Catastrophe and Tragedy

Amin al-Husseini, the exiled Muslim Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, recruited Arabs for Nazi Germany,

 and in May 1948,

he called for the Arabs residing in Israel to leave their homes and flee to neighboring Arab countries.

Thus began the ‘catastrophe’  which  today is celebrated as Nakba Day.

 

Space within the Old City of  Jerusalem is very limited.

 The Arab town of Silwan

is really just down the street from the Kotel, the Western Wall. 

The Jewish Quarter of the Old City was attacked in 1948

 by the invading Jordanian forces and destroyed. 

 Jordan did not allow Jews access to the Jewish Quarter for 19 years.  Until June 1967,

the only view available to Israelis of the walls of the Old City was from across a vast No Man’s Land.

Many Arabs still live in the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem, but the tragedy is that after all this time,

 so many others are still in refugee camps–all second-class citizens

in all the Arab countries to which they fled.

While in Jerusalem, either by day

or at night,

no matter what their attire,

an Arab man can freely walk alone

or with his family.

Even on the recent Fridays of  the “Days of Rage” in Egypt, Libya and Syria, men of all ages

  did not encounter security or check points in the Old City on the way to prayers.

Public parks are used for playing soccer with the kids

or school outings.

Space may be limited and tight, but if Arab leaders would stop inciting hatred,

stop spending their money on weapons and invest in education,

peaceful co-existence could be achieved.

 When 900,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries in1948, they were forced to leave their fortunes behind,

they resettled around the globe and built new lives.

Today, hundreds tried to get through the border to Israel today from Syria in the North…

 where would you rather be?

 

6 thoughts on “Catastrophe and Tragedy

  • May 16, 2011 at 12:52 pm
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    Space may be limited and tight, but if Arab leaders would stop inciting hatred, stop spending their money on weapons and invest in education, peaceful co-existence could be achieved. When 900,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries in1948, they were forced to leave their fortunes behind; they resettled around the globe and built new lives.
    Today, hundreds tried to get through the border to Israel today from Syria in the North…
    where would you rather be?

    How sad that both Arabs and Jews are forced to live with hate and separation because of choices made by the Arabs in 1948. By rejecting the UN partition plan and by not accepting Israel, we have all paid the highest price possible with lost lives and property. If Arabs had accepted their parcel of land (no matter how unfair they thought the partition was, at the time), we, the baby Israel and the baby Palestine could have helped and encouraged each other to build great nations for all our people of the region.
    By combining the incredible richness of Arab culture, language, music and science together with astute, intellectual, educated, stubborn Jewish pioneers who persevered against all odds to build a modern, high tec, vibrant society; who persisted in bringing to life an ancient language (Hebrew) and by absorbing Jewish refugees escaping from persecution in Arab lands and in Europe they contributed their ancient, vast and colorful cultures to Israeli society.
    “If’ is a small word with a huge question mark. If, Arabs had opened up their hearts, minds and souls in 1948, we could have been brothers in love and respect for 63 years. But ….. their hearts, minds and souls were told by their leaders and were believed (and still do) that wars, blood and death to Israel was the way to achieve it all. The whole land, and nothing but the land, so help me God.
    Where are the righteous people who believe in the love and respect we have missed; where are the peacemakers and who is going to hold out his hand in friendship first – you or I?

    Reply
    • May 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm
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      We can not change the sad past, but there is that little word again ,IF from the Facebook generation, if we can get past their being taught to hate, and maybe enough will see the real streets and the truth after all the years of having been lied to by leaders out to enrich and empower themselves…nice dream at least.
      It is hard to imagine what could have been accomplished in 63 years without fighting and and the waste of war.

      Reply
  • May 18, 2011 at 1:40 pm
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    Golda Meir summed it up very well…
    “when the Arabs love their children more that they hate the Jews, there will be Peace.”

    Reply
  • May 18, 2011 at 5:35 pm
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    Your accurate, succinct historical summary should be spread far & wide together with your current snapshots of real life for Arabs in Israel! BTW, did you see the picture of the Israeli soldier carrying the Arab little boy to safety out of a burning Arab house? Apartheid, right!!

    Reply
    • May 18, 2011 at 6:47 pm
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      Feel free to spread them…the main stream media only shows violence not real living.
      The new Honestreporting Video about Jerusaelm, Media Myth of Two Cities is very good too.

      Reply

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