Bezalel Smotrich och palestiniernas historia

 Senaste söndag uttalade sig minister Bezalel Smotrich om palestiniernas historia under en privat tillställning i Frankrike. Reaktionerna från omvärlden lät inte vänta på sig ,farligt, respektlöst, felaktigt var några av omdömena. Kan inte tolereras, sade EU.

Vad sade då Smotrich som var så hemskt? Kort sagt ingenting. (Smotrich är en politiker med extrema åsikter och borde inte enligt min mening sitta i en regering men det betyder inte automatiskt att allt han säger är fel.)

Smotrich:

- Det finns inget sådant som ett palestinskt folk. Vem är palestinier? Jag är, sade Smotrich vars förfäder bott i landet i 13 generationer och hans mormor/farmor  föddes där för över hundra år sedan.

- Det palestinska folket/nationen har existerat mindre än hundra år

- Det har aldrig existerat någon palestinsk kung, språk eller mynt

- När judarna började återvända till sitt land skapades den palestinska identiteten för att bekämpa judarna

-Palestinierna är araber från det kringliggande området som kom till Palestina samtidigt med den judiska immigrationen kom i gång

- Innan 1948 kallades området Palestina. Romarna gav området det namnet efter att de erövrat det.

Några fakta:

Det var romarna som gav området namnet Palestina efter att de förstört Jerusalem. Romarna ändrade också namnet på Jerusalem.

Efter första världskriget förvaltade Storbritannien området sedan  det erövrats av Ottomanska riket (Turkiet). Namnet Palestina bibehölls, det brittiska Palestina mandatet. Befolkningen i området bestod av araber och judar.

Ännu så sent som 1947 när FN gjorde upp en delningsplan för området fanns det ingen folkgrupp som kallade sig palestinier. Området skulle enligt FN delas mellan judar och araber, inte ett ord om palestinier som beteckning på araberna som bodde i området.

När PLO skrev sina stadgar på 1960-talet definierade de vem som var  palestinier. Man var noga med att poängtera att man var araber som bodde i Palestina och att Palestina var en del av det större arabiska hemlandet.

Det fanns inte några historiska fakta att hänvisa till när man ville definiera områdets gränser så man hänvisade till att hela det brittiska Palestina mandatet var Palestina (en knapp 30 år gammal gränsdragning).

Enligt PLO är en palestinier en arab som 1947 bodde på Palestina mandatets område. Alla barn som fötts efter det med en palestinsk far räknas också som palestinier.

En intressant detalj är att också en jude kunde räknas som palestinier, men bara om han bott i området innan den sionistiska invasionen började. När den invasionen började förblir oklart och det nämns inget om att barn till judar skulle räknas som palestinier. (Enligt PLO har alltså Smotrich rätt, nästan åtminstone. Hans mormor/farmor var palestinier enligt deras sätt att se på saken.)

Det står ändå klart att mellan 1947 och mitten av 1960-talet började araberna som bott på Palestina mandatets område kalla sig för palestinier med en klar betoning på att man ändå var araber. Araber var det man alltid hade varit och identifierat sig som. Precis som Smotrich säger kom den palestinska identiteten till för att bekämpa judarna. Det kommer fram klart i bl.a. PLO stadgan artikel 7.

Det mesta av vad Smotrich sade var alltså välkända och dokumenterade fakta. Ingenting att bli upprörd över. Tyvärr verkar omvärlden ändå välja att försvara den palestinska fantasihistorieskrivningen.

När Smotrich säger att palestinierna är araber från det kringliggande området som kom till Palestina samtidigt med den judiska immigrationen har han delvis rätt. Det finns araber som bott i området i hundratals år men det finns också många som flyttade till området eftersom den judiska immigrationen skapade många arbetsplatser. Men som sagt, om man bodde där 1947 räknas man som palestinier.

Trots att det historiskt sett inte funnits något palestinskt folk har det nu under flera årtionden byggts upp en palestinsk identitet. En identitet som långt grundar sig på en falsk historieskrivning men den finns i alla fall. Det är kanske något som Smotrich blundar för.

Fati Hammad, en minister i Hamasstyrda Gaza förklarade för tio år sedan följande:

Vem är palestinier?

"Allah be praised, we all have Arab roots, and every Palestinian, in Gaza and throughout Palestine, can prove his Arab roots - whether from Saudi Arabia, from Yemen, or anywhere. We have blood ties. So where is your affection and mercy?

[...]
Personally, half my family is Egyptian. We are all like that. More than 30 families in the Gaza Strip are called Al-Masri ["Egyptian"]. Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis.
Who are the Palestinians? We have many families called Al-Masri, whose roots are Egyptian. Egyptian! They may be from Alexandria, from Cairo, from Dumietta, from the North, from Aswan, from Upper Egypt. We are Egyptians. We are Arabs. We are Muslims. We are a part of you."

Palestine Liberation Organization: The Palestine National Charter

Article 1 Palestine is the homeland of the Arab Palestinian people; it is an indivisible part of the greater Arab homeland, and the Palestinian people are an integral part of the Arab nation.

Article 2: Palestine, with the boundaries it had during the British Mandate, is an indivisible territorial unit.

Article 5: The Palestinians are those Arab nationals who, until 1947, normally resided in Palestine regardless of whether they were evicted from it or stayed there. Anyone born, after that date, of a Palestinian father- whether in Palestine or outside it- is also a Palestinian.

Article 6: The Jews who had normally resided in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion are considered Palestinians.

Article 7:

That there is a Palestinian community and that it has material, spiritual, and historical connection with Palestine are indisputable facts. It is a national duty to bring up individual Palestinians in an Arab revolutionary manner. All means of information and education must be adopted in order to acquaint the Palestinian with his country in the most profound manner, both spiritual and material, that is possible. He must be prepared for the armed struggle and ready to sacrifice his wealth and his life in order to win back his homeland and bring about its liberation.

Israel's Smotrich: There is no such thing as a Palestinian people

US joins condemnations of Smotrich’s ‘concerning and dangerous’ Paris speech

Obehagliga röster från arabvärlden

 Röster från arabvärlden översatta av MEMRI

Article In Qatari Daily Incites To Terror Attacks Against Israelis: Surround Them, Pursue Them, 'Make It So That They Will Never Be Safe – Not In Jerusalem, Not In Tel Aviv'

In his March 12, 2023 column in Qatar's Al-Watan daily, titled "The Time Has Come For You To Get Out," Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti, who frequently writes in favor of armed struggle against Israel, stated that it was time to expel the Israelis "from Huwara to Tel Aviv...  from the river to the sea," and to fight them in brigades and with lone attackers.

Stressing that "people who sacrifice themselves are about to emerge from all the villages and the cities and from every neighborhood and street," he wrote: "Make it so that they will never be safe – not in Jerusalem, not in Tel Aviv, and not in their settlements."

In conclusion, he addressed the Israelis, saying: "We will fight [you] as long as we live, and you will never enjoy a good life on land that rejects you."

Hamas Daily: An Outsider Cannot Understand The Intensity Of A Palestinian's Joy At News Of A Terror Attack Against Israelis

On March 12, 2023, the Felesteen daily, which is identified with the Hamas movement, published an article titled "Deliverers of Joy – About the Younger Generation in the West Bank" praising terror attacks carried out by young West Bank Palestinians against Israelis. The article, written by Abdallah Al-Lidawi[1] and also published on the website of Hamas's military wing, 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, describes the rising joy and adrenalin that erupt in the Palestinian street following every terror attack against Israelis, such as suicide attacks and bombings of buses and cafes, and states that these operations are proof of the vitality, power, and glory of the Palestinian people. This joy, he writes, has a "special fragrance" and is expressed by people exclaiming in happiness and praise, gathering in public squares and streets, passing out sweets, and embracing, along with cries of praise for Allah via mosques' public address systems, and more.

The article goes on to state that today there is tremendous happiness among the Palestinians when they hear news of terrorist attacks being carried out by the young West Bank Palestinians, who "add their unique fingerprint to the shooting operations in the streets of the tranquil [Israeli] cities," who, with their deeds, are reviving the glory of the days of the Second Intifada and the widescale attacks of the era of Hamas's chief bombmaker and suicide bombing pioneer Yahya 'Ayyash[2] and are also rising up against the Palestinian Authority (PA) which attempted to prevent them from carrying out resistance and waging jihad.

Fatah Revolutionary Council Member Jamal Al-Huwail Compares Palestinian Militant To Hollywood Action Hero: 'We Are Not Only At War Israel, But We Are At War With The West And The Entire World'

Jamal Al-Huwail, a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council from Jenin, said on a March 8, 2023 show that aired on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that Israel is a Western "enterprise" and that the Palestinians are not only at war with Israel, but also with the West and the "entire world." Al-Huwail spoke about a photo of a Palestinian militant, which was used as the backdrop for the speakers in the studio, comparing him to a Hollywood action hero. In the photo, which was taken during clashing between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in Jenin the day before, a masked militant could be seen hanging out of a window as he shoots a rifle at Israeli forces.

Gaza Islamic Scholar Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Farra Issues A Fatwa On Hamas TV: Palestinian Authority Security Forces Are Religiously Obligated To Join The Jihad In The West Bank

Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Farra, the vice dean of the Southern Branch of the Islamic University of Gaza, said on a March 1, 2023 show on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) that members of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces are religiously obligated to join the escalating "activities" and Jihad in the West Bank. He emphasized that as a religious scholar, this is his fatwa on the matter, and he explained that these individuals already have the weapons and training to join the fight, unlike the "new generation" of 13-, 14-, and 16-year-olds who have been using knives, cleavers, screwdrivers, and small arms to carry out attacks against Israelis.

Egyptian Researcher Mahmoud Salem: The Jews Are Extremely Violent In Denying The Authenticity Of The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion; Anyone Discussing The Protocols Has Their Social Media Accounts Shut Down

Mahmoud Salem, an Egyptian researcher of history and civilization through the lens of Islamic law, said in a February 22, 2023 show on the Arabic-language Egyptian Muslim Broterhood-affiliated Channel 9 (Turkey) that the authenticity of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is denied in an "extremely violent" manner by the Jews. He said that those who discuss the Protocols have their social media accounts shut down, and that even Wikipedia falsely claims that the Protocols are a forgery. Salem explained that the Protocols were minutes from meetings held by rabbis in France in which they discussed plans for the "globalization of religion," and he said that they were published in Russia by a French woman who had obtained them.

Moroccan Islamic Scholar Sheikh Abou Younes Elfraani: The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion Have Been Translated Into Arabic, Yet The Arabs Do Nothing; The Jews Want Israel To Span From Nile To The Euphrates

Moroccan Islamic scholar Sheikh Abou Younes Elfraani said, in a video posted to his YouTube account on December 17, 2022, that the "schemes" of the Jews have been documented in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and translated into Arabic, yet the Arabs and Muslims do nothing in response.

Gaza Islamic Scholar Wael Al-Zard On Hamas TV: We Have Teams Planning What To Do With Israel's Nuclear Missiles Once We Liberate Palestine And Whether To Throw The Jews Into The Sea

Gaza Islamic scholar Wael Al-Zard said in a March 8, 2023 show on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) that there are teams in Gaza that are making plans for the period that will follow the Palestinian's victory. He said that people in Gaza are deliberating what to do with the nuclear missiles they will "inherit" from Israel and with the multitudes of Jews that will be left in Palestine. He said: "What are we going to do with them? Will we throw them into the sea and make them into food for the fish?"

Mother Of Imprisoned Terrorist Wael Jaghoub To Palestinian Authority TV: The Gun Is The Only Thing That Will Restore Our Land And Free The Prisoners; For Every Man Who Is Martyred, There Is Another To Take His Place

On March 7, 2023, Palestine TV aired a brief interview with the mother of Wael Jaghoub, a Palestinian terrorist imprisoned in Israel. She said that every Palestinian stands with the "resistance" to the end and that for every man who is "martyred", there is another to take his place. She also said that the gun is the only thing that will restore the Palestinians' land and free the prisoners.

Vad händer i Israel och varför?

En artikel av Herb Keinon som lite förklarar vad som händer i Israel nu och varför.

The Jewish state hasn't figured itself out yet, 75 years after its inception

"On one side of an imaginary television screen, there could have been the chaotic scene at the “National Disruption Day” protest in Tel Aviv: the flag-waving protesters overpowering police barricades and attempting to block the country’s main road artery; the police’s forceful response, with officers on horseback, stun grenades, water cannons and dozens of arrests.

On the other side of the screen, there could have been a broadcast of the heartbreaking funeral in the Old Cemetery in Ra’anana of Elan Ganeles, murdered by Palestinian terrorists the day before as he was driving from the North through the Jordan Valley to a wedding in the Jerusalem area...

...THE PROTESTS against the judicial reform are a representation of the country – fully 75 years after its inception – still trying to figure out what it is. Is it a Jewish democratic state or a democratic Jewish state? What does it mean to be democratic? What does it mean to be Jewish? What is the right balance? How do you achieve that balance? What is the role of the legislature? What is the role of the courts?

At the core of the state’s identity, these questions should have been decided long ago, at Israel’s inception, but proved too difficult to solve.

The Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, stated that a Constitution should be adopted by an Elected Constituent Assembly no later than October 1, 1948. The Elected Constituent Assembly met four times before morphing into the Knesset. October 1, 1948, came and went, but no constitution was ever adopted. Because of conflicting interests, beliefs, ideologies and passions, no agreement could be reached.

So Israel did what Israel does so well: it improvised; it schlepped along on an ad hoc basis without a constitution, until it couldn’t anymore; it kicked the can down the road until the can finally hit a wall.

And that is where Israel finds itself on the eve of its 75th birthday, in front of that wall and unsure of how to kick the can past it. The coalition’s controversial judicial reform plan, the passionate opposition to the plan, the protests, “National Disruption Day” – all of that is the sound of that can hitting the wall...

...The pain following the killing of Hallel and Yagel Yaniv was searing. The fear that Jewish mothers and fathers who ply the road through Huwara daily and live in fear of a rock or petrol bomb thrown at them and their children while traveling to and from their homes in Har Bracha, Itamar, Yitzhar and Elon Moreh is real and ever-present.

But for that there is the state; for that there is an army; for that there is Jewish sovereignty. Jews do not – should not, must not – randomly set out to burn, kill and destroy. It is wrong. It is immoral. It is inexcusable.

It also badly confuses the chicken and the egg, as evident in this headline to a Reuters news story on the Ganeles murder: “Israeli-American motorist killed in West Bank after settlers rampage against Palestinians.”

As if this was an example of cause and effect; as if Ganeles’s murder was a result of the rampage in Huwara; as if, had there not been a rampage in Huwara, a promising 26-year-old man from Connecticut with a Zionist heart would still be alive today.

The rampage in Huwara, too, provided the country with other split-screen moments.

On one side of the screen, Jews randomly setting fire to cars, homes and businesses; on the other side IDF soldiers working with Palestinians to extract people from their burning homes. On one side of the screen, Esti Yaniv speaking with almost superhuman grace and dignity as the bodies of her two slain sons lie at her feet; on the other side, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich bringing opprobrium upon Israel by saying that Israel should wipe Huwara off the map...