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“In the 1920’s, The British took control of what they called ‘Palestine’, formally part of the Ottoman Empire. The Arabs of the region rejected the name Palestinian because it seemed to be, to them, amazingly enough too Jewish or connected to the Crusades. They swore their allegiance to Syria and considered Palestine actually Southern Syria”
The Truth Behind Middle East Problem and the Two State Solution for Israel and the Palestinian Authority
The words that we say are so powerful that they affect our thoughts and the very mindsets that we believe. According to Dictionary.com, propaganda means “the information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.” It was Adolf Hitler who said, “If you say a lie loud enough and long enough, people tend to believe it.” It was also Hitler who hired Joseph Goebbels to be his Minister of Propaganda. In essence, his job was to spread lies about the Jewish people during the events that would eventually lead up to the Holocaust. Without the knowledge of truth, we face a losing battle trying to identify and combat the onslaughts of perpetual lies. This couldn’t be more true regarding the continual lies against Israel, and the repeated topic of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
As some would describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as one of the most difficult issues to solve, Dennis Prager expresses it as “the easiest to explain.” When we look at the Jewish people, we see a continual emphasis on lasting peace in the region. When we look at the Arab neighbors we see a continual expectation for the annihilation and removal of the Jewish people. In his words of simplicity, Prager expresses that “the problem is that most Palestinians and many other Muslims and Arabs do not recognize the right of the Jewish State of Israel to exist.” This reality could not be more true than upon the realization of Israel becoming its own nation in 1948.
When this decision was disseminated down from the United Nations, ultimately British rule ended and Israeli rule began. Prager details what occurred less than 24 hours later, “the armies of all the neighboring states: Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Trans-Jordan, and Egypt attacked the one-day old State of Israel in order to destroy it.” Israel proved victorious. The same scenario played out again in 1967. It was upon the victory of this 1967 war, that Israel ultimately took control of The West Bank, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Arab states continued to respond. In their defeat, they overwhelmingly resorted to the famous three NO’s. No recognition (of Israel); No peace; and No negotiations. Prager continues to share how Israel responded in 1978. Israel gave “the entire Sinai Peninsula, an area of land bigger than Israel itself, and with oil, back to Egypt, because Egypt, under new leadership, signed a peace agreement with Israel.”
Looking at the history of Israel, we can see continual event after event of Israel’s willingness to negotiate and compromise for the hopes of peace. In regards to the Palestinian people Israel simply asks that Palestinians “recognize Israel as a Jewish State and promise to live in peace with it”. History clearly shows how this request has been answered. Israel tried again in 2000 by giving up the land of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and the Palestinians a sovereign state. Their proposal was rejected. In its simplest form, “one side wants the other side dead” as Prager so eloquently puts it. This couldn’t be more evident as we see the open education and indoctrination of Arabs being raised up to kill and murder Jews.
In present day media and events, we continually hear the cries from demonstrators to “Free Free Palestine”. Digging a little deeper, we have to ask this question: where did the term “Palestinians” come from? Ron Cantor remembers the words of Newt Gingrich, “There was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. I think that we’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs”. Remember earlier, when we spoke of the United Nations decided to establish the land of Israel? Cantor goes back a little further than 1948 as he shares, “In 1917, just after World War I, Great Britain, which now controlled historic Palestine, an area which comprised of all Modern day Israel and Jordan released the Balfour Declaration, which promised a Jewish homeland in the region; Recognizing that this was the ancient birthplace of the Jewish people.” Much to Israel’s surprise, land was given to the Arabs, which is now known as Jordan, was 80% of this land.
The United Nations still had plans for the remaining 20% of land originally prescribed in the Balfour Declaration, after it was given up by the British. Cantor details, “One for a Jewish State, and one for an Arab State…It’s key to understand that never did anyone use the term ‘Palestinian State’ to propose to the new Arab country”. Cantor continues, “That is because there is no such thing as a Palestinian national identity”. Presently, the world sees a difference between Arabs that live in Jordan versus those that live in neighboring West Bank regions. Cantor reveals, “ethnically, they are the same people”.
Within the State of Israel, some may be aware of the popular newspaper, The Jerusalem Post; but some may not be aware of the what it was called before its current name. Originally it was known as The Palestine Post. Cantor asks this obvious question, “Why in the world would a Jewish owned newspaper take on an Arab-ethnic name?” He answers, “They would not. At the time, the word ‘Palestine’ or ‘Palestinian’ had zero connection to any ethnic people. It was simply the nickname of the region”.
Cantor continues to rattle many current mindsets as he shares these words;
“In the 1920’s, The British took control of what they called ‘Palestine’, formally part of the Ottoman Empire. The Arabs of the region rejected the name Palestinian because it seemed to be, to them, amazingly enough too Jewish or connected to the Crusades. They swore their allegiance to Syria and considered Palestine actually Southern Syria”
As Cantor continues the timeline of events, he quotes Shira Sorko-Ram, “The return of the Jewish people was accompanied by economic prosperity for the region and Arabs migrated to enjoy the higher standard of living.” It is realities such as this that point to the large immigration of Arabs to the region during this time. Cantor explains, “The Arab population had nearly tripled in thirty years. That means around two-thirds of those who call themselves Palestinians actually came from other countries after 1919”. God loves each and every individual in the Middle East. It is important that we not only know these truths, but that we understand them so that we can combat the lies and deceptions regarding these topics.
Since its beginning, Israel has had to fight for its existence. We can see more clearly regarding the beginning events of Israel’s statehood. But, there is more to understand how Israel became the nation we know it to be today. In a closer look of the battles that took place within Israel, David Sussman explains how the Israelis constructed a secret bullet factory in order to equip the Hagana, which today is known as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). “They dug out the ground at a furious pace. 21 days it took to build a basement, the size of a tennis court”.Above this basement were two buildings that provided income in order to fund the operations of the factory, while also providing concealment; a laundromat, with its loud sounds to silence the activity below; and a bakery, that housed the secret entrance and the exhaust chimney that camouflaged the smoke from the factory. “Between the years of 1945 and 1948, the secret bullet factory was able to produce 4 million bullets and help establish the State of Israel”.
The forgiveness and patience that Israel extended to its neighbors is the same truths that are offered today. According to reports from BreakingIsraelNews.com, “Israeli taxpayers renew Arab City’s power despite unpaid $450 million”. Why wasn’t this shared throughout mainstream media? In addition, 83 of the 100 Senators in America, have signed a letter “urging President Barack Obama to quickly reach an agreement on a new defense aid package for Israel worth more than the current $3 billion per year.”
It is important that we pay attention to the choice of words and narratives that are expressed and blindly repeated. Without the awareness of truth, we can fall prey to these deceiving ideas and not know what the reality is in these matters. It is important that we not only teach our children the truths about Israel, but that we also stand up and defend Israel. Be greatly educated and empowered as you learn about the history of Israel, the Middle East, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: Yasser Arafat, Dinesh D’Souza, BDS Movement, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, suicide bombers, terrorism, El Salvador, Hamas, Third Intifada, Knife Intifada, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Radical Islam, and education. John and Steve shared in this segment.