Introduction: THE REGION OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

22 questions that might help you solve the presentation of the Israeli-Palestinian issue...

The flag of Jordan, adopted in 1928

- horizontal black, white, and green bands connected by a red chevron

-Pan-Arab Colors, representing the Abbasid (black band), Umayyad (white band), and Fatimid (green band)

caliphates

- red chevron is for the Hashemite dynasty and the Arab Revolt vs. the Ottomans.

-the seven points of the star = the seven verses of Islamic belief, mentioned at the beginning of Qur'an (faith in one God, humanity, humility, national spirit,

virtue, social justice, and aspiration)

- star also stands for the unity of the ‘Arab nation’

13. Why are Jordanian and Palestinian flags so similar?

Originally, the British had devised a partition between a Jewish Palestine and an Arab Palestine... Jordan is a Palestinian land in fact. But which was not given to « Palestinians ».

14. Where Palestinians expelled by Jewish colons and troops?

“Stricken with panic” “Overtaken by panic”

The tragedy of Deir Yassin The lies and mistakes of Muslim leaders in 1947

FROM

TO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Ata-hY9WQ

Coloured green, the lands the Palestinian Arabs refused in 1947...

The lands the Palestinian Arabs had after all in 1948...

Jewish inhabitants fleeing Jerusalem, captured by

Jordan

The city remained forbidden to Jews until

1967 (6-Day War)

Palestinian civilians fleeing to West Bank territories,

where tents were the only shelters, Jordanians

refusing to let them enter massively

TO RECAP

The present-day territory is the result of a series of wars

-1947-48: Arab-Israeli War (or) Naqbah

-1967: 6-Day War

-1973: Kippur War

The Jewish immigrants established their state in 1948: Eretz Israel (the land of Israel).

The Palestinians refused then lost the possibility of a state through the wars

There is still no solution to the coexistence of two independent nations

The Israeli war of Independence (1948-49): Arabs leave or are expelled

Jordans refuse to welcome them east of the river Jordan

Egyptians refuse a « free Palestinian » state

Palestinians

Israelis

Jordanians

Egyptians Why isn’t the attention focused on all the responsibles?

15. How to name Israeli enclaves in West Bank: Illegal settlements? Occupied territories? Jewish implantations? Colonies?

Israel: a legal state

West Bank: not recognized as an Israeli territory by UN

Palestine: not a legal state, not a state

Colonists / Colonizers=

Homesteaders Conquerors Pioneers

16. How do Israelis / Palestinians obstruct each other?

Most of the fence runs roughly along the Green Line

“In 2002, the Israeli government adopted a plan to construct a security barrier in the West Bank. It maintains the barrier is essential to protect its citizens from _________ and to prevent s_________ bombers from entering Israel”

Graf arts on the Fence

Named the « Apartheid Wall »

« From the Palestinian perspective, the wall is a land grab, intended to create a de facto annexation of land to Israel. (...) Why are walls built, whom do they serve and how do they become obsolete? »

(Geographical review, Shaul E. Cohen, 2006)

Grab = illegal acquisition

The Fence is not completely closed...

Doctors

Chemists

Engineers

Merchants

No peace talk with Israel unless Israelis freeze all construction in both the West Bank and east Jerusalem

Roadblock policy in the West Bank: >500 checkpoints are impediments to some free inter-Palestinian movements

Rockets Launched Into Israel (Sept. 2012)

This Month 9

Last Month24

This Year553

Last Year676

Total Since 200115,554

2003 Palestinian maps: Israel and Jews are erased from History"A land without a people for

a people without a land"

= a widely-cited sentence during the 19th and 20th centuries (not Zionist at first)

The Zionist Israel Zangwill used another sentence to establish a Jewish homeland in “Palestine” (in 1901 in the New Liberal Review): "Palestine is a country without a people; the Jews are a people without a country"

When History doesn’t matter...

TO CATCH WORLD AWARENESS...

AND TO SPREAD ... ?

DEBATE. Are calls to violence a solution?Palestinian textbooks and TVs monitored

for incitement against Israel and Jews

PA TV program for kids, "The Best Home": Host: "Laila, what do you want to recite next?" Laila: "When I was young I was taught that Arabness is my honor... and that our lands extend from one end to the other, and that our wars were for the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that our enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail... Our division is by your hands [Arab rulers]. May your hands be cut off. We are fed up with our division, while all people are uniting." Host: "Bravo, bravo, bravo.“

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGTVCEH0b1k&feature=player_embedded

The Palestinian Leaders combine peace efforts to anti-Judaic motives, like Holocaust denial and Jewish conspiracy themes - with their general incitements to violence.

Some Palestinian Christians have developed a "liberation theology" that plays to de-Judaize Christianity.

The notion of "a war against the Jews” is advocated by prominent leaders. The Hamas has embraced a vision of the "Jewish peril”, derived from the Protocols of Zion”, the famous 19th libel.

* libel= diffamatory writing

Wafa Idris used to work for the Red Crescentat the U.N. al-Am'ari Refugee Camp in RamallahThe camp was established in 1949 on dunesBy 1957, all tents were replaced with cement block sheltersIt is a zone of extreme poverty

The camp gathers 6,000 residents and offers2 schools (girls / boys)

The example of Wafa Idris, the first Palestinian female suicide bomber

Her parents were refugees who had lived in the Am'ari Refugee Camp since 1948

The bomb she detonated in 2002 killed 2 persons + wounded 100

Al-Sha’ab Egyptian press: "It is a woman who teaches you today a lesson in heroism, who teaches you the meaning of jihad, and the way to die a martyr's death” ...

WHO?

WHY?

In 2010, a Palestinian mother, Raida Abu Mustafa, was wishing her ill son to become a suicide bomber…The Palestinian child with a rare disease was eventually being treated by Israeli doctors, with operations funded by donations from Israeli citizens.

The mother’ words, before her son was cured by Israeli doctors: "For us, death is a natural thing. We are not frightened of death. From the smallest infant, even smaller than Mohammed, to the oldest person, we will all sacrifice ourselves for the sake of Jerusalem. We feel we have the right to it. You're free to be angry, so be angry.”

The culture of the “shahids” (= martyrs)

DO YOU THINK THAT MARTYRDOM AND CALLS TO VIOLENCE WILL HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

The Jihad (personal spiritual struggle) would justify war against those perceived to be the enemies of Islam

Some Qu’ran passages directly argue against the JewsQur’an 98:7: “The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn forever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures”[2.88] And they say: Our hearts are covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief; so little it is that they believe.[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.

17. How do Israelis / Palestinians justify their presence there?

The Jews grabbed the lands and the water

Palestine was a cultural reality before 1948

The lands where the 1920s - 30s colonists settled was rather empty (arid and inhospitable)

There is no other country but Israel in the Jewish identity

Otherwise, Jews would have remained exiled (« the wandering Jew »)...

"There have been two competing mythologies about Palestine circa 1880.

The extremist Jewish mythology, long since abandoned, was that Palestine was 'a land without people, for a people without a land.' (This phrase was actually coined by the British lord Shaftesbury in his 1884 memoir) The extremist Palestinian mythology, which has become more embedded with time, is that in 1880 there was a Palestinian people; some even say a Palestinian nation that was displaced by the Zionist invasion.

The reality, as usual, lies somewhere in between."

Alan Dershowitz, LLB, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard University, in his 2003 book The Case for Israel

http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000352

18. How to name armed Palestinians: freedom fighters or terrorists?

AL-AQSA MARTYRS BRIGADE“Palestinian fedayeen” left-wing nationalists

proclaimed purposesto defeat Zionism, to "liberate Palestine" to establish it as "a secular, democratic, nonsectarian state"

HAMAS ("Islamic Resistance Movement") far-right-wing religious nationalists

Captions "There is no god but Allah“"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.“ Top of the banner, a map with the boundaries of Israelproclaimed purposesto destroy Israel (“hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home which does not show Israel on it”)Develops antisemitic conspiracy theories

19. Can peace be achieved with religion?

Previous Hamas Charter extracts

"fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors"

"our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious“

"The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews [and kill them]; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: Oh Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!“

“For a long time, the enemies have been planning (…) for the achievement of what they have attained. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests.” “They were behind World War I (…), They were behind WWII”…

"renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion"

The charter states that Hamas is “humanistic”

A small spot for giant religious rivalries...

Even though neither written in the Qur’an nor in the hadiths (the sayings of the Prophet), the idea of a world geographical division along islamic lines structured the vision of space and history (and still does for some).

2 1

Dar al-Islam (house/abode of Islam)Also named Dar al-Salaam (of Peace) or Dar al-Tawhid, (of Union)= countries where Muslims can practice their religion freely

3

1

2

“Muslims must be able to enjoy peace and security with and within this country”If it does not apply then physical means such as Jihad can be used to correct the situation

Dar al-Amn (House of safety)= the status of Muslims living in the West or in other non-Muslim societies= « countries where Muslims as a minority group have the right to practice their religion »

Dar al-Harb (House of war)Or Dar al-Garb "house of the West"A person from "Dar al-Harb" is a "harbi" = « countries which Muslims have war with / which have no Islamic belief »Defensive wars = 9:5, 6, "When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them"

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Palestine before Israel today

« Merciful towards one another, but ruthless to the unbelievers who agressed »…

Qur’an: " If anyone commits aggression against you retaliate against them in equal manner" [2:194].

Yasser Arafat addressing a crowd in Tulkarem:

"I now see the walls of Jerusalem, the mosques of Jerusalem, the churches of Jerusalem. My brothers! With blood and with spirit we will redeem you, Palestine! Yes, with blood and with spirit we will redeem you, Palestine!"

(Voice of Palestine, April 28, 1997)

Yasser Arafat in a speech in Gaza in January 1995:

"All of us are willing to be martyrs along the way, until our flag flies over Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine. Let no one think they can scare us with weapons, for we have mightier weapons - the weapon of faith, the weapon of martyrdom, the weapon of jihad."

(Parade Magazine, New York Newsday, June 25, 1995)

ARAFAT in 2001"... I was offered the return of something like 90 plus percent of the territories, 98 percent even,

excluding [occupied East] Jerusalem, but I couldn't accept. As far as I am concerned, it was either every single inch that I was responsible for or nothing."

No negotiation until “the Right of Return” and “East Jerusalem” = the end of Israel“Any peace process that does not address the Right Of Return is nothing but a temporary cease fire” (www.palestineremembered.com)

October 2005, Ahmadinejad's speech to the "World Without Zionism" conference in Tehran

“Our dear Imam (referring to Ayatollah Khomeini) said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map and this was a very wise statement. We cannot compromise over the issue of Palestine. Is it possible to create a new front in the heart of an old front. This would be a defeat and whoever accepts the legitimacy of this regime has in fact, signed the defeat of the Islamic world. Our dear Imam targeted the heart of the world oppressor in his struggle, meaning the occupying regime. I have no doubt that the new wave that has started in Palestine, and we witness it in the Islamic world too, will eliminate this disgraceful stain from the Islamic world”.

The issue with Palestine would be over "the day that all refugees return to their homes [and] a democratic government elected by the people comes to power",

He denounced attempts to normalize relations with Israel, condemning all Muslim leaders who accept the existence of Israel as "acknowledging a surrender and defeat of the Islamic world."

20. Is the Fatah more democratic than the Knesset?

Fatah (PA) Charter, Preamble (2009 provisioned)“Brother and Comrade in Struggle: This movement and this work are a national trust and a historic responsibility. You must shoulder the precious trust and recognize the historic responsibility. You must prepare yourself to inspire the spirit of organized revolutionary work in every Arab soul that is sincere to Palestine and that believes in its liberation. Let us train ourselves to be patient and to face ordeals, bear calamities, sacrifice our souls, blood, time and effort. All these are the weapons of revolutionaries. Therefore, Brother, do not stop. With the calm of the workers, the silence of the sincere, the determination of the revolutionaries, the resolve of the believers, and the patience of the strugglers, you must act quickly because our people cannot spare a single moment after our tragedy continued throughout all those long years. You must know that our enemy is strong and the battle is ferocious and long. You must know that determination, patience, secrecy, confidentiality, adherence to the principles and goals of the revolution, keep us from stumbling and shorten the path to liberation. Go forward to revolution. Long live Palestine, free and Arab”.

The Fatah "Oath of Loyalty to Palestine": "I swear by Almighty God and by my honor and beliefs that I will be faithful to Palestine and that I will spare no effort in working for its liberation. I swear that I will not disclose any of the movement's secrets or affairs. This is a free oath. God bears witness to what I say."

“Collective leadership is the sole method of the movement.

This means:

A) Democracy is the basis of debate, discussion, and decision-making on all organizational levels.B) Democratic centralism is the basis of handling responsibilities, and this involves unity of work, ideological harmony, and political interaction in the movement. C) Criticism and self-criticism are the basis of rectification and correction, and punishment is not an end in itself but a means for assessment and development. D) The minority must conform to the view of the majority, and those in lower ranks must abide by the decisions of those in upper ranks in order to achieve discipline and unified organization which must have a unified vision, ideology, and practice. E) The movement believes in the sacredness of membership and the freedom of the individual, and it rejects vengeance. The movement believes in the right of the citizen to participate in the revolution, and it refuses to nullify this right unless this participation is a source of danger threatening the movement's process and security”.

Originally written during the Cold War, the Charter still encourages the communist-state values of « democratic centralism » that marked the Soviet regime and bureaucracy...

Is the Knesset more democratic?

Women in the Knesset, 1949 - 2009

Compared to other democracies, Israel's female representation (21%) is considered ‘average’.

Israel ranks 67th in a list of 170 countries, well behind Rwanda (56%), Sweden, Holland, Argentina and

Spain (40-36%)... However, it is on par with the US (16.6%, 80th rank), France (27%, 38th rank) and the UK (22%, 57th rank)

The Israelis are not thinking the same “The Haredi community in Israel has adopted a policy of cultural dissociation, but at the same time, it has struggled to remain politically active, perceiving itself as the true protector of the country's Jewish nature”. Yet, the Haredi have varied political positions or enforce apolitical stance.

Ultra-Orthodox

Secularists

A traditionally binary representation

A « fake » or « propaganda » map

This map is wrong and creates misunderstanding because:

-The key is anachronic regarding history (no State of Israel in 1946)(no State of Palestine in 1946, before and after)(no mention of British Mandatory Palestine)(no mention of Transjordan)

-The colours are absurd (empty and desert parts are coloured as if inhabited)

-It has no author

-It erases the wars from the map (an acausal representation)

EPILOGUE. Do all maps tell the truth?

ARAB-ISRAELI WARS

The geopolitical position of Israel within the Arab Muslim world - predominantly Sunni.

Compare the size of Israel

to that of Saudi Arabia, the “homeland” of the Arab peoples

to the size of the expanded “Arab nation” (Muslim countries + Arabic official language)

to France