Opinion
What about Jewish Nakba?
Ada Aharoni
Published: 10.07.09, 00:02
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1. Jews were in the Arab world longer than the Arabs
bob ,   potomac md usa   (07.10.09)
The Arbns took over the Middle Easst and North Africa beginning in the end of the 1st third of the 7th century--three were Jews in all the areas they conquered, incuding Eretz Israel (in 634). prtof. Gil from Tel Aviv University in his mementous voeume on the History of Palestine 634-1099, reveals that even in the yera 634 the Jews and Samaritans were the MAJORITY in Palestine--and remained such until Islamification --with its taxation of dhimmis and losss of land (the Jews were farmers at that time!) set in, along with the Frist Crusade (1099). so, in fact, as far as Palestine goes, the Jews' "Nakba" is the date that the Arabs jihad invasion--634
2. Irwin Cotler
Jared ,   Toronto, Canada   (07.10.09)
has taken up your cause. More need to educated and aware of it. www.jimena.org www.theforgottenrefugees.com are great resources.
3. naive
eitan ,   usa   (07.10.09)
it is be naive to believe that reminding the arabs of their injustices would somehow cause them to reconsider or be kinder, or that it would somehow lead to reconciliation. jews were massacred by arabs long before 1948, and not only in cities such as jerusalem and hebron. arabs today live in conquered lands, whether it be in judea, egypt, north africa, asia minor, persia, pakistan. in my opinion the logic behind the madness is the teachings of islam, that stipulate war and conquest of infidel lands, and no retreat from lands that have already been conquered. i think it's that simple. i'm a son of a jewish refugee from north africa. i don't feel indignity for losing a land (tunisia) that my forefathers lived in for 2000 years, for longer than islam has existed on this earth. perhaps it's because my bible doesn't teach me that i'm a sinner because i failed to repel infidel invaders from the land that my mother was expulsed from. likewise jews hold on to israel because their bible states it is the land that god promised them. it's that simple. the reason the conflict will never be resolved is because of the inherent conflict between two bibles: one says: israel is the promised land of the jews. the other says that all lands belong to islam. today it's our turn (the jews). tomorrow the fight will be in india, in france, holland, england and the rest of europe. eventually it will be in the usa.
4. Pointing out brings closer?
rachel ,   chutz4now home soon   (07.10.09)
Come NOW! Dear prof, You REALLY believe that this "student" did not know? PLEASE! It is NOT about DIGNITY...it is about NOT succeding in the goals. The VERY fact that we have survived and helped others who were/are oppressed IS an injury to their EGO.
5. Israel caused Palestinian nekba, Palestine did not cause Jew
Moise   (07.10.09)
ish Nekba. Blame Zionists for Jewish Nekba!!! not Palestinians.
6. Fouad? You mean Fouad Ben Elizer?
Jetset   (07.10.09)
Isn't Israel inviting all the Jews of the world to move to Palestine to advance the Zionist Project? Sorry mister, you are misleading your readers again
7. 2 WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT IS WHAT HE IS SAYING...HAHA
.....DACON9   (07.10.09)
THE MILLIONS LEFT BY MY COMMUNITY OF SYRIAN JEWS THE LIVES , THE MEMORIES THE COUNTLESS BELONGINGS LEFT BEHIND THE FARMS THE STORES AND THE GRAVES COULD NOT BE CARRIED TO THE NEW LAND but unlike the arabs who blew themselfs up we JEWS strived and worked ourselfs to the bone to provide for our families in America and was afarid to mention anything of back home in syria to protect the remnants of the relatives until one by one..most of us left syria... AND WE NEVER ONCVE BLEW UP A BUS OR A WEDDING OR A PIZZA PARLOR..NEVER ONCE DID WE THREATEN TO KILL AN ARAB .. BUT THE ARABS CONTINUE TO HIS DAY ON THE LAND THAT KIND DAVID RULED THAT KING SOLOMON BUILT A TEMPLE THAT ABRAHAM OUR FATHER WALKED AND ALMOST SACRIFEICED HIS SON ISAAC. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR INHERENT MAKEUP WHO IS FAOUD? JUST ANOTHER ARAB STUDENT THAT WANTS TO REMEMBER UNTIL HE REMEMBERS ENOUGH AND WILL KILL A JEW.. DACON9 THE
8. Dating a Syrian Jew made me a Zionist
Darren ,   Oakland, CA   (07.10.09)
When I was in high school, my gut reaction to 'Schindler's List' was, "Sure, the Holocaust was evil, but it didn't Jews the right to move to Palestine and steal the Palestinians' land." As I entered college, I started studying about the history of the Middle East and about the history of the Jewish people. At this point, I ascribed moral equivalency between both Jewish and Arab claims to the land. When I left college and dated a Syrian Jewish girl, my outlook changed. Until I met her, I didn't know Jews lived in predominantly Muslim countries and that their presence there predated Arab presence for, in some cases, over a thousand years. As I began to learn more and more about Jewish life under Muslim rule, the more the hypocrisy of Palestinian nationalism began to reveal itself to me. How is it that these people who brutally oppressed Jews for 1400 years under Dhimmi Laws now have the gall to call Israel an 'Apartheid State' when Jews treat Palestinians far better than Palestinians ever treated Jews? I have news for people like Nour from Palestine- your worldview is based on a web of lies and it will come crashing down as people like me (whom you try to convince to support you) learn the truth about your horrible past. Thanks for reading.
9. #3 - Not targeting the Arabs, targeting the uneducated West
William ,   Israel   (07.10.09)
This initiative is not to remind Arabs of their injustices. To this day, they not only justify their racist actions of yesteryear, but applaud themselves for it. You can see it repeated among other minorities in the Arab world, specifically the B'hais. This initiative is to educate the West which has been easily duped by the Arabs and Leftists to accept fully the Palestinian narrative based on historical revisionism and to highlight the other side of the story that Pals rush to cover up. With the Jewish story on the table, it is hoped the Western support for Pals will wane as the truth becomes known. Now all we need to do is add the land records showing most Pals didn't own land (but rented it), and the massive illegal Arab immigration in the mid-1930s....then we can begin negotiating peace!
10. Fouad from U of Penn Pal student union
William ,   Israel   (07.10.09)
While his individual words may show hope for peace in the future, two problems still remain: 1) While Foaud is referring to Pals as if they were all born in Palestine, the truth is many were not as proven by records of illegal Arab immigration in the 1930s. 2) the art of being a victim is what gives identity to Palestinians and their terrorist leaders today. It helps them to justify their violent actions, against Jews and each other, it helps them to justify their theft of global aid for decades, and it helps them to deal with the fact that their own leaders kill civilians and each other in the street over power and money - all of which brings comfort when blamed on the Jews. If Pals were to come face to face with the truth, they would lose their identity, a shocking thought to them. As cited by the Moody Blues - "there are none so blind as those who refuse to see"
11. This is propaganda itself.
John ,   London   (07.10.09)
12. refugees
Dr.P.Josef ,   Germany   (07.10.09)
After World War II we have in the World about 50 mill. Refugees(only 0.85 mill of them Palestinians).Germany had about 16mill.refugees. is wondering that only the Palestinians speak about returning although they recive huge amont of money and other helps while the arab brother countrys have a surface biger as Europe. It is not realistic and never hapend that after 60 Years 50 mill. of refgees go back.
13. Reason Enough
Dan ,   USA   (07.10.09)
Europeans have never had to have a reason to be anti semetic. The simple fact that Jews do not believe in Christ has been reason enough for centuries.
14. Tell this to the academic anti semitic boycotts, to the EU,
Jae ,   Lynn US   (07.10.09)
to american universities. shout it out loud from the rooftops. everytime the pals talk of refugees, speak of the jewish arab refugees who were 50% MORE tahn the pals and had several times the wealth left behind (unrwa)
15. Arab refugee and jewish refugee.
Ron B. ,   Lod   (07.10.09)
Indeed, tens of thousands among the Palestinian Arab elite fled before the start of hostilities, eager to escape the anticipated fighting. Of those who left during the fighting, most simply sought to avoid the hostilities. In various locations, most notably Haifa, from which about 15% of the refugees originated, they fled despite well-documented appeals by the local Jewish leadership that they stay. Some, perhaps another 15% of the refugee total, were forced to leave, from areas such as the villages that prevented Jewish access to Jerusalem and were part of the blockade and siege of city. About 120,000 Arabs remained in the areas controlled by the Jews, constituting about 16% of the state’s early population. The Israeli Arab community has grown to constitute currently more than 20% of the population. But what of the Jews living in areas that fell under Arab control? Every one of them was either killed or expelled. Not one remained. You ask about a right of return of Jews forced then and in subsequent years to flee the Arab states, in fear for their lives. Few presumably would want to return to those states. But what about a “right of return” of Jews pushed out of those Mandate areas that fell to the Arabs? Not only do the Palestinians not recognize such a right, but they insist that every Jew currently living in the territories taken in the 1967 war must leave, including descendants of those forced out in 1947-48. Nor does it speak well of the broader world community that it so widely endorses the Palestinian leadership’s insistence that what it claims as its territory must be Judenrein. . To learn more about Arab refugee and jewish refugee : http://xrl.us/bj5qy
16. Our PR machine is broken and the world is tired of our story
Lenny ,   Carmiel, Israel   (07.10.09)
17. No. 8 Darren
NYC Girl   (07.10.09)
It's never too late to have a good, old-fashioned epiphany. In fact, when I married an Israeli whose family originally came from Iraq, I found myself doing a lot of reading on the subject of the Jews from Arab countries, and I have to say it was quite an eye-opener. However, what I've always found disturbing is the Eurocentric nature of history in Israel. Because while world leaders make the requisite pilgrimage to Yad Vashem, the fact that there are millions of Israelis who come from families that were originally from the Middle East and North Africa, and have their own narrative of persecution, has never garnered much attention. And while I'm not equating their situation to the Holocaust, the fact is that Israel's present day enemies are not the Germans, but rather they're the same people who forced the Jews of the Middle East to flee countries in which some of them had lived for over 2000 years.
18. You are undermining Zionism
Naftali Lavie   (07.10.09)
1. If asked, most Jews from Arab states would say: I left my country of origin and came to Israel because of my love of Zion; 2. If asked, most Jews from Arab states would say: When I came to Israel, the Ashkenazi elite treated me like dirt; 3. Some Jews from Arab states will say: I had no reason to leave my country of origin until Zionist agents urged me or coerced me to leave;. 4. Not only well-known Mizrahi radicals, but people like Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer, MK and Ran Cohen, MK have spoken at length about all of the above. So, go ahead. Open up the Pandora's Box of the "Jewish Nakba", and gather the testimonies. You will hang Zionism with its own noose.
19. Ada Abraham doesn't get it
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (07.10.09)
The war between Arabs and Jews is not about justice. If it was, history might be important. The war is about the Arabs trying to exterminate the Jews and the Jews trying to live.
20. #5, how did you work that one out?
Danny   (07.10.09)
Or were the Zionist running the Arab countries in the 40s and 50s?
21. #18 what utter crap
Danny   (07.10.09)
Virtually none of the Arab Jews I know - including my Iraqi family - woke up one day and decided to move to Israel. Whilst they may have been glad there was a place to go unlike the Jews under german occupation in the 40s, none of them needing "urging" or "coercing" when the Iraqi government sacked all the Jewish civil servants, started moves to strip Jews of assets and citzenship and executing prominent Iraqi Jews less than a decade after the Holocaust. If they feel bad about how they were treated - and they do - then they feel better than the ones who lived through Sadam's era and came in the late 70s.
22. Explaining the facts ? Who needs them ?
Nora ,   Tel Aviv   (07.10.09)
Who needs Israel`s explanations? The Palestinians ? The Arabs ? Europe / Even Obama`s government ? No one.
23. Cut the BS, read Naeim Giladi's story
Cynic #2   (07.10.09)
I suppose he is another self-hating Jew paid off by the Arabs. check this link if you are interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naeim_Giladi And by the way, two wrongs do not make a right.
24. emotional retorts
Lisa   (07.10.09)
think about it this way: Jews are told their own history in great detail- everybody knows everything about all the persecutions back to ancient times- how much history is taught about other races and people? This is the kind of history lessons we ALL GET: our OWN. The Europeans, the Americans- and yes the Arabs- we are taught the battles against enemies- and we always won. We are taught how bad the enemies are and were- . Many history books are deliberately biases- they are always in favor of the home country. The professor has a point: people other than Jews should KNOW what happened and where. In the last wars most news was about what happened in Lebanon and Ghaza- very little news about Israel- who kept the lid on it? Censurship? Israel did not want publicity? Well, the enemy sure took advantage of this void... and it influenced world opinion- you guys don't care for world opinion? You should if you expect any help or support.
25. #23, no just a bitter old man
Danny   (07.10.09)
So your argument is that the laws being propagated against Jews in Iraq had no effect, the executions and arrests of prominent Jews had no effect but a couple of hand grenades and virtually the entire population who had lived there for 3,000 years upped and left. Note this is the same population that stayed put in 1941 when the arabs went on the rampage killing Jews. If I said the same thing about the Palestinians - which has far more actual evidence - would you simply accept that? As for two wrongs not making a right, it is about the narrative that the Arabs have taken on as being the eternal victims and I would note that no matter how badly the Mizrachim may have been treated in Israel none of them would swap with a Palestinian living in a camp in Lebanon or Syria.
26. yes Naftali please open the pandora box as there is a lot
john ,   JERUSALEM   (07.10.09)
more to say like the treatment of Jews from Yemen upon arrival was far more than dirt it was top shitty.
27. The picture shows a beduin holding the key
Raphael ,   Netanya   (07.10.09)
of the tent she left 62 years ago. However, nobody shows the piece of chalk Arabs used to mark jewish houses they claimed for themselves, once the heroic armies of 6 arab states would have erased the arrogant jewish dhimmi rebels from Palestine.
28. #22 Nora
Lisa   (07.10.09)
Nora, who said anything about owing an explanation. Let me just tell you this and you might change your mind: as an outsider, growing up in Europe- after the war, and living most of my Life in North America- my knowledge of Israel and Jewish history was practically zero. We had years of history lessons, I read books, papers, watch TV talk to many people....like all people outside of Israel..I had hardly ever met a Jewish person in real life. Now: a few years back I met Jewish people and we became close friends- since then I have become interested in the people and the history beyond the Holocaust--- I am shocked, stunned, to find out about the persecutions through the centuries- do you think this is a bad thing? KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING about other people is the first step.... So, I do not agree with you at all: People need to know, they need explanations, facts then they will understand. The side that talks the loudest is heard: guess who has been doing all the talking? Think about it! Shabbat Shalom.
29. to #27
john ,   JERUSALEM   (07.10.09)
your post manifest your racism coupled with ignorance, the woman holding the Key is from one of the hundreds of Palestinian villages destroyed by the zionist gangs in 1948. your netanya is built over the ruins of Umm Khaled village.
30. True, but so what?
Giora Me'ir ,   USA   (07.10.09)
Are you saying that they want to leave Israel and return to their former-Arab homelands? Did the have a country in which they were in the majority, the way the Palestinians. There should be more recognition of this injustice, but it's relevance to the current conflict is minimal.
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