Irving
Block's letter, "Davenport shows courage and integrity" of
March 27, displays an extraordinary distortion of history.
The most outrageous concerns destruction of the three villages of Imwas, Yalu and BeitNuba (my own home town), in
June 1967, on orders of Yitzhak Rabin, then chief of staff of the Israeli army. He says the destruction and
expulsion of more than 12,000 inhabitants was "because of military
action." In fact, the villages were occupied without a single shot being
fired, and without military action.
Block speaks
of "Arab wars meant to destroy Israel." A series of wars, in blatant
aggression, since 1948, were initiated by Israel against Arab neighbours,
those of 1956, 1967, 1978, 1982 and 2006. The 1967 war, which brought about the
destruction of the three villages, was planned by Israel, contrary to the statement by
Israeli propaganda, that President Nasser of Egypt was planning to attack Israel. This is a blatant falsehood as
confirmed by the statements of Israel’s leaders at the time.
Yitzhak
Rabin, chief of staff of the Israeli army at the time, stated in Le Monde, Feb.
28, 1968:
"I do not think Nasser
wanted war. The two divisions he sent to the Sinai would not have been
sufficient to launch an offensive war. He knew it and we knew it.".
Menachem
Begin, a cabinet minister in June 1967, stated, while prime minister,
addressing Israel's NationalDefenceCollege, on Aug. 8, 1982: “In June 1967, we again had a
choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai did not prove Nasser was really about to attack us. We
must be honest with our selves. We decided to attack him.”
Block makes
the preposterous statement that the Arabs did not want to create a Palestinian
state, using the pretext of their opposition to the UN Partition plan of Nov.
29, 1947.
The Arabs opposed this resolution because it was unjust. The Palestinian Jews,
at the time, mostly recent and illegal immigrants, constituted 31 per cent of
the population and owned 5.6 per cent of the land in Palestine. Yet this resolution apportioned to
them 56 per cent of the land and to the Palestinians only 42 per cent.
Is
it surprising the Arabs opposed this resolution? Interestingly, Israel's leaders at the time also rejected
the Partition resolution. Menachem Begin, leader of
the Herut party, stated, the day after the passing of
this resolution: "The partition of Palestine is illegal. It will never be
recognized....EretzIsrael will be restored to the people of Israel. All of it.And for ever."
Israel must not be allowed to remain above
international law, and must terminate its illegal occupation of Palestinian and
Syrian land.