Which Side is Right?

by Sharon Mann

Israel? Palestine? Neither? Both?

I cannot be the friend of the Israeli, IF I cannot be the friend of the Palestinian. I cannot be the friend to the Palestinian, IF I cannot be the friend to the Israeli. Holding them both and striving to understand their issues makes me realize both have a place in the world.

When traveling in the West Bank a little more than a year ago, what I gained was a perspective of how precious the land is to everyone. The class I traveled with and those I learned from included Arch Bishop Elias Chacour with whom we spent an afternoon studying the issues of the people of Galilee. “This land, this place they arguing over is the home to people”. He went on to describe they are moms, dads, grandmothers, and brothers and sisters and daughters. People, going to the school to work, to the grocery, to the library and to the doctor or to the nurse.

Before you can decide who is right we must look at the argument.

I share with you an email that was forwarded to me from a member in the faith community where I serve. Benjamin Netanyahu, recently elected Prime Minister of Israel, gave an interview and was asked about Israel's occupation of Arab lands entitled, "Crash Course on the Arab Israeli Conflict."

Here are overlooked “facts” in the current circulation concerning the Middle East situation. These were compiled by an unidentified Christian university professor from BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY. I have added validation from archived research materials, from various texts of former President Carter and his library where I served a full year as an intern, and WE Belong to the Land by Arch Bishop Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Israeli living for peace and reconciliation. Eye witness to 1947-48 the November 29, 1947 U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 and the Diaspora that ensued in Palestine with Israel.
The numbered items are statements from the circulated email and the italicized comments the statements which are reconciled with data from the above mentioned sources. “It's our land”...By: Benjamin Netanyahu

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 Before Common Era (BCE), Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.

2. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.

3. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.

4. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

5. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanah, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.

6. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.1870 7,000 Jews in Palestine (2% of population). Large- Scale Zionist (a traditional faith focus) immigration begins in early 20 CE.

1930-46 Jews flee Nazis seek haven in Palestine and all over the world. Land ownership is 92% Palestinian, 8% Jewish. Zionist (a traditional belief focus) forces expel 750,000+ Palestinians or approximately 75% of the population from their homes. Six months into the expulsion Israel declares independence. In 1947 Britain allows the U.N. to decide what to do about Palestine, which is partitioned into Jewish, Arab, and International areas (Jerusalem and Bethlehem) 55% of the Territory is allocated to the Jewish state. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan are now independent States.

7. (continued) Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

Britain, in 1948 mandated Israel over Palestine and declared Israel’s independence as a nation. Arab armies attacked and Israel prevailed. U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194 establishes a conciliation commission and asserts that refugees wishing to return to their homes AND live in PEACE be allowed to do so, that compensation be paid to others, and that free access to the holy places are assured.

8. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and program.

9. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.

10. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey

11. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.

12. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
1967 Israel occupies ALL remaining Palestinian lands in Six-Day War. The Occupation has continued for 40+ years.

Was U.N General Assembly Resolution 194 in the above situation honored? (1988)

13. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.

14. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

15. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

16. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

17. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

18. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. (During the class trip we were denied access to the Dome of the Rock by Israeli soldiers, our guide was Palestinian, 2008)

Six months later, U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 is passed, confirming the inadmissibility of the acquisition of land by force and calling for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories, the right of all states in the region to live in peace within secure and recognized borders, and a just solution to the refugee problem.

Palestinian resistance continues, mostly nonviolent, sometimes violent (sadly first suicide bombing occurred in 1994). From that time until now Jews worldwide are invited by Israel to live on the refugees’ land solely on the basis of their religious belief / way of life and their ethnicity.

The data supports many of these claims and refutes others. Research for yourself. When looking at the facts it is important to know the source. Some is easily verified. Credible websites such as Amnesty International, http://www.amnesty.org/, UN OCHA, www.reliefweb.int/hic-opt are both good sites to begin your search for what is RIGHT!

So what is the bottom line?

I believe we must hold both sides of this issue. Why? On a sunny January afternoon 2008, standing on a top floor office overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Arch Bishop Chacour recounted his story in a clear voice. As a 5-year old boy he watched how the soldiers came to take his father and brothers away from their home. Later, he and his mother and sisters left their olive groves and their home in Gush to live as refugees for the rest of their lives. Why? Ethnicity, religion, skin color.

Which side is RIGHT? BOTH? NEITHER? We must hold both sides for you cannot be a friend to one without being a friend to the other.