Walter Russell Mead Quotes

”Palestine” to the Arabs of the area meant the territory of the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel itself. They wanted to expel the Jews and or take over the whole area as a single state—Palestine—with an Arab majority. With the Israeli Defense Forces successes under Dayan, this notion of Palestine was “finished”. The notion of a Palestinian State which included the West Bank and Gaza but not Israel was then negotiated and these negotiations were ongoing for years. Minorities of Arabs and Israelis did not want to see a any Palestinian state that did not include Israel proper, and they blocked it whenever they could.

This was an interview with Reuters News Agency in English. Arab leaders often make English Statements to the Western Press which are completely contradictory to what they say to their Arab constituents and followers. In this case he seems to acknowledge that Hamas and he do not deny the right of Israel to exist and accepts that nation per se. Yet at the same time Meshaal has never made this statement in Arabic and has made no gesture to change the Hamas Charter which calls for the destruction and elimination of Israel or to criticize the Hamas other leaders and followers who constantly call for “Death to Israel” and the destruction of the Jewish state. See {585395} for an eloquent statement of the practice of Arab leaders and politicians.

When the United Nations partitioned Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian State the Arab Countries all jointly attacked the fledgling Jewish State of Israel. Despite the Israeli’s being overwhelmingly out numbered in man and weapons, they beat back the invaders. However while many Arabs stayed on their Israeli land and some helped the Jews defend against the Arab Armies some abandoned their homes and land and went to neighboring Arab Counties. This is what they had been asked to do by the Arab governments who wanted to be able to attack communities without worrying about killing Arabs. To spur the evacuation the spread false propaganda about Israeli atrocities and frightened them into leaving. As a motivation to leave they were told that they could move into the Jewish lands and property when the Jews had been driven out. To make matters worse, some Israeli radicals repeated the lies to induce the Arabs to abandon their lands. In at least one case Arabs who stayed were subjected to violence. After the defeat of the Arabs, the Israelis had a dilemma in that they could not tell which Arabs were residents who had just been frightened and which had fought on the Arab side or helped the invaders. The result was that with few exceptions, the Arab refugees were not allowed back. Meanwhile, the Arab countries would not allow the refugees to settle and become citizens of the Arab countries (except for Jordan). The Palestinian refugees were a particularly fertile population and were cared for by the United Nations and have multiplied to many times their original size maintaining a continuous festering problem.

Syria constantly goaded Nasser and Egypt to attack Israel. However, Nasser was receiving huge foreign aid in the form of wheat which was needed to feed his population. See {595373}

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.

Many Arabs remained in Israel and played an important part in building the modern state. While the promise of full citizenship with representation and participation was kept, there developed a differential amount of support for social services that were administered by religious authorities whereby Arabs had less government money spent on them per capita than the Jews did. In that case they have become second class citizens, not envisioned by the Israeli founders. Nonetheless, the Arabs who are Israeli citizens, have the most freedom of Muslims in any Arab country by far. Their health care is much better, average income from work is greater and unemployment is lower, and education is much better. However, there are forces in Israel working to force the total equality with Jewish citizens that was promised in this quote and others who in reaction to the support for the Arab terrorists by some Israeli Arabs, advocate more discrimination against Arabs and even expulsion.

This is an example of a diplomatic leader losing control of herself and addressing a foreign dignitary in most undiplomatic language. The basic accusation was however quite justified. The Palestinians were preoccupied with many symbols of dignity and respect while ignoring economic development, technology, health and standard of living that could have been obtained by a compromise with Israel to create a Palestinian state.