The NEWEST Official Discussion Thread for the creation of Israel, the UN and the British Mandate

[P F Tinmore]

The 1948 war and the Nakba are two separate events.

The 1948 war started in May of 1948 when five Arab armies entered Palestine to defend the Palestinians. The fighting ended when a Security Council resolution called for an armistice. An armistice ends the fighting without calling winners or losers. Nobody lost that war.

The Nakba started many years before 1948. About 300,000 Palestinians became refugees before the start of the 1948 war. Palestine was attacked by Britain, a colonial superpower at the time, and the foreign World Zionist Organization who mooched money and weapons from around the world while the Palestinians were running on their own dime.

The unarmed Palestinian civilians were under military attack. That aggression continues to today.

 

[RoccoR]

RE: The NEWEST Official Discussion Thread for the creation of Israel, the UN and the British Mandate
SUBTOPIC: The "Nakba"
⁜→. P F Tinmore, et al,

In good propaganda, the best technique to use is to sprinkle and weave some truth into the intended message. It is how the most skilled Hostile Arab Palestinians (HoAP) mislead the audience into thinking that today's Palestinians are victims and make the world think that the sovereign territory should be handed to the HoAP. Such an act would effectively dissolve the Jewish National Homeland and break down the most productive nation in the region.
.

The Nakba started many years before 1948. About 300,000 Palestinians became refugees before the start of the 1948 war. Palestine was attacked by Britain, a colonial superpower at the time, ...

(COMMENT)

The British did NOT attack the "unarmed" Arab Palestinians of the territory. The British entered the region in force during the period beginning in 1915 (the Arab Revolt) and about 1916 (the Palestine Campaign) both of which were in direct support of Allied Powers against the Ottoman Empire/Turkish Republic during the Great War (WWI). In fact, the British operated in the territory with the assistance of the Volunteer Arab Beduin Irregular Forces assembled under the name of the King of the Hejaz.

The term Nakba (AKA: Catastrophe) is a propaganda term used to draw some measure of sympathy for the Arab Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were formerly citizens of the Ottoman Empire of the Central Powers that were brought under the control of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA)(1916-1920).

There is no legal definition under International Law for the term Nakba. Different authors have their own idea of the meaning; but, the term most often somewhere in the period 1946-1949.

• 
  Al Jazeera
  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/15/nakba...
  

  Nakba Day: What happened in Palestine in 1948? - Al Jazeera​

  WebMay 15, 2022 · On April 9, 1948, Zionist forces committed one of the most infamous massacres of the war in the village of Deir Yassin on the western outskirts of Jerusalem. …
• 
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli …
  
  

  Arab-Israeli wars | History, Conflict, Causes, Summary, …​

  WebAug 16, 2023 · Arab-Israeli wars, series of military conflicts between Israeli forces and various Arab forces, most notably in 1948–49, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and 2006. These included Israel’s War of Independence and the …

the foreign World Zionist Organization who mooched money and weapons from around the world while the Palestinians were running on their own dime.

(COMMENT)

This is just a case of more sour grapes.

Even before the turn into the 20th Century, the Jewish People were great money managers and with a keen sense of organization. The issue of the Palestinians (as defined by the Palestine Order in Council) being unable, unwilling, and sometimes offensively uncooperative is just their fault. Not the Jewish people of the time.

The unarmed Palestinian civilians were under military attack. That aggression continues to today.

(COMMENT)

Again, this is deceptive. There was no specific intent to attack unarmed Arabs of the Palestine Territory.

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[P F Tinmore]

The British did NOT attack the "unarmed" Arab Palestinians of the territory.

The 1922 Palestine Order in Council[23] established a Legislative Council, which was to consist of 23 members: 12 elected, 10 appointed, and the High Commissioner.[24] Of the 12 elected members, eight were to be Muslim Arabs, two Christian Arabs, and two Jews.[25] Arabs protested against the distribution of the seats, arguing that as they constituted 88% of the population, having only 43% of the seats was unfair.[25] Elections took place in February and March 1923, but due to an Arab boycott, the results were annulled and a 12-member Advisory Council was established.[24]

Mandatory Palestine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[P F Tinmore]

Even before the turn into the 20th Century, the Jewish People were great money managers and with a keen sense of organization.

One of the first actions of the newly installed civil administration was to begin granting concessions from the Mandatory government over key economic assets. In 1921 the government granted Pinhas Rutenberg – a Jewish entrepreneur – concessions for the production and distribution of electrical power. Rutenberg soon established an electric company whose shareholders were Zionist organisations, investors, and philanthropists. Palestinian-Arabs saw it as proof that the British intended to favour Zionism. The British administration claimed that electrification would enhance the economic development of the country as a whole, while at the same time securing their commitment to facilitate a Jewish National Home through economic – rather than political – means.[17]

 

[rylah]

The 1948 war and the Nakba are two separate events.

The 1948 war started in May of 1948 when five Arab armies entered Palestine to defend the Palestinians. The fighting ended when a Security Council resolution called for an armistice. An armistice ends the fighting without calling winners or losers. Nobody lost that war.

The Nakba started many years before 1948. About 300,000 Palestinians became refugees before the start of the 1948 war. Palestine was attacked by Britain, a colonial superpower at the time, and the foreign World Zionist Organization who mooched money and weapons from around the world while the Palestinians were running on their own dime.

The unarmed Palestinian civilians were under military attack. That aggression continues to today.

They have been defeated more than once in their wars against Israel.

Nakba is simply the Arab propaganda narrative for continuous humiliating defeat
of exclusive Arab domination over the Levant and the entire MENA, at the hands of a minority.

 

[rylah]

 

[rylah]

 

[Sixties Fan]

Part 1

The trial and execution of Shafiq Adas 75 years ago are fairly well documented. The purpose of this report is to shed light on the political atmosphere that prevailed in the Iraq that led to his tragic death, which ultimately triggered the mass emigration of Iraqi Jews.

For me, this story is also personal history, since I lived through these events. The events I'm describing occurred when I was 16 years old living in Basra, Iraq. I was not particularly close to Adas, but I saw him frequently, because a close relative of mine was Adas's right-hand man and sat next to him in the office of his car dealership (Adas and his brother Ibrahim were the sole agents in Iraq of Ford Motor Co., Michelin tires, and some other automotive companies). Almost every time I visited my relative, Mr. Adas was there, and we referred to him as Abu Zaki.

Martial Law In Iraq

The Iraqi government announced martial law several hours before the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948. The reason for the martial law was allegedly to protect the rear of the Iraqi army, which participated in the war against the nascent State of Israel.

Initially, the Jewish community felt that martial law would provide them with sufficient security and prevent the mob from harming like it had in 1941, when a pro-Nazi government instigated violence against the Jewish community, an event that is commonly referred to as the Farhud.[1] However, the martial law in fact created four military tribunals. One of them was located in Basra and it was charged with trying "spies, Zionists, and communists." The Jewish community in Iraq soon discovered that the martial law was not meant to protect the rear of the Iraqi military, but to harass and punish the Jewish community, particularly given the poor performance of the Iraqi army in the war.

The Jews Will Be Fuel For A Fire That Will Consume Them

Life for Jews in Iraq became increasingly dangerous. An illustrative example is that in 1948, Iraq had one national radio station, and multiple times a day it would broadcast the chant: "Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv will be roasted by flames and the Jews, the Jews will be the fuel."

تل ابيب تل ابيب سوف تصلى باللهيب واليهود اليهود سوف يكونونَ الوقود

Newspapers also published vicious antisemitic stories accusing Iraq's Jews of being a fifth column for the "Zionist entity," and Adas was singled out in these accusations, on the basis for unfounded allegations. The Istiqlal Party, with the support of Defense Minister Sadiq al-Bassam, launched demonstrations in Baghdad and Basra demanding that Adas be executed. The mouthpiece of the party was the ultra-nationalist newspaper Al-Istiqlal, under Editor-in-Chief Fa'iq al-Samara'i,[2] who led a vicious campaign against the Iraqi Jewish community and against Adas in particular.

An even more vicious newspaper was Al-Yaqdha, edited by Salman al-Safwani. It said that the Jews are Zionists and should not be treated as equal citizens. It was obsessed with Adas and similarly carried out a campaign against him. Ishaq Bar-Moshe relates in his book The Exit from Iraq that while carrying a copy of Al-Yaqdha, he walked into a shop, and the Armenian shopkeeper, an acquaintance of his, looked at the newspaper and asked: "So what are the headlines about Adas?"[3]

Forced Contributions Towards Rescuing Palestine

At the time, Iraq was awash with slogans about "Rescuing Palestine." Merchants, and particularly Jewish merchants, were forced to make large contributions for the rescue of Palestine. According to his former aide, Adas himself made a large contribution, as did all other Jewish merchants and businessmen.

As part of the Rescue Palestine campaign, the Iraqi government overprinted all postage and revenues stamps with the slogan "Rescue Palestine." The slogan was also printed over a variety of other tickets, including bus tickets.

The 75th Anniversary Of The Execution Of Iraqi Jewish Merchant Shafiq Adas And The Expulsion Of Iraq's Jewish Communities

The trial and execution of Shafiq Adas 75 years ago are fairly well documented. The purpose of this report is to shed light on the political atmosphere that prevailed in the Iraq that led to his tragic death, which ultimately triggered the mass emigration of Iraqi Jews. For me, this story is...

www.memri.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

Part 2

The Trial And Execution Of Shafiq Adas

The trial of Adas and the circumstances around the trial have been covered extensively by Iraqi writers in the post-Saddam era. Most impressive was the two volumes on the history of the Jews of Iraq written by Al-Ruba'i, which provide an extensive background to the trial and its aftermath.[4]

Adas was tried by a military tribunal under the presidency of Colonel Abdullah al-Na'sani for allegedly selling weapons to Zionists. In fact, what he sold, in partnership with Muslim businessmen, was scrap metal that was purchased from the British army, which maintained a strong presence in Iraq during WWII. "Witnesses" were brought to testify that Adas was guilty. Three well-known Muslim attorneys came down to Basra from Baghdad as defense attorneys, but al-Na'sani would not allow them to cross-examine any of the "witnesses" for the prosecution. Al-Na'sani also informed the lawyers that he would not accept witnesses for the defense. The lawyers decided to resign and left Adas defenseless.

The novelist Louie Abbas Hamza in his play The Carrier of the Umbrella describes the scene of the hanging quite dramatically:

"The verdict to hang Adas in Basra on September 23, 1948 was carried out in the early morning hours, which coincided with his 48th birthday. The cool early morning, or the darkness of the place or the awe of the gallows did not prevent thousands of people from Basra and elsewhere to gather, some since the evening before, to watch and celebrate the event. While the mob was celebrating the gruesome event, members of the Jewish community remained in their homes behind closed doors afraid, that a jubilant mob may turn violent."

According to Hamza, Adas was hanged not once, but twice, because the doctor in charge of the event claimed that Adas's heart was still beating after the first hanging, and three policemen had to lift him back up for a second hanging. This was in keeping with Iraqi criminal code that hanging must be carried out until death.

The hanging was carried out in front of a new house Adas was building, which ironically indicated that he had no intention of leaving Iraq. Some newspapers at the time claimed that the new house was meant to be the embassy of Israel. As to why an embassy will be in Basra and not in Baghdad the capital, the newspapers did not explain.

Documents unsealed by the British government 30 years after the event show that the British Ambassador to Iraq Sir Henry Mark wrote on September 20, 1948 to the Foreign Office in London that he met with Prime Minister Muzahim al-Pachachi and told him that the British system opposes the hanging of an innocent man. Al-Pachachi replied: "The matter was in the hands of the Regent and while the Regent opposes the hanging he believes that the national interest leaves him no choice."

Similarly, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq George Worth wrote to the State Department about his meeting with the Regent, who told him he could do nothing but approve the verdict. The Regent was under pressure by the army and key political actors, such that failing to approve the verdict would jeopardize the future of the Kingdom.

Al-Na'sani himself has his own version of the trial. According to one writer, al-Na'sani said to a circle of Jews with whom he had relations: "I have sentenced Adas to death because I was aware that the Iraqi people were seeking a sacrifice. If Adas were not hanged, they would have made pogroms against the Jews in Iraq, in revenge for the many Iraqi soldiers who died in the war. By hanging Adas I have saved the Jews from massacres."[5] Tragically, there may have been an element of truth to what al-Na'sani said.

Many years later, Jabbar Jamal al-Din, a poet and professor at Najaf University, wrote a beautiful eulogy:

"[Adas] is one of those who plants roses in the Spring Garden. [He] was an honorable merchant among the merchants of Iraq. His concern was not profit or loss, but rather his only concern was serving the oppressed and providing relief to the disadvantaged. Perhaps the truest characteristic added to this authentic Iraqi is that he is the creator who taps into the human heart and sings in our hearts songs of joy and tragedy."[6]

The hanging of Adas had a dramatic impact on the Jewish community in Iraq and provided the trigger for their seeking to leave. Mir Basri, a writer and historian and the last president of the Jewish community in Iraq, was quoted that the trial and execution of Adas demonstrated clearly that if even a Jew from a highly reputable family who was fully integrated within the Iraqi society, such as Adas, was not safe from punishment, clearly the Jews had no future in the country. [7] Anwar Shaul, a highly regarded Jewish Iraqi poet, also made the point that the execution of Adas intensified the efforts of the Jewish youth of Iraq to exit the country in all possible manners.[8]

Denationalization Of Iraq's Jewry

Less than two years after the hanging of Adas, the Iraqi parliament passed without deliberations in March 6, 1950 a law permitting the government to abrogate or denationalize the Iraqi nationality from any Jew who wanted to leave the country. Those who opted to leave were issued a laissez-passer with the inscription: "The bearer's Iraqi nationality has been annulled and he will absolutely not be granted entry to Iraq."

My own Iraqi laissez-passer with the stamp: "The bearer's Iraqi nationality has been annulled and he will absolutely not be granted entry to Iraq." Also stamped are the date I relinquished my Iraqi citizenship – June 13, 1950 – and the date of the exit from Iraq, April 9, 1951.

Some might argue that the law allowing Jews to renounce their nationality and leave the country was fair and reasonable, since those who did not wish to renounce their nationality could ostensibly remain. However, the government imposed economic measures tantamount to economic suffocation. All Jews working in government agencies and public entities were fired, and pressure was used to force them to resign in order to deny them their pensions. Access to bank accounts was restricted and all import licenses to Jews were denied. Travel outside Iraq was severely restricted, and universities denied entry to Jewish students. In short, the law allowing Jews to renounce their nationality and leave sounded voluntary the reality left the Jews no choice but depart.

This closed the long history of Jews coming from Babel to sovereign Iraq, and it opened the chapter about the Jewish refugees from Iraq to Israel.

For me personally, at age 18, with a secondary school diploma and neither prospect of higher education nor opportunities for a fruitful occupation or employment, I had no alternative to leaving Iraq. Like many in my generation, I relinquished my citizenship and left Iraq. I have no regrets, and never over the past seven decades have I considered seeking a "right of return" to Iraq.

The 75th Anniversary Of The Execution Of Iraqi Jewish Merchant Shafiq Adas And The Expulsion Of Iraq's Jewish Communities

The trial and execution of Shafiq Adas 75 years ago are fairly well documented. The purpose of this report is to shed light on the political atmosphere that prevailed in the Iraq that led to his tragic death, which ultimately triggered the mass emigration of Iraqi Jews. For me, this story is...

www.memri.org

 

[P F Tinmore]

The Zionist Distortion of Palestinian History: In Conversation with Rashid Khalidi​

 

[Sixties Fan]

75 years ago: The first Arab split between Gaza and the West Bank​

The split between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas is not the first time that the West Bank and Gaza divided Palestinian loyalties.

In 1948, the Nazi collaborating Mufti of Jerusalem worked with Egypt to create the "All Palestine Government" in Gaza. Transjordan;'s King Abdullah was against this, saying that he represented the Palestinians. And the Arab world split between the two sides.


From the Palestine Post, September 22, 1948:


Countering Abdullah's protests. the Mufti and his family declared statehood from Gaza a week later:

Formal notice of the formation of an independent Arab state “for all of Palestine” was given today to the United Nations in a cable from Cairo signed by Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, premier of the newly-established Palestine Government, which has its seat at Gaza. The cable reads:

“The Arabs of Palestine, who are the owners of the country and its indigenous inhabitants, and who constitute the great majority of its legal population, havesolemnly resolved to declare Palestine in its entirety and within its boundaries as established before the termination of the British Mandate an independent state, and constituted a government under the name of the All-Palestine Government, deriving its authority from a representative Council based on democratic principles and aiming to safeguard the rights of minorities and foreigners, protect the Holy Places, and guarantee freedom of worship to all communities.”

The "Palestine" they declared included all of Israel.

Most of the Arab League ended up recognizing this All Palestine Government, except for Transjordan. No other nation did. But despite this supposed recognition, everyone knew it was a puppet government - it wasn't involved in the armistice negotiations between Egypt and Israel that included drawing Gaza's borders, and it was not involved in aiding its own refugees nor in negotiating with UNRWA. Egypt was the ruler of Gaza in every real sense and everyone know it.

Later, Transjordan annexed the West Bank. Because no Arab leader really wanted a Palestinian state.

The connection between Gaza and the West Bank was always somewhat artificial. It was just as clear in 1948 as it has been in recent years.

75 years ago: The first Arab split between Gaza and the West Bank

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[rylah]

UNDERSTAND HISTORY

Arabs have attacked innocent Jews before. They raped women and murdered children in an orgy of hate in 1929. Babies were beheaded, rabbis castrated, women raped, tortured and mutilated. Hands and fingers were cut off both the living and the dead for jewelry.

1929. Before "occupation." Before Israel. These Jews weren't even Zionists. And yet Arabs still attacked them.Today's Palestinians are proud of the 1929 massacre, calling it the "Buraq Uprising." Just like they are proud of the inhuman massacres on Saturday.

Remember this when you see evil antisemites on TV blaming the Simchat Torah massacre on Israeli actions. Just like 1929, they blame the victims for being murdered. But when you know history, you know they are simply justifying their bigotry and hate of Jews. There are no concessions Israel could possibly give that would stop these attempts at genocide.

The Jews in 1929 had no land, no army, no defense, and they were murdered anyway because of Arab lies about them. It is just like 2023.

Except now Jews can defend themselves.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Was 'Palestine' Actually Syria?​

Let's check on that way back when:

"In 1917, Ramallah-born New York surgeon, Fuad Isa Shatara, and N.A. Katibah founded the Palestine Antizionism Society. It was among the organizers of an anti-Zionist rally on November 8, 1918 in Brooklyn. Besides the two founders, the young Lebanese Orientalist Philip Khoury Hitti made an appearance as a speaker at the event. The rally passed a resolution, describing the Arabs at risk of being dominated by “a race rendered more powerful and wealthy through contact with the western civilization thus applying might against right” and protesting the “artificial importation of Zionists flooding the country against its natural capacities and thus forcing an emigration of the rightful inhabitants.”227 Thus, by 1918, the anti-Zionist Arab-American movement had already found both its central arguments and its leaders. Rihani, Hitti and Shatara would shape the movement over the next two decades. The Arab Americans worked to influence the State Department and other influential elements of the foreign policy strata. Fuad Shatara of the Palestine Antizionism Society wrote two letters to Secretary of State Robert Lansing in November 1918 and February 1919, arguing that Zionism was in contravention to Wilson’s Fourteen Points.228 In December 1918, Hitti and George Khairalla established the New Syria National League. The group lobbied for the establishment of a Greater Syria under American protection, reaching from the Sinai to the Euphrates.229 These groups intensified their activities in light of the upcoming peace conference in Paris. Shatara and Hitti reached out to John Huston Finley, the chief of the Red Cross Commission in Palestine, asking Finley not to detach Palestine from Greater Syria.230 During the conference, Hitti’s New Syria National League also sent a telegram to Wilson, Lloyd George and Clemenceau advocating an American protectorate over Syria. 231"

227 “Untitled,” New York Times, November 9, 1917; cited in Davidson, “Debating Palestine,” 230; see also Knee, “The King-Crane Commission of 1919,” 204. 228 Davidson, “Debating Palestine,” 231. 229 The Formation of Modern Iraq and Syria (Routledge, 2013), 147. 230 Knee, The Concept of Zionist Dissent in the American Mind, 1917-1941, 205. 231 The Formation of Modern Iraq and Syria, 147.


From this thesis.

https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/153223/1/153223.pdf

Was 'Palestine' Actually Syria?

Let's check on that way back when: "In 1917, Ramallah-born New York surgeon, Fuad Isa Shatara, and N.A. Katibah founded the Palestine Antizi...

myrightword.blogspot.com

 

[P F Tinmore]

The original letter from Balfour to Rothschild; the declaration reads:

His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

Palestine existed de facto before 1917. Palestine existed de jure after 1924.

 

[rosends]

The original letter from Balfour to Rothschild; the declaration reads:

Palestine existed de facto before 1917. Palestine existed de jure after 1924.

North America exists also. It just isn't a country.

 

[P F Tinmore]

Who Has A Historical Right To The Land of Palestine?​

 

[RoccoR]

RE: The NEWEST Official Discussion Thread for the creation of Israel, the UN and the British Mandate
SUBTOPIC: Historical Right
⁜→. P F Tinmore, et al,

Who Has A Historical Right To The Land of Palestine?​

(COMMENT)

This is just another form of deceptive propaganda.

There is no such thing as a "Historical Right" relative to international law. You can cite historical references to support a legal argument, but "history is neither a positive or negative right. If there was such a "right" → it would be listed in the International Covenant for Civil and Politicall Rights (CCPR). But as you can see for yourself, if you choose to do so. As I have suggested to you before, you should do some "fact checking" before presenting these nonsensical foundations.

How many regions would such an argument have some repercussions if it was some kind of legal premise? If you look back to a period (maybe) between 5000 BCE → 8000 BCE, [maybe as far back as 10,000 years ago in the early (pre-pottery) Neolithic Period)] you would find that, founders of the first walled city in world history (Jericho on the Jordan River) was under construction by "Africans" migrating northward.

But in period starting with the Industrial Revolution and through to 2012, there is no record of a self-governing and independent sovereignty ruled by any clan "Palestinian." And with the start of the Industrial Revolution to the present, there is no "Palestinian Controlled Territory" that been or is now capable of self-government without external donor contributions.

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[rylah]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

[ There are many good sources in this new thread. Too many to post separately, so I am putting the link to the thread instead]

Nov-1913: seed of "conflict" Islamist anti-Semitic poem at racist Arab 'Falastin' ('Filastin)

1913 - Nov 8: Sheikh Suleiman al-Taji al-Faouqi [سليمان التاجي] pens a vile hate poem, combining old anti-Semitic stereotypes with Islamic motifs in the influential 'Falastin' [فلسطين] newspaper. Israel-Palestine: Lands and Peoples. (2021). Germany: Berghahn Books, p. 270. Mandel, N. J...

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