“Israel’s Original Sin”, interesting piece by the National Post, Canadian pro-Israel paper.

[jody]

Israel's Original Sin

But if you look at Zionism from a global perspective, one that acknowledges that Arabs are human beings, then the morality becomes much murkier. Unlike the peoples of Europe, the Palestinians weren't direct participants in the Holocaust. Why should Palestinians lose their land because of crimes committed by Germans, Poles, Ukrainians and other Europeans? It's difficult to look at the founding of Israel, the displacement of the indigenous population and the ongoing occupation, and not conclude that the Palestinians are paying a huge price for other people's sins.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

But in fact, because of its unique security situation, Israel is far from a normal country. Politically, socially and economically, it is hugely militarized (arguably, its recent economic boom has come in part from the new market for arms created by global instability). Like ancient Sparta, the citizen-soldiers of Israel have to constantly be on guard lest the helots revolt. The Arab population, both those who live in Israel as citizens and those under military occupation, are a constant source of worry. Israel's greatest point of pride, its claim to be a democracy, is undermined by the decades old occupation of Palestinian lands, a situation that resembles apartheid-era South Africa.

Moreover, Israel is completely dependent for its survival on the goodwill of the United States, a diminished imperial power. If the United States were ever to turn its back on Israel, as the superpower did to other controversial allies such as South Vietnam and apartheid-era South Africa, the Jewish state would face a friendless world.

Throughout the globe, Israel is losing legitimacy. This can be seen among young Jews in Canada and the United States, who are much colder toward Zionism than their parents and grandparents.

[number6]

1. yes indeed

"Israel is far from a normal country. Politically, socially and economically, it is hugely militarized (arguably, its recent economic boom has come in part from the new market for arms created by global instability). Like ancient Sparta, the citizen-soldiers of Israel have to constantly be on guard lest the helots revolt. The Arab population, both those who live in Israel as citizens and those under military occupation, are a constant source of worry. Israel's greatest point of pride, its claim to be a democracy, is undermined by the decades old occupation of Palestinian lands, a situation that resembles apartheid-era South Africa."

[notfullofit]

2. Pro Israel newspaper,

you are joking right?

Sounds like a pile of h*******t (propaganda in disguise)to me.

[Shaktimaan]

3. Oy.

This article is so full of (unfortunately common) misconceptions about Zionism and Israel that I'm surprised it was printed as news. Key among them:

Unlike the peoples of Europe, the Palestinians weren't direct participants in the Holocaust. Why should Palestinians lose their land because of crimes committed by Germans, Poles, Ukrainians and other Europeans? It's difficult to look at the founding of Israel, the displacement of the indigenous population and the ongoing occupation, and not conclude that the Palestinians are paying a huge price for other people's sins.

This assumes that Israel's creation and the Palestinian's expulsion was due primarily to the holocaust, that the Palestinians were innocent bystanders who were punished for a genocide they had nothing to do with. The fact of the matter is that modern Zionism dates to the late 19th century and by WWII several waves of immigrants had already purchased land and built a strong community with the nascent features of a modern state. Israel's creation, in one form or another, was already a foregone conclusion by the time of the Nazis rise to power.

Also ignored in this article are the demographics of Israel's Jewish immigrants after WWII. Less than 150,000 were refugees from Europe. The vast majority, 600,000-plus were Jews native to the middle east who were expelled from Arab lands. These Jews left with nothing, losing an estimated 300 billion dollars in real estate (in 2008 dollars)... an area roughly four times the size of Israel.

Lastly, but most important was the climate in Palestine preceding the nakba. The War of Independence was initiated by the Palestinians and later joined by the surrounding Arab nations. Israel tried to accept every single proposal made beforehand to thwart bloodshed such as the UN partition Plan and the Peel Plan, which were all rejected by the Arabs. There had been massacres and nonstop terrorism against not just the new Jewish immigrants, but also the native Jewish population for decades before the nakba. All the Jews of Hebron were either killed or expelled in 1929, ending the unbroken Jewish presence that had existed there for almost 3000 years. Massacres such as Deir Yassan did not occur until well after many years of similar massacres had been perpetuated against the Jews of Palestine. Anti-semitic rhetoric was common to the speeches of Palestinian leaders like The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who was both an ally and frequent guest of Hitler's.

The Palestinians were not punished for the crimes of Europe. Rather they paid a price for their own crimes against the Jews of Palestine. Whether or not transfer would have occurred otherwise is speculative and irrelevant. The Palestinians themselves made their expulsion a matter of necessity for the new Jewish state. Ben-Gurion pleaded with the Arabs to stay and help them build a new democratic state where they would enjoy equal rights during his Declaration of Independence. The answer he got took the form of indiscriminate violence against his citizens. Unassuming civilians were the first people to be killed by Palestinian militants, marking the war's beginning.

It would take many articles to correct the warped history Jeet Heer presents as an accurate account of Israel's beginning. I barely scratched the surface. It is a shame that such misconceptions are still so rampant 60 years after Israel won her Independence, finally securing a haven for oppressed Jews the world over for the first time since the diaspora thousands of years ago.