONED EARLIER WILL REPEAT ITSELF.
IT IS FOR PALESTINIANS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THEIR SITUATION AND DECIDE THEIR FUTURE.
1.END OF ISRAELI OCCUPATION CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY BEING PART OF UNIFIED ISRAEL /PALESTINE STATE WITH PALESTINIANS HAVING EQUAL RIGHTS IN EVERY WAY.
2. VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY and ABANDON MUSLIM UMMA’s help.
3.THE ZIONISTS WILL BE FORCED INTO A CORNER WITH THIS TACTIC AND THE WORLD WILL FIND DIFFICULT TO OPPOSE IT.
4.TEMPLE MOUNT WAS ORIGINALLY A JEWISH TEMPLE AND THAT IS WHY THE QUIBLA WAS CHANGED FROM JERUSALEM TO MECCA. AL AQSA MUST BE MADE INTO A PLACE OF WORSHIP FOR ALL RELIGIONS WHO BELIEVE IN ABRAHAM. GIVE YOUR PRESENT RIGHT VOLUNTARILY TO UNITED NATIONS.
It is for Palestinian leadership to think about their history and achieve for their future generations what their forefathers blundered.In 1911 a Palestinian maths teacher named Mustafa Effendi Tamr predicted
“You are selling the property of your fathers and grandfathers for a pittance to people who will have no pity on you, to those who will act to expel you and expunge your memory from your habitations and disperse you among the nations. This is a crime that will be recorded in your names in history, a black stain and disgrace that your descendants will bear, which will not be expunged even after years and eras have gone by.”
IT IS FOR PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP OF HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH,FATAH TO PONDER AND DECIDE OR GET INTO THE CYCLE WHICH I HAVE MENTIONED . Their struggle with Israel predates the of birth of Christianity and Islam and also when Romans (present day US/UK) were worshiping extinct Gods like Zeus and Diana
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Dear Johann,
a very well written article,
specially the vicious cycle part, may be its something like rasi jal gai per ball na gaya,
palestinians still think themselves as in the past, thinking they will get want they want,
being a muslim it pains me to say that beggars are not chosers
they have only two options “take it or leave it” now they are in a fix what to do,this problem has been further compounded by the weak and dumb leadership
hezbollah of lebanon, the sworn enemy of the jews is also watching quitely, as there is a shia suni difference,
pak knows USA will destroy pakistan much sooner , if pak attacks the jews, so they are just delaying the ineviatable
its only serves the muslims of the world right, the sorry state they are in,
it reminds me of the grass hopper who played all summer and then starved in the winter, the grasshopper then went to the ants , who worked hard and saved food for the winter, the ants helped him
now muslims are the grass hoppers , non muslims are the ants, but ants are not kind like in the tale,BUT THEY CANT BE BLAMED, no one asked muslims to have pitty on themselves and go into hibernation,if anyone is to be blamed its the muslims themselves, WE muslims should wake up and see how advanced the world is now, self pitty will get us nowhere
Best Regards
Dear Muhammad Ali Sajjad and Johann,
Peace between Israel and Palestine can return ONLY BY ACCEPTING ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST by the muslim world and by ordinary Palestinians..
No matter how debatable the creation of Israel is ,No matter how much hate u guys have against Jews
its VERY IMPORTANT to understand and realize that you simply CANNOT throw 6 million ISRAELI people out of their homes.
In this age of nukes ,even the dream of such a thing is DANGEROUS……..
In case,heaven forbid, a nuclear war breaks out…….Every arab nation can get wiped out along with israel.
Dear Incredible indian,
you are right, it is now irrelevant how iseral was created and why,its time to move on and find a solution from where we stand now not where we stood a hundred years ago,
but who will use the nukes?
pakistan and iran are least bothered,
jews will not nuke the palestianins, as they will save their arsenal pak or iran, should there is a change of heart in the leadership, besides tanks and jets a enough for the rag tag army
peace
one typing mistake in last para, last line
its
besides tanks and jets are enough for the rag tag army
Dear Muhammad Ali Sajjad,
Along with the article written by Johann,
Read THE BRILLIANT article written by Mona Eltahawy , a columnist for Egypt’s Al Masry Al Youm and Qatar’s Al Arab.
http://www.monaeltahawy.com/blog/?p=94
“”"”"”Israel is the Opium of the People((ARAB AND OTHERS) and Other Taboos”"”"”"”"”
These two articles are spot on.
This needs to be told to people like old Brig, Khokar, and others who are shouting as Palestine needs army and nukes and what not.
This same this is applicable to Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.
All the parties need to come together and think logically and rationally.
http://moizkhan.blogspot.com/2009/01/johann-hari-true-story-behind-this-war.html
It’s interesting to note that there is not a single reference at any point in your article. Irrespective, I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it is you’re saying.
“The Palestinians are unable to understand that now they are the suckers just like the global Jehadies for the rich playboy Arabs who wear black goggles,have American wives,play golf in Texas ranch but also fund them so that they slog,build homes,grow food and get ready to fight for the next round of sacrifice for MUSLIM UMMA.”
No, Palestinians want a home where they can live with dignity and freedom. It’s as simple as that.
Anyway, I lose you when you talk about your Air India pilot friend. So he used to fly Air India before 1948 and said that Lebanon was awesome because of the Palestinians but now it’s not so much because Palestine is occupied? And Saudis owned Lebanon in 1948? Then came the “terrorism of the Muslim Umma”? In 1948? Al-Qaeda was a threat since 1948? Even Bush Jr. hasn’t gone the temporal route of fear-mongering. And you never explain how Lebanon has lost its uniqueness as Christians and Muslims and Druzes etc still have the same rights under their constitution last I checked.
Then you talk about how inept the Arabs are and then the end. What exactly was your point? It seems what you’re trying to say is that the only solution to the Palestinian occupation is to give up.
This vicious cycle that you mention is easily “walloped” by simply the most recent cycle. Ever since Hamas came to power through fair elections (bear in mind Palestine is the only successful democratic Arab country in the region. Think about that and tell me how the Palestinians are a bunch of suckers.) Israel has refused to deal with them despite repeated overtures from Hamas for a lasting peace including a two-state solution. Please explain to me what peace deals were offered to the Palestinians that they so vehemently rejected for violence? The road map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_map_for_peace#Start_of_implementation) has been persistently derailed by Israel despite acquiescing to their ridiculous demands including the removal of Yasser Arafat who ultimately, dramatically died while under siege by Israeli tanks, etc. Then they create the wall (I mean fence, of course) cutting off Gaza from the rest of the world and subjecting them to unbearable, unbelievable levels of psychological, mortal and economic torture. (Gaza is utterly dependent on the illegal tunnels and Israel for its survival. 49% of Gazans are unemployed. Children are going deaf from all the sonic booms low flying Israeli jets make, etc etc. The medically needy are dying at checkpoints to enter Israel’s hospitals.) Despite all this Hamas successfully maintained a truce with no rocket fire from their set up and condemnation of the miniscule amount of rocket fire from the Al Aqsa Brigade, etc. By the end of the six month ceasefire Israeli settlers had in fact fired more rockets on the Palestinians than the other way around:
“The few that were launched, none of them causing any casualties, were claimed by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, by Islamic Jihad, by “the Badr Forces,” or by nobody. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called repeatedly for a cessation of rocket fire, and denounced those factions who broke the truce. A Hamas spokesman criticized Fatah for allowing the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is affiliated with Fatah, to fire rockets. Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces’ murders and settler pogroms continued unabated on the West Bank. They included an attempt by a settler to fire a homemade rocket toward the Palestinian village of Burin, which nearly killed another settler. During the lull, then, Israeli settlers fired more rockets (i.e., one) than did Hamas.”
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10123.shtml
And lest we forget, it was Israel that broke the ceasefire on the 4th of November by launching its own attack. And lets not forget that this wasn’t a sudden cry of indignation. The planning that a ground offensive requires is not miniscule. That along with the concerted propaganda campaign you see everywhere suggests that Israel has been planning this for at least six months (ie while the ceasefire was in effect: they never intended to maintain or renew it).
The Arabs are quiet but this is not something new. If that was what your article was trying to point then good on you for pointing out the obvious.
“IT IS FOR PALESTINIANS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THEIR SITUATION AND DECIDE THEIR FUTURE.”
Absolutely not. It is for Israel to understand their situation, stop breaking UN security council resolutions which they are in violation of for 40 years, halt the collective punishment meted out to the Palestinians, allow them the dignity of their own existence without fear of random death, allow them the right to rule their own homes, stop new settlements and return to the 1967 borders as outlined in road map for peace process to which both parties are signatories.
“1.END OF ISRAELI OCCUPATION CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY BEING PART OF UNIFIED ISRAEL /PALESTINE STATE WITH PALESTINIANS HAVING EQUAL RIGHTS IN EVERY WAY.”
No, that’s called perpetuation of the occupation, not end. The occupation will end when Israel gets off the land that is rightfully Palestinian. Right from the Balfour Declaration everything has gone against the Palestinians. Even if a two-state solution passes it will not change the fact that Israel exists on stolen land. Yet this is something the Palestinians are willing to live with. Israel should learn to as well. Arabs currently are second rate citizens in Israel. There is nothing to suggest that this will change if Israel takes over the rest of the territories as well, unless you know something I don’t.
“2. VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY and ABANDON MUSLIM UMMA’s help.”
Palestine is a democracy. The Muslim Ummah will always be with Palestine and the Palestinians know it. No one ever had hope the Mubarak would supply any kind of meaningful help. Bear in mind Egypt’s demonstrations were as much against Mubarak and his abhorrent policies as they were against the attack on Gaza.
“3.THE ZIONISTS WILL BE FORCED INTO A CORNER WITH THIS TACTIC AND THE WORLD WILL FIND DIFFICULT TO OPPOSE IT.”
Well I’m glad somebody figured it out. The US will clearly never be at loggerheads with the rest of the world especially when what they’re saying makes sense and what the US is supporting is illegal.
“4.TEMPLE MOUNT WAS ORIGINALLY A JEWISH TEMPLE AND THAT IS WHY THE QUIBLA WAS CHANGED FROM JERUSALEM TO MECCA. AL AQSA MUST BE MADE INTO A PLACE OF WORSHIP FOR ALL RELIGIONS WHO BELIEVE IN ABRAHAM. GIVE YOUR PRESENT RIGHT VOLUNTARILY TO UNITED NATIONS.”
Please spare me. You’re writing on a purportedly responsible political blog, try and maintain a bit of journalistic integrity. I find it really disgusting how all the onus is on the Palestinians and Muslims to make the concessions while it is the Palestinians who are the victims and the oppressed in this conflict.
The comments are equally disturbing.
“you are right, it is now irrelevant how iseral was created and why,its time to move on and find a solution from where we stand now not where we stood a hundred years ago,”
Maybe it’s irrelevant to you. I’m sure it wouldn’t be if your daughter literally died of fear (at the age of 14 no less: http://gazasiege.blogspot.com/2009/01/at-age-14-she-died-of-fear.html) from being bombed for no reason. If this hyperbole to you then try and just fathom what Gaza is going through (http://www.alternet.org/audits/113143/israel%27s_%27crime_against_humanity%27/). Peace is important and needs to be attained. History will help us realize why we still don’t have it.
And Mona’s ideology can pretty easily be summed up in this paragraph from her article:
“It is the ultimate dishonor to the memory of Palestinians killed this weekend to call for more violence. It has failed to deliver for 60 years.”
Because Israel is so willing to get involved on the negotiating table right? Her solution the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (in this article at least) is the “go home and clean up the gutter” attitude Americans had to Muslims in the US after 9/11.
All I ask is for people to sit back and place these events in historical perspective. Forget that Israel’s offensive has killed almost 700 people so far this week alone, while Hamas’ rockets killed around 15 people in 8 years. Forget that the settlers are armed and licensed by the IDF and are in effect state militia. Forget that when Israel withdrew from Gaza, illegal settlements continued unabated in the West Bank. Forget the Wall. Forget Sabra and Shatilla. Just consider that Israel is a state with WMDs, a close ally of the world’s only superpower, in violation of numerous UN security council resolutions, existing on land stolen from Palestinians (originally living in peace (yes peace. Harmony even) with their Jewish neighbors), and yet the international community and armchair pundits have the audacity to impose sanctions on the Palestinian government and its people who have neither food, water, electricity, jobs, health or education let alone decent military equipment to provide any sort of protection or deterrance from Israeli aggression and slaughter. Please just put yourself in their positions and think about how you could live like that.
Thanks.
great information indeed
[...] January 5th, 2009 a horribly edited article appeared on the, um, newsblog, the Pakistani Spectator. I didn’t enjoy reading it very much [...]