Walking in the Mufti's Shoes 2

Orwell may have been silent on the subject of Palestine but other, now virtually forgotten, voices were raised, not just in defence of the Palestinian people but in defence of the Mufti himself.

British missionary and pro-Palestine activist Frances E. Newton made no bones about the fact that it was Britain which propelled the Mufti into Hitler's arms: 

"I am glad to claim the friendship of the much-maligned Hajj Amin el Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. If ever Great Britain had a believer in our good faith it was he. It was only when he realised that the privileged position granted to the Zionists under the Mandate was inimical to Arab interests that he became the recognised leader of the patriotic Arab movement. The Royal Commission exonerated him from inciting the people to open revolt, but held him responsible for not being able to quench the unquenchable spirit of the Arab patriots. His words misinterpreted, his actions misconstrued, goaded into opposition to the policy we were pursuing, regarded as an enemy to be disposed of if found in any land under British influence, he was nowhere safe except among our former enemies, the Italians and the Germans, admittedly a most regrettable refuge - but where did the blame lie?" (Fifty Years in Palestine: The Case for the Arabs, 1948, p 293)

Newton's fellow activist, British journalist and historian JMN Jeffries, who was to Palestine what Orwell was to Spain, here brings his trademark moral clarity and eloquence to bear on the subject of the Mufti:

"There seems little doubt that the Mufti is a man of conspiratorial temperament, and that he may have come to have a hand in the propagation of armed resistance on the soil of Palestine is pretty likely. But the point to be put concerning the Mufti is this. What attitude exactly, and what action, was to be expected of him when it had grown absolutely plain that years upon years of pacific request and remonstration had not succeeded in winning discussion of the charges brought by him and other Arab leaders against the Mandate and its makers, much less the rebuttal of these charges. If he did take to intrigue after years of non-suited appeals and disallowed petitions, and if no reasoned arguments of his had obtained even consideration of the subject of appeal, then who is to judge him? Certainly not men in the high places of governments or Leagues with 20 solid years of intrigues with the Zionists behind them." (Palestine: The Reality, 1939, pp 674-675)

And here is Jeffries on allegations that the Palestinian rebels of 1936-1939 received German weapons:

"If any Arab leaders, or any sections of the people, have cultivated any kind of relations with Powers who are hostile to ourselves or are rivals to ourselves, it has not really been zealous cultivation, but enforced acceptance of the only relations they have been able to obtain. If any insurgents have turned to German gun-runners to obtain rifles, it is because since 1919 no Arab in Palestine has seen anything else (morally always and physically sometimes) but the barrels of our rifles and the immigrant ships coming up from the sea behind them." (ibid p 679)

From Flower to Flower...

"If patient perseverence in pursuit of the object aimed at deserves recognition, then the Zionists deserved the recognition they met with. For with the activity displayed by bees in the high tide of the honey flow, the Zionists contacted with British politicians and flitted from flower to flower gathering pollen as they flew, with the punctilious attention to preliminary detail shown by bees, in preparing the necessary documents for presentation to the British Government." (Frances E. Newton, Fifty Years in Palestine, 1948, p 198)

In my previous post I made a passing reference to the current issue (Vol 2 2012) of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies' newsletter At the Board. While it may be just a glossy 4-page insert in The Australian Jewish News appearing twice a year, if ever you wanted a wide-lens snapshot of the extensive lobbying and networking efforts of the Israel lobby, this is it.

As always in these matters, don't be deceived by the name Jewish Board of Deputies. Its newsletter may be crowded with photos, but there's nary a kippah, let alone a shtreimel in any. No, the NSWJBoD (and its newsletter) is as Zionist as Theodor Herzl (an atheist BTW), and Zionists, who conflate the ancient faith with their modern political ideology, only ever pay lip service to the former, either exploiting elements of it to sell their secular, colonizing project in Palestine to a gullible West ('Jewish' state, 'Jewish' people), or using it as a convenient shield when under attack for their colonial-settler crimes against the indigenous Palestinian people (As NSWJBoD's CEO Vic Alhadeff puts it in his At the Board editorial: "Criticism of Israel blurs into hatred of Jews.").

That defending and selling Israel is primarily what the NSWJBoD is all about is immediately evident: 

Page 1 of At the Board leads with Only a credible threat will deter Iran, an item about the Jerusalem Post's military correspondent telling a rabble of Young Liberals (and at least one Young Labor) and a mob of polliewaffles (Ray Williams MP, Melinda Pavey MLC, Walt Secord MLC, Eric Roozendaal MLC, Tim Owen MP, Minister for Resource & Energy Chris Hartcher MP, Catherine Cusack MLC and Scot Macdonald MLC)* that the Americans (!) should beef up their forces in the Persian Gulf and threaten to attack Iran if it enriches uranium to 20%. [*Names gleaned from the multitude of group photos littering the page.]

Then there's NSW MP mission to Israel, where we learn that the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel will be undertaking a study mission to Israel under the auspices of the NSWJBoD in January 2013, and Advocacy mission to Israel, where we're informed that "a unique mission to Israel is being planned by the NSWJBoD in conjunction with the Israel-based HonestReporting organisation." 

Turning to page 2, it becomes evident that getting academics on board is also a part of NSWJBoD's work, and what a wonderful opportunity to regale them with tales of Israel's scientific and technological derring do (See my 26/10/11 post Sucked in at Sydney University) is provided by Passover: In  A first for academics, we learn that "80 senior academics from all 5 Sydney universities joined 20 Jewish leaders at an unprecedented Passover dinner at the University of NSW... organised by the NSWJBoD."

As for our state politicians, that deliberate take on American Independence Day, Israel Independence Day, provides a wonderful opportunity for ringing declarations of love for Israel (mere terms of endearment are apparently no longer good enough!): In Ties stronger than ever we learn that NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell addressed "550 leaders of NSW" at an "Israel Independence Day cocktail event," where he "reaffirmed his government's unwavering commitment to Israel and announced a review of the state's racial vilification legislation." A mega event this one, and so the NSWJBoD teamed up with the Zionist Council of NSW, ECAJ, and the Zionist Federation of Australia to bring it off.

[Let me run that past you again: Barry O'Farrell REAFFIRMED HIS GOVERNMENT'S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO ISRAEL. Keep in mind that this is Barry O'Farrell, not Barry Obama, that this is state, not federal, politics, and that this US-style nonsense has gone  unreported in the Australian ms media!]

Finally, tucked away in the lower right corner of the newsletter is an item headlined Students explore cultures. It's accompanied by a photo of two female students from Emanuel School* and a student from Auburn Girls High wearing a hijab: "600 students came together to share their cultural differences at the Board of Deputies' Youth Encounters and Respect Understanding and Acceptance programs." [*Given that Emanuel School is described on its website as "a Jewish Community School that nurtures a commitment to Jewish community, heritage, ethical living and the State of Israel," one can only speculate as to whether the proverbial elephant-in-the-room put in an appearance.]

Now selling Israel to Australian politicians is obviously easier than selling it to the general public. A sponsored trip to Israel, a fundraiser or two, or donations to party coffers* can usually do the trick (See, for example, my posts The Best Israel Policy Money Can Buy (22/6/10) and Julia Irwin Spills the Beans (11/8/10)), but for the wider community, especially the Christians and Muslims among them, interfaith and other joint functions can be used to normalise Israeli colonization and apartheid. If the matter doesn't arise, then the NSWJBoD can pass as stirling advocates of multicultural harmony and religious tolerance: if it does, then it can be spun as a religious issue, requiring a degree of understanding and tolerance on the part of the function's Arab Muslim participants, or maybe portrayed as too divisive an issue to be raised in a harmonious, multicultural Australia:

The banner heading for page 3 reads: Sharing cultures, values and foods. The text which follows informs us that: "The Jewish community has been involved in numerous outreach endeavours in recent weeks. These include a Shabbat dinner with leaders of the the Chinese community; a Jewish-Muslim cooking project; a Shabbat dinner with 50 Young Labor leaders; a Jewish-Muslim young executive forum; and the Abraham Conference, which brings together Christian, Muslim and Jewish representatives. All were organised by the Board of Deputies in conjunction with partner organisations."

[Oh to have been a fly on the wall at the Young Labor Shabbat dinner, which apparently (according to a J-Wire account (29/4) brought Young Labor's movers and shakers together with members of the Australian Union of Jewish Students. We learn that the attendees were addressed by Eric Rozendaal MLC: Did he, I wonder, reprise his performance in the Legislative Council last year, where he described BDS as "sinister" and muttered darkly about Max Brenner boycotts recalling Germany in the thirties?]

At the bottom of the page is a message from NSWJBoD president Yair Miller in which he invites his readers to "sign up to take a Talking About Israel course."

Page 4 leads with an item on Parliamentary Friends of Israel. We are reminded that "The PFoI group was relaunched with a major function at State Parliament House. Premier Barry O'Farrell MP, Opposition Leader John Robertson MP and Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem addressed the event, which was attended by representatives of 6 political parties."

Next comes Lunch with opinion-makers, about the JBoD Luncheon Club which brought together such political and media luminaries as Victor Dominelli MP (Minister for Communities), Mike Kelly MP (Parliamentary Secretary for Defence), Walt Secord (Labor MLC), Clive Mathieson (Editor of The Australian), Imre Salusinszky (journalist for The Australian), Julie Bishop MP (Shadow Foreign Minister), Jeremy Buckingham (Greens MLC), Max Phillips (Marrickville Greens councillor and Buckingham offsider), and Robert Borsak (Shooters & Fishers Party MLC). You'll note the presence there of the Israel lobby's allies in the Murdoch press and its new Greens recruits.

And last, but by no means least, we have a word from the NSWJBoD's CEO Vic Alhadeff, darkly warning that "Criticism of Israel blurs into hatred of Jews."

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies: Busy bees indeed.

[*For example, in 2001 Frank Lowy donated $300,000 each to the Coalition and Labor; Richard Pratt $218,000 to the Coalition and $125,000 to Labor; and Harry Triguboff $278,000 to the Coalition and $107,000 to Labor. (Cited in Jews & Australian Politics, Levey & Mendes, 2004, p 139)]

Making Deserts Bloom 2

The following report should be compulsory reading for Christians at this time of year. Astonishingly, too many need reminding that the Zionist Grinch is stealing Christmas, dunum by dunum:

"If Joseph and Mary were making their way to Bethlehem today, the Christmas story would be little different, says Father Ibrahim Shomali, a parish priest in the town. The couple would struggle to get into the city, let alone find a hotel room. 'If Jesus were to come this year, Bethlehem would be closed', says the priest of Bethlehem's Beit Jala parish. 'He would either have to be born at a checkpoint or at the separation wall. Mary and Joseph would have needed Israeli permission - or to have been tourists. 'This is really the big problem for Palestinians in Bethlehem: what will happen when they close us off completely?'... A strip of Israeli settlements built on 18 square kilometres of what was once northern Bethlehem threatens to cut the city off from its historic twin, Jerusalem... One of the settlements, Har Homa, is built on land where angels are said to have announced the birth of Christ to local shepherds. A narrow corridor of land between Har Homa and another settlement, Gilo, still connects Bethlehem to Jerusalem, but the construction of Givat Hamatos, a settlement announced in October, will fill this in a matter of years." (If Jesus was born today 'Bethlehem would be closed', Phoebe Greenwood, Guardian/SMH, 24/12/11)

But none of this should come as any surprise. From the very moment Lloyd George and Lord Balfour, in a fit of madness, unleashed the Zionist movement on an ill-prepared and unsuspecting Palestine in the 1920's, the malign makeover of the Holy Land proceeded at an unholy pace, with scant regard for the ecology, either environmental or spiritual, of the place - as doughty Christian missionary Frances E. Newton bore witness at the time:

"The [1922] Rutenberg scheme [for the electrification of Palestine] has so far been dealt with from the point of view of its political reaction in the Arab world. But there is another aspect of it which should not be lost sight of. Christendom too has its deeply-rooted interests in Palestine. Are these interests also menaced by the industrialisation of the Holy Land? Admittedly the enterprise is a step forward in the process of developing the amenities of civilised life and has benefited the Arabs as well as the Jews; but this is only a plea in its favour, for, as an Arab quoted in an article which appeared in the Observer some little time ago: 'Man doth not live by bread alone'. Rider Haggard wrote, in a letter to The Times of December 11th, 1917: 'Material progress in general has to justify itself in such cases. It is not enough to show that such and such an undertaking means progress for the beginning of work upon it to be at once licensed. Christians as well as Jews have interests in the Holy Land and, where Palestine is concerned it has, and forever will have, its God-given traditions and its inalienable rights.

"Surely one of these rights claims the safeguarding of sacred sites, the spiritual value of which is a focal point in the life of Christians throughout the world. When a friend of mine pointed out to a prominent Zionist that Christian sentiment was being outraged by the desecration of the shores of the Lake of Galilee as the result of the activities of the Electric Power Station in the Jordan Valley, the answer he received was, 'All development involves vandalism; that is inevitable'.

"The Power Station may be - as is claimed by the Zionists - a great engineering feat; it is none the less a horrible blot on a lovely landscape. It harnesses the waters of the river Yarmuk flowing down from the highlands of Gilead to the east, with those of the Jordan, half way in their courses to the Dead Sea. In the spring, after heavy rains of the winter, and when the melting of the snow on Mount Hermon causes the Jordan to 'overflow its banks all the time of harvest' (ie, in May and June for the region is semi-tropical) more water is available than is required, while, during the later summer months the supply is not sufficient. This called for the erection of a dam where the Jordan flows out of the Lake of Galilee, in order to control the supply from that source; less in the winter, more in the summer.

"When closed in the winter the dam holds up the water thus causing a rise of several feet in the level of the Lake, and the river Jordan loses its character of a swift flowing turbulent stream, and becomes a mere trickle in its almost dry bed, while huge deposits of mud dredged from it top its banks on either side. A modern St. John the Baptist would find himself very much out of place! The rise in the level of the Lake not only causes the inundation of houses by the Lakeside in the town of Tiberius, but also that of not inconsiderable areas round its shores which have for generations been cultivated by Arab peasants.

"When opened in the summer and autumn months, water is drawn from the Lake as required, thus reducing its level and leaving large stretches of hard sunbaked crinkled mud around the shores and, what is more, the lowest level of the dam lies deeper than the bed of the Lake itself, so that - though in its own interests it is not likely to do so - the Company could, if its electrical requirements called for it, drain the Lake dry.

"The alterations in the Lake level affect not only the human population, they bring consternation also among 'the humbler creation', for the fish which, in their multitudes, used to swarm from the Jordan into the Lake for spawning purposes, can no longer do so, and the eggs of those already in the Lake, which are laid in the shallow waters round its edge, become dried up when the water recedes. Arab fishermen have already found their means of earning a livelihood so seriously interfered with that some have given up their craft. It may not be long before the industry hitherto carried on in much the same manner as when, in the days of our Lord, He called His disciples to be 'fishers of men', may disappear altogether.

"It is, therefore, not going too far to say that the 'inevitable vandalism' which accompanies the industrialisation of the land results in the desecration of sites and scenes hallowed by 'those holy feet', which it is surely one of the inalienable rights of Christians to preserve." (Fifty Years in Palestine, 1948, pp 206-207)

Merry Christmas...

What a Buzz!

They were busy little bees back in 1922, just beginning to whip Palestine into shape:

"Such, in bare outline, are the terms of this Concession granted to [Pinhas] Rutenberg in 1922 [for the electrification of Palestine]; and now we turn to the manner in which it was granted. But here let it in all fairness be said that if patient perseverence in pursuit of the object aimed at deserves recognition, then the Zionists deserved the recognition they met with. For with the activity displayed by bees in the high tide of the honey flow, the Zionists contacted with British politicians and flitted from flower to flower gathering pollen as they flew, with the punctilious attention to preliminary detail shown by bees, in preparing the necessary documents for presentation to the British Government. No one would cavil at the successful result of unceasing toil and clever strategy on the part of the Zionists in their application for the grant of this concession, if Whitehall had examined it with scrupulous regard for the 'absolute impartiality' promised to the people of the country as a whole. But did it do so?" (Frances E Newton, Fifty Years in Palestine, 1948, p 198)

And they're just as busy today, whipping up support for Israel, aka engaging with key sectors to advance social harmony:

"A modest farm at Bingara, 300 kilometres east of Coffs Harbour... will become a haven for Israel Defence Forces (IDF) graduates and Israeli backpackers if Ralph and Jo Waters' dream comes to fruition. The Waters, who are devout Christians, recently spent 6 weeks in Israel and wanted to help Israelis who defend their country. 'We met many wonderful people there and we became aware of the outrageous injustices being perpetrated against the people of Israel across the world and the siege against the Jewish people', Ralph Waters told NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) chief executive Vic Alhadeff in Bingara last week... Alhadeff met the couple while addressing the Israeli Awareness Group at the Christian Outreach Centre in Narrabri last Tuesday night as part of the JBOD's latest bridge-building tour to Narrabri, Coonabarabran, Gunnedah and Tamworth... The bridge-building tour comprised a total of 24 engagements - meeting Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and political leaders at state and local government level, speeches to Rotary clubs, radio and newspaper interviews and school presentations on the Holocaust, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Jewish practice. Alhadeff said... 'It was vital to engage with key sectors throughout regional NSW in order to enhance understanding of Jewish people, Jewish issues and Israel, and in so doing advance social harmony'." (NSW couple to set up IDF getaway, The Australian Jewish News, 9/12/11)

Coming soon to a key sector, aka church/politician/Rotary club/radio/newspaper/school, near you. Brace yourselves for a spot of social harmony, aka Israel/Zionism 101. Or, alternatively, tell these self-described bridge-builders that Israel's a bridge too far and ask them to buzz off.

Nothing is Sacred...

... for the Barnetts of this world:

"Colin Barnett's description of James Price Point in Western Australia, where Woodside is preparing to build a liquefied natural gas terminal, as an 'unremarkable beach' shows a callous dismissal and ignorance of Aboriginal people and their beliefs (Secret men's business threatens $30 billion gas bonanza, December 5).

"If the place is part of a song cycle, a dreaming place sacred to the people of the region, it is disgraceful that politicians like Barnett can disrespect the real pain and distress that Aboriginal people feel if these places are threatened. These feelings could not have been made more dramatically to me while filming in the Central Desert in early 1987.

"I took a nearly blind Papunya artist, 'Old' Tutuma Tjapangati back to his 'dreaming place'. After 2 days following tracks through the sand he suddenly indicated that we should turn off. Unerringly, he guided us through kilometres of sand and spinifex. Then, very quietly, he started to sing, and tears welled in his eyes. Gradually the song became a wail. Then he indicated that we stop. I looked around. The place looked the same as the hundreds of kilometres we had travelled through. Continuing to sing, he sat motionless for a whole day often with tears rolling down his ancient face. 'Unremarkable' to me, this was a place of indescribable importance to him. Old Tutuma died later that year, aged 78, and I was later told he was waiting to see his dreaming place before he died. Such emotions, beliefs and sensibilities cannot be so easily dismissed by people such as Barnett." (Letter, Christopher McCullough, Bilgola Plateau, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/12/11)

Neither here nor in Palestine:

"A glance at the map of Palestine shows the great importance of the Plain of Philistia lying on the sea coast, which provides a great highway from Jaffa to Haifa, that is, from south to north... A leading Zionist is reported to have said words to this effect: 'If we are to build up our national home we must sit down on the nerve centres of Palestine', and this certainly applies to the Wady Hawareth area situated in the middle of the plain of Philistia which was sold by its landlords in Syria to the Zionists.

"When the Jews sought to gain possession, the Arab occupants refused to move. They were (several thousands of them) living in tents with great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats. These tent-dwellers had lived, and their flocks had grazed, on this same land for many generations. 'Where are we to go?' they asked.

"After a long trial in the Court in Nablus, for the case was a very complicated one, judgment was given in favour of the Zionists, who applied for an order of evacuation. The following letter, dated November 22nd, 1930, which I wrote to my sister after I had paid a visit to the Arab camp, speaks for itself:

"'I must tell you of my long day's outing to visit the Bedouin tribe which the Government had evicted from its lands in the Wady Hawareth, now sold to the Jews. A good 340 kilometres I covered that day over some appalling ground. On arrival I found a miserable tumbled-down hut into which I was ushered by a crowd of men who immediately collected out of the blue on seeing the car, for there was not a soul in sight when I first got out of it, with the Moslem lawyer who had accompanied me from Haifa. We entered the hut - a rickety old bedstead with a laharf on it, a very shaky chair on which I perched with care, while Mohammed Ali el Tamimi, the lawyer, sat still more gingerly on the edge of the bedstead. The other friend who guided us from Tul el Karm sat with the men on the bare earth of the floor.

"'He started telling them who I was, when they broke into his remarks with, 'Lo, he comes, the Ancient one. He is over a hundred years old, our Sheikh, the chief of our tribe', they said. Way was opened for him through the crowd at the door, and he hobbled in, leaning on a thick knobbly staff, but quite alert and vivacious. He greeted us, then managed with some difficulty to squat amongst the other men on the mud floor of the hut. Mr Samara (our guide) took up his tale again, and I followed, saying how I had read while in the Lebanon, in the Arabic newspapers, of their terrible plight, and had come to see and sympathise.

"'As I spoke I saw the old wizened face of the Sheikh begin to twitch, his mouth tremble, his eyes blink and blink; but he couldn't keep the tears back, and they trickled down his high cheek-bones, into his scrubbly grey beard, and on to his hairy chest. Everybody lowered their heads and stared at the floor. Mohammed Ali beside me blew his nose vigorously; Mr Samara had not got a handkerchief, so sniffed violently. I swallowed hard. 'What shall we do?' What can we do?' said the Ancient One. 'Such is the decree of the English Government', and the spell was broken.

"''With your permission, honoured Sheikh', I murmured, 'the women and children are my concern. Let me go to them', and I fled. It was a most moving incident, but never a word of complaint was uttered; sheer heroic endurance of the utmost misery.

"'The Bedouin, as you know, live always on the barest limit of primitive subsistence, and here were 2,000 souls with practically everything of their possessions swept away at one fell swoop by our own British police, who had to stand up to even the women fighting for tents and lands they had owned for generations. Bedding, clothing, cooking utensils, domestic stores of oil, semini, cheese, rice, etc, even their tents gone - 118 of them went for good, leaving that number of families homeless - 260 ploughs broken up and burnt by the Jews, their springs of water gone, for the Zionists now own the land where they are, and our British police guard the borders. What they mind most is that the caves where they sheltered their cattle are now in Jewish hands, and their 8,000 cattle are out in the open with the winter upon them. Babies were born and died under the open sky - 19 widows - 400 children - even when they got a tent its sides were lacking; and yet, not a murmur did I hear. 'The British police only did their duty. The English Governor is very good; he helps us all he can. We will die here on our own land', expressed their feelings.

"'They are squatting now on 5,000 dunums allowed to them, while 40,000 dunums have gone from them, and the Jews claim that last 5,000, too. The Arabs may occupy them till the question of ownership is finally decided. But what are they among so many?

"'Sad at heart and unable to do more than leave a small gift with the Sheikh, we drove away. Some time later, when I discussed the matter with a high official, he replied, 'Yes, I am afraid that was a bad mistake we made!' 'Can you not do something to put it right?' I asked. 'Oh no', he said, 'we must not interfere with the Judiciary, that would never do'.'

"It is clear that the policy laid down in the Mandate would not admit of intervention by the Government in this connection, even had it been possible for it to do so." (Fifty Years in Palestine, Frances E. Newton, 1948, pp 257-259)

Be it 1930 or 2011:

"About 20 Bedouin communities between Jerusalem and Jericho are to be forcibly relocated from the land on which they have lived for 60 years under an Israel plan to expand a Jewish settlement. The removal of about 2,300 members of the Bedouin Jahalin tribe, two-thirds of whom are children, is due to begin next month. The Israeli authorities plan to relocate the families from the West Bank to a site close to a municipal rubbish dump on the edge of Jerusalem." (Bedouin to be forced out by Israeli expansion, Harriet Sherwood, Guardian/Sydney Morning Herald, 7/12/11)

Making Deserts Bloom 1

"Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establsh themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim (immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation) and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood." (The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948, paragraph 3)

OK, that's the hype. But what about the reality?

Here's the first in an occasional series of telling quotes from Fifty Years in Palestine (1948) by the truly remarkable Frances E. Newton (1871-1955) (NB: The Plain of Esdraelon is in Palestine's lower Galilee):

"To speak of Esdraelon as a [historical] battlefield does not tell the whole of its story. It must not be thought of only as an arena of conflict and death, for its fertile earth has provided life-giving sustenance throughout the ages to thrifty cultivators. It has always been the harvest field and granary of Palestine. In proof of this let me give an extract from the letters sent to Blackwood's Magazine by Lawrence Oliphant, an Englishman who lived towards the end of the last century for many years in the village of Daliet al Carmel.

"'Readers will be surprised to learn that almost every acre of the plain of Esdraelon is at the moment in the highest state of cultivation, and that it is perfectly safe to ride across it unarmed in any direction, as I can testify. It looks today like a huge green lake of waving wheat, with its village-crowned mounds rising from it like islands, and it presents one the most striking pictures of luxuriant fertility which it is possible to conceive'. The writer goes on to tell of the ownership of the Plain: 'Nearly the whole of it is divided between two great proprietors, the Sultan himself, and the Sursucks, the richest bankers in Syria who are resident in Beyrout. Some idea of the amount of grain harvested from this portion of land belonging to the bankers may be gathered from the fact that Mr Sursuck himself told me that the cost of transporting his last year's crop to Haifa and Acre (a few miles distant) amounted to $50,000'.

"When it is understood that the cost of transport in those days would amount to only a few shillings a day for the hire of man and beast and, further, that it was only the tithe, not the whole, of the wheat which belonged to Sursuck, some idea of the immense amount of the crop can be gathered. The description above might have been given by myself in 1914. Every yard of the great plain was under cultivation by Arab peasants who lived in Nazareth or in the surrounding hills. At harvest time their homes would be denuded of men who went ahead to start the work of reaping. Shortly after the women would follow. The scene in the plain was that of a hive of human bees, humming with industry with hundreds of families camped along the sheaves till all were transported to the safety of the village threshing-floors.

"In vivid contrast to the above I take the following example from Zionist literature: 'When this historic spot was visited in 1920 by Sir Herbert Samuel, first High Commissioner for Palestine, he found that 'four or five squalid Arab villages, long distances apart from one another, could be seen on the summits of low hills here and there. The rest of the country was uninhabited. There was not a house, not a tree. Along the branches of the Hedjaz railway an occasional train stopped at a deserted station. A greater part of the soil was in the ownership of absentee landlords. The river Kishon, which flows through the valley, and the many springs which feed it from the hillsides, had been allowed to form a series of swamps and marshes, and as a consequence the country was infested with malaria. Besides, public security had been so bad under the former regime that any settled agriculture was in any case almost impossible'.

"Without wishing to throw doubt on this account of what the first High Commissioner saw, I venture to think he may have been wearing Crook's lenses at the time. It was but natural that in 1920 the Plain should appear deserted and desolate; how could it be anything else when every able-bodied Arab peasant had been conscripted into the Turkish army? As for 'settled agriculture' the Plain was, as has been seen, a harvest field, and not a kitchen garden. Public security was not insecure until the advent of Jewish cement-built villages whose occupants carried firearms with which to attack Arab peasants at work ploughing their soil, as they had done for generations past. This happened in one instance which I will tell of later. The Jews had acquired the title of large tracts of the Plain by means of negotiations with the absentee landlords mentioned by Lawrence Oliphant just before the war broke out in 1914, but they had not acquired possession by means of the legal transfer, and they resorted to force." (pp 96-98)