Posted on 04/12/2014 6:48:40 PM PDT by lasereye
And so, the five surrounding Arab nations attacked Israel and were defeated in a war that was costly and difficult for everyone, resulting in about 800,000 Jewish refugees who fled from the neighboring Muslim countries and about 600,000 Arab refugees who fled from the war on Israel.
What happened to those refugees? Most of the Jewish refugees were absorbed by the fledgling State of Israel; the Arab refugees were not absorbed by their neighboring countries.
Why? Because they were used as human pawns against Israel, to the point that in 1959, the Arab League passed Resolution 1457: “The Arab countries will not grant citizenship to applicants of Palestinian origin in order to prevent their assimilation into the host countries.”
That’s why, until this very day, there are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in countries like Lebanon and Syria, never integrated into the larger population or absorbed as citizens with full rights.
How dare the anti-Zionists blame Israel for this atrocious treatment of the Palestinians. The fault lies with their own leaders who have betrayed them in their hatred of Israel. (This is why historian Efraim Karsh entitled his very important book Palestine Betrayed, where much more relevant information can be found.)
As recently as 2004, Hisham Youssef, spokesman for the 22-nation Arab League, stated that, “Palestinians live in very bad conditions. That official policy is meant to preserve their Palestinian identity. If every Palestinian who sought refuge in a certain country was integrated and accommodated into that country, there won’t be any reason for them to return to Palestine.”
Do these leaders really care about their suffering brothers and sisters, or is their opposition to Israel, fueled by the theology of radical Islam, more important to them?
In 2012, the Palestinian Mufti, one of the senior Islamic leaders, repeated a well-known Muslim Hadith (authoritative tradition): “The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones or trees. Then the stones or trees will call: ‘Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’”
More recently, in a recent program on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV, Hamas cleric and parliamentary member Yunis Al-Astal cited the Quran in guiding Muslims to “massacre” the Jews. (See Palwatch.org for more details.)
With statements like this, which are seconded by many Palestinian leaders, does Israel really have a peace partner among the Palestinian leadership?
As journalist Caroline Glick wrote, “Nearly every day a Palestinian leader announces that the Palestinians will not make peace with Israel under any circumstances. These statements are part of the public record, and all are published to great approval in the Arabic media. Palestinian children regularly appear on PA-controlled television children’s programs, calling for the annihilation of Israel and demonizing Jews as subhuman. Summer camps are named after terrorists.”
And as Israel has released thousands of Palestinian prisoners as a gesture of peace, even though many of these prisoners have the blood of Israeli men, women, and children on their hands, they are hailed as heroes when they return home. This is a terribly painful slap in Israel’s face, and yet another stumblingblock to peace.
As for the billions of dollars of support that pours into Hamas and the Palestinian Authority from America and Europe, only a small portion of it finds its ways into the hands of the people, instead being used to pad the bank accounts of the leaders and to further their war on Israel.
Of course, as followers of Jesus we should care for both Palestinians and Israelis, and we should give ourselves wholeheartedly to bring justice to the victims and relief to the suffering, whoever they may be.
But let us not forget where the ultimate blame lies for the suffering of the Palestinian people: It lies at the feet of their leadership, and shifting the blame to Israel will do these suffering Palestinians no good at all.
Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. He is the author of 25 books, including Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message, and he hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.
The Palestinians.
Yes, the short answer is the Palestinians (who aren’t a country to begin with).
And the Arab governments.
Their fellow Jordanians and other Araqbs.
It was they who turned them away at their borders in 1947 — knowing that their population would grow in numbers and viciousness after decades in refugee camps.
Who are these “Palestinians”? There’s no country of palestine?
What culture has parents straps bombs to their own kids back and teaches then to blow themselves up?
Are you kidding me? That’s an EASY one....
Why, of course, it is the fault of the JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!
/sarc
Hamas....Hezbollah [ and Herzbollah ]
No such country as Palestine. Having said that, if any people attack Israel, they are asking for whatever they get.
Palestinians are Arabs, nothing more, nothing less....plenty of Arab states for them to go to.
no one cares about the pali’s,
they are leaches
Meh, blame the British, it works for most things.
The Palestinians - duh
Amazing! It took 15 posts before the truth was stated!
Rhetorical question but, the Arabs are responsible for their own putrid lives.
No such thing as a Palestinian anyway....
> As for the billions of dollars of support that pours into Hamas and the Palestinian Authority from America and Europe, only a small portion of it finds its ways into the hands of the people, instead being used to pad the bank accounts of the leaders...
And they do their banking in Europe...
Thanks lasereye.
They don’t want a state and four times they turned one down. Israel owes them nothing.
And the mood is in Israel is to dig in and wait them out. Israel can afford to and the 20 year conversation about the Arabs has been exhausted.
There is not more Israel can do.
Here is the solution. Give the Palis Sinai. The governments of the world can work through the UN to create the society that they envision the world to become.
Use all the green technologies, down to vehicles that don’t operate on gasoline. They can use solar, hydroelectric and wind to power the country. Build desalination plants for water. They can farm, raise animals and become an exporter of products.
Here is the funny thing. If every Israeli left tomorrow and went to Sinai and the Palis were given Israel,, in ten years Sinai would be a paradise, Israel would be a sewer and the Palis would still want to destroy the Israelis.
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