Arens:
Only once the Palestinians recognize that wars and terrorism that they initiated are the root cause of their own suffering and the suffering of others will become possible to arrive at a true peace in the Middle East.
The
Nakba is a bald-faced lie. No matter how many demonstrations are held in Israel
and other parts of the world, no matter how many PLO flags are hoisted, no
matter how many Israel Defense Forces soldiers are assaulted by rioters, it
still remains a lie. The proof for all to see is the date that the Nakba
demonstrators have chosen to mark the day − May 15. That is the day on which
the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq invaded Israel with the
intention of destroying the nascent Jewish State.
More
than the Arab rejection of the November 1947 United Nations resolution on the
establishment of a Jewish and an Arab state in Palestine, more than the attack
by Arab bands against Jews and Jewish settlements in Palestine that followed
immediately upon the passage of the UN resolution, the combined attack of the
regular Arab armies on that day − the day on which British rule in Palestine
came to an end and Israeli independence was declared − proves beyond doubt that
the Nakba, “the Catastrophe,” is a catastrophe that the Arabs brought upon
themselves.
With
all the sympathy that we can and should muster for the suffering of hundreds of
thousands of Arabs in Palestine that resulted from the mistakes made by their
leaders and the leaders of the Arab world, mistakes which the local Arab
population supported without dissent, those who argue that we in Israel should
recognize the Nakba, or even teach it in our schools, are lending a hand to
perpetuating a lie and engage in Soviet-style manipulation of history.
George
Orwell wrote in his dystopian novel 1984:
“those who control the past control the future.” Make no mistake about it,
those who perpetuate the Nakba lie are making an attempt to control the future
by manipulating the past.
The
Palestinian Arabs are not the only Arabs who have suffered as a result of their
leaders’ mistakes. Just look at Syria, where the number of casualties and
refugees by now exceeds by far the plight of the Palestinian Arabs. Recognition
of these mistakes and their tragic consequences is an essential condition for
turning a new page to a life of progress and peace.
Germans
and Japanese, nations that were devastated by war initiated by their leaders,
well understand that they themselves are the guilty ones, not only for the
crimes they committed against those they considered to be their enemies, but
also for the tragedies that they themselves suffered as a result. Victory in
Europe Day, May 8, is not commemorated in Germany as the day of the German
catastrophe, and Victory in Japan Day, August 15, is not commemorated in Japan
as the day of the Japanese catastrophe. The Palestinians can take a lesson
here.
But far
more importantly, the recognition by the people of Germany and the people of
Japan of their guilt for their own suffering and the suffering of others paved
the way to peaceful relations with their former enemies. Peace could not have
been achieved without it. The same is true for the Palestinians and the rest of
the Arab World. It is only once they recognize that wars and terrorism that
they initiated are the root cause of their own suffering and the suffering of
others that it will become possible to arrive at a true peace in the Middle
East.
The
annual Nakba demonstrations are a clear indication that they still have a long
way to go before they reach that point. Those who lend their support to the
false Nakba narrative of history simply assist in laying obstacles on the path
to peace in the Middle East. The Nakba is a lie and peace will not be built on
a lie.
PM Netanyahu’s Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting. pmo.gov.il, May 18, 2014.
Last
week, the Anti-Defamation League issued a global report in which it compared
levels of anti-Semitism among adults in various places around the world.
It
seems that the place with the highest level of anti-Semitism is the Palestinian Authority, where 93% of adults hold anti-Semitic views. This is the result of
the Palestinian Authority’s unceasing incitement, which distorts the image of
the State of Israel and the Jewish People, as we have known in other places in
our past. This finds expression in the fact that they hold parades to
commemorate what they call the Nakba. They define the existence and
establishment of the State of Israel as a disaster that must be corrected. This
also finds expression in the increased activity that the Palestinians are
allowing in Judea and Samaria for Hamas, which directly and openly calls for
our destruction. Whoever sees the establishment of the State of Israel and its
continued existence as a disaster does not want peace.
