Israel-the truth

History of Israel

Whilst anti-Semitism and funding from wealthy Arab states may be major drivers of the left’s antagonism to Israel, I suspect that the bigger driver is ignorance.

When the left conflates imperialism with Israel, that is ignorance. Israel has no territorial ambitions. On the contrary, Israel is a reluctant occupier who would be glad to be rid of the West bank if the Palestinians were just willing to declare genuine peace (just as they returned the whole of Sinai to Egypt, in exchange for peace) and not fire rockets – as they did when Israel vacated Gaza in 2005 (forcing Israel and Egypt to impose a blockade in 2007).

When ’liberal’ academics argue that Jews ‘displaced’ an indigenous Palestinian population that is ignorance and a regurgitation of the Arab propaganda. When Jews started returning, in the 19th century, to their historic homeland, there were hardly any Arabs living in Palestine. French geographer, Vital Cuinet estimates that, in 1895, there were some 250,000 Muslims in all of Palestine (including Gaza, The West bank, and what is now called Israel proper) and these figures are similar to the Turkish census of 1893. Visiting writers (eg, Mark Twain, Pierre Lotti Arthur Penryn Stanley, Rev Samuel Manning) and official British reports - at that time – all describe the land as ‘wretched’, ‘desolate’, ‘abandoned’, ‘unoccupied’, ‘uninhabited’.

When well-meaning people identify with Arab refugees and criticise Israel, that is ignorance. It is ignorance because they forget that the refugee problem was caused by the war of 1948 when the Palestinians and Arab armies invaded and attacked the tiny Jewish state on the day of its birth. Had they accepted the UN ‘partition plan’, they would long have had state and had they not assaulted Israel, there would have been no war and refugees. It is also ignorance not to know that there were many more Jewish refugees – expelled from Arab lands – who were absorbed and integrated with dignity by Israel (contrast that with the way the Arabs, with their vast lands, riches and resources, placed their refugees in camps and refused them nationality, employment etc)

When students scream about occupation and settlements, that is ignorance too. Had the Arabs not blockaded Israel’s southern sea ports and not massed their armies with a view to annihilating Israel (1967), there would have been no war, occupation or settlements. It is also ignorance not to know that within a week of capturing the territories, Israel offered their return in exchange for peace and that this was roundly rejected by the Palestinians and Arabs. They wanted the territories alright, but not the peace. This has always been their leaders’ maximalist approach: They would rather have nothing, than allow Israel anything and until that changes, there will be no peace in the region.