From:  Voices United For Israel
To:       heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject:  The Many States of Palestine


----- From The National Unity Coalition for Israel
Phone 913 432 7900      FAX 913 432 7997
Email voicesunited@mindspring.com    Web Israel-unitycoalition.com

THE MANY STATES OF PALESTINE

Elwood McQuaid

An early Zionist leader was fond of speaking of the land that was to
become Israel as "a land without a people for a people without a
land." Although his observation was in large measure accurate, 'it
was not quite the whole of the reality that would become the Jewish
experience when they returned to the land of their fathers. There was
an Arab presence that would prove to be a thorn in the side of the
emerging nation.

The resulting conflict, and particularly the furor caused over the
establishment of an independent state of Palestine, has been a
contentious and, to say the least, divisive issue throughout the
entire existence of the State of Israel. It is not a question of
whether there will be a state of Palestine, but what nature and
direction that state will take once it is fully established, Will it
become a good neighbor to Israel? Or will Palestinians use it as a
launching pad for what they hope will be the final annihilation of
the Jewish state?

Why "Palestine"?

The Romans, who ruled the ancient Mediterranean world two thousand
years ago, co ined the word originally. Palestine was adapted from the
name of the Philistines , who occupied parts of the region as hostile
contemporaries of ancient Israel. Some historians believe that the
Romans chose the name as a way of erasing the, memory of the
Jewishpeople and their association with the land. The Roman
historian, Herodotus, was the first to mention the name. He called it "the
Philistine Syria." Subsequently, the name was shortened to
"Palestina," hence Palestine.

The "Christian" Crusaders employed the word to refer to the general
area that had been known since the fourth century as the "three
Palestines." After the fall of the crusader kingdom, Palestine was no
longer an official designation, The name, however, continued to be
used informally for the lands on both sides of the Jordan River.

When the Ottoman Turks, who were non-Arabs but religious Muslims, took
over the area, they ruled for approximately 400 years. Under Ottoman
rule, Palestine was never an administrative unit. It was part of the
province of Syria.

That situation prevailed until the Ottoman Empire fell, and, in 1922,
the British, who had received the Mandate over Palestine from the
League of Nations, restr icted the application of the name to the area
west of the Jordan River. The land east of the river became known as
Transjordan, which in 1946 became the Kingdom of Jordan.

In the end, the name Palestine was restricted to the portion west of
the Jordan River now known as Israel. This historical information is
important when approac hing the problem of establishing a Palestinian
state because, in so doing, a completely new national entity is being
formed. Contrary to current claims by the Palestinians, there has
never in the past been an Arab state of Palestine.

Mr. David Bar-Illan, former Executive Editor of the Jerusalem Post,
addressed th e subject in an article first published in November 1998
in the Los Angeles Times. He wrote,

In a recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Yasser
Arafat talked of "the need to realize justice for the Palestinian
people, to restore their international status and their seat in the
United Nations." He referred to "our cou ntry, Palestine" and
expressed the hope that it would be "restored its freedom."

The meaning of this message is clear: Palestine is a country that
belonged to th e Palestinians until it was invaded and usurped by the
Jews. Jerusalem was the Palestinian capital now being Judaized by
Israel. Justice will be served only if the Palestinians are allowed to
re-establish their sovereignty in it,

That all this is unadulterated fiction has not prevented many
governments from accepting it, Nor has it deterred pundits from
upbraiding Israel for failing to " give back" Palestinian land.

In fact, there never has been a state called Palestine, nor have the
Palestinian Arabs ever been an independent people, and Jerusalem
never has been an Arab or Muslim capital. Jerusalem has had an
absolute Jewish majority for more than a century (and a plurality
before that), and for the last 3,000 years, only the Jewish people
have called it their capital-To inveigh against "Judaizing" Jerusalem
is like protesting the Arabization of Cario',

Who Are the Palestinians?

The word Palestinian, as commonly employed today, is of relatively
recent vintage. Until the end of the British Mandate over Palestine
in 1948, all inhabitants of the area west of the Jordan River were
known as Palestinians. In other words, a Jewish person living in what
is now Israel was referred to as a "Palestinian
Jew." An Arab living in the same area was a "Palestinian Arab."
Likewise, a Christian was known as a "Palestinian Christian." It was
as simple as that.

Palestine ceased to exist as a legal entity after 1948, when Britain
gave up the Mandate and Israel became a modern state. For their part,
the Palestinians joined the rest of the Arab world in rejecting the
UN Partition Plan of 1947 and moved to destroy the fledgling State of
Israel. After failing to do so, and following five attempts to wipe out the Jewish
state, the Palestinians decided to change their tactics, if not their
final goal, and begin negotiating with Israel.

The Right of Prior Claim

Palestinian leaders settled on a rather ingenious plan that sprang
from the idea that, as "Palestinians," they had a legitimate prior
claim to the Holy Land. The very name they assumed as their
birthright seemed to many to legitimatize their claim. They were
willing to go so far as to say that Jews had no ancient presence in
the land or on the Temple Mount that predated the Arab Palestinians.
Yasser Arafat added insult to injury by claiming that his people, not
Jews, were the original brethren and followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
Indeed, he claimed that Jesus was a freedom fighter against the
Romans, just as he himself was a freedom fighter attempting to break
the hold of the Israelis on his people. As bizarre as this scenario seems to
those who are biblically and historically literate, these
preposterous claims reportedly received a standing ovation before 400
certified journalists in a speech Arafat ma de in Geneva, Switzerland.

Thus, they argue, this being the case, the Palestinians have the
right, not only to a state, but also to Jerusalem as their capital city.

The Many States of Palestine

In the beginning, the strategy of the Arab world and the Palestinians
was very s imple: Destroy those pestiferous Zionists and drive them
into the sea. It did not appear to be a problem. After all, millions
of hostile Arabs surrounded a tiny state no larger than New Jersey in
the United States. In spite of numerical superiority, however, they
were not successful. Although Israel paid a very high price for its
survival, it remained intact as a sovereign nation.

Phase two then became the negotiation track. First, it was to be a
Palestinian s tate back to the 1967 armistice lines. Then, Arafat's
stated goal was to push Is rael back to the 1948 lines. All the while,
Arafat and his cohorts were assuring the Arab world that this was
only a tactical maneuver-first'67, then '48, then, for the Zionist
Jews, the Mediterranean. It seemed for a time that this would work,
with "land for peace" platitudes flying like kites in the wind.
And, indeed , Israel was conceding land that it could not afford to
give away-. For the Pale stinians,however, it was real progress, for
all they needed was a bit of patienc e and they would have their way,
A little piece here, a little piece there, and soon they would have it
all. In fact, 98 percent of all Arabs on the West Bank a nd in Gaza
are today under Palestinian control.

But, encouraged by steadfast friends in the U.S. State Department and
the Europe an community, they would not stop at attempting to consume
Israel a piece at a t ime. Yasser Arafat turned back the clock and, in
an act of feigned magnanimity, decided to accept UN resolution 181,
which was the original Partition of Palesti ne adopted in 1947 but
soundly rejected by Palestinians and the world of Islam. Presently,
they stand to gain a further dissecting of little Israel into six sma
ll portions three for Israel and three for the Palestinians-with
Jerusalem becom ing an international city controlled by benevolent
Gentiles, The Europeans loved the idea, Israel, as we would expect,
was revulsed and legitimatel cited irrevocable facts on the ground.

But this was not the last word. Retreating again to the UN decisions
of 1948, the Palestinians then championed the Arab "Right of Return,"
embodied in UN resolution 194, dated December 11, 1948, which
states:"[The General Assembly resolves that the refugees wishing to
return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors should be
permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date."

Such a return would mean that one to two million Palestinian
"refugees," by Arab estimates, would have the right to move into
Israel proper-that is, the portion left after the dissection of the
Jewish state. The Palestinians and their apolo
gists are willing to forget at least two things. First, they
unanimously rejecte d this resolution when it was originally,
offered; and second, there is no mention of the right of
return for Jews expelled from Arab countries after 1948.

The Israeli position is that if Arab "refugees are to be
compensated,as Israelis have agreed should be the case, for the loss
of property, then Jews expelled from Arab countries are entitled to
the same treatment, It seems to have slipped through the cracks in
the minds of Western negotiators that, while half a million Arabs
were displaced after the 1948 and 1967 conflicts, eight hundred
thousand Jews were driven out of Arab lands at the same time,
suffering the loss of homes , businesses, and bank accounts. Fair is
fair, and if Israel is to compensate Ar abs, then Arabs are obligated
to return the favor.

Implications

Resident in all of these issues are immense pcroptic implications. As
I write, N ATO is involved in a "humanitarian mission" in the Balkans.
In the process, they have alienated the Russians, the Yugoslavians,
the Chinese, and a host of nations too numerous to mention. Where
does this leave us?

The leaders of NATO (the Western European Alliance) are inferring that
they plan to extend their "humanitarian" intrusions beyond the borders of
Western Euorpe Where will they go? Certainly not to China or Russia,
or Sudan. The only vunerable region that seems to hold out a promise
for success is the Middle East. Indeed, the Clinton administrations
has declared that Israel is the next target for the exercise of U.S.
"peacekeeping" skills. Why should we expect any different. After all,
Israel is a friend, and America has been very good at chastising its
friends lately. A primary aim, of course, is to create some sort of legacy for
an administration that is running out of opportunities. The question
is, given the perceptible American and European tilt toward the
Palestinians, will the rush toward a time-constrained solution only
make our staunch ally Israel more vulnerable. And, if Israel opposes
excessive demants for more than she can give and survive, is the
specter of the entrance of a NATO "humanitarian" force a real possibility.

In recent days, we have seen the American flag burned and U.S.
embassies in the Balkans, Russia, and China pelted with rocks, paint,
and assorted hand-thron mis siles. We are rapidly gaining the
reputation of being a pariah nation in many pa rts of the world. Are
these events diminishing the role of the United States as a respected
world leader? Are the conflicts in Europe and elsewhere sapping our
economic and military resources to the point that we will be forced
into the pos ition of a follower, also-ran nation? Only time will
tell. What we must understa nd is that is is time for those with a
concern for Israel and America to strengthen the bond of our
determination to make a difference. We can do it.

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From:          Michael Devaney
To:              heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject:     Burned Synagogues

I thought you might find this account of response ot one congregation
interesting. Please use it as you see fit.

Thanks.
Michael Devaney
Cincinnati, OH

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm sure that most of you have heard about how three synagogues in my
home of Sacramento, CA were firebombed early Friday morning and
perhaps you have  heard about the pains of despair that so many Jews
around the country are feeling. And, of course, these feelings run
even stronger among those of us who are members of one of the temples.

I have been a member of Congregation B'nai Israel for the past 17
years. This is our 150th anniversary. We are the oldest congregation
West of the Mississippi.

All day yesterday [Friday] members of our temple (as Jewish
Congregations go, we're on the large side with 900 families) phoned
each other seeking news about how bad it really was, etc. Since we
were not allowed anywhere near the site.

Was this the beginning of another reign of terror for us? Was this
another Kristalnacht?

We talked about how this could happen in America?  What have we
done? Why do they (still) hate us so much? Aren't we good members of
the community? We volunteer for local services and donate funds to
good civic causes. All we ask is to be allowed to worship the way we
wish and to be allowed to keep our culture alive in our own homes and
temples. We don't seek converts.

It is not a "we're better than you are," or "God loves us more than
you." All we ask is that we be allowed to live in peace, brotherhood,
and safety within the dominant Christian community. We don't want to
bother or threaten the dominant community. Just allow us to "to be."
Is that so hard?

And on one night, in my hometown, they firebombed three of our
temples. Not in New York, or LA But here. They must live here. Who
would come in from out of town to our small City and our small Jewish
congregation? It must be local people, and if so, why? We don't bother
anyone.

We heard via our phone tree as well as the local media, that our
Weekly Friday Sabbath service would be held in the 2,000 seat
Community Theatre. I wasn't going to go at first. I'm not religious
and don't often go to Friday night services.  However I thought that
someone should be there to "stand up" to the terrorists who would
attempt to rend and destroy us.  Even though it was announced that
everyone (Jew/non-Jew) was invited (this is normal for Reform
congregations) I figured that there would only be 150 or 250 people
there, enough to fill up a few rows in the huge theatre, which has two
balconies.

When I arrived I was totally surprised.  Eighteen hundred people from
all over our community, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, Hare Krishna's,
and members from every sect of the Protestant community was there.
There were members from black churches, gay churches, Asian churches,
as well as atheists, agnostics, and some of the followers of so-called
"new age" spiritual leaders. There were ministers, bishops, city
council members, the police chief, the FBI, ATF, and representatives
from the state legislature and governors office. Never have I seen
such an outpouring of grief and concern from the community ... for
Jews.

One of the most touching groups was the Methodists. It seems they were
having large convention here in Sacramento. And when they heard about
the bombings, many decided they wanted to pray with us. And so there
were hundreds of them all wearing their convention badges. And they
circulated through the waiting crowd explaining who they were and why
they were there. What a wonderfully kind thing to do.

A Reform Jewish Friday night service is not what you might expect. It
is not solemn and "dignified." It is the "Celebration of the Sabbath"
Where workday thoughts are put aside and the hearts of the parents
turn toward the children and the hearts of the children turn to the
parents. We sing, clap hands, say prayers, listen to the Rabbi and
Cantor (who leads the music) banter with each other, and of course
hear a sermon, often filled with humor. It is a happy service.... and
usually short.

But who could be happy? Our house of worship had been torched. Our
Entire library of 5,000 books was gone. Yet our Rabbi told us that we
must persevere and that to not celebrate the Sabbath would be exactly
what the terrorists would hope to achieve. And so we went on with our
service.

There were a number of speakers from our congregation and from the
community. All were inspirational and devoid of the kind of sorrow,
sadness, grief, or anger that you might expect. Our previous Rabbi,
now retired, who served us for 22 years, flew in from Phoenix and
reminded us that "we are the JEWISH people and that we have always
survived and we will survive this as well." And we were putting on a
brave front. We laughed, we sang, we applauded, we said the ancient
prayers. We held up the best we could.

Then something happened that I will never forget.  Seated on the stage
(known as a bema (bee-mah) in Hebrew... alter) were a number of our
Temple's officers, as well as some of the "dignitaries" from the city.
There was one very attractive blonde woman whom no one seemed to
recognize. I heard the "buzz" of "who is that woman and why is she
there. Toward the middle of the service our Rabbi said he wanted to
introduce us to a Rev. Faith Whitmore and she got up and went to the
podium. She was either the local, or regional head of the United
Methodist Church, who was having their convention. And she spoke
briefly about how appalled she was and her brethren were about these
incidents. We've heard it before. From the Pope on down, all through
the years its been "Gee, sorry for the Holocaust but there's nothing I
could have done about it."

She reached into her suit coat and took out a piece of paper. "I want
you to know that this afternoon we took a special offering of our
members to help you rebuild your temple and we want you to have this
check for six thousand Dollars." For two seconds there was absolute
dead quiet. We were astounded. Did we hear this correctly? Christians
are going to do this? On the third second the hall shook with a
thunderous applause. I've Never heard applause like that before. And
it went on for two minutes. And then people broke into tears. Me too.
It was like all of the emotion of the day and evening poured out in
those few minutes. Those in my parent's generation were dumbfounded.
Who ever heard of Gentiles caring about Jews? The idea of a Gentile
coming up to a Jew and saying
 "I want you to know how sorry I am" was beyond the ability of many of
our members to cope. And I have to admit that I too, the old
curmudgeon that I am, felt so much emotional gratitude for these
lovely people, who were not even part of our community or city.

As Rev. Whitmore gave the check to the Rabbi and hugged him, it was
one. Of the most emotional moments I've ever been witness to. In my
entire Lifetime I've never known an organized Christian denomination
to officially do anything "nice" for a Jewish congregation. Our
congregation, some 1100 of us stood with tears in our eyes. Christians
who for centuries sent the Cossacks to pillage our towns, who put us
through their  Inquisitions, who burned Us at the stake as heretics,
who expelled us  from their countries, who Locked us away in tiny
shtetls (shtet-ell... a  poor Jewish town like in  Fiddler on the
Roof), who eagerly turned us  into the Nazi SS, and who ran the
trains, who produced the poison gas, or just "knew" about the greatest
human tragedy of this century... were doing something good for a Jew.
Nothing in my life prepared me for that. It's one thing to say "I'm sorry, it's too bad,"
but it is quite another to put $6,000 behind it and not even be from
the community!!!

When this is all behind me, I'm going to find out who the head
Methodist deacon, pope, minister, or whatever he/she is called, get
the address and write a warm thank-you letter... as will every member
of our congregation. The evening closed with a final hymn and we all
went home feeling a bit better. It didn't really hit me until this
afternoon [Saturday] when I drove down to the temple (about 20 miles
from my home) and saw the charred remains of the library wing. The
place was swarming with ATF, FBI and other agents, collecting
materials for the investigations. One ATF agent said that this is
being classified as an "act of domestic terrorism" and has been given
the highest priority. When you see the destruction of something that
was "yours," something you helped build, and something you were proud
of, it hits you. The depression is awesome. It is just awesome.

Why here? Why us? Why me? I'm sure there are answers, but I don't have
them at the moment. The only answer I do have is that we must pick
ourselves up as a congregation and community (there were two other
temples also heavily damaged) and move on. They can't beat us. We ARE
the Jewish people. We were here 5,000 years ago, and we will be here
5,000 years from today. I'm going to end by doing something that may
upset some of you. I'm going to call in whatever markers I might have.
I've been writing A Saturday Rant for you for over four years now.
I've contributed to the dialectic of the industry and have tried to be
a force of positive change. In public I have done what I think has
been right and for the best in our sector of the industry. In private,
as some of you know, I give as much help and advice as I can to new
publishers. I've always been honest with you and while I've made
mistakes, on the whole I think I have been a good citizen of the
industry and our small press community.

We lost our ENTIRE 5,000 volume library. I saw it. It was soot. Not
even a page remained. Nothing. It was a wonderful library of Jewish
oriented books and films. It was a treasure of our congregation and it
was used by hundreds of our members, especially the young people. In
our community, mothers took their children to the Temple library as
much as they took their children to the public library. It was part of
"what we do." Our books and videos were one of the ways we
"socialized" our young people into our culture.  And it works. We
don't have a very high incidence of crime, substance abuse, or
academic problems with our young people. We expect a lot from them and
we make sure they have the tools and opportunities not to disappoint
us.

If you could find it in your heart to send a check for a dollar or two
(five, ten, or whatever is in your heart) for our library fund, it
would be what we call a mitzvah (a good deed.)  I told our Rabbi that
I would ask every publisher in America through my Saturday Rant for a
small contribution. You probably won't get any recognition or even a
formal thank-you. But as a publisher you of all people should know
what the loss of a library means to we who are known as "the people of
the book."

If this is something you could do, please make out a check to
Congregation B'nai Israel and send it to me at Adams-Blake Publishing,
8041 Sierra Street, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. I will see that it gets to
the right people.

One final request. Would all of you post this to any other private
lists you are on? I have to heal as much as everyone else... and I
have a lot of work to do this summer... not only in my business but to
help rebuild our temple and community. They have not beaten us. As our
Torah teaches us..."And this too shall pass."

And as the final benediction to every one of our services reads "May
The Lord bless you, and keep you, and give you peace."

Alan N. Canton Vice  President Adams-Blake Publishing abpub@ns.net
============================================================= Tzemach
Institute for Biblical Studies Lee Underwood
     fyi@tzemach.org

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