A new book by Marcus Wilder, due out in April.   More info at NaiveAbroad.  An excerpt:

In 1844, the first modern census of Jerusalem found 7120 Jews… 5760 Muslims… 3390 Christians.

In 1869, Mark Twain wrote of the emptiness of the land, of traveling all day without seeing a human being on the roads or in the countryside.

Mark Twain wrote of Arab sloth and filth and flies.

In the 1880s, Americans forced Indians from their land to resettle Indian land with whites. Many Indians had to be killed.

In the 1880s, Australians forced Aborigines from their land to resettle Aborigine land with whites. Many Aborigines had to be killed.

In the 1880s, white New Zealanders forced Maoris from their land to resettle Maori land with whites. Many Maoris had to be killed.

In the 1880s, European Jews bought idle land in what is now Israel, joining Mizrachi Jews continuously there since Abraham.

Beginning in 1882, forty Jewish families settled at Rishon L’Tzion. Four hundred Arab families settled around them. Some of the Arab families were Bedouin.  Some came from Egypt.

A British official reported Arabs sought employment, clean drinking water, better health care, and lower infant mortality. The official reported this pattern was repeated across areas where Jews settled.

In the 1890s, Belgians cut off the hands of Africans who did not gather enough rubber.

In the 1890s, Arabs flocked to Jewish areas of Palestine for jobs created by Jewish investment and enterprise.

After WWI, Britain tried to set up a Palestinian governing body of twelve… eight Arabs… two Christians… two Jews. Arabs said two Jews were too many. A cynic might say Arabs knew then two Jews outnumbered eight Arabs.

In 1917, the British Balfour Agreement promised a national home for Jews in Palestine.  The British did not mean it.

Arabs turned down two-state solutions in 1917, 1937, 1948, and 2000.

After a Nazi supported Arab revolt in 1936-1939, British-backed Arab religious leader Husseini fled to Germany. Husseini is revered throughout Islam today.

In 1939, A British White Paper severely restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine.

After WWII, European Jews sought refuge in what is now Israel. The Arabist British did all they could to keep Jews out of Palestine. Under United Nations mandate, Jews established the State of Israel despite Arab objections and Britain perfidy.

In the United Nations document authorizing the formation of the state of Israel, an Arab/British/African clause weighted population numbers in favor of Arabs. In 1948, the Arab population was still largely transient. This clause identified any Arab who had been in Palestine for two years as a permanent resident.

Do we give casual Mexican labor citizenship after two years in the United States?

In 1948, Arab countries attacked the infant Jewish nation. Jewish citizen soldiers decisively defeated combined professional armies of five Arab nations.

In 1948, 850,000 Arab residents of Israel fled and/or were expelled. There is evidence Arabs residents were encouraged by Arab invaders to flee to give Arab invaders a freer hand.

Only Jordan offered refugees citizenship. In all other Muslim countries, Palestinian refugees remain in camps sixty years later…anti-Israeli propaganda pawns.

In the months following the 1948 war, 850,000 Sephardic/Mizrachi Jews fled or were expelled to Israel from the Arab countries who lost the war. We do not know how many Jews fled to other nations. We do not know how many Jews were killed. Arab nations claim no knowledge of this flight/expulsion.

Sephardic Jews had been in the Middle East since 1492, Mizrachi Jews since Abraham.

If Palestinians wanted their own country, Palestinians would call a constitutional convention…write a governing document…declare a nation. There is precedent.

Since the 1967 War, these Arabs have been called Palestinians. Palestinians are Arab-speakers…not Arabs. Palestinians are probably Turkish Hittites who reached Palestine via Crete and Cyprus. Palestinian origins are muddy.

Palestinians are the Philistines of the Bible…the Sea People. What is now Gaza was Philistia. Gaza is theirs…unless Gaza belongs to Canaanite peoples Philistines displaced…peoples who had been there since time before memory.

Romans called the province Palestine to insult rebellious Jews. Ottomans kept the name.

If Palestinians had lived in peace beside Jews in democratic Israel, Palestinians would own Israel. With the differential in birth rates, Palestinians could have taken democratic Israel with the vote.

The story of modern Israel & Palestine is not what you have been told.

Palestinian leader Musa Alami said in 1948, “The people are in great need of a myth to fill their consciousness and imagination.”

The King of Jordan also denied the displacement of Arabs by Jewish settlements.  The king said, “The Arabs are as prodigal in selling their land as they are in…weeping [about it].

The popular history of Palestine is myth.

2 Responses to “Forthcoming book: Israel & Palestine, Obvious Questions No One Asks”

1. Jill Says:
   January 4th, 2010 at 1:18 am

   Hi there,

   Jordan recently rescinded citizenship of Palestinian arabs in Jordan. To help them retain their “Palestinian” identity , don’t you know.

2. Jill Says:
   January 4th, 2010 at 1:23 am

   Since the 1967 War, these Arabs have been called Palestinians. Palestinians are Arab-speakers…not Arabs. Palestinians are probably Turkish Hittites who reached Palestine via Crete and Cyprus. Palestinian origins are muddy.

   Palestinians are the Philistines of the Bible…the Sea People. What is now Gaza was Philistia. Gaza is theirs…unless Gaza belongs to Canaanite peoples Philistines displaced…peoples who had been there since time before memory.”

   This seems very suss to me. I have read that there is NO connection between Philistia and the cur5rent Palestinian Arabs. As far as I know from various sources, current Palestinians are a mix of Egyptians, Jordanians and Syrians, plus assorted other nationalities including Circassians and even Bulgarian Muslims!

   Where did this guy get this stuff about Philistines and Palestininas? This claim has been discredited everywhere i look but here! (except on arab propaganda sites).

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