History of Israel: When is a Palestinian not a Palestinian?

I usually write about the Jewish history of Israel.  This time around, a short piece on the flexibility of national identity among our neighbors.  Less than a century ago, the Christian residents of Bethlehem did not identify themselves as Arabs, and even less so as the indigenous peoples.  In welcoming the conquering Anglos, they eagerly associated themselves with the conquering imperial power.

"Bethlehem is a Christian city..  The people declare that they are not Arabs, but that they are descendents of the Crusaders.  They certainly are not generally so dark and swarthy as the Arabs.  All the women have colour in their cheeks and many have blue eyes, and their dress is interesting and picturesque.  Apart from its attractive colouring - a sky-blue robe with red girdle and embroidered jacket - they wear a head-dress extraordinarily like that of the ladies of the Crusaders of old... "

["The New Zealanders in Sinai and Palestine" by Charles Guy Powles (1922), quoted in "The Changing Land Between the Jordan and the Sea" by Benjamin Zeev Kedar.]


See here for an archive of articles about our history in Israel.  


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Tit for Tat, and then some.

IDF Radio reported today a decision from last week: "As a confidence building measure with the Palestinian Authority, the IDF Central Command is now allowing Israeli tour guides to bring tourists groups into Bethlehem. The IDF Command and civil administration with soon evaluate if to allow Israeli tourism into the PA-controlled city as well."

Following the above report, IDF radio continued: In response to the IDF's outstretched good-will gesture, a Bethlehem Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli civilians at the Gush Etzion junction. The terrorist was apprehended by IDF forces from the combat Kfir Brigade; they confiscated his knife and he was transferred over to Israel's Police. (source, IDF Spokesman)

Regardless, the Palestinian Authority was relieved that they too received a call from the US State Department, that they were also mentioned among the WikiLeaks CableGate files.

"They aren't making a big deal out of it, and they hope we won't either," a senior Palestinian official told Ma'an, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. "But when they're telling us 'Don't overreact,' that basically translates as 'There's something you're not going to like.'"

According to the message from the US, some of the leaked cables will confirm assumptions about America's support for Israel over the Palestinians in the peace process. They will also articulate Washington's stance against the inter-Palestinian reconciliation talks, the PA has been told.

But as far as the Palestinians are concerned, the expected disclosure will confirm more US policy than it exposes, the source said. "It's already known that the Americans are against reconciliation. It's known that they love [Fatah strongman] Muhammad Dahlan. And it's known that they, frankly, love Israel."

A spokesman for the PA denied knowledge of the conversation.

A spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas did not return calls.

The US declined to confirm if either the PA or Israel had been briefed. State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson told Ma'an that it was not a "far-fetched" possibility, however. "US officials have been reaching out to our global counterparts over the past few days about the possibility of leaked information," she said. (Maan)

You can bet the PA would have been even more annoyed had they not been mentioned, since that would make them even more irrelevant.


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Fatah Reaffirms Commitment to Terror

Lots of colorful speakers at the Fatah Conference in Bethlehem today.

Palestinian Authority President (and US mandated peace partner) Mahmoud Abbas had the following to say:

"Although peace is our choice, we reserve the right to resistance, legitimate under international law," he said in a lengthy oration during the opening session of the conference. The term resistance is often used to encompass both violent and nonviolent means of struggle.

He said the Palestinian side is committed to the US-backed Road Map peace plan, but the Israeli side failed to uphold its obligation under the document. (Ma'an Palestinian News Agency)

Israel's Palestinian Member of Knesset, Dr. Ahmed Tibi joined the conference as well. His statements brought down the house with tremendous applause:

He called for peace based on a two-state solution, "clean of settlers and settlements."

Tibi turned to the settlers, entreating them to "leave Palestinian lands. Leave all of us alone. Get out!" These statements were met with great applause from the crowd. (YNET

Senior Fatah terrorist official Jibril Rajoub was also there.

Fatah will never abandon the option of armed struggle. "Resistance was and is a tactical and strategic option of the struggle... part of Fatah's policy" which Israel must acknowledge. (JPOST)

Why the Jerusalem Post lists Zakaria Zubeidi as a "former terrorist" is beyond me.

Former terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi, a senior member of the Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades who was released from prison in return for a pledge not to engage in terror activities, said Israel has no desire for peace and that the Palestinians must ready themselves for the possibility that "it is war that Israel wants, and not peace." (JPOST)

Thankfully, at least one of Israel's government minister's was awake. Government Information Minister and MK Yuli Edelstein realized that Fatah and the PA haven't changed at all.

Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) on Tuesday referred to the Fatah congress being held in Bethlehem as "a declaration of war."

"We must not act as if we haven't heard," he told Ynet. "We must emerge from the circle of illusions that these are moderates who want peace. They explicitly say that they support continuing the armed struggle."

"Are these the moderate leaders the world wants us to hold negotiations with?" he asked. "My feeling is that we are not interested in listening to the voices calling for an armed struggle, for the right of return and for the establishment of a capital of their own in Jerusalem.

"We are pretending not to hear the clear trend demonstrated by Abu Mazen (Abbas) and his people to adapt themselves to Hamas," the information minister said.
"This is Fatah we are talking about, those who the international community is allegedly pushing us to negotiate with. If anyone should talk about settlements endangering peace, the most violent and extreme settlement is the Palestinian state, which will be established and run by the 'moderate' speaking today at the Fatah conference.(YNET)

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