After Shlomo Sand , and Pinkelstein and Segev and other usefull morons, an other guy paid by the israeli tax payers and the diaspora. disgusting

for growing fruits, vegetables and berries in the late eighteenth and early part of the twentieth century, I would refer the reader to that well-known English historian, Martin Gilbert and his work entitled "Israel: A History". It is evident from his research that the region was truely infested with malarial swamps and non-arable desert. That "Matty Groves" tries to prove the opposite by designating one area, Jaffa, where he writes that oranges were grown for export just proves how fitfully inadequate he is as an objective researcher. Perhaps "Matty" should be described as a "lawyer wannabee" whose intent is to win an argument no matter how shamefully he twists the facts, no matter how many crucial ones he leaves out and no matter how often he calls parts whole when it benefits him. If "Matty" had the "cohones" to stand up in a courtroom with his strategic ability to blur facts and convince others of untruths, he would be applauded as an excellent lawyer by his clients. Unfortunately, there is no place in what should be an educational forum (Ynet Talkbacks) for such antics. As to courtroom procedure, any guy who continually hides under the cloak of anonymity like "Matty" while making it a goal to demonize the state of Israel would collapse under the real pressure of having to advocate in a courtroom. So I guess sitting behind a computer with no real risk of being discovered is the best that "Matty" can do. Even his colleague, Michael Hess of BBSNews, whom I normally find obscene, has my respect in terms of his willingness to sign his own postings. In conclusion: Poor, pitiful, "Matty".

WOW, YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY IS TRUELLY AMAZING. WHEN DID YOU MAKE THIS HISTORY UP ?

My great-grandfather was a lawyer during the Ottoman Empire. He was very educated. He wasn't alone. Many people from well-to-do families could read and write, and those who said stupid things like only Islamic religious books were written are being ridiculous. People had books from France and other places. There were also missionaries and people went to those schools in some cases. There were Christians who also had their books. People had philosophy and history and science books. I am not shocked by the immense hatred and ignorance I read on here. I agree with the words of Jesus, "Forgive them for they know not what they do". Many of you guys don't know any better and just express contempt for Palestinians. I am sure others expressed the same for your ancestors, and to think we once shared a common ancestry is a shame. Our crime was becoming Christians and Muslims and you others fleeing Rome.

No author's name, no facts, only hearsay. Dangerous. #10 is right.

Most arabs from then called palestine LEFT because their leaders told them to do so . They were promised to return "home" in the footsteps of the victorious [ ! ] arab armies . Many towns and villages werre destroyed ? yes , some were , but because their houses had nothing , no water nor electricity , There was no infrastruture in those villages . A proof ? in 67 there was no water , no water sewage in the liberated Jerusalem , and electricity ? poorly installed in some "houses" . So how was the situation in those "villages" then ?

And , an interview with "al jaseera" also says very much . In every Jewish home there are books , sometimes very much . When i made Alyah , i had to sell many , others were only good to be recycled . So it can be that those "burned" books [ if they were burned ] had no value at all , not interesting for anybody .

We also throw out broken dishes, worn out clothes and disposable diapers. I guess books are not forever, but stupidity and malice never ceases.

I can't help but think of the nazi students' book burning during the Third Reich when reading this.

"We also throw out broken dishes, worn out clothes and disposable diapers. I guess books are not forever, but stupidity and malice never ceases." So you throw out books and keep the stupidity and malice?

Your post brought tears to my eyes, Charles. My siblings and I did not have very much growing up, but we had books. Shelves and shelves and shelves of books. We did not have a television set, but we had books. As we'd outgrow them, my mother and father would bring them to the local public school, or to the library. Books were never thrown away -- they were, as you say, "recycled." Even today, my homes are filled with books. It is simply beyond my ability to envision Jews destroying books. It's just not what we do.

jews don't burn books...but Arabs destroy jewish antiquities ..I can see it coming now on the BBC ...along with "graffiti war crimes"

stories and lies accusing jews and Israel of the same same thing . Its propaganda ...It needs to be rejected immediately because they want to ruin Israel 's reputation ......

hebrew....

look......

are bias and not all there with their crooked views .....

are you one of their relatives who escaped to Brazil ?

The researcher at BGU seems to have a vivid imagination and a loose tongue not connected to reality or to his brains. Perhaps HE believes that destroying books is recommended. I wish to place his name on the short list to receive Israel's Knobel Prize.

This story comes from Al-Jezeera and it looks like just propaganda. No such a student, no such a thesis, no such a story, no such a thing.

I can't help wondering why the name of this supposed "researcher" is not reported. When I attempted to verify this report with Ben-Gurion University, I was told they have no such approved thesis on record, and will continue to pursue if in fact such "research" exists. Why not make it easy for them and tell us the name?