2008/The 60th anniversary of Israel/Nothing to celebrate

Dear Editor and readers,On the 14th of may, it was exactly 60 years ago, that the Israeli-zionist politician, Mr D Ben Gurion, proclaimed onesidedly, the State of Israel
To remember this, I have written this articleIn remembrance of the Palestinian victims of the Israeli etnical cleansings in 1948 and 1967
They can´t speak for themselves anymore

Therefore I consider it as my moral duty, to speak for them

Kind regards

Astrid Essed

Amsterdam
The Netherlands

The 60th anniversary of Israel: Nothing to celebrate
Remember the Naqba

“The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as a war.”
Part of a letter of the zionistic-Israeli politician David Ben Gurion, to his son, dd 1937

See for picture of Palestinian refugees:

http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General/Story1649.html

Dear Editor and readers,

According to my opinion, there is no reason whatsoever to celebrate the 60 anniversary of the State of Israel [1]

The proclamation:

First, the State of Israel has been founded as a neo-colonialistic enterprise, seeing the acceptation of UN General Assembly Resolution, 181, in 1947, the socalled ”Partition Plan for Palestine”, without any voice for the native and rightful Palestinian population [2]

Moreover, the UN Resolution 181 was in contrary with the UN Charter regarding the rights of people on selfdetermination

Secondly, due to the onesided proclamation of the State of Israel, by the former zionist politician, Mr D Ben Gurion, dd 14-5 and the following military confrontation between the Arab troops and the zionist troops, the humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population were disastrous

It is therefore no wonder, the Palestinians call this the Naqba, which means disaster

For your information:

The onesided proclamation of the State of Israel, by the Israeli politician Mr D Ben Gurion, was the result of the General Assembly UN Resolution, nr 181, dd 1947, by which the members of the UN [3] decided to the ‘partition of the British Mandate Palestine, in a Jewish and an Arab part
Jerusalem was decided to have an international status

Palestine of 1947 is comparable geographically with Israel now, together with the occupied Palestinian territories

A Origins of zionism:

This UN resolution 181 was the result of the zionistic ideology, which was founded at the end of the 19th century by Mr T Herzl, which as an aim, the foundation of a Jewish State
Although in the beginning there was a difference of opinion regarding the location, soon was decided, that it had to be Palestine

B Balfour Declaration

By means of the Balfour Declaration, Great Britain guaranteed in 1917 to Lord Rotschild, chairman of the British zionist Federation, that in Palestine [till the end of the WO I a Turkish colony and from 1923, a British Mandate], Á Jewish National Home’ should be founded [4]

Altough there was a passage in the Declaration, that that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”, by accepting a ”Jewish National Home” in the country of another people, the rights on selfdetermination of the Palestinian people were seriously violated

Even according to the colonial thought of that time, after the depart of the colonial occupation, the political and judicial power of the country should befell to the native population, in an independent Palestine

This is how it happened in African and Asian colonies and also in Middle Eastern countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Syria and the preparation for the independence of Palestine was also established in the Mandatory order of Palestine, which Great Britain officially got from the ”League of Nations’ [5]

However, because of the Balfour Declaration, the whole concept of Palestinian self-determination had been undermined

As well by means of the Balfour Declaration, as later, UN Resolution 181, behind the back of the Palestinian people, a part their country was being given to pioneers, who came from Europe, without any legal right to the country

The writer Koestler says about this Balfour Declaration:

‘With the Balfour Declaration, one nation solemnly promised to a second nation the country of a third.”

Therefore it is not astonishing, that the Balfour-Declaration and the zionistic aspirations and the British colonial role of divide and rule, provoked resistance in the Palestinian society

C The foundation of the State of Israel
Mass-slaughters, occupation and etnic cleansings

Humanitarian implications of the war in 1948:

The consequences of the acceptance of Resolution 181, dd 1947 and the onesided proclamation of the State of Israel, led to a war between the Israeli troops and the Palestinian and Arab troops, by which human rights violations and war-crimes were committed, on both sides [6]

Also of importance is to realize, that the Israeli military offensive, Plan Dalet, had the aim of expulsion of the Palestinian people and destroying as many as Arab villages

Referring to that occupation, I quote the ”introduction” to Plan Dalet:

´´a) “The objective of this plan is to gain control of the areas of the Hebrew state and defend its borders. It also aims at gaining control of the areas of Jewish settlements and concentration which are located outside the borders (of the Hebrew state) against regular, semi-regular, and small forces operating from bases outside or inside the state.´´

Regarding the deliberate destruction of Arab villages I quote Section B of the Plan:

´´Destruction of villages (setting fire to, blowing up, and planting mines in the debris), especially those population centers which are difficult to control continuously. … Mounting search and control operations according to the following guidelines: encirclement of the village and conducting a search inside it. In the event of resistance, the armed force must be destroyed and the population expelled outside the borders of the state. ´´ [7]

Etnic cleansings:

One of the most dramatic was the expulsion, by Israeli troops, of more than 750.000 Palestinian inhabitants, from their homes and land

In terms of International Law, those are etnic cleansings, which are strictly forbidden according International Law, article 49, 4th Geneva Convention [8]
This has formed the basis of the Palestinian refugee-problem

Despite the General Assembly UN resolution 194, dd 1948, which summoned Israel, to make those people return to their homes or else give them a financial compensation, either the first [make them return], nor the second [financial compensation] has been executed [9]

Consequence is that those people are condemned to a desperate existence in one of the many refugee-camps

Mass-slaughters:

Moreover, a number of mass-slaughters in the Palestinian Arab villages, by Israeli paramilitary terrorgroups [like Irgun and Stern] have taken place [10]
More than 400 Arab villages have been destroyed

Occupation, from the very beginning:

Israeli troops also conquered 20 percent of the areas, which according to Resolution 181, were the Arab part

The rest of Palestine has been conquered by the Kingdom of Jordan [West-Bank] and Egypt'[Gaza] [11]

D After 1948: 1967
Occupation, settlementspolicy, building of the Wall

After 1948, 1967:

But the tragedy is going on:

Since 1967, there is a nearly 41 years occupation from the Palestinian territories [the Westbank, Gaza and Eastern-Jerusalem], despite the unanimously accepted UN Security Resolution dd 242, which summoned Israel to withdraw its troops from all foreign territories, which were conquered in the june war of 1967, including the Palestinian [12]

Untill now, Israel has not executed this resolution

Old sins repeated
Etnic cleansings:

Also after the june war, 250.000 Palestinians were expulsed from their homes
Thus a repeated etnic cleansing, on a moment, that the whole Western world was backing Israel
This on a moment, that the whole Western world was backing Israel

In the Netherlands, the people said and proclaimed ”We are behind Israel”

Humanitarian consequences of the occupation:

Inherent to any occupation, so also the Israeli, are oppression, humiliations and human rights violations

Of course there came resistance, whether legal, by military attacking the Israeli occupation army, or illegal, by military attacking Israeli civilians, by suicide-attacks, or rocketing cities [13]

Israeli arbitrary military attacks:

Israeli crimes during the occupation mostly take form in arbitrary military attacks in dense populated areas or other civilian areas like refugee-camps, which is a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law

According tio International Humanitarian Law, all conflict parties, are obliged to make at all times, a strict distinction between combatants [military and fighters] and non-combatants [civilians] [14]

When there is no clear situation, for example the presence of fighters in civilian areas, which is often the case by Israeli military attacks, all measures should be taken to protect the civilian population
This is also the fundamental obligation, under the 4th Geneva Convention, of the Occupying Power, which is responsable for the safety, wellfare and wellbeing of ”protected persons” [people, who are living under an occupation)

It is obvious, that the protection seriously fails, by the use of anti-personnel weapons like clusterbombs or F 16’s [which is forbidden according to International Law], and firing at homes and in other population areas.

The result is often, many civilian victims, which are war-crimes, since the risk of civilian death could have been foreseen. [15]

This also is the case, according to the Isaeli practice of liquidations of leaders or activists of Palestinian political organisations.
Not only are those liquidations illegal according to International Law, mostly the results are many civilian victims, since the liquidations are executed by bombing refugee-camps, appartments or air-attacks on dense-populated streets.

Punishment for war-crimes:

Not only those military practices stem from a total lack of respect for the right on life of Palestinian civilians, also individual military war-crimes, like shooting civilians [among else, children] or journalists, seldom are punished according to International standards
In some cases, there is whether a light prison punishment of a couple of months, or a sum of money, which have to be paid to the IDF, for breaking the ”military honour code”

In some cases, there is no trial at all [16]

Settlements:

Of great importance to be mentioned is the foundation, from the end of the sixties of the former century, of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories
Not only this is illegal according to International Law [17], moreover, the settlements are based on mass land expopriations, by which more than 100.000 Palestinians have lost land and homes
Yet apart from the utter inhumanity, those expropriations are contrary with the fundamental rules of the 4th Geneva Convention, that an occupying Power is responsable for the safety, wellfare and wellbeing of ”protected persons” [people, who are living under an occupation)

Despite international condemnation of the settlements, resulting in two UN Security Resolutions, one in 1979 [nr 446] and the other in 1980 [465], Israel has continued the building of the settlements.

Also Israel didn’t respond the agreements in the Roadmap for Peace, to freeze the expansion of the settlements, since untill now, there is an expansion in the West Bank and Eastern-Jerusalem

The building of the Wall, across Palestinian occupied territories:

The image of landtheft and injustice is completed by the building, accross Palestinian occupied territories, of the Israeli Wall
Despite the verdict of the ICJ [International Court of Justice], dd july 2004, which declared the building contrary with International Law, Israel is building the Wall, with the common displayed contempt for International Law and human rights [18]

Epilogue:

It may be obvious, that ”60 years Israel”, which is celebrating with such an enthousiasm in Israel, supported by certain Western leaders, is a mourning day for the Palestinians

With the right on their side, they consider the ”foundation” of the State of Israel, stemming from the colonial zionism, as a Naqba [disaster]

Not only in respect with the etnical cleansings and mass-slaughters in 1948, but also in respect with the occupation of their land, which is being suffered every day again

In remembrance of the victims of thishistorical shame and injustice

Kind regards
Astrid Essed

Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Background-information regarding Mr T Herzl, founder of zionism:

About Theodor Herzl:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Herzl
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Famous-Zionist-Quotes/Story643.html

Theodor Herzl: The Jewish State

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/6640/zion/judenstaadt.html

About the aims of zionism:

Rabbi Dr. Chaim Simons, A Historical Survey of Proposals to
Transfer Arabs from Palestine
1895 – 1947

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/7854/transfer.html

[1] Article about the Palestinian refugee-problem

http://scotland.indymedia.org/node/3396

Letter of 100 prominent Jews: ”We are not celebrating Israels anniversary”

See

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/30/israelandthepalestinians

[2]

Yet apart from not hearing the voice of the Palestinian people, the UN resolution was contrary the UN Charter regarding the rights of people on self-determination, which included, that the whole part of Palestine should befell to the Palestinian people, as native people, who had been colonized

See

Article 1, 2, about the selfdetermination of all people, referring among else to the decolonisation-process
Evidently this principle was being ignored regarding the Arab-Palestinian population of Palestine
See
http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/

Added information regarding Resolution 181:

Although the UN partition-plan for Palestine had been approved by the UN [by means of UN resolution 181], it didn’t imply yet the official acknowledgment of the ”Jewish State”, since there was still UN-discussion about the ”tutelage” of Palestine
Of course this ”tutelage” would be based on the approved UN resolution 181, in respect with the percentage of Palestine, which would be ”Jewish” [56,4] and ”Arab” [42,8] and Jerusalem, being a ”corpus separatum” [international status]

[3]

Most of the members consisted of still existing Western colonial Powers, which had no fundamental objection, in their strand of thinking, to violate the rights on selfdetermination of the native Palestinian people
Other non-western countries, which voted in favour of the Resolution, often were dependent on Western financial support

[4] Balfour Declaration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration_of_1917

[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations

[6]

At april 13th, 4 days after the Deir Yassin massacre, there was an Arab military attack on a medical convoy travelling to Haddassah Hospital, with as a tragic result the death of 77 doctors, nurses, and other Jewish civilians.

[7]

Plan Dalet

Israeli military offensive in the war dd 1948, with as most important aim the occupation of an important piece of the area, which was destined, by UN Resolution 181, to the Palestinian Arabs
The used military tactic was to destroy Arab villages and to expell the Palestinian population

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_Dalet

[8]

The 4th Geneva Convention

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5

Etnic cleansings:

Strong, overwhelming and scientifically well build evidence of those etnic cleansings is given by the Israeli New Historians and also from other historical surveys:

New Historians:

The then official Israeli history alleged, that the Palestinians have left their homes ”voluntarily” by a summon of the Arab army radio, to leave the area, untill the zionist military were defeated

This was already challenged by a great number of important publicists, among else stemming from the fact, that seen the refugee character, the people left in great panic
So childrens shoes were found, mothers left without taking their children, fathers without their families, old people were left behind or people left without taking any foodsupplies

However, the New Historians showed with strong scientific proof, greatly stemming from the Israeli army archives, that the Palestinian, instead, were expulsed by Israeli army troops and paramilitary terror organisations like Irgun and Stern

The New Historians showed with strong scientific proof, greatly stemming from the Israeli army archives, that the Palestinian, instead, were expulsed by Israeli army troops and paramilitary terror organisations like Irgun and Stern

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Historians

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Morris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_Shlaim

http://www.ilanpappe.org/

[9]

About UN General Assembly resolution 194

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_General_Assembly_Resolution_194

[10]

Deir Yassin, one of the Arab villages, where a masslaugher under the Palestinian civilian population took place
Dd 9-4-1948

Zie

http://www.deiryassin.org/mas.html

Testimony of Mr de Reynier, head of the Red Cross-delegation in Palestine

http://www.debriefing.org/1026.html

Eyewitness-testimony of Colonel Meir Pael [the former mr Meir Pilevsky], who had been a Palmach-soldier during the tragic events in Deir Yassin

http://www.ariga.com/peacewatch/dy/dypail.htm

[11]

There is strong scientific evidence, that there has been a secret agreement between King Abdullah of Jordania and the zionist leadership, by which the king got the opportunity to conquer the now occupied Palestinian territory, the Westbank
On his part, he would not hinder the zionist leadership in the military establishment of the State of Israel

http://www.fathom.com/course/72810001/session2.html

The writer of the article in the link, Mr Avi Shlaim, is one of the socalled Israeli ”New Historians [see above], like Mr B Morris and the most famous, Mr I Pappe, who broke through the Israeli historical image, that the Palestinians had left their homes ”voluntarily”, in the war in 1948

[12]

The text of the UN Security Resolution 242
See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_…

[13]

However rejectable, one must keep in mind, that the suicide attacks began rather ”late” in the occupation time-line, namely after 1994, when Dr B Goldstein intentionally massacred 29 Palestinian muslims, while praying in the Cave of the Patriarchs

See also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Goldstein

In International Humanitarian Law, military attacks on civilians, regardless the conflictsparty of the nature of the conflict, are war-crimes

See also

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/02/29/isrlpa18177.htm

[14]

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/5KZFJU

[15]

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/09/01/isrlpa16786.htm

http://hrw.org/reports/2007/iopt0707/

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/19/isrlpa18600.htm

[16]

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/iopt0605/

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/05/01/isrlpa18702.htm

[17]

According to article 49, 4th Geneva Convention, the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal
Also they are illegal because of the the Hague Convention dd 1907, which forbids any geographical change in occupied areas

See 4th Geneva Convention:

http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5

See also the Hague Convention:

http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/hague/hague5.html

See also:

http://www.btselem.org/English/Settlements/

[18]

ICJ verdict dd july 2004 regarding the building of the Israeli Wall

http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/2ee9468747556b2d85256cf60060d2a6/3740e39487a5428a85256ecc005e157a!