Israeli official proposes 'ethnic cleansing'

Al-Jazeera ^ | 1/4/2004 | Khalid Amayreh

[eclectic]

A member of the Likud party has proposed “massive ethnic cleansing” of non-Jews in Palestine-Israel as a “final solution” of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Uzi Cohen, a member of Ariel Sharon’s right-wing party and a deputy mayor of the town of Raanana, told Israeli public radio on Sunday there was widespread support in Israel for “the idea of ethnic cleansing”.

“Many people support the idea but few are willing to speak about it publicly.”

Cohen, an influential figure in Likud, proposed that Israel, the United States, the European Union as well as oil-rich Arab states make concerted efforts to create a Palestinian state in northern Jordan.

He suggested the Hashimi royal family in Amman “might view favorably this idea”.

Cohen said Palestinians should be given 20 years to “leave voluntarily”.

“In case they don’t leave, plans would have to be drawn up to expel them by force.”

'Israel's ugly face'

Cohen’s racist ideas have drawn strong reactions from Palestinian leaders in Israel. Israeli Arab Knesset member Ahmad Taibi described Cohen as representing “Israel’s ugly face”.

MPs of Ariel Sharon's Likud party discussed expelling Arabs before

“This man espouses Jewish fascism and he is trying to foster his venomous ideas, and I must say he is achieving remarkable success,” Taibi told Aljazeera.net.

“The idea of ethnic cleansing is no longer confined to the far-right parties in Israel; many in the Likud support ethnic cleansing.”

Taibi said tabling a racist proposal for discussion is in itself a grave development.

“It is not important what the result will be. The important thing is that they are going to dignify a fascist proposal like this by discussing it in a formal meeting.”

Demographic threat

Israeli leaders have lately been warning of an “encroaching Palestinian demographic threat”.

On Friday, a leading Jewish demographer warned Jews were on the verge of becoming a minority in mandatory Palestine, the historic region administered by Britain until late 1947 from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has so far been circumspect about the idea of banishing the Palestinians from their ancestral land.

Last year, when members of his Likud party approached him with the idea, Sharon reportedly told them “the international situation wouldn’t be conducive to expelling the Palestinians”.

In 1948, the newly-born Jewish state expelled the bulk of the Palestinian population from what is now Israel and destroyed more than 460 Arab towns and villages.

Israel has consistently refused to allow the repatriation of the refugees, arguing that allowing some or all of them back to their homes, many of which no longer exist, would undermine the “Jewish identity” of Israel.

[eclectic]

Israel, the United States, the European Union as well as oil-rich Arab states make concerted efforts to create a Palestinian state in northern Jordan

Sounds like a good idea to me...

[Bikers4Bush]

Can't blame them, after all they've only been putting up with this crap for what seems like forever.

[Support Free Republic]

	Linda Carter is completely unrelated to Free Republic. But if I am going to have to post donation begs until the Freepathon is over, I'm going to occasionally post something I want! And there is only one way you can stop me!

[Paleo Conservative]

Al-Jazeera ^ | 1/4/2004 | Khalid Amayreh

Consider the source of this article.

[Arkie2]

I can't believe any Jew would make a proposal which included those words. He won't be around long.

[thoughtomator]

The Arabs have forced Israel's hand... either Israel cleans out the Palis, or it suffers a genocide at their hands. Considering the vast majority of the Palis are refugees from Lebanon and Jordan (having been expelled from those nations), and to whom the UN still owes resettlement - outside Israel - a move by Israel to purge itself of this cancer is perfectly reasonable.

[Arkie2]

Oops. After reading the article a little closer I see he didn't use those words, a Palestinian did. My apologies.

[eclectic]

In 1948, the newly-born Jewish state expelled the bulk of the Palestinian population from what is now Israel and destroyed more than 460 Arab towns and villages.

This is a propagandistic lie, but considering the source one need not be distracted by it... The subject matter of the article is interesting regardless

[anotherview]

You forgot the BARF alert. Let's just call it a liberal translation from Hebrew to suit the Arab agenda.

[eclectic]

This is not reported in Israeli media yet, so I had to go with Al-Jazeera. I think the subject of "ethnic separation" needs to enter the public discourse

[eclectic]

Let's concentrate not on words but on ideas. I find the idea interesting...

[joltinjoe]

It is called population transfer and it has happened many times in History including India and Pakistan.

[Romulus]

The United States has endorsed ethnic cleansing before. Just look at a $20 bill. Of course, we had slavery too. Today in this country we're flirting with new ways to own human beings, mostly through in vitro fertilisation and genetic engineering. Which proves nothing except that our country also is capable of advancing loathesome agendas. I suppose I have to add explicitly that this doesn't make it all right, and that just because we've backed hateful projects in the past (and are damn near wrecking our country again in vile new adventures) doesn't mean we need to be backing them elsewhere.

[SJackson]

I can't believe any Jew would make a proposal which included those words. He won't be around long.

Creating a palestinian state out of a chunk of Jordan and Syria? Why not? It's not going anywhere, but it's not that outlandish an idea. One of the best proposals for a palestinian state I've seen would have encompassed Gaza and a contiguous chunk of the Sinai. Of course that was pre peace treaty, and Jimmy Carter surely wouldn't be about to make another arab state out of arab land.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[eclectic]

Could you please explain what do you see in Cohen's proposal as hateful?

[Eastbound]

"“This man espouses Jewish fascism and he is trying to foster his venomous ideas, and I must say he is achieving remarkable success,” Taibi told Aljazeera.net."

So self-preservation is now called fascism, eh? At any rate, nothing will come close to the remarkable success enjoyed by the islamist as the success they have in exporting terrorism throughout the world. Sorry, Taibi. Your method of dropping piles of smelly stuff and blaming others for it is passe. But that is something even your closest friends won't tell you. You know, like bad breath or B.O.

[Happy2BMe]

Ehthnic cleansing. . enthnic cleansing . . . . ethnic cleansing.

Where have I heard those words before?

[Alouette]

Actually the Israelis are seriously considering "ethnic cleansing" -- of Jews from the West Bank.

[eclectic]

Ethnic Cleansing, phrase for an attempt to purge an area of an unwanted ethnic group. It can include deportation, intimidation, and acts of genocide or mass murder.

Encarta® 98 Desk Encyclopedia © & 1996-97 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Let us leave genocide and mass murder to Arabs, but deportation and intimidation part does not sound too terrible