David Duke Quotes

The Defense Secretary opposed U. S. support for the founding of the state of Israel. See Clemenceau for an earlier expression of oil being a critical factor in foreign policy.

Jerusalem has been disputed by the Israelis and the Arab nations surrounding the city. Both want it as their capital, and both have historic and religious claims on it. When Jerusalem was under Arab control. However no Jew was allowed in the City, even to pray at the holiest of Jewish places, the Western Wall. When Israil gained control, there has been not only free access for Muslims, but they gave the Muslims control over the Temple Mount--holy to both religions. So for Rabin, if Israell does not control the city, Jews will not have access as has been shown by recent history, and the United Nations has deminstrated so often, they will not use force to maintain their committments to protect people or assure access to areas.

The Israeli’s had earlier been urged by America to give control of the Suez Canal back to Egypt. The Israeli’s held control of the Canal so that the Egyptians could not cut off ships from reaching Israel. The US had in exchange guaranteed that Israel would have free and unfettered access and to the sea. Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdul Nasser had just closed the Red Sea straights to the Israeli’s and the US was working on rolling that action back. However, some of the American oil companies privately were urging President Johnson to reneg on our commitments to our ally in order to ensure the profits of the oil companies. Johnson did not abandon Israel. ARAMCO made more money than ever. America was not finished in the Middle East.

The PLO and most of the Arab nations, took the position that the United Nations original partition of Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian nations -- UN General Assembly Resolution 181 – was “illegal”. That view has served as the basis for the Arab Israeli problems since. The basis of the illegality they claimed was the right of the Palestinians to self determination. However, it is a right which they deny to the Jews living in Palestine who also had a right to self determination. The UN solution was to partition the land into two nations so that the each had the right of self determination. However, the Arab leadership wanted only Arabs to have the right of self determination.

Lydda was a town in what is now Israel. In 1949 when the UN ordered the partition of the region into two states—one Jewish, the surrounding Arab nations all sent their armies to attack the nascent Israel and prevent it from ever forming a state. Incredibly, not only did the Jewish settlers beat back 14 attacking armies with civilians and volunteer militia, but organized their state very rapidly. The UN mandate gave citizenship in Israel to the people (including the Arabs) who lived in the partitioned territory of Israel. The invading armies broadcast messages through the airwaves and the imams asking the Arabs to leave the territory and go behind the Arab military lines so that they would not be injured when the Arabs used their artillery and tanks in their invasion. The Arab politicians also promised the Israeli Arabs that after the invasion, they could have the property of the Jews who would be pushed into the sea and banished. Many did; many did not preferring to stay in Israel for many reasons including the fact that the Jews promised a full citizenship in a democracy. The Israelis warned that if Arab natives left and joined the Arab invaders, they would not be allowed back as there would be no way to differentiate them from enemies. They and their progeny became the so called “refugees”. However in one Biblical town, Lydda (Lod) things were different. There were 17,000 Arabs and no Jews. There had been a small traditional population of Jews there but in 1921 there were anti-Jewish riots and Jews were either killed or forced out. Attempts of Jewish families to move back into their land over the years were met by Arab violence and ethnic cleansing. In 1949, Israeli militia and civilians took over Lydda, and despite the official Jewish policy against it, went on their own retaliatory version of ethnic cleansing and drove most of the Arabs out to the Arab lines outside of the partitioned areas. They were never allowed to return despite the fact that they had been forced out with several injured and killed. Israeli public opinion is divided as to the proper moral posture with respect to the families from Lydda. Shavitt and those with his view are in a large minority. Most Israelis feel that the 1921 expulsion of the Jews, and the more recent expulsion of all Jews from Egypt and other Arab countries, justifies the status quo. Some, have blotted out the Jewish immoral 1949 ethnic cleansing and some young Israelis believe the accusation of Jewish improper behavior in Lydda is just another of the many Arab lies about the Israelis. The issue is a moral dilemma for both peoples.

Actually, this is a relatively new phenomenon. Before this, it was the Western Colonialists who were to blame. Before that it was the Ottoman Turks who occupied their land, and before that it was the Christian Crusaders. Since the Arab countries have started their decline from one of the most advanced people and cultures of the world to one of the least, they have always found some external source to blame. Many scholars observe that that process of blaming others and not looking inward and avoiding the reforms that other religions and cultures went through is among the biggest reasons for their decline.

Not all the Muslim nations of the Middle East want Israel destroyed. The Kurds and the Turks both maintain relations with Israel. The problem lies with the Arab Nations.