Analysis: There is No Palestinian Nation, Says Arab Historian
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Analysis: There is No Palestinian Nation, Says Arab Historian
Palestinian supporters of the Fatah Movement on parade. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
“Before the Balfour Promise, when the Ottoman rule [1517-1917] ended, Palestine’s political borders as we know them today did not exist, and there was nothing called a Palestinian people with a political identity as we know today”, historian Abd Al-Ghani stated.
By: Judith Bergman, United With Israel, May 25 2018
One of the biggest, most stubborn and costliest untruths of our time is the notion that the jihad waged by Arabs in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Gaza against Jews in Israel is a national struggle of an indigenous people for independence.
No matter the facts, the lie persists to the tune of billions of dollars in international aid and political prestige , which makes it increasingly difficult for anyone involved to admit that the whole thing is nothing more than a propaganda stunt.
Unlike the fairy tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes , everyone pretends to be blind and deaf when it is pointed out that the emperor is naked. In fact, if the emperor himself were to stand up and yell, “I am naked folks, go home!” the crowd would continue complimenting his non-existent garments.
Last week the naked emperor did just that.
“Before the Balfour Promise, when the Ottoman rule [1517-1917] ended, Palestine’s political borders as we know them today did not exist, and there was nothing called a Palestinian people with a political identity as we know today”, historian Abd Al-Ghani admitted on official PA TV on November 1.
“Since Palestine’s lines of administrative division stretched from east to west and included Jordan and southern Lebanon, and like all peoples of the region [the Palestinians] were liberated from the Turkish rule and immediately moved to colonial rule, without forming a Palestinian people’s political identity.”
In 1917, says this Arab historian on official PA TV, there was no such thing as a Palestinian people. This statement amounts to saying that the whole narrative of an ‘indigenous Palestinian people’ was made up at a later point in time.
Who Are the Palestinians?
As Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad, speaking on Al-Hekma TV, said in March 2012: “Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis. Who are the Palestinians? We have many families called Al-Masri, whose roots are Egyptian. Egyptian! They may be from Alexandria, from Cairo, from Dumietta, from the North, from Aswan, from Upper Egypt. We are Egyptians…”
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There is a reason, why the “ Palestinian National Museum ” is empty of historical artifacts.
The Arab historian’s admission corroborates the observations of 19th century travelers to the region, who notably had no specific political agenda when they visited, unlike so many visitors to Israel today:
”Outside the gates of Jerusalem , we saw indeed no living object, heard no living sound”, wrote French poet Alphonse de Lamartine about his visit in 1835.
”The country is in a considerable degree empty of inhabitants and therefore its greatest need is that of a body of population,” wrote British Consul James Finn in his 1857 description of the Holy Land.
”Palestine sits in a sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that withered its fields and fettered its energies. …Palestine is desolate and unlovely….It is a hopeless dreary, heartbroken land.” wrote American author Mark Twain in his description of his visit in 1867.
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Nevertheless, the Arab propaganda machine gets away with publishing fantastic falsehoods, such as this one on the Palestinian Authority’s tourism website: “With a history that envelops more than one million years, Palestine has played an important role in human civilization. The crucible of prehistoric cultures, it is where settled society, the alphabet, religion, and literature developed, and would become a meeting place for diverse cultures and ideas that shaped the world we know today”.
The international community not only approves of these falsehoods, it happily pays for them.
No One is Paying Attention
Historian Abd Al-Ghani’s declaration on PA TV was a historic, highly newsworthy admission that ought to have made the headlines everywhere, considering the importance the issue is given by political leaders, diplomats, the media and other establishment figures all over the world.
After all, if the Arabs themselves admit that the ‘Palestinian people’ is an invented entity, should not the consequence be that the countless UN projects, billions of dollars in international aid, and the endless campaigns against Israel cease and be used for more noble purposes?
The answer is yes, but no one is paying attention.
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We live in a post-factual world. Facts no longer have any currency, unlike feelings and ideological posturing. The truth has been reduced to a troublesome inconvenience and if it happens to stare you in the face, nothing could be easier than closing your eyes or simply looking away.
Judith Bergman is a columnist and political activist. This article was originally published in MIDA .
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It's long been a known fact that Arafat, the consummate "Palestinian", was an Egyptian.
Ancient artifacts that provide evidence of the presence of Jews are being dug up and found all over Israel.
"The truth will make you free." It could even establish a person to be intelligent.
Agree. Archeology and anthropology are wonderful things and the climate in that region is great for artifact preservation.
Not that long ago most claimed there was no archeological record of the Israelite nation and now artifacts not only from within Israel, but external to Israel, including Egypt, mention the the Israelites and the House of David are fully accepted by some and under study by others.
We are at a golden time with regards to the discover of our past.
Let's beware of anachronism, here. All the leaders in the region, into the 1970s, were foreign-born... if only because the countries created after WWI did not yet exist when they were born. David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir were "European"...
That said... You've got an excellent seed, here, Buzz!
An Arab historian who exposes the simple facts.
Wow!
I know, Bob, but as the author says....
Good article.
When you think about it, much of the middle east as we know it today was constructed for various reasons at the end of WWI.
Yes, with a "second installment" after WWII.
Nowadays, we frown on massive displacements of populations, but it was an ordinary thing back then. It's an error of anachronism to condemn past actions on contemporary criteria. There were some ten million displaced persons of a dozen different nationalities, after WWII, all across Europe.
One of the huge problems of post war Europe. Thanks for pointing it out
Its been said that the only two countries in the middle east with BOTH a flag and a history are Egypt and Israel.
And nicely said!
True. The entire region was ruled by the Ottomans for centuries before WWI, so there was just one country. Egypt was a kinda sorta independent kingdom for a long time, and then the Brits ( always the Brits) helped the Bey to real independence in the late 19th century. (Well... independent except for the Brits, of course...
)
In fact, there are some other countries whose history separated from the rest of the Arab world a longer time ago: Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which gained their independence in the 17th and 18th centuries, as the Ottomans withdrew from western North Africa. Tunisia is a special case, a recognizable entity ever since Carthage. Of course, these are sometimes called the Near East...
Some people would say these three countries aren't Arab countries at all.
I think part of their population is Arab. Part is Berber. (But-- are those Arabs indigenous to the area? Doen't "Arab" refer to the inhabitants of "Arabia"?).
Interestingly, there's disagreement over the definition of several these terms used to describe "the Middle East"--- for example, which peoples are actually "Arab"?
Also, the term Middle East" itself-- many people disagree as to what countries actually constitute "The Middle East". (Which of these countries are in the "Middle East": Algeria? Morocco? Mauritania? The Sudan? Iraq? Iran?) Where do you draw the line? (pun intended).
Extra Credit! The term "Aryan" refers to people from what area? (The original meaning-- not the usage invented by Hitler).
Or... "The Maghreb"?
Of the 5 major continents, which continent is Russia in? Turkey? ...Egypt? Israel? The Sinai Peninsula (The part of Egypt East of The Suez Canal and East of the Gulf of Suez)?
Let me guess. I think Russia would be placed in Asia, Egypt in North Africa, Turkey, Israel and Sinai in the Middle East. I may be wrong about Turkey (Europe?) and Sinai (North Africa?).
Weren't these a people who, at some point, migrated into what is now called India?
A few are "trick questions" so perhaps a bit unfair. And the question is only about the 5 major continents (the "Middle East", like "New England", "Palestine", "Scandinavia" etc is a roughly defined geographical area-- its not a continent, nor is it a country nor a national or ethnic identity.
There are only two countries that lie on two continents-- Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. The "Turkish Straits" separate Europe and Asia-- a small part of Turkey is in Europe, bordering Bulgaria and Greece.
Russia is in both Europe and Asia. The Ural Mtns are the divide. 3/4 of the country is in Asia-- but most people live in the Western Part (Europe).
France is in Europe of course-- but IIRC there are some French territories, departments etc in other continents. (I'm not sure about the status of St Pierre and Miquelon, French Islands off the coast of Nova Scotia and New Foundland. The Carribean Islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe are part of France...
Although natural features (waterways) may make the Sinai look like its not in Africa, it is considered to be in Africa-- the continental boundary is not a natural feature (the waterways) but rather a man-made boundary (the Egypt-Israeli and Egypt-Gaza borders).
Technically speaking, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran etc are actually in the continent of Asia. (Funny-- they don't look Chinese!) That area is often referred to as "SWASIA" or "South West Asia").
BTW "South Asia" is a term used for India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (formerly "Ceylon"). These people often refer to themselves as "Desis".
The European media, so as not to offend Arabs, call Arabs who commit crimes "Asians", which offends me, because my wife is definitely Asian, not an Arab.
True.
I had several good conversations with Tunisians on this topic. IMNAAHO, the problem is partly semantic and partly cultural.
No one would ever say "Quebecois are French." Or in French, Les québecois sont français. In either English or French that statement is flatly false. "French / français " is a nationality when used to describe people. "Quebecois are French-speaking ." Les québecois sont francophones . Both English and French separate nationality from language.
While Tunisians are vehement is distinguishing themselves from Moroccans or Algerians or any Arabs even further away... they nevertheless consider themselves "Arabs". For them, "Arab" is a sort of supra-ethnicity or supra-culture... frankly not very clear in their discourse.
When I suggest that arabophone would be a better term, separating nationality from language, they are disturbed. Tunisia being a largely bilingual French-speaking country, I always spoke French there. We use the word arabophone quite a bit in France, since we have some five or eight million bilingual citizens.
I got the impression, never explicit, that not calling themselves "Arabs" would be a sort of betrayal of the pan-Arabism that has animated their intelligentsia since before the fall of the Ottomans (Turks, remember...)
Aryan = Iraqi ... ... all anachronism apart...
"Maghreb" is commonly used in France, but I'm not sure many Americans would understand it.
Just for the humor of it... the word "Maghreb" is originally from the Berber language... which the Algerian government is constantly trying to suppress.
There are several different statutes for French overseas territories. Some big ones are régions of the republic, just like those in Europe. Then there are a couple départements d'outre-mer, smaller than régions, but also similar legally to a European département.
St Pierre et Miquelon (and a few other islands scattered around the world) are a yet another case: self-governing collectivities.
The general rule for overseas French territories is that they can do whatever they wish... but that wish must be expressed by a solid majority, over a significant period of time. (No absurd snap decisions like Brexit!) The resulat is a series of statutes from tightly integrated to nearly independent.