Mockingly, I can say Jews have taken over the Middle East! Israel occupies most of the land, and therefore Palestinians are feeling the brunt of “The Israeli occupation”.
According to the Central Palestinian Bureau there were about 14.3 million Palestinians in the world in mid-2022, of whom about 5.35 million in the State of Palestine; 2.72 million males and 2.63 million females.
Interestingly enough, and according to my research, there were around 525,000 Arabs living in the Palestinian region when World War One broke out. There were also over 90,000 Jews and 70,000 Christians. Palestine was once occupied by Jews about 1250 B.C.E. before all subsequent ruling empires.
Palestine wasn't a country exactly, but rather a region which was controlled by the Ottoman Empire (Syrian division). The British with the help of Hussein who they promised an independent Arab state, overthrew the Ottoman Empire during WW1 and assumed responsibility for Palestine in 1920. The British never honored that promise to Hussein.
The British government had promised Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz, a single independent Arab state that would include, in addition to the Hejaz region, modern-day Jordan, Iraq, and most of Syria, with the fate of the Palestine region (today's Israel and Palestine) being mentioned in more ambiguous terms. Clearly, the British used such a ploy as a tactical strategy to gain fighting support.
However, in 1920 a general Syrian congress in Damascus, passed a resolution rejecting the Balfour Declaration (see following paragraphs) while electing Faysal who was the son of Hussein to rule Palestine. This resolution echoed one passed earlier in Jerusalem, in February 1919, by the first Palestinian Arab conference of Muslim-Christian associations which had been founded by leading Palestinian Arab notables to oppose Zionist activities.
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 had been written up by one of England’s previous Prime-Ministers, and approved by Allied forces to create a Jewish state in Palestine. Covering an area of only 8,522 square miles, Israel is smaller than the US state of Massachusetts and only one-fifth the size of the state of Kentucky.
Though the declaration vowed that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine,” it did not outline what those communities were, what specific rights they had, or how they would be protected, and it didn’t take their thoughts about how their land should be used into account. The Arabs in the region were having none of it for lack of transparency, or so they say.
After the Balfour Declaration a smallish influx of Jewish settlers began to arrive. In 1922 the League of Nations, now known as the United Nations endorsed the decision for Jewish immigrants to reside in Palestine. Jews were coming legally at 25,000 a year and within their rights based on what they had been told.
Jews had been persecuted in Europe for centuries, but in the early 1900s, antisemitism reached a fever pitch across the continent, particularly in Germany. By the 1930s, it had become a tool of populism and the official policy of the Nazis. As the Nazi Party completed its takeover of the German government, it enacted hundreds of decrees and laws that targeted Jews as “enemies of the state” in Germany, and gradually ramped up an assault on Jewish rights.
Before World War II officially began, Germany annexed Austria and brought another 185,000 Jews under Nazi rule. Though many of them wanted to flee, few countries would have them.
Representatives from 32 countries convened in Evian, France, to discuss resettlement. But while many of them expressed sympathy for Jewish refugees, most of them declined to take them in, including the US and Britain.
Well, there is documented evidence clearly showing Palestinian Arabs sided with Hitler. That made matters worse, as there was clear resentment shown towards Jewish settlers. Judging by this day and age’s intense weekly Pro-Palestinian marches and University campus protestors the situation is no different. Antisemitism is rife between those demonstrators while hate calls for complete annihilation of Jews from Israel is an obvious one with the chants of, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” If that isn’t a wake-up call then shame on you!
Are we to see the revival of Nazism? 60 million people were killed during World War Two. This whole episode in humanity should be a stark warning that this policy is intolerable in society. What happened on October 7th was barbaric terrorism and Israel not only has the right to defend itself, but also make sure there is never a repeat of what happened. Its offensive against Hamas is necessary to make sure that future generations live in peace.
After World War Two in 1945, the English were prepared to allow another 25,000 Jewish settlers to relocate in Palestine every year. The Americans wanted 100,000 to enter per year. In other words, the need to migrate was more important, and when one takes a look at the region, it is clear to see that many of the original Arabs were Bedouins. Even today there are around 200,000 Bedouins living in Israel. Of the 10 million inhabitants, 2 million are Palestinian Arabs living in Israel with the same rights as Israelis.
Anyway, the English who had the mandate to rule after the Ottoman Empire, gave up the mandate on 15th May 1948 after having spent almost 25 years trying to keep peace in the region and help with the creation of an Israeli state. Again the Arabs in the region were having none of it and continued fighting against the Jews.
British withdrawal occurred in November 1947 whilst the United Nations recommended the partition of Palestine and the establishment of separate Arab and Jewish states. Again, the Arabs were having none of it. They were a rowdy bunch who rejected any form of an agreement. The Jews on the other hand, were fighting for acceptance on their promised land by creating an independence for the Jewish state.
The British Army departed from Palestine leaving the Jews and the Arabs to fight it out in the war that followed. The Nakba was brought on by Arabs who were not prepared to split the land or live together in harmony. The Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Unfortunately, the Arab predicament is a self-inflicted one because they were so unwilling to amalgamate in peace.
After winning the war, the Jews declared independence. In May 1948, Israel was officially declared an independent state with David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, as the prime minister. Many skirmishes between Israel and Arabs have occurred since then including the well-known 1967 Middle East war.
The Six-Day War of 1967 began when, in response to Arab neighbors' apparent mobilization for war, Israel attacked and destroyed Egypt's and Syria's air forces. Israel also defeated Jordanian attacks. The war ended with Israel in control of the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Many more provocations were made by fanatic Arabs, and Israel’s defense responded.
On 15th November 1988, Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasser Arafat, declared the establishment of the State.
In other words, the PLO claimed sovereignty over the internationally recognized Palestinian territories: the West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. By the end of 1988, the Palestinian state was recognized by 78 countries.
In the following years many peace deals were put on the table, alas Palestinian Arabs were having none of it. American Presidents were trying to broker deals to no avail. Intifadas were the normal Palestinian aggression tactics by sending suicide bombers into bars and restaurants or nightclubs, or in buses, or wherever there were groups of Israelis. Rockets have even been fired in the tens of thousands into Israel from Gaza.
Israel returned Gaza to Palestinians in 2005 and left the region, so Palestinians could self-govern. Hamas were voted into power the following year, and in 2007 Hamas bloodily took over from the PLO killing many of their own people. However, the PLO still represent Palestine in the United Nations (UN).
In 2011, the State of Palestine was admitted into UNESCO; in 2012, after it was accepted as an observer state of the United Nations General Assembly with the votes of 138 member states of the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority (PA) began to officially use the name "State of Palestine" for all purposes.
Among the G20, nine countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey, as well as permanent invitee Spain) have recognized Palestine as a state while ten countries, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have not. Although these countries generally support some form of a two-state solution to the conflict, they take the position that their recognition of a Palestinian state is conditioned to direct negotiations between Israel and the PA.
The bottom line is it takes two to tango, meaning if any form of peace in Palestine is to be had then there needs to be acceptance. Israel is a sovereign nation and Palestinians have to accept the situation. Then they need to work together in harmony to build a beneficial relationship that means to put differences to the side, forgive those involved and caught in the crossfire, and work cohesively to build a proactive while optimistic future.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Mockingly (adv) = ironically, mockingly, sardonically, acerbically, cynically, mordantly, derisively, satirically, caustically
Brunt (n) = effect, force, impact, burden, substance
B.C.E. = Before the common era i.e., before Christ
Ambiguous (adj) = vague, unclear, obstruse, uncertain, indefinite
Ploy (n) = trick, maneuver, strategy, plan, tactic, scheme, gambit
Decrees (n) = announcements, pronouncements, declarations, judgements, diktats, orders, laws, commands, proclamations, statutes, (ant) requests (invitations/wishes)
Ramped up (phrasal verb) = to increase or cause to increase, or to increase the effort involved in a process.
In this day and age (idiom) = at the present time; in the modern era. "It simplifies housekeeping, which is essential in this day and age"
Rife (adj) = prevalent, extensive, predominant, rampant, plentiful, (ant) rare (unusual/exceptional)
Stark (adj) = blunt, blatant, glaring, simple, unambiguous, unadulterated, unadorned, unembellished, (ant) ambiguous (vague, unclear)
Rowdy (adj) = disorderly, unruly, noisy, loud, disruptive, boisterous, wild, (ant) restrained (controlled, undemonstrative)
Amalgamate (v) = merge, join, combine, unite, integrate, mingle, fuse, join together, (ant) separate
Skirmishes (n) = battles, fights, combats, scuffles, clashes, brawls, conflicts, encounters, tussles
Cohesively (adj) = in a way that shows that people or parts are united and working together: This is about working together cohesively, not about being competitive.
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