The Most Amazing PR Campaign How Palestine became a People
Half the countries in the world came into existence in the first half of the 20th century. 195 nations now exist. Only one of these nations has had to defend its right to exist.
In an amazing campaign of half truths and double standards many folks the world over have bought into distorted ‘history’.
The campaign to justify the destruction of Israel started as soon as the state of Israel celebrated its independence in 1948, when it was recognized by the US and the UN. The Arab states immediately launched a war against Israel. They had been adamant that no Jewish State would come into being in ‘their neighborhood”. Keeping this concept alive a growing body of ‘stories’ was spun to turn a territory into a people.
Half truths helped. The Nakba declared that 750,000 Palestinians were forced to leave Israel when it became a state. The other half of the story — which is rarely told — were the 850,000 Jews expelled from Arab states at that same time.
Half the story? The 750,000 Palestinians now number 7 million. And a condition of a two state solution has been the right of return. Somehow this has become a form of justice. (Who is entitled to return to where?)
In addition to half a story the free-free Palestine folks use the technique of an upside down story. For more than 80 years Israel has suffered attacks from suicide bombers, drones and bombs — all in the service of eventually destroying the state of Israel. Israel is now accused of genocide.
Hamas, after slaughtering 1,200, injuring thousands more and abducting more than 200, the Palestinian PR machine has convinced the world that they are the victims of genocide. Only one nation in the world has to argue that it has a right to defend its borders and citizens.
Double standards? A useful tool. There is only one country in the world that has to defend its right to defend itself. There is only one country in the world that is scrutinized for its treatment of civilians as it is waging a defensive war.
Double standards? Please list all the wars in the last 200 years where civilian deaths did not occur?
Yes, it would be great if there were no wars — past present or future. Why is there only one country that is accused of genocide when civilians are in harms way?
Accountability? A double standard in the UN? There are 195 nations in the UN. Only one nation has been ‘held accountable’ or accused of various errors or crimes more times than all the others combined.
In addition, US colleges and universities have all but suspended the usual norms of academic research and discourse when it comes to ‘justice, liberation and racism’ in the context of Israel and Palestine. Professors are able to project provable lies as the basis for scholarship. So that many have expressed delight and exhilaration when Hamas committed its attacks of October 7th. No correction of academic research is provided when terrorists are lauded as freedom fighters.
In the most amazing accomplishment of all these various groups of ‘justice warriors’ have been able to project that they are not anti-semitic. After thousands of years of Jews being uniquely displaced and dispossessed for being Jews the suggestion that no anti-semitism agitates the current attacks on Israel and Jews is unlikely if not absurd. Protecting one’s homeland is called genocide. Following in the foot steps of so many anti-semites one can with perfect ‘belief’ and ‘sincerity’ claim not to be anti-semitic. Claiming that anti-zionism is different than anti-semitism signals an ignorance of Jewish culture, history and religion.
Goebbels, cigarette makers or Proctor & Gamble could only wish for such PR successes.
Remember when racists could claim to not be not racist when so accused by Black individuals? And disabused of their claims? Are Jews the only ones who cannot tell others when anti-semitism occurs?
So there was a territory called Palestine — it was a geographic designation. It did not comprise ‘a people’. In 1968 Yasser Arafat declared that there was now a Palestinian people who had their own flag and nation. And this ‘history’ is now the basis for the continuation of thousands of years of antisemitism. In a final achievement it is not antisemtism at all. It is a fight for justice and liberation.
It now persuades some that ‘compassion’ is the highest and most legitimate moral value against all other beliefs, rationales and historical perspective. That ‘compassion’ should be the framework of a legitimate, useful and workable framework for understanding and planning human actions in world politics, economics and war?
To repeat an oft used statement: If Hamas lays down its weapons and releases the hostages the war will be over. If Israel lays down its weapons Israel will cease to exist.
In celebration of a Happy Birthday for Israel at 76 — and many millennia more. May 2024.
