Friday, December 19, 1
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Palestine the Myth; Jews Are the Only Palestinians
(Continued from Page 1)
ganized and re-named:
Palastina I became
"Jund (military district)
Al-Urdun"; Palastina II
became "Jund Di-
mashq," with Damascus
the headquarters; Palas-
tina III became "Jund
Falastin," with Ramla the
capital (Jerusalem had,
under the Abbasids, been
allowed to fall into ruin).
When the Crusaders
came, and ruled the land for
two centuries, they had no
desire to perpetuate Pales-
ine — a concept that origi-
nated and was identified
with paganism. Neither,
being anti-Semites, would
they return to the old bibli-
cal terminology: Judah, Is-
rael, Samaria . So they
established the Kingdom
ofJerusalem," and set about
it to make the Holy City
d the Holy Land) offi-
hy
There was
no Crusader Palestine.
After the fall of the
Crusader kingdoms (1291),
the Mameluke and Otto-
man Empires had used an
entirely different terminol-
ogy. Jerusalem remained
the fascinating concept, and
the whole southern section
(including half of the Sinai)
was called Samjak
Jerusalem." In the north,
Eretz Yisrael — as Jews had
always called the land, from
the earliest times—was di-
vided into Samjak Nablus
and Samjak Akko.
But the British Mandate
authorities reversed a trend
of over 800 years and went
back to the name and con-
cept Palestine. Did they
know what they were doing
when they went back to the
old pagan terminology
rather than the more an-
cient biblical terminology?
In any case, "Palestine" of
the Mandate included the
land called Transjordan.
Since 1946, 80 percent of the
Mandate territory has been
called "Jordan" and 20 per-
cent (since 1948) has been
called "Israel." The thought
was that Jordan would be
the Arab state and Israel
the Jewish state.
Probably the British
Empire's reversion to the
terminology "Palestine"
was not, like the nomenc-
lature adopted by the
Roman and Byzantine
empires, deliberately
calculated to expunge
Jewish identity. It was
not, like the language of
some, chosen to feature
the tradition of the Philis-
tine pagans and idol-
worshippers. Neverthe-
s it launched a way of
.z,iiinldng about Eretz Yis-
rael which is widespread
day — accepted by
,me Christians and
Jews, as well as asserted
by those who intend to
destroy Israel by ter- .
rorism and diplomacy.
,Perhaps the British could
-
not entirely forget those
"Palestinians" (Jews) who
had fought with them
against the Nazis; and the
Arab volunteers, recruited
by the Grand Mufti of
Jerusalem (whom the
British in their appease-
ment period had installed in
office), were on Hitler's side.
Forty years ago, so far as
democratic political activity
was concerned, "the Pales-
tinians" were Jews and only
Jews.
Who then are these NEW
"Palestinians?" That was
what puzzled Golda Meir,
and it remains a puzzle to
those who know no history
and are vulnerable to the
first appealing propaganda
that comes along. Palastina
I, II and III have not existed
as political entities for a
millenium and a half.
"Falastin" ceased to exist
900 years ago. What exists
today are "Jordan" and "Is-
rael," dividing between
them (80-20 percent) of the
land of the Bible.
And existing in theory,
puffed up by propaganda
but never legitimated by
anything representative,
are the "Palestinians" for
whom the terrorist Yasir
Arafat claims to speak.
"Palestine" and "Palesti-
nian" are recent concepts
(post-World War I). Before
1921, the beginning of the
British Mandate, they have
no meaning except one de-
sire to perpetuate the
paganism (anti-Jewish and
anti-Christian) of the post-
biblical world. "Palestine"
and "Palestinian" today are
mythic concepts that have
their real roots in hatred of
the Jews and enmity to Is-
rael.
When you hear a heavy
discourse about "Pales-
tine," like the anti-
Semitic book by Lucas
Grollenberg: "Palestine
Comes First" (SCM
Press), you know that
you are dealing with
anti-Semites — a few cal-
culating and malicious,
the majority sentimental
and stupid.
Who are the "Palesti-
nians?" In spite of the sick
displays of mob violence in
the UN Assembly, which
write off "the Jews" entirely
— as the UN rabble would
obviously like to do — the
people of Eretz Yisrael in-
clude hundreds of
thousands the Arab League,
Communists and fellow-
travelers would like to have
forgotten. Take the Circas-
sians: they escaped from
Czarist Russia a cen4ury
ago and now live as citizens
in Israel, voting and serving
in the armed forces. They
are Muslims.
Take the Druze: a Muslim
dissenting movement, they
number about 40,000 in Is-
rael, have members in the
parliament (Knesset) and
have won admiration for
their valor in their coun- but only exterminated
try's army and border "vermin," the amiable
police. Take the Arab citi- anti-Semites of the ap-
zens of Israel: 450,000 peasement circuit are not
strong, with the same eco- anti-Jewish; they are just
nomic and political rights of pro-"Palestinian."
Jewish or Druze or Circas-
"Palestine" is, how-
sian or Christian citizens. ever, a mythic construct.
They too have been written It is a term never used by
off by the UN mob and the persons committed to the
appeasement specialists biblical view of history.
who mouth "Palestinians" Today it is a fiction con-
without the faintest notion jured up by a people who
what they are giving cre- hope to injure or destroy
dence to.
a restored Israel. As with
Initially, about the same anti-Semitism itself, you
number of Arabs stayed don't have to have real
(1948) to help build the new Jews — only an abstrac-
nation of Israel as rushed tion, "the Jew."
out, hoping to return and
So with "Palestinians"
steal the land the Jewish and "The Palestinian
settlers had redeemed. state," real people are un-
These peaceful "Palesti- important, even a nuisance.
nians," however, do not suit What is necessary is an
the irridentist politics of the overriding ideological
PLO and their apologists.
framework, a "blik" that ig-
nores historical and present
"Palestine" does not realities.
exist. What exists is a
It concentrates on a
land that has been called romantic notion of a new
many things, and human state run by a "moderate"
beings who are divided Arafat and a purified PLO.
into sundry ethnic and
The circumstances are
religious communities. In clear, however, once the his-
1948, Israel's' founding torical record is considered.
fathers accepted 20 per- The people who, off and on
cent of the British "Pales- over 2,000 years, have in-
tine" for the sake of peace vented "Palestine" have
and a restored Israel. done so for a reason. And if
Three times since then, "Palestine" becomes a polit-
after the initial battles (in ical and legal reality again
1956, 1967 and 1973), the it will mean but one thing:
Israelis have fought the Dagon and Beelzebub of
against overwhelming Philistia, with all they re-
odds for the right to live.
present religiously, ethi-
Today a new weapon is cally and morally, and are
being , mounted against again resurrected for a sea-
them: a Trojan horse. called son; that Jews and Chris-
"Palestine" — not based in tians are again in retreat
Jordan, which was supposed before the infidels who want
to be the Arab state cut out the Judah and Samaria and
of the British Mandate, but Galilee of Scripture to be
rather a third entity con- forgotten.
In terms of the historical
sisting of the areas the ag-
gressor governments lost to record, as well as political
Israel and Israel Military realities since 1921, the
Government when their facts are plain enough: the
1967 and 1973 attacks promoters of the concept of
failed (Samaria, Judea, "Palestine are traitors to
Philistia — "The Gaza the biblical land promises
Strip").
The people who are push-
ing "Palestine" and "Pales-
tinians" as political entities
have a few things in com-
mon:
• They draw their politi-
cal images from the pagan
period rather than from the
biblical nomenclature of the
Land of Promise;
• They are quite ready to
betray "Palestinians" who
don't go along with their
abstractions: Jews who
fought as Palestinians in
the British Army of World
War II, Circassians, Druze,
loyal Arab citizens who ha-
ven't gone over to Israel's
enemies;
• They parrot the new
anti-Semitic line of the
Arab.League and the Com-
munist blocs. They are not
anti-Semites: they are just
"anti-Zionist." Like the
Nazis, who didn't kill Jews
•
(including renegade Jews
and apostate Christians!),
enemies of the Jewish
people.
Those Christians and
Jews who remember what
"Philistia" and "Israel"
have represented on the re-
cord, and who see, without
anti-Semitic distortion,
what "Palestine" and Israel
represent today, will know
how to keep the propaganda
of the PLO and Communists
and their fellow-travelers in
the proper pigeon-hole.
PARTY-WEDDING-BRIDESMAID-BAR MITZVA
3%, '
• flf tif
s '
—
.4
FRUIT
BASKETS
3 Times Daily:
Nation-Wide
Delivery
$1 695 •
RODNICK-
..• McINERNEY'S
779-4140 772-4350,K
•••
•
:•••
I. •
OFFICIAL
AUTHORIZED
SALES & REPAIRS
(;‘)
DRESSES
OFF
George
Ohrenstein
$199 GROUP $99 GROUP $59 GROUP
$99 $49 $29
Jewelers Ltd.
PETITE-MIF-SES-EXTRA LARGE SIZES
SHANDELS
Creative Jewelers Diamonds
Precious Stones —
Precision Time Pieces
HARVARD ROW MALL
353-3146
11 Mlle & Lahser
154 SOUTH WOODWARD
BIRMINGHAM * MI 2-4150
eaff,-O-Nlakek
and let our professionally
trained help give you
that extra day you've
been looking for.
•
ALL TRANSPORTATION INCLUDED
FULLY BONDED & INSURED
MONDAY — SATURDAY
REASONABLE RATES
•
eat-a-maul
557-2008
CALL 24 HRS.
INFLATION BUSTER
14.5%
APR FINANCING AVAILABLE
Enter Our Sunflight Holidays Vacation
Sweepstakes No Purchase Necessary.
Sian man OM:
28000 Telegraph At The Tel-121W
Open Mon.-Thurs. Evenings 771 9:00
354-3300
"Keep That Great GM Feeling
With Genuine GM Parts"
.JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
•
;
AGENCY
10M 5°771
LONG and SHORT
1/2
Doily —HcePitot
Sympathy
•
11,
27308 SOUTHFIELD
SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076
'Phone: 557-6644 ± -
,Monday thru Thursday 9 APCto_5 PM Friday 9 AM fil4 PM — Sunday 10 AM to 1 PM
11! -!rir.:
I ).c , )"`
11- '1 jr,r4:,14 1'
?
N) 1,
n 377