Did Zionists Ethnically Cleanse the Palestinians?
The Arab population between the river and the sea has only increased since the advent of Zionism, and Palestinian national identity has only grown stronger. In reality, anti-Zionists strive to “replace” Jewish national identity.
As Jewish immigrants settled in the British Mandate for Palestine between World War I and World War II, so did Arab immigrants from surrounding areas. The Arab population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea more than doubled during that time period. Because these two peoples – Jews and Palestinian Arabs – developed their own national movements, in 1947, the United Nations General Assembly suggested a partition of the land based on population. The Palestinian Arab leaders rejected the plan and started a war. This pattern has continued ever since. Nothing about Zionism necessitates the “erasure” of the Palestinians, nor does it preclude creating a Palestinian state.
A common misconception spread by anti-Israel activists is that Israel was born in “original sin” — that well-armed and affluent Jews stole land en masse from a defenseless and peaceful “native” Arab population.
This is what many Palestinians and anti-Israel activists call the Nakba, an Arabic term that means “catastrophe.” This claim does not hold up to scrutiny.
Despite this blatant inaccuracy, three major variations of the Nakba myth are propagated on social media and appear on campus during Israeli Apartheid Week.
Disappearing Maps:
A common version of the Nakba myth exists in the form of the “Disappearing Palestine” map which shows a large area in green labeled as “Palestine”, misleading folks into believing that a sovereign Palestinian Arab state existed in 1946 that has eroded over the last 77 years.
This is simply untrue. Read more.
The War of 1948 and Accusations of Ethnic Cleansing:
Though the Palestinian narrative that Israel’s existence came at the expense of a native Palestinian population is widely accepted by many Europeans and an increasing number of “progressive” Americans, it is nonetheless wrong and contradicts basic historical facts.
Israel was not born in original sin – with a few justified exceptions, there were no expulsions (for one of the justified expulsions, Lydda and Ramle, click here), nor was there any policy of harming innocents. Read more.
Claims of the Ongoing Genocide of Palestinians:
Israel is often falsely accused of deliberately killing and displacing Palestinians.
In truth, Israel is fighting a war against terrorists that place the lives of Palestinian civilians at risk to advance their true cause: the forced removal and murder of Jewish people by any means necessary.
Hear the rallying cry of even their “moderate” leaders.
The Use of Human Shields:
In seeking the destruction of Israel, Palestinian leaders direct terrorists to hide amongst civilians. In Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists fire rockets into Israel, stockpile weapons, and orchestrate acts of terror from homes, schools, and hospitals. They place civilians in harm’s way to put Israel in a moral dilemma. Do Israeli forces proceed to take out the target and risk the lives of innocent people, or do they hold back and allow the terrorists to continue to operate with impunity?
Read more about Hamas’s human shields.
Pay for Slay:
The Palestinian Authority (PA), the alleged “moderate” party in bilateral negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, openly incentivizes and funds terrorism through the “Pay to Slay” program.
The PA awards millions of dollars to the families of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned or killed, who successfully murder or injure Israelis.
Read more about “Pay for Slay”.
