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Writer's pictureRobert Skaf

THE TRAGIC SAGA OF ISRAELITES AND PALESTINIANS

The purge of any dissenting voices is the main reason so many are now suffering in Israel, Lebanon, Palestine and the rest of the region. Anyone who dares to disagree with the Arab and Palestinian leaders who are in control is immediately labeled a traitor if not murdered. Equally discouraging, extremists on the Jewish side are quick to accuse any detractor of antisemitism.

After fighting almost a dozen wars, most Arabs, let alone Palestinians, still believe that Israel must be destroyed. Why? Because the Jews stole their land and displaced their people. After almost a century, hardly any Arab citizen is able to challenge this assumption without risking death on the hand of his fellow Arabs.

Unfortunately, neither Israel nor the West have taken any measures to promote let alone protect this group of nonviolent activists. In fact, as I write this article, I cannot help but feel a threat to my life by some radical extremist. There are so many ignored facts about the conflict that it will take volumes to list them all. One day I might just do that. For the time being, let me highlight a few of them.

The Jews lived in this part of the world for thousands of years. Unlike any other country created by Western Colonialism, the land of Israel was always recognized by all occupiers -even the Muslims. On the other hand, almost all other countries from Saudi, to Iraq, to Jordan, to Syria, and even Greater Lebanon all came to exist after the English and French divided the spoil of their victory after WW1.

Under the Ottomans or the Turks, all these countries were provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Israel was known as the province of Akka, which is a Hebrew word. Under the Muslims, there were no borders. We had what was known as Hejaz, Najaf, and Sham. Israel was known as Yehudyah, Arabic for the Jewish land. No difference that what the Jews refer to as Judia. Even under the Turks, border lines were always interchangeable and blurry.

Palestinians and Jews lived in the region. The population varied over the years and centuries. The Palestinians’ claim of their stolen land is totally without merits. Yet, despite a century of hostility, Sadat was the only and first Arab leader to recognize these facts. He was martyred for his pursuit of peace. To this date Muslim extremists consider him a traitor. Isaak Rabin, another hero of war and martyr of peace was murdered by a Jewish extremist on the Israeli side. He too is considered a traitor by Jewish extremists.

So, as one can see, it is clear that the Jews had their own land for thousands of years. It is equally true that the Palestinians had also their own land. These historical facts were never communicated to the public. Unfortunately, I do not anticipate any Arab leader to bring them to light. And although, many Israelis advocate for the right of Palestinians to have their own state, their voice has been muted. After so many wars, the latest massacre of October 7, 2024, in particular, Jewish extremists have hijacked the entire country of Israel.

To those Palestinian extremists who do not agree with me, I am going to ask them a simple question, what do you want done with all the Jews that already live in Israel? Even if you consider them to be illegal immigrants or refugees, you have no right to kick them out, even if you have the power to do so. If you want to know why, read about the rights of refugees. And if you need more proof of my argument, think of the millions of illegal migrants who live in the Americas, Europe, and even Asia. No country can force them to leave. Lebanon, my own country of birth is a host for close to 3 million refugees despite the fact that its entire population is less than 7 million.

Among the many principles we value and cherish in a democracy, happen to be the way we celebrate diversity, honor dissenting voice, encourage challenging views, and be open minded to new ideas and concepts. Unfortunately, even after several tragic setbacks, no citizen of any Arab country, Palestine in particular, is allowed to speak freely about the repeated miscalculations of their leaders that resulted in total fiascos every time.

Before I go into any details on how we can move away from this vicious cycle of hate and violence, let me go back and list a few important events in the conflict. Let me be frank. Neither side tells the whole truth when it comes to history. Under dictatorship, the Arabs were never told the truth. According to most Arabs, only Israel and America are to blame for their injustice.

Let’s start with the war of 1948. The people in all the Arab countries and perhaps the Muslim ones as well, are told that the Zionists massacred and displaced thousands of Palestinians. No Arab leader is willing to tell his citizens that the Arab leaders of that time miscalculated the strength of their enemy. First, in 1947 they tried to foment a civil war between the Palestinians and the Jews. And then in 1948.

When this plan did not work, meaning forcing the Jews to either surrender or flea, the leaders of several Arab countries united and declared war on Israel. They figured, back then, that they could easily defeat the Israelis. As we all know, Israel was able to deal them a humiliating defeat. Yes, there were massacres and displacements, but that took place on both sides.

The people on the Arab side, even to this day, were never told about the Arabs being the aggressors, never mind the right of the Jews to have their own country. The Arabs are only told that thousands of Palestinians were massacred and 700,000 of them were forced to flee.

However, there is no mention of the massacres of the Jews that took place after the conflict started. Nor there is any recognition that hundreds of thousands of Jews, perhaps more than the 700,000 Palestinians, fled from the Muslim countries fearing for their lives. In Iraq alone hundreds of Jews were murdered and close to 200,000 were displaced.

Although an armistice was declared and a UN resolution recognizing Israel and leaving a huge portion of the land to the Arabs, wars between the two sides never stopped. Again, and again more death, more expulsions, more refugees, and more land occupation. The Palestinians had everything they are now asking for in 1948, however, for many reasons they would not accept anything but the destruction of Israel. In 1967, after the six-day war, Israel destroyed the combined armies of several Arab countries who were led by Egypt.

Now, before anyone starts accusing me of being a Palestinian lover or an Israeli agent, let me state that my only objective is to help the people in the region live in peace. As stated earlier, the Arabs, the Palestinians, and the Israelis must allow the voices of nonviolence to speak. Rushing to accuse us of treason is not going to help.

Learn from martyrs like MLK, Ghandi, and many other leaders who denounced violence how to deal with your grievances. Palestinians who most of them believe that their goal can only be achieved by violent means should rethink their strategy. They compare their struggle to that of the black people in America and insist that only violence helped the blacks gain their rights. Yes, there was violence, but most of the African Americans were part of a nonviolent movement led by MLK.

Every American administration to this day negotiates with nonviolent movements not hostile ones. Do not compare what is happening with the terrorist groups to what took place in the US. Do not expect to dictate the term of a cease fire after Hamas starts a war, massacres innocent civilians, uses civilians as human shields, and seizes hundreds of hostages.

Hamas is a proxy of Iran. You cannot say that the Civil Rights movement was a proxy of the Soviet Union. Iran armed and financed Hamas along with other proxies with the sole aim to destroy Israel. Despite being subjected to injustice and discrimination for centuries, the movement for equality in the US refused to deal with any foreign countries -let alone allow terrorists to be armed by foreigners. It did not commit any massacres; it did not take any hostages. Had any of this violence taken place in the US, government reaction would have been completely different.

As for your demand for cease fire, I am all for it. However, be realistic. You are dealing with Israel. It calls the shots and will not bend to any pressure. In my opinion, you should also demand that Hamas surrender and release all hostages. Realistically, logically, this is the quickest way to save lives. If Arafat did it in the past, why cannot Sinwar humble himself to accept the same terms? By the way, Arafat had the support of all the Arab countries, Sinwar does not.

This mercenary terrorist has hurt your cause for decades to come. His actions have forced many peace seekers in Israel to turn against you. You need these compassionate brave free honest voices to support your cause. The Civil Right movement had many white people supporting its cause. The Israelis, who were on your side, are now afraid to speak out thanks to Hamas. Furthermore, most Israelis now want their government to destroy all other Iranian proxies, Hezbollah in particular.

You have suffered long enough. You have been losing more with every conflict. It is time you took a different approach to achieve your goal. Of all the wars fought, not a single one resulted in any gain. Quit dreaming about the nation of Islam coming to your aide, instead, give peace a chance. So, start by demanding the surrender of Hamas.   

Now, to the leaders of Israel. I ask them to be fair and realistic. I ask of them to rethink all their policies. It is obvious that whatever they have in their plans is not working. Brute power alone is not going to get you anywhere. Insisting on holding on to all your historical territories is not fair to the Palestinians. Expecting them to stay under your rules forever without any opposition, without any violence, is not realistic nor reasonable nor just.

Do not let your paranoia overwhelm you. Give the Palestinian a chance to be free. I mean what worse of a tragedy than October 7 could happen if you allow Gaza and the West Bank to run their affairs as sovereign states like Jordan. You want peace, you must offer concessions. When it comes to achieving this goal, it is far better for you to work on a fair settlement, even if it fails.

But even then, however the consequences may turn out to be, you will be able to present yourselves as victims. This may be helpful, particularly when all your enemies and most of the world view you as arrogant, inflexible, and uncompromising. Prove them wrong, introduce new initiatives to dealing with your neighbors. Just as you did with several other Arab countries. Show a softer, gentle, and compassionate side which will do wonders to your image all over the world.

For years you have let down many nonviolent movements, perhaps allowing for equality among your adversaries would give these movements a chance to flourish. People around the world admire you for what you have accomplished in terms of economic growth, science, invention, and arts.

Palestinians aspire to achieve these goals. Helping them would win you an ally and make you stronger. America succeeded in leading the world not just by winning the great wars. It succeeded by winning over its enemies through introducing incentives to revive their economies such as the Marshal Plan.

Be honest and humble with your citizens. Let them know that there are no perfect answers to the problems facing your nation. Perhaps, this is what is needed to allow even the most radical of them to support your policies.

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