The *FREE ARAB VOICE*
May 15, 1998

This issue of the Free Arab Voice is dedicated to the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the rape of Palestine.  The topics tackled include:

1) Taking Points, On the Fiftieth Anniversary of "Israel": 
   Celebrating Racism is Wrong! by the Free Arab Voice  

2) What Palestinian State?! Wake up and Smell the Political Coffee...
   by Khaled Issa

3) Action Alert: A Protest on the White House

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1) On the Fiftieth Anniversary of "Israel": Celebrating Racism is
Wrong!

Britain had ruled the Holy Land of Palestine for thirty years after the
end of the First World War when it announced that it would officially
give up the mandate on May 15, 1948.  Thus on May 14, 1948, the last
British troops withdrew from Palestine, and on the same day Ben Gurion,
"Israel's" first head of state, declared an independent Jewish state.
Ever since, May 15 became the official day to celebrate or to condemn
the occasion.  Because even though some American media, like CBS, have
been totally immersed in glamorizing the fiftieth B-day of the Zionist
state, one thing seems to get intentionally ignored, and that is the
tremendous human price that the indigenous Palestinians have had to and
continue to pay for the Zionist party on their land.

Fighting erupted in Palestinian cities and villages even before May 15.
"Haiffa fell to the Zionists on 22 April and Jaffa on 13 May - that is,
before the British mandate officially ended" (from Peter Mansfield's
book, The Arabs, p. 238).

Thus before and after May 15, the fighting, intimidation, and Zionist
massacres like the one in Deir Yasin forced hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians to flee their homes, lands, and property to scatter into
perennial refugees in other lands.  They number in the millions today,
watching the world practically celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of
their misery and dispossession.  Moreover, 394 out of 475 Palestinian
towns and villages were eradicated, so the refugees could never come
back.  (A list of all 394 towns and villages is available upon request
from Americans for Middle East Understanding at Ameu@aol.com).  But all
that somehow gets lost in the noise of the party!

Consequently, on this fiftieth birthday of the Zionist state, we would
like to take the opportunity to dispel a few myths surrounding the
establishment of that state:

1) The Palestinians did NOT sell their land to the Zionists.  On the eve
of May 15, the Jews were 30 percent of the population with 8 percent of
the land.  By the time the fighting was over in January 1949, the
Zionists had taken by force about 80 percent of Palestine (never to be
returned), about 150 percent the proportion of land granted to "Israel"
by the United Nations partition plan of November 29, 1947.  Even the
first 8 percent was obtained with devious means over several decades,
much of it from absentee feudal lords. But the acquisition of land by
force and the forcible eviction of Palestinians was not a fluke.  It was
part of the Zionist plan from the beginning, and continues today in the
West Bank.  Note the date on the first quotation below:

"Spirit the penniless population across the frontier by denying it
employment...Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the
poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly" (Theodor Herzl,
founder of the World Zionist Organization, Complete Diaries, June 12,
1895 entry).

"The only solution is Eretz Israel (Greater Israel), or at least Western
Eretz Israel (all the land west of the Jordan River), without Arabs.
There is no room for compromise on this point...We must not leave a
single village, not a single tribe" (Joseph Weitz, Director of the
Jewish National Fund, the Zionist Agency charged with acquiring
Palestinian land, Circa 194. Machover Israca, January 5, 1973, p.2).

2) The establishment of the Zionist state was NOT the result of the
Holocaust of WWII, contrary to what some Americans of Arab origin are
asking us to believe:  The first Zionist congress convened in Basil,
Switzerland in 1897.  The British Balfour Declaration promising a
homeland for the Jews in Palestine was issued on November 2, 1917.  Two 
major waves of Zionist colonization in Palestine took place even before 
the First World War!! Either way, read what Ben Gurion had to say about 
the Holocaust, before it happened:

"If I knew it was possible to save all the children in Germany by taking 
them to England, and only half of the children by taking them to Eretz 
Israel, I would choose the second solution. For we must take into 
account not only the lives of these children, but also the history of 
the people of Israel" (Ben Gurion, the first head of state, declaring 
outright to the Labor Zionists on December 7th, 1938).

And just in case you have any doubt about what Ben Gurion meant, we
quote a speech given by the Zionist leader Yitzhak Greenbaum in Tel Aviv 
on February 18, 1943:

"One cow in Palestine is more important than all the European Jews"!!

3) The Arab fighting force in Palestine was NOT more numerous than the
Zionist one.  This was not a case of David versus Goliath.  In fact, the 
opposite was true:

"The total of Arab regular forces engaged was 21,500, compared with
Jewish troops estimated at between 40,000 and 60,000.  The Zionists were 
better equipped and they secured important fresh arms from
Czechoslovakia while fighting was in progress" (Peter Mansfield, The
Arabs, p. 238).

"In its report in April 1946 the [Anglo-American] commission recommended 
the continuation of the [British] mandate [of Palestine] and the 
immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish immigrants, but criticized the 
continued existence of Jewish underground forces, estimated at 65,000" 
(Peter Mansfield, The Arabs, p.237).

4) The state of "Israel" is NOT the only democracy in the "Middle East",
but the only racist segregationist state in the region.

"The essence of a Jewish state is to give preeminence to Jews as Jews.
Anyone who asks, in the name of democracy, for equality to all its
citizens Jews and Arabs must be rejected as one who negates the
existence of the Israeli state as the state of the Jewish people" ( A
declaration by an Israeli High Court Judge on January 5, 1990.  From
Israeli daily Ha'aretz, cited in News from Within, April 3, 1991).

"It is forbidden to sell apartments in the Land of Israel to Gentiles"
(Mordecai Eliayahu, the Israeli Chief Rabbi commenting on an attempt by 
a Palestinian to buy an apartment owned by the Jewish National Fund in 
East Jerusalem.  Ha'aretz January 17, 1986).

"Jewish blood and a goy's [gentile's] blood are not the same" (Israeli
Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, Jerusalem Post, June 19, 1989).

In fact, the examples of Zionist racism are so many there's not even
enough space for them here.  But let us end with this one: with the
exception of the residents of East Jerusalem, automobile license plates
issued to non-Jews are different from those issued to Jews; also
non-Jewish operated taxis are clearly distinguished from Jewish operated
taxis (from N. Dacey's, "Democracy" in Israel, p.47).

Given all of the above, it behooves all of us to denounce rather than
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Zionist
state, a state built on terrorism, and a state which thrives on
practicing racism and the ongoing confiscation of the lands of the
Palestinians.

Therefore, instead of a little remark by Mrs. Clinton paying lip service
to the establishment of a Palestinian state as happened recently, let us 
all demand of the United States government CONCRETE steps to cut off all 
direct and indirect aid to "Israel" and redirect it instead to domestic 
American uses.  Let us demand that U.S. foreign policy priorities in the 
region be ordered properly by refraining from giving UNCONDITIONAL 
political, diplomatic, technical and military support to the racist 
Zionist state, and by taking into account the rights of the Palestinians 
and the future of American political and economic relations with the 
Arab and the Muslim peoples.

Let us not get all carried away in the hype orchestrated by the Zionist
lobby in Congress and the media.  Let us not celebrate Zionist racism,
but instead support justice for the Palestinians.  Support justice,
because without justice, there can't be peace.

                                             The Free Arab Voice

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*The Free Arab Voice thanks Hisham Zoubair / INA for providing some of
the quotations of Zionist leaders above.

*In response to readers' questions, all editorials signed by the Free
Arab Voice are written by the editor (as is usually the case in
journalism) unless indicated otherwise.
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2) What Palestinian State? Wake up and Smell the Political Coffee...by
Khaled Issa

A few weeks ago in an interview with the Jerusalem post, President
Clinton praised Arafat, the chairman of the Palestinian Self-Autonomy
Authority,  for working for peace as demonstrated by his willingness: 1) 
to accept LESS land than what was agreed upon previously under the Oslo 
Agreements, and 2)to clamp down on Hamas and other Palestinian 
activists.

In exchange for these additional Palestinian concessions however, the 
Netanyahu government reciprocated with nothing!  And similarly NOTHING 
tangible was done by the U.S. government to control extremist Zionist 
policies and positions. No serious American pressure was exerted on 
"Israel", for example, to halt colonization activity or administrative 
detention or the killing of unarmed Palestinian demonstrators.  As 
always, as usual, as we all know, when push comes to shove American 
pressure on "Israel" is a plain total absolute nothing...

Then Hillary Clinton, who notwithstanding Republican jokes is NOT a 
policy-maker, seemed to fill that huge U.S. foreign policy bias with the 
mere HINT that she supports the idea that Palestine should be a state. 
And as emotional as we Arabs sometimes get, many of us began to sing her 
praises.  Hers was no Balfour Declaration!!  It was not even the 
position of the White House. Nothing tangible came out of it, and most 
importantly, it became for the current U.S. administration a politically 
safe pacifier and a SUBSTITUTE for what Mr. Clinton should have done to 
pressure "Israel" in the way of giving concessions. Unfortunately 
however, Mrs. Clinton's plain words, gave many good people among us a 
temporary illusory wonderful politically inconsequential high, as much 
as it rationally shouldn't have!!

She thinks Palestine should be a state!...Well that sounds great, but
what Palestine is she talking about and for how many Palestinians 
exactly?  Is it the historical Palestine of 27,009 km squares? Or is it 
the 6,223 km squares that is the size of the West Bank and Gaza 
(according to the Times Atlas of the World, second edition, Random 
House, 1997)? Will this state be the home for the over two million 
Palestinians in the West bank and Gaza only, or will it be home for the 
over two million Palestinians in Jordan, the one million Palestinian 
Arabs in the lands occupied in 1948, or the other million and a half 
Palestinians elsewhere? 

But in fact a little less than 40% of the Gaza strip is already taken up 
by Zionist colonies, so out of 363 km squares that is Gaza, about 225 
remain unclaimed by "Israel".  And out of the 5,860 km squares that is 
the West Bank, the negotiations revolve nowadays around Israeli 
withdrawal from between 9 to 13 percent only; that would be around 527 
to 762 km squares of the West Bank. Thus combined, the area of the West 
bank and Gaza on which the midget "Palestinian state" is to be 
gloriously and eventually declared is less than 1,000 km squares in the 
best of cases, A LITTLE OVER 3 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AREA OF PALESTINE, 
FOR ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF PALESTINIANS! That is, it will be a silly 
reservation!

In exchange, our prestigious Palestinian National Authority undertakes 
the dirty job of reigning in Palestinians who might threaten "Israel's" 
security.  PRACTICAL GUARANTEES THAT THE STRUGGLE TO LIBERATE PALESTINE 
IS BROUGHT TO A HALT ARE OBSERVED STRICTLY.  Then with "peace" securely 
in place, "Israel" gets to become the political and economic regional 
superpower of the former Arab world.  The midget "Palestinian state" 
gets to play the proud role of Zionist stepping stone, but at least we 
would get to have our independent Palestinian IDENTITY, and our own 
genuine Palestinian assassins, jails, and torture sessions, after all 
the other Arabs are not better than us!!

Do you remember when Oslo was first signed how the peddlers of defeatism 
and surrender would address rejectionists with the lame line: what do 
you mean Oslo is less than liberation? Take democracy now and this great 
step towards a democratic "Palestinian state"...Well we saw what we got!  
Neither democracy nor liberation, but the miscarriage of the Palestinian 
cause under the banner of this midget "Palestinian state", to be 
delivered at the end of the struggle on about 3 percent of our land... 

That's why we should once and for all let it be known that what we 
struggle for is our Palestine pure and simple, not this ambiguous motto 
of a "Palestinian state'!! The difference is not just the size of the 
area on which a state is declared.  If liberated ON OUR TERMS, then even 
half a percent of Palestine could serve as a base for a Palestinian 
state, the difference being in the terms.  In the second case, the 
Palestinian state would be the beginning not the end of the struggle, 
and Palestinians who kill and imprison other Palestinians to protect the 
invaders, would then be appropriately treated as all other people on 
this planet treat their traitors.. 

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For a good discussion on how the affirmation of Palestinian IDENTITY 
became a mediocre substitute for LIBERATING PALESTINE, go to:
http://www.mindsring.com/~fav/RadicalApproach.htm#Artc1              
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3) Action Alert:  A Protest on the White House

The Free Arab Voice encourages readers to participate in all acts of
protest related to the commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the 
Nakba whether sponsored by ADC, IAP, or anyone else who cares about this 
issue.  We'll be happy to send you schedules of activities by different 
groups if you email us.  Below is one announcement by the Council for 
the National Interest for a protest on the White House.

The Council for the National Interest (CNI) is holding a 
SILENT VIGIL IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIAN
PEOPLE.

MAY 15, 1998, NOON-2PM
WHITE HOUSE SIDEWALK
AND EAST CAPITOL STEPS
WASHINGTON, DC

We hope to turn out a large number of people in each location to show 
the US government and the US public that, while Israel celebrates its 
50th year, WE GRIEVE for the dispossession, occupation and human 
rights abuses endured by Palestinians.

We would appreciate your help in spreading the word to people who
might attend our vigil at either location.  Please contact me if you
need any further info...

Thank you for your help!

Mary Thomas
Council for the National Interest
202-628-6962
1511 K Street NW  Suite 1043
Washington, DC  20005 
FAX: 202-628-6958
E-mail: count@igc.apc.org, Web: www.cni.mynet.net
A non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization advocating a new 
direction for US Middle East Policy

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