The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
I have just finished reading Ilan Pappé’s book The Ethnic
Cleansing of Palestine (2006) https://oneworld-publications.com/work/the-ethnic-cleansing-of-palestine/
. It is a horrific tale.
Pappé is an Israeli political scientist and Professor of
History at the University of Exeter in the UK. The book painstakingly documents
the systematic displacement of the Palestinians during the 1948 war under the
rationale that it was necessary for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish
state. Despite the public rhetoric that the flight of the Palestinians was
largely voluntary, he reveals the covert preplanning for the ethnic cleansing
of Palestine, implemented by David Ben-Gurion and a group of advisors referred
to as "the Consultancy". The campaign achieved expulsions and
destruction of about 500 Arab villages, including a number of terrorist attacks
on the civilian population.
The book is controversial, critiqued by a few as biased or
incomplete or inadequately documented, while praised by many others as “a most
important and daring book that challenges head-on Israeli historiography."
[9]
Laila Parsons of McGill University wrote "Ilan Pappe has added another
work to the many that have already been written in English on the 1948
Arab–Israeli War and the expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians from their
homes… All but one of these authors (Morris) would probably agree with Pappe’s
position that what happened to the Palestinians in 1948 fits the definition of
ethnic cleansing, and it certainly is not news to Palestinians themselves, who
have always known what happened to them."[12]
(All quotes from Wikipedia.)
Israel on the Brink
Pappé’s newest book, Israel on the Brink / And the Eight
Revolutions that Could Lead to Decolonization and Coexistence (2025) argues
that the state of Israel is fracturing and failing. “7 October and Israel’s
subsequent invasion of Gaza laid bare the cracks in its foundations. It was
unveiled as a country unable to protect its citizens, divided between messianic
theocrats and selective liberals, resented by its neighbors and losing the
support of Jews worldwide. While its leaders justify bombing campaigns exceeding
the worst atrocities of World War 2 and a spiraling humanitarian catastrophe in
the Gaza Strip, Israel is becoming a pariah state. Its worst enemy is not
Hamas, but itself.” Pappé outlines his vision for a path toward reconciliation
and peace “rooted in restorative justice and decolonization, including the
return of refugees, the end of illegal settlements, and building bridges with
the Arab world.” https://oneworld-publications.com/work/israel-on-the-brink/
I have not yet read the book, but in my humble view, the
two-state strategy recognizing and strengthening the State of Palestine
increases Palestinian leverage in negotiations and is a practical stepping
stone toward this future reconciliation and nonsectarian, democratic state
“from the river to the sea.”
And on a parallel theme, here is a YouTube video
illustrating and explaining the collapsing state of Israel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&app=desktop&v=B1jirEhKSg8&pp=QACIAgE%3D&rco=1
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