The Big Lie

The West Bank is occupied Palestinian land. This phase is repeated, as a given, by all the governments of the world and by the entire news media, etc. This idea that the West Bank is occupied Palestinian land has been accepted by almost everyone. Yet, it is, in fact, the greatest lie ever perpetrated on the whole of humanity.

If you think this is an outlandish statement please read on and decide for yourself.

Palestinians claim that Palestine is their land, and that Jerusalem is their capital, and that Israel is occupying their land. To resist occupation they have the right to send suicide bombers into crowded bus stations, pizza parlors, etc., and kill innocent men, women, and children. And all Arab and Muslin countries support them in their claims and actions against Israel. Because of this occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, because of this crime committed against their Palestinian brothers, all Arabs hate Israel and want to destroy it.

To anyone who is familiar with the facts, and has an objective eye, all this must be fascinating. Because never before has a complete lie, on such a large scale, been so successful.

First, if Arab animosity toward Israel is based on their love and support for their Palestinian brothers, and in wanting their Palestinian brothers to have their own state, where was that love and support before the Jewish state existed? Where were they when the Kingdom of Jordan ruled Palestine? Why were they not accusing Jordan of occupying Palestinian land? Why did not the Arab world and the United Nations call on Jordan to stop occupying Palestinian land? Second, where were the Palestinians themselves, with all their grievances and claims, when Jordan occupied the whole West Bank, including Jerusalem?

Did you know that? Did you know that for 19 years Jordan occupied and ruled the whole West Bank, including Jerusalem? Why didn't they clamor for a Palestinian state then? All this time, did we hear a word about Palestine being occupied by the Kingdom of Jordan?

Did we hear anything about a Palestinian state? Or about Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine? No, we did not. Why not? Because there never existed a Palestinian state.

And in the entire history of nations, Jerusalem was never the capital of any country other than that of ancient Israel and modern Israel. So how can there be a claim on Jerusalem as the capital of a state that never existed? One of the problems here is that so few people know the history of the world. Hence, lies and more lies, repeated often enough, are assumed to be facts.

I have heard many scholars, including an Arab journalist, question the very notion of a Palestinian people. What, they ask, makes a people?

Well, there are four elements that define a people: anguage, religion,culture, and cuisine. For example, the Chinese and Japanese are both Oriental. Still, they are two different peoples, because they each have a different language, a different religion, a different culture, and a different cuisine.

The Palestinians speak the same language, follow the same religion,manifest the same culture, and eat the same cuisine as all the other Arabs. They are really Arabs who happen to live in a region called Palestine. Palestine is not, and never was, the name of a country, or the name of a people.

It is the name of a region just like Siberia is a region, not a country. There is no Siberian country, nor is there a Siberian people. It is a region. Just like the Sahara is a region, not a country. There is no Saharan country, nor is there a Saharan people. The Arabs living in that region are Libyans, Moroccans, etc., etc. It is a region.

Because Palestine is a region, not a country, England was able to carve out half of it and give it to the Arabs living on the other side of the Jordan River and call it the Kingdom of Jordan. Because Palestine is a region the United Nations was able to divide the rest of it between the Jews and the Arabs living there. Had the Arabs accepted the United Nations resolution there would have been a newly created Arab state called Palestine. Instead they rejected the United Nations compromise and went to war to destroy Israel. They lost the war. Hence, no Palestinian state.

King David built the city of Jerusalem, and King Solomon, David's son, built the holy temple. This commonwealth of Israel lasted for a thousand years. There was only one break, when, 400 years after King David, the Babylonian invaders occupied the land for 70 years. Then, with the help of Cyrus the Great of Persia - yes, Persia - Israel came back to the land, rebuilt the temple, and ruled for another 600 years.

Then the Romans came and ruled the land, then the Crusaders ruled the land, then the Ottoman Empire ruled the land, then the British Empire ruled the land, then Israel returned to its homeland and built a modern Jewish state. It was never - repeat, never - a Palestinian state. So what is all this talk about occupied Palestinian land?

They certainly have a right to live there freely and happily. Nobody wants to move them away from their land. But from where comes the right for a Palestinian state? Is it because they live there?

Imagine, if the Mexican-American community in California, whose numbers are greater than the number of Palestinians in the West Bank, decides tomorrow to claim that the United States is occupying their land, because they live there and they want their own Mexican state. Imagine, if when the U.S. government says, No, you can live here but you cannot have sovereignty, you cannot have your own state, they start sending suicide bombers, shooters, mortars, etc., etc. into the rest of the country, what do you think would happen?

This is precisely why there was never any suggestion of a Palestinian state; not under the Romans, not under the Crusaders, not under the Turks, not under the English, and not under the Arab Kingdom of Jordan, not until after Israel was again established in its homeland.

I believe it is the big lie of our generation and we are all buying into it. Whatever you believe, don't you think these facts deserve to be raised when discussing Middle East policies? Thank you for reading this paper.

actually Mexican's in California is not a good example. Mexico did at least own California for a time. Now if all the Latinos, not just Mexicans, in California wanted to create a Latino country/state out of part of California, that would be a better analogy. Except that while Latinos all speak Spanish, (except Brazilians of course) they have separate cultures, more so than Arabs, especially those from around the Eastern Med. None of this is particularly good analogy, since neither Norte Americanos, Russians, Spaniards, nor Mexicans have been in California anywhere near as long as Jews have been in Palestine.

You say that there was never a suggestion of a Palestinian state under English rule. In actual fact, the Palestinians were struggling against the Brits for a state long before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. It was the Palestinian revolt of 1936-39 that prompted the partition plan, clearly one of the most flawed policies in human history.

For those interested in some background of actual facts about the Palestine problem I'd recommend History of the Palestine Problem

This is exactly what the Albanians in Serbia's Kosovo province did. And they got America's full support. What a disgrace.

Further to post #7:

It should be noted that Ariel Sharon publicly opposed America's support for Albanian terrorists in Kosovo.

Spain settled California and they only got as far north as the furthest mission in Sonoma County. The Russians had northern California and Oregon and a fort in Bodega Bay called Fort Ross. The mexicans can only claim fleeting titular authority in California after Spain gave it up, and not for the whole state. Mexico never really took possession of it at all, the ruling class in Mexico positively neglected their holdings to the north. In fact, in 1839 Russia tried to sell its holdings to the mexican government and they were turned down. They then sold to John Sutter, of Sutter's fort in Sacramento.

I have often repeated these facts, and for some reason they are ignored. Facts are so inconvenient, especially when it states the fact that Palestinians are not really Paestinians at all, but Arabs, and A good percentage should really be called Jordanians.

Facts are so inconvenient.

Good post, and bookmarked!!

the fact that Palestinians are not really Paestinians at all, but Arabs, and A good percentage should really be called Jordanians.

I'm banging that drum with you. This fact cannot be stated enough.

beecharmer...you back already?

what is this supposed to mean? beecharmer - is that a word? what are you talking about?

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