26. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE ZIONIST STATE.
The idea for a Jewish homeland was first introduced by the Austrian Jew Theodor Herzl away back in the 1890's. Anti-Semitism was rife in Europe at the time and also the Dreyfus affair in France, when a Jewish high ranking officer was false accused of espionage and subsequently sent to Devils Island (but later released and exonerated) contributed to the call for a Jewish homeland. Initially several countries had been suggested, amongst others Argentine, Mozambique. Uganda was proposed by Joseph Chamberlain in 1903, but was defeated by 295 against 175 with 99 abstentions at the 6th Zionist Congress also in 1903.
The 1917 Balfour Declaration it was determined that Palestine should be the future "homeland" for the Jews, but at the same guaranteeing the rights for also the Palestinian population. Peaceful co-existence was to be preserved. It was agreed that nothing should be done that could be detrimental to the other communities in Palestine. It was to be a National Home for the Jews, contrary to a Jewish (Zionist) dominated "state". Churchill commented (quote):to all inhabitants of this country (Palestine) without distinction of race and and religion - non Jewish inhabitants should not suffer the consequences"
Round the mid 19th century there were already a handful of Jews living in Palestine in peaceful co-existence with their Arab neighbours. In the beginning of the last century half a million Arabs lived in Palestine and 65,000 Jews (13%).
At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference at the conclusion of WW 1 it was decided that Palestine would become a British Mandate. (after the demise of the Ottoman Empire).
The Zionist Haganah terror organisation was founded in 1921. Zionists were encouraging Jewish people to emigrate to Palestine. They were mostly from Russia and East European countries, where persecution of Jewish people was worst. Right from its
very beginning Zionists realised that a purely Zionist state could only be achieved by the expulsion of the native Arab population. Weapons were constantly smuggled into the country, during and after WW2 mainly from Russia and East communist countries and a campaign of terror and assassinations began to unfold against both Arabs and British Mandate forces, responsible for maintaining peace and order in the mandate.
In 1922 the Arab population had grown to 750,000 and the Jewish immigrants had grown to nearly 84,000 (+11%). The natural growth of the indigenous Arab population was slightly greater than the influx of Jewish immigrants from abroad.
In 1932 one million Arabs lived in Palestine and + 192,000 Jews (19%) However in 1940Jewish immigrant population had grown to appr. 30% and became of great concern to the indigenous Arabs, who regarded the new immigrants as foreign intruders. (faced with a similar problem here in NZ, we would most certainly feel much the same).
Over the years several proposals were made to create a bi-national, unitary state, which was strongly opposed by the Zionists. The Arabs demanded establishment of democratic institutions; the Zionist a single exclusively Jewish state.
The 1937 Peel Commission report suggested a TWO state proposal, but was by the Zionists regarded as irreconcilable with Jewish aspirations. Zionists strongly resisted partition (as we still see to-day). Anthony Eden stood by the Peel Commissions report and assured Arabs that Jews would not be given any territories exclusive for their own use. The Arabs and British Governments were both strongly against Zionists enterprises. Jewish settlements amounted to colonisation, which was met by strong Arab resistance. Killings and counter killings continued unabated.
In 1939as a result of increased violence between Arabs and immigrant Jews, Britain put a clamp on continued Jewish immigration into Palestine. However clandestine Jewish immigration continued nevertheless for years. The Zionist aim was and still is of course) to gain a Jewish majority and ultimately supremacy by changing the demography in their favour by the forcible expulsion of the native Arabs. Contemporary news media were calling the Haganah an illegal terrorist organisation (because they attacked British troops). British soldiers were constantly searching for illegal weapons, smuggled from abroad, mainly from east European countries.The British government also put a clamp on Jewish land purchases. They reiterated that "Jews and Arabs have to learn to live together".
New Zionists terrorist groups had sprung up. During the early years of WW 2 when Germany was still victorious in Europe, leaders of the Zionist Stern and Irgun Gangs, responsible for some of the most appalling massacres and atrocities carried out against the Arab civilian population from 1947 to 1949 had made unsuccessful attempts to approach Hitler and Musolini requesting them for assistance to defeat the British in the Palestine Mandate.
Both Labour and the Conservatives had no appetite for Jewish statehood. Irgun and Stern Gangs stepped up their terrorists campaigns against British troops in Palestine.
Right from the very beginning there had always been a distinct awareness of Arab resistance against increased Jewish immigration into Palestine and the dire consequences for many generations to come. On 24th July 1946 and in the face of increased violence in the country a British Cabinet Committee proposed to split up Palestine in three areas: 43% British; 40% Arab and 17% Jewish. However Arab proposals for an independent and UNITARY state was favoured by Ernest Bevin, who had been quoted: "Arab hostility to partition would have serious consequences of permanently alienating the Arabs and would be so serious that partition is a desperate remedy" He continued: "Jews never accept partition as final but would keep expanding its frontiers. The existence of a Jewish state might prove a constant factor of unrest in the ME". Albert Einstein himself a Jew who fled Nazi Germany before WW2 also advocated a unitary state where Arabs and Jews would co-exists and live peacefully together and that partition would never work. We know now how right they all were
On the 22 July 1946 members of the Zionist Irgun Gang blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, resulting in many death and wounded. As violence increased by the day, but also due to domestic economic problems in Britain itself, the British on 15 February 1947 handed over the problems of partition to the United Nations. 19 March 1947 Warren Austin (US) also maintained that partition is not possible and will cause continued bloodshed. US Secr. of State C. Marshall warned the Jews not to declare a state of their own.Zionists supported by the Soviets continued to smuggle weapons into Palestine through communist Europe. Zionist ideology believe that the only way to establish a Jewish state is by armed conquest and the forcible expulsion of the native Arab population. The Zionist were biding their time and the various terrorists organisations under leadership of the Haganah had been waiting for the vacuum that was created after the hand over to the United Nations and the subsequent evacuation of British troops from the Mandate in May 1948.
On the 15 May 1948 Ben Gurion for a stunned UN assembly proclaimed prematurely and unilaterally "The State of Israel" sharply clashing with United Nations intentions and objectives. The U.N. partition Resolution 181 (29/11/47) had never been carried out and was ignored by the Zionists. Fighting between Jews and and Arabs which had already been going on for many years, intensified. Neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, faced with a huge economic burden following the the influx of many thousands Palestinians driven from the towns, villages and land came to their aid and invaded the Mandate after the vacuum that had been created by he departure of British troops from the country. Long columns of elderly folks, women and children could be seen, many of them dying by the roadside of exhaustion and dehydration. (crime against humanity). Horrific massacres had been perpetrated by the terrorist gangs Haganah, Irgun and Stern Gangs, later amalgamated into the IDF (Israel Defence Force). Most appalling were those of Dawaymeh and Deir Yassin (see Googles for details). Widespread rape of women and looting of abandoned Arab villages took place between 1947 and 1949.
Please note that at that point in time borders were still not defined. Israel was and to-day is still not a single geographic entity.
Israel was first accepted by the United Nations a year later on 11 May 1949.
The United States called for a three month cease fire and a temporary take over by the U.S., while finding an acceptable solution for both sides. This was rejected by the Zionists. Half the Jewish Council preferred postponement; the other half was prepared to accept the U.S. proposals. United Nations mediator Count Bernadotte proposed an Arab administration for Jerusalem, which was approved by the Zionists. However Bernadotte was subsequently assassinated by members of the Stern Gang.
