By Simon Fischler
Stateless and still seeking the destruction of Israel -- what does that get you?
Welcome to Palestinian nationalism.
How have the Palestinian reached this stage in their warped development?
I repeat, via Palestinian nationalism!
What is another way of putting this curious development?
How about calling it victimism?
That’s simply because of this indisputable fact: when a nation spends all of its time blaming another party for its problems, it becomes the eternal victim whether or not it really is the victim.
A brief historical review proves that this “victimization” has enveloped the Palestinians from the get-go.
With that in mind, let me point out that nearly every Israel-basher conveniently forgets a pivotal point.
This is this; the United Nations agreed on 29 November 1947 to two states in the land of Israel. One for the Jews and one for the Arabs: the Jews agreed; the Arabs did not and decided on war, a war to annihilate the Jews of Israel.
It was a war which the Palestinians lost.
What’s more, they were defeated despite having an overwhelming advantage of multiple Arab armies arrayed against a rag-tag, patched-together, nascent Israeli defense corps.
Nonethelss, Israel (Little David) managed to secure her Independence with the help of nobody.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians managed to lose everything allotted to them from the United Nations. And this, despite help from armies of Egypt, Jordan (led by British officers), Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Morocco and even contingents from Yemen.
Somehow, the way the pro-Palestinians put it, this is all Israel’s fault.
Far too many contemporaries conveniently have forgotten about the Palestinian leader during World War II.
That happened to be the virulent, Jew-hating Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.
Haj Amin el Husseini worked hand-in-glove with Adolf Hitler. Working -- sometimes from Berlin -- The Mufti’s aim was to deport all Jews of the then-Palestinian Mandate (controlled by Britain) to European death camps.
With that in mind, it is worth noting that, during the Israeli war of independence, David Ben Gurion fought a short but nasty Civil War.
It lasted for only one skirmish, but in that battle Ben Gurion gave the okay to sink a ship filled with arms and Holocaust survivors called the Altalena. This ship belonged to Menachem Begin’s underground militia, the Irgun.
This is an important piece of history from which the Palestinians could learn.
If Mahmoud Abbas is not willing -- nor able --to corral the mini-armies belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinians never will have a state.
Ben Gurion knew at the time that were he to allow Begin to work him over and allow a militia outside of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), it would be the start of anarchy such as we see today in Gaza and Judea/Samaria (which outsiders call The West Bank).
The Palestinians simply cannot legitimately blame Israel forever if there are thousands of armed militants running the Gaza strip and Judea/Samaria!
A reflection on The Oslo Accords reveal how completely the Palestinians have enrobed themselves in this guise of victim.
Consider what unfolded at Oslo.
Israel had everything to lose and Palestinian had everything to gain.
In return for the Gaza strip and Judea/Samaria, Israel would get a piece of paper saying that there was now peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Oh, and that Israel existed as a state.
There was, however, a paper problem.
Israel already did exist, so who needed it on a piece of paper.
Then, Ehud Barak committed one of the world’s most outrageous attempts at benevolence. he offered Yasser Arafat all of Gaza, 97% of Judea and Samaria plus East Jerusalem and the Muslim and Christian quarters of The Old City.
It was an offer that no sane negotiating leader could refuse.
Yet Arafat said no to that!
Not only were Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton rebuffed, Arafat then proceeded to show his appreciation for Israel’s leader by starting a war against Israel!
What has been revealed in the years since the start of Arafat’s war presents a more sinister picture of the Palestinians true intentions.
The Palestinians were planning to go to war as soon as the Camp David talks failed. They simply used Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most holy site, as an excuse.
This visit was also planned ahead with the Palestinians to guarantee a smooth and pleasant visit for Sharon with no violence. As we know the Palestinians did just the opposite.
Here is a quote from Imad Falouji who was then the PA Communications Minister: “The Intifada was carefully planned since the return of (Palestinian President) Yasser Arafat from Camp David negotiations rejecting the U.S. conditions."
A statement from Mamduh Nofal, former military commander of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, supplied more evidence of pre-September 28 military preparations. Nofal recounts that “Arafat told us, ‘Now we are going to fight, so we must be ready.’"
During Arafat’s War more than four thousand Palestinians were killed, mostly in Israeli retaliatory strikes to suicide bombings and attacks against Israeli citizens. The Palestinian economy has been totally destroyed and Palestinian society is on the brink of collapse. Yet the Palestinians blame Israel for their sorrow, instead of taking responsibility for their actions.
They always start the conflicts, yet after they lose them, they’re once again THE VICTIM!
Europe and America poured billions of dollars into the Palestinian Authority during the Oslo period, but where did that money go?
We know it was not used for building what would become a Palestinian state, because we know, for one thing, there are still refugee camps in Gaza with open sewers!
Instead it was put into the pockets and Swiss bank accounts of the “peacemaker” Arafat, or used to buy weapons that were eventually turned on Israel after Camp David.
By 2002, Palestinian corruption had reached so egregious a state that the Americans and Europeans finally intervened.
They insisted that Salam Fayyad (someone they knew could be trusted to place the money where it belonged) become the PA’s finance minister. Of course the Palestinians blame Israel for their financial woes. More victimism!
One final -- a clinching -- example. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip.
It had been -- logically -- hoped that the Palestinians would immediately embrace this newfound freedom and convert it to their peaceful advantage.
But, no, this has never been their way.
Instead of building schools and places of business, the first thing the Palestinians did was shell the Negev town of Sederot with Qassam rockets.
At first, Israel turned the other cheek. But the rockery multiplied.
Eventually Israel tired of broken promises to stop the aerial assaults. The Jews hit back, which simply was the natural thing to do.
Naturally, both the PA and the average Palestinian blamed Israel.
Hamas is making every effort to get the EU, UN and others to support its government. But every other day Khaled Mashal, the leader of Hamas, insists that Hamas will never recognize Israel.
This is not just curious, it is sick and ironic since every Israeli government since that of the late Yitzhak Rabin has respected and acknowledged Palestinian rights.
Even the Likud, the Israeli political party that CNN, the New York Times and the BBC love to call the ‘far right,” has recognized that the Palestinians must achieve a state to reach peace.
What is sad about Palestinian Nationalism or Palestinian Victimism is its failure to see that it simply will not defeat Israel.
Israel has fought hard to create a nation and a thriving country.
Israel sports an economy that withstood Arafat’s war, the 2006 war with Hezbollah and the Cast Lead operation.
In fact today the dollar is at it one of its lowest points against the Israeli shekel and the Tel Aviv stock exchange has done nothing but become stronger over the last decade-and-a-half.
Israel has a world-acclaimed Universal Health system -- something most Americans would love to have -- along with medical centers on a par with America’s best.
Israeli technology is at the cutting edge and places such as the Weizmann institute in Rehovot and the Technion in Haifa are well-noted for their contributions to the world of science.
The IDF is as strong as ever. Furthermore, it is taking the lessons of its last conflicts with Hezbollah and Hamas and incorporating them in future battle plans.
Although there were one thousand Israeli civilian casualties during Arafat’s war Israeli society proved its resilience and commitment to survival.
This point is most cogent in evaluating Jewish-Arab relations in the Middle East: Israelis will never sign off on the freedom or their nation.
No matter how many radical leftists try to call us fascist, Colonialist or an Apartheid state.
No matter how many Carter’s, Chomsky’s or Finkelsteins commit to the Palestinian side (verbally, at any rate), Israelis will always fight for their country.
And no matter how much the Palestinians attempt to whine their way to statehood, it will not happen until they assume the responsibility that Israel did in 1948.
Israelis know they have every right to live in their country, which they built. Come to Tel Aviv and look upon this fact with your own eyes and you will see why the Palestinian victim will never impress when compared with the facts.
Hopefully, the Palestinians will realize this and soon.
Then -- and only then -- can they begin what could be called Palestinian redemption.
Then they could get what they need: schools, industry, medical centers and a livelihood.
The day the Palestinian leaders commit to this worthy cause and stop trying to destroy Israel there will be peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
And finally, there will be no more victims.
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