Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 3:26 PM
Subject: Fw: Re-writing Middle East History
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 3:14 PM
Subject: Re-writing Middle East History
Canada Palestine Association
P,O,Box 1085
Halifax, NS., B3J 2X1
Tel: 902 429 9100
The Producer,
"This Morning"
CBC Radio
8 Dec. 2000
Dear Sir/Madam
I heard, today on "This Morning" program, Ms. Shelagh Rogers
interviewing Mr. Simon Rosenblum, of the "Canadian Jewish Congress" and Dr.
Gabor Mate', member of "Canadians for a Just Peace".
Dr. Mate', a man of conscience and integrity, spoke as a Jew
who cares for justice and humanity and answered many of the falsehoods that
Israel and its unquestioning supporters, like Mr. Rosenblum,
continue to propagate. One of these was again put
forward by Mr. Rosenblum and must be corrected. This is the
statement that, in June 1967, Israel was threatened by Arab armies and its
attack against Egypt and invasion of The Sinai was a 'preventive war' , as
President Nasser was planning to attack Israel. This is a total falsehood, to
use a euphemism, and I will let Israel's own leaders' words tell it as it
was.
General Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's Chief of
Staff at the time, stated: " 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" {Le Monde, Feb. 28,
1968}.
Mr. Levi Eshkol, Israel's Prime Minister at
the time, stated : " The Egyptian layout in The Sinai and the general build up
there testified to a military defensive Egyptian set-up, south of Israel" {
reported in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, Oct.18,
1967}.
Mr. Menachem Begin, when he was Prime
Minister, addressing Israel's National Defence College, on Aug. 8, 1982, stated
:{ in June 1967, we again had a choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in The
Sinai did not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest
with ourselves. We decided to attack him" { The New York Times,
Aug. 21, 1982}. Perhaps Mr. Rosenblum should heed Mr. Begin's
advice.
As to the story of extermination, Mr. Mordechai
Bentov, cabinet minister at the time of the 1967 war, stated :" All
this story of extermination has been a complete invention and has been blown up
aposteriori to justify the annexation of new Arab territories".
{Alhamishmar, 14 April
1972}.
This tells it all, as to who planned and committed this war of
aggression in June 1967. I believe your listeners are entitled and deserve to
know the facts.
Finally, if we are to have peace in the Middle East, as Dr.
Mate' said, Israel must comply with international law and Security Council
resolutions and withdraw completely from all the illegally
occupied territories including the Wset Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the
Syrian Golan Heights and dismantle all the settlements, which
are illegal. There is no need for negotiation or bargaining. This is the policy
that was adopted with Iraqi illegal occupation of Kuwait.
Thank you for your attention, and I would be happy to speak on
this subject.
Yours sincerely
Ismail Zayid, MD.
President, Canada Palestine Association.