From: Ismail Zayid
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 2:29 PM
Subject: Re-writing History.
 
Oct. 31, 2001
 
The Editor
The Halifax Herald
 
Dear Editor:
 
Nathan Fishman's letter { "Logic Deficient" Oct. 31} is a litany of falsehoods, mythology and re-writing of history.
 
Today's Palestinians are the descendents of the Canaanites, Jebusites, Philistines and other tribes that lived in the historic land of Palestine since history began.  The late Professor Maxime Rodinson, who is Jewish and was then Professor of History at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, wrote in 1968: " The Arab population of Palestine was native in all the senses of the word and their roots in Palestine can be traced back to at least forty centuries." The British writer and historian, H.G.Wells, wrote, in 1920 in reference to the Balfour Declaration, : " If it is proper to 'reconstitute' a Jewish state which has not existed for two thousand years, why not go back another two thousand years and reconstitute the Canaanite state? The Canaanites, unlike the Jews, are still there." The famous British historian, Professor Arnold toynbee, stated, again in reference to the Balfour Declaration, : " We [the British] were taking it upon ourselves to give away something that was not ours to give. We were promising rights of some kind in the Palestinian Arab's country to a third party." The well known Jewish writer, Arthur Koestler, stated, in reference to the Balfour declaration, " One nation promised a second the country of a third."
 
The Hebrew tribes came to the Land of Canaan as invaders and were driven out by other invaders, the Romans. The historic land of Palestine has been invaded and occupied by many other invaders, including the Greeks, the Persians, the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Crusaders, the Turks and the British. None of them has any legitimate claims to Palestine. In the Muslim conquest of Palestine, in 638 A.D., there was no replacement of the existing population. Most of the indigenous population chose to adopt the Islamic faith, while others remained as Jews or Christians.
 
As to the Jewish settlers, in the illegally occupied territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, they are living on Palestinian land illegally expropriated by Israel in defiance of Security Council resolutions and The Fourth Geneva Convention.
 
I think it behoves us all to reflect on history correctly.
 
Yours sincerely
Ismail Zayid, MD.
http://izayid.tripod.com