Israeli-Arab Antagonism
Western historians are re-examining the
troubled 20th century history of Israel
and Palestine. Previously published
revelations of Israel's military strength
and aggressive operations during
the 1948 Israeli-Arab war remained confined to
a select group of historians:
(Simha Flapan, The Birth of Israel: Myths and
Realities and Ilian Pappe,
The Making of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1947-1951).
Now, the established
media is beginning to publish similar information.
Washington Post
editor, S. Rosenfeld, has published information that Israel's
former Defense
Minister, Moishe Dayan, admitted to reporter Rami Tal that Israel
provoked
80% of the border clashes between Israel and Syria and Syrian gunners
on the
Golan had only fired on Israel farmers who were illegally
farming
demilitarized lands( Israel and Syria: Correcting the Record, S.
Rosenfeld,
Wash. Post., Dec. 24, 1999). As the Mid-East "peace
process"
approaches its final outcome, the American media and government are
becoming
aware that the deliberations may reveal a historical perspective
that differs
from a previously accepted perspective, and that an appreciation
of this revised
perspective may be essential in forming an acceptable
solution to the Mid-East
conflict. The Jewish people, Islam, the American
people, and all Mid-East
countries have been continually affected by the
daily events in Israel and the
West Bank. An optimistic atmosphere for
peace presently prevails. Unless the
optimism translates into reality, the
world may accept a longer term pessimistic
scenario which predicts that, (1)
Israel will eventually not be able to
successfully repulse the far greater
numbers of its antagonists. (2) Israel will
be forced to use its full
military capability to maintain its territory and
could bring several
countries into an atomic war. (3) Israel's safeguards and
defense will propel
it into extreme human rights violations of the Palestinians
and result in
their possible dissolution. (4) The Jewish people, due to their
consistent
support of what the world could perceive as Israel's tyrannical
actions, will
suffer greatly from antagonisms, almost to the point of extinction
of Judaism
as a strong religious force. (5) The United States people will suffer
from
terrorism, war and economic upheavals. (6) Islam will be forced to fight
for
its survival, especially for its holy sites in Jerusalem. Famous
Jewish
luminaries have echoed these fears. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin, in a
speech to
the Israeli Knesset stated: Israel's political intransigence and
unwillingness
to make concessions to the Palestinians will further suppress
the old values of
Judaism. The philosopher Martin Buber wrote in the
publication Thud's Ner, 1961:
The world is captured by the mid-east
turmoil and yet is complacent about the
eventual results. And those concerned
have not been able to evolve a workable
strategy to prevent the great shock.
One cause for the failure to evolve a
workable strategy has been due to
basing decisions on selective facts. The final
stages of a welcomed peace
process demands that the historical facts are
correctly portrayed so that
knowledge and reasoning can dictate an equitable
solution. Since Israel has
been the protagonist in the mighty drama, the country
that has occupied stage
center, investigators will focus on significant Israeli
actions during the
past 50 years. Major aspects of the investigations will be:
The
establishment of the state of Israel, leading to The refugee problem,
leading
to The Mid-East Wars, leading to Israel's population expansion, leading
to
The ignored UN Resolutions, leading to Democratic Compromises, leading
to
Some thoughts on the historical perspective. The establishment of the
State of
Israel The United Nations, which voted on November 29, 1947, to
partition
Palestine, might have wished they had more completely studied
the situation and
had appropriately prepared to respond to subsequent
developments. The UN had a
choice between recommending a bi-national state or
partitioning the country into
Jewish and Palestinian states. Considering
that 85% of the Jewish population
remained confined to three urban centers
and their surrounding areas, Tel-Aviv/Jaffa,
Haifa and Jerusalem, and
that the Jews constituted only 1/3 the total population
in all Palestine, the
partition plan had no acceptable means to award the
Zionists a viable
state in which they would be a comfortable majority in a large
sized
territory. By voting a partition resolution, the UN unknowingly
invited
"population transfers" of the Palestinians from the territory
awarded
to the Zionists so that the Jews in that state could be a majority.
The
resolution, which required a 2/3 vote by the General Assembly, and only
received
the 2/3 by one vote, never had the power for compliance or
enforcement. By not
providing enforcement and safeguards to all parties, the
UN action permitted the
future to be determined by predictable crises. It was
predictable that a
resolution that created states that were not viable, would
stimulate Israel to
take action to assure its viability. It was predictable
that the Palestinian
community would become submerged by Israel's actions and
that adjacent Arab
countries would react to any perception of aggressive
Israeli behavior and
territorial extension. UN resolution 181 caused a more
serious crisis than it
attempted to contain. President Truman expressed
anguish at the lack of an
enforcement body and noted its possible
consequences. (Statement on the United
Nation's recognition of Israel by
President Truman, March 25, 1948, Truman
archives): The United Kingdom has
announced its firm intention to abandon its
mandate in Palestine on May 15.
Unless emergency action is taken, there will be
no public authority in
Palestine on that date capable of preserving law and
order. Violence and
bloodshed will descend upon the Holy Land. Large scale
fighting among the
people of that country will be the inevitable result. Such
fighting would
infect the entire Middle East and could lead to consequences of
the gravest
sort involving the peace of this nation and of the world. The
American
president proposed a plan that has not been well publicized: The
United
States has proposed to the Security Council a temporary United
Nations
trusteeship for Palestine to provide a government to keep
the
peace...Trusteeship is not proposed as a substitute for the partition
plan but
as an effort to fill the vacuum soon to be created.. After Israel
declared a
provisional government on the day before Britain's withdrawal from
its mandate,
Truman recognized the new state. Interestingly, the U.S.
president changed
several words in the original document. The document
states; This government has
been informed that a Jewish state has been
proclaimed in Palestine, and
recognition has been requested by the (Truman
inserted the word
"provisional") government as the de facto authority of the
new (Truman
crossed out the words "Jewish state" and replaced them with the
words
"State of Israel.) After the Zionists proclaimed a provisional
government
on May 14 and British troops withdrew on May 15 1948, events
happened as Truman
had pessimisticly predicted. The UN sent Count Folke
Bernadette, a Swedish
diplomat who had earned respect from his work during
the war as vice chairman of
the Swedish Red Cross, to obtain truces between
the combatants and ameliorate
the situation. On September 17,1948, after
Bernadotte had composed his report,
and before he had the opportunity to
submit the report to the UN, members of the
Stern gang, an extremist
Zionist organization, assassinated him and French air
force officer, Andre P.
Serot in Jerusalem. Count Bernadotte's Specific
Conclusions (in his
words): The following conclusions, broadly outlined, would,
in my view,
considering all the circumstances, provide a reasonable, equitable
and
workable basis for settlement: 1) Since the Security Council, under pain
of
Chapter VIII sanctions, has forbidden further employment of military
action in
Palestine as a means of settling the dispute, hostilities
should be pronounced
formally ended either by mutual agreement of the parties
or, failing that, by
the United Nations. The existing indefinite truce should
be superseded by a
formal peace, or at the minimum, an armistice which would
involve either
complete withdrawal and demobilization of armed forces or
their wide separation
by creation of broad demilitarized zones under United
Nations supervision. 2)
The frontiers between the Arab and Jewish
territories, in the absence of
agreement between Arabs and Jews, should be
established by the United Nations
and delimited by a technical boundaries
commission appointed by and responsible
to the United Nations, with the
following revisions in the boundaries broadly
defined in the resolution of
the General Assembly of 29 November in order to
make them more equitable,
workable and consistent with existing realities in
Palestine. A. The area
known as the Negeb, south of a line running from the sea
near Majdal east
southeast to Faluja (both of which places would be in Arab
territory), should
be defined as Arab territory; B. The frontier should run from
Faluja
northeast to Ramla and Lydda (both of which places would be in
Arab
territory), the frontier at Lydda then following the line established in
the
General Assembly resolution of 29 November. C. Galilee should be
defined as
Jewish territory. 3) The disposition of the territory of
Palestine not included
within the boundaries of the Jewish State should be
left to the Governments of
the Arab States in full consultation with the Arab
inhabitants of Palestine,
with the recommendation, however, that in view of
the historical connection and
common interests of Transjordan and Palestine,
there would be compelling reasons
for the merging of the Arab territories of
Palestine with the territory of
Transjordan, subject to such frontier
realignment regarding other Arab States as
may be found practicable and
desirable. 4) The United Nations, by declaration or
other appropriate means,
should undertake to provide special assurance that the
boundaries between the
Arab and Jewish territories shall be respected and
maintained subject only to
such modifications as may be mutually agreed upon by
the parties concerned.
5) The port of Haifa, including the oil refineries and
terminals, and without
prejudice to their inclusion in the sovereign territory
of the Jewish State
or the administration of the city of Haifa, should be
declared a free port,
with assurances of free access for interested Arab
countries and an
undertaking on their part to place no obstacle in the way of
oil deliveries
by pipeline to the Haifa refineries, whose distribution would
continue on the
basis of the historical pattern. 6) The airport of Lydda should
be declared a
free airport with assurance of access to it and employment of its
facilities
for Jerusalem and interested Arab countries. 7) The City of
Jerusalem,
which should be understood as covering the area defined in the
resolution of
the General Assembly of 29 November, should be treated separately
and should
be placed under effective United Nations control with maximum
feasible local
autonomy for its Arab and Jewish communities. In addition, there
must be
unconditional agreement on the protection of the Holy Places and sites,
their
free access and right to religious worship, irregardless of
denomination
8) The right of unimpeded access to Jerusalem, by road, rail
or air, should be
fully respected by all parties. 9) The right of the Arab
refugees to return to
their homes in Jewish controlled territory at the
earliest possible date should
be affirmed by the United Nations, and their
repatriation, resettlement and
economic and social rehabilitation, and
payment of adequate compensation for the
property of those choosing not to
return. This should be supervised and assisted
by the United Nations
conciliation commission described in paragraph (k) below.
10) The
political, economic, social and religious rights of all Arabs in
the
Jewish territory of Palestine and of all Jews in the Arab territory
of Palestine
should be fully guaranteed and respected by the authorities.
Bernadotte's
conclusions may have provided a basis for solution to the
conflict. They were
not seriously discussed. Israel eventually won the war
and expanded its
territory. The expansion, which is detailed in the following
two maps indicates
that Israel did not entirely fight a defensive war. It
can’t be coincidence
that Israel closed the gaps in the territory awarded to
it by the UN
proclamation, and linked Jerusalem and its territory. The
Zionists emptied
several hundred Arab villages of their unarmed inhabitants.
They took the
offensive and seized territory that increased Israel's size by
50%, giving
themselves more than 75% of the original Palestinian lands. The
Refugee problem
and its significance The war created 700,000 Palestinian
refugees, many of whom
had lived in the areas that Israel absorbed. Almost
all of them wanted to return
to their towns, homes, factories, land and
businesses. The refugees insisted
that fear, violence, and destruction forced
them to temporarily vacate their
homes. Israel stated that the refugees had
left their homes due to a message
from the other Arab nations. The message
affirmed that they should leave, and
after the Arabs punished the Zionists,
the refugees would be able to return.
This statement seems absurd,
especially when considering that 1948
communications were still relatively
primitive. The fact that Israel did not
permit the refugees to return and
also destroyed entire villages, erasing them
from their maps, confirms that
the scenario is not believable. This refugee
problem created a disturbing
history that exposed distinctive and troubling
features: 1. People from other
lands have contributed finances, propaganda and
assistance that have fueled a
conflict which many perceive as oppression.
Financial and other aid given
to Israel have gained it a military advantage,
allowed it to develop
sophisticated weapons, and enabled it to create a force
that serves to
enforce the perceived oppression. Although settlements have been
declared
illegal in several UN resolutions, economic assistance has been
provided to
Israel for creating settlements and infrastructure in the West Bank.
2.
People have been transported over great distances from foreign lands to
the
Holy Land with the eventual result of replacing Palestinians and
forcing them
from their homes. Several nations have tacitly supported and
refused to counter
this catastrophic policy. 3. People who had not been
previously displaced, who
already had homes, had established lives, and
weren't refugees, have, with
support of other nations, displaced Palestinian
people, made them homeless,
ruined their lives and turned them into refugees.
Bernard Avishai, in The
Tragedy of Zionism, quotes Baruch Nadel, a
journalist, in his definition of the
Zionist approach: A movement of
Western Jews to save Eastern Jews that built
homes for Oriental Jews. 4.
Unlike previous human tragedies, that occurred
hidden and at a time of much
less effective mass communication, this tragedy is
occurring in full view of
the entire world and at a time when anybody can obtain
the facts. A UNRWA
report states: In 1967, another 300,000 Palestinians fled
from the West Bank
and Gaza, to Jordan (200,000), Syria, Egypt and elsewhere. Of
these,
approximately 180,000 were first-time refugees ("displaced
persons"), while
the remainder were 1948 refugees uprooted for the second
time. Estimates put
the Palestinian population at approximately 6.6 million in
1995. In 1995,
UNRWA data showed some 3,172,641 registered refugees in its
"area of
operation" (West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon), plus an
estimated
335,000 non-registered "displaced persons". An official
UNRWA table
describes the Palestinian exodus from the years 1948 to the
present.
TABLE 1:UNRWA Registered Refugees (June 1995) COUNTRY IN CAMPS
NOT IN CAMPS
TOTAL Jordan 238,188 1,050,009 1,288,197 Gaza 362,626
320,934 683,560 West Bank
131,705 385,707 517,412 Lebanon 175,747 170,417
346,164 Syria 83,311 253,997
337,308 TOTAL 991,577 2,181,064 3,172,641
Did the Palestinians forfeit an
opportunity in 1948 to recognize the UN
partition plan and establish a state of
their own? 1. The Palestinian
community owned the land for centuries and refused
to recognize that an
organization had a right to take it from them and give it
to others. They had
a valid reason not to do anything that might legitimatize
the partition plan.
2. The Palestinians organized themselves in communities and
didn't have a
strong central administration to coordinate their activities and
agree to any
plan. 3. The King of Jordan controlled the West Bank and the
Palestinians
had no opportunity to organize a central government for themselves.
4.
The UN Resolution awarded Israel the most valuable territory, fertile
lands
along the coast and the major seaport of Haifa. Although the Zionists
owned only
about 8% of the land and constituted 1/3 of the population, they
received 50% of
Palestinian land. The shifts in the refugee population
and social stresses on
adjacent Arab countries, caused dislocations
throughout the Mid-East, and havoc
in Lebanon and Jordan. To the Arab
countries, a part of the Mid-East that had
been totally Arab for centuries,
had been converted by Israel from an Arab land
with some minor Western
influence to a Western land with little Arab influence.
The refugee
problem became the principal impediment to a solution of the
Mid-East
conflict.