"As The Arabs See The Jews"
His Majesty King Abdullah
The American Magazine November, 1947
Summary- This fascinating essay, written by King Husseins grandfather King
Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948
Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view
that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because
of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims
enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that
Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe.
Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War
II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than
a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues,
to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of
Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to
Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly
1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire
consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of
the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.
His Majesty King Abdullah
The American Magazine November, 1947
I am especially delighted to address an American audience, for the tragic
problem of Palestine will never be solved without American understanding,
American sympathy, American support. So many billions of words have been
written about Palestineperhaps more than on any other subject in
historythat I hesitate to add to them. Yet I am compelled to do so, for I
am reluctantly convinced that the world in general, and America in
particular, knows almost nothing of the true case for the Arabs. We Arabs
follow, perhaps far more than you think, the press of America. We are
frankly disturbed to find that for every word printed on the Arab side, a
thousand are printed on the Zionist side. There are many reasons for this.
You have many millions of Jewish citizens interested in this question. They
are highly vocal and wise in the ways of publicity. There are few Arab
citizens in America, and we are as yet unskilled in the technique of modern
propaganda. The results have been alarming for us. In your press we see a
horrible caricature and are told it is our true portrait. In all justice, we
cannot let this pass by default.
Our case is quite simple: For nearly 2,000 years Palestine has been almost
100 per cent Arab. It is still preponderantly Arab today, in spite of
enormous Jewish immigration. But if this immigration continues we shall soon
be outnumbereda minority in our home. Palestine is a small and very poor
country, about the size of your state of Vermont. Its Arab population is
only about 1,200,000. Already we have had forced on us, against our will,
some 600,000 Zionist Jews. We are threatened with many hundreds of thousands
more. Our position is so simple and natural that we are amazed it should
even be questioned. It is exactly the same position you in America take in
regard to the unhappy European Jews. You are sorry for them, but you do not
want them in your country.
We do not want them in ours, either. Not because they are Jews, but because
they are foreigners. We would not want hundreds of thousands of foreigners
in our country, be they Englishmen or Norwegians or Brazilians or whatever.
Think for a moment: In the last 25 years we have had one third of our entire
population forced upon us. In America that would be the equivalent of
45,000,000 complete strangers admitted to your country, over your violent
protest, since 1921. How would you have reacted to that?
Because of our perfectly natural dislike of being overwhelmed in our own
homeland, we are called blind nationalists and heartless anti-Semites. This
charge would be ludicrous were it not so dangerous. No people on earth have
been less "anti-Semitic" than the Arabs. The persecution of the Jews has
been confined almost entirely to the Christian nations of the West. Jews,
themselves, will admit that never since the Great Dispersion did Jews
develop so freely and reach such importance as in Spain when it was an Arab
possession. With very minor exceptions, Jews have lived for many centuries
in the Middle East, in complete peace and friendliness with their Arab
neighbours. Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut and other Arab centres have always
contained large and prosperous Jewish colonies. Until the Zionist invasion
of Palestine began, these Jews received the most generous treatmentfar, far
better than in Christian Europe. Now, unhappily, for the first time in
history, these Jews are beginning to feel the effects of Arab resistance to
the Zionist assault. Most of them are as anxious as Arabs to stop it. Most
of these Jews who have found happy homes among us resent, as we do, the
coming of these strangers.
I was puzzled for a long time about the odd belief which apparently persists
in America that Palestine has somehow "always been a Jewish land." Recently
an American I talked to cleared up this mystery. He pointed out that the
only things most Americans know about Palestine are what they read in the
Bible. It was a Jewish land in those days, they reason, and they assume it
has always remained so. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is
absurd to reach so far back into the mists of history to argue about who
should have Palestine today, and I apologise for it. Yet the Jews do this,
and I must reply to their "historic claim." I wonder if the world has ever
seen a stranger sight than a group of people seriously pretending to claim a
land because their ancestors lived there some 2,000 years ago! If you
suggest that I am biased, I invite you to read any sound history of the
period and verify the facts.
Such fragmentary records as we have indicate that the Jews were wandering
nomads from Iraq who moved to southern Turkey, came south to Palestine,
stayed there a short time, and then passed to Egypt, where they remained
about 400 years. About 1300 BC (according to your calendar) they left
Egyptand gradually conquered most but not allof the inhabitants of
Palestine. It is significant that the Philistinesnot the Jewsgave their
name to the country: "Palestine" is merely the Greek form of "Philistia."
Only once, during the empire of David and Solomon, did the Jews ever control
nearlybut not allthe land which is today Palestine. This empire lasted
only 70 years, ending in 926 BC. Only 250 years later the Kingdom of
Judahhad shrunk to a small province around
Jerusalem, barely a quarter of modern Palestine. In 63 BC the Jews were
conquered by Roman Pompey, and never again had even the vestige of
independence. The Roman Emperor Hadrian finally wiped them out about 135 AD.
He utterly destroyed Jerusalem, rebuilt under another name, and for hundreds
of years no Jew was permitted to enter it. A handful of Jews remained in
Palestine but the vast majority were killed or scattered to other countries,
in the Diaspora, or the Great Dispersion. From that time Palestine ceased to
be a Jewish country, in any conceivable sense. This was 1,815 years ago, and
yet the Jews solemnly pretend they still own Palestine! If such fantasy were
allowed, how the map of the world would dance about!
Italians might claim England, which the Romans held so long. England might
claim France, "homeland" of the conquering Normans. And the French Normans
might claim Norway, where their ancestors originated. And incidentally, we
Arabs might claim Spain, which we held for 700 years. Many Mexicans might
claim Spain, "homeland" of their forefathers. They might even claim Texas,
which was Mexican until 100 years ago. And suppose the American Indians
claimed the "homeland" of which they were the sole, native, and ancient
occupants until only some 450 years ago!
I am not being facetious. All these claims are just as validor just as
fantasticas the Jewish "historic connection" with Palestine. Most are more
valid. In any event, the great Moslem expansion about 650 AD finally settled
things. It dominated Palestine completely. From that day on, Palestine was
solidly Arabic in population, language, and religion. When British armies
entered the country during the last war, they found 500,000 Arabs and only
65,000 Jews. If solid, uninterrupted Arab occupation for nearly 1,300 years
does not make a country "Arab", what does?
The Jews say, and rightly, that Palestine is the home of their religion. It
is likewise the birthplace of Christianity, but would any Christian nation
claim it on that account? In passing, let me say that the Christian
Arabsand there are many hundreds of thousands of them in the Arab Worldare
in absolute agreement with all other Arabs in opposing the Zionist invasion
of Palestine. May I also point out that Jerusalem is, after Mecca and Medina,
the holiest place in Islam. In fact, in the early days of our religion,
Moslems prayed toward Jerusalem instead of Mecca. The Jewish "religious
claim" to Palestine is as absurd as the "historic claim." The Holy Places,
sacred to three great religions, must be open to all, the monopoly of none.
Let us not confuse religion and politics. We are told that we are inhumane
and heartless because do not accept with open arms the perhaps 200,000 Jews
in Europe who suffered so frightfully under Nazi cruelty, and who even
nowalmost three years after wars endstill languish in cold, depressing
camps. Let me underline several facts.
The unimaginable persecution of the Jews was not done by the Arabs: it was
done by a Christian nation in the West. The war which ruined Europe and made
it almost impossible for these Jews to rehabilitate themselves was fought by
the Christian nations of the West. The rich and empty portions of the earth
belong, not to the Arabs, but to the Christian nations of the West. And yet,
to ease their consciences, these Christian nations of the West are asking
Palestinea poor and tiny Moslem country of the Eastto accept the entire
burden. "We have hurt these people terribly," cries the West to the East.
"Wont you please take care of them for us?"
We find neither logic nor justice in this. Are we therefore "cruel and
heartless nationalists"
? We are a generous people: we are proud that "Arab
hospitality" is a phrase famous throughout the world. We are a humane
people: no one was shocked more than we by the Hitlerite terror. No one
pities the present plight of the desperate European Jews more than we. But
we say that Palestine has already sheltered 600,000 refugees. We believe
that is enough to expect of useven too much. We believe it is now the turn
of the rest of the world to accept
some of them.
I will be entirely frank with you. There is one thing the Arab world simply
cannot understand. Of all the nations of the earth, America is most
insistent that something be done for these suffering Jews of Europe. This
feeling does credit to the humanity for which America is famous, and to that
glorious inscription on your Statue of Liberty. And yet this same Americathe
richest, greatest, most powerful nation the world has ever known refuses to
accept more than a token handful of these same Jews herself!
I hope you will not think I am being bitter about this. I have tried hard to
understand that mysterious paradox, and I confess I cannot. Nor can any
other Arab. Perhaps you have been informed that "the Jews in Europe want to
go to no other place except Palestine."
This myth is one of the greatest propaganda triumphs of the Jewish Agency
for Palestine, the organisation which promotes with fanatic zeal the
emigration to Palestine. It is a subtle half-truth, thus doubly dangerous.
The astounding truth is that nobody on earth really knows where these
unfortunate Jews really want to go! You would think that in so grave a
problem, the American, British, and other authorities responsible for the
European Jews would have made a very careful survey, probably by vote, to
find out where each Jew actually wants to go. Amazingly enough this has
never been done! The Jewish Agency has prevented it.
Some time ago the American Military Governor in Germany was asked at a press
conference how he was so certain that all Jews there wanted to go to
Palestine. His answer was simple: "My Jewish advisors tell me so." He
admitted no poll had ever been made. Preparations were indeed begun for one,
but the Jewish Agency stepped in to stop it.
The truth is that the Jews in German camps are now subjected to a Zionist
pressure campaign which learned much from the Nazi terror. It is dangerous
for a Jew to say that he would rather go to some other country, not
Palestine. Such dissenters have been severely beaten, and worse. Not long
ago, in Palestine, nearly 1,000 Austrian Jews informed the international
refugee organisation that they would like to go back to Austria, and plans
were made to repatriate them. The Jewish Agency heard of this, and exerted
enough political pressure to stop it. It would be bad propaganda for Zionism
if Jews began leaving Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Austrian are still there,
against their will.
The fact is that most of the European Jews are Western in culture and
outlook, entirely urban in experience and habits. They cannot really have
their hearts set on becoming pioneers in the barren, arid, cramped land
which is Palestine. One thing, however, is undoubtedly true. As matters
stand now, most refugee Jews in Europe would, indeed, vote for Palestine,
simply because they know no other country will have them. If you or I were
given a choice between a near prison camp for the rest of our livesor
Palestinewe would both choose Palestine, too.
But open up any other alternative to themgive them any other choice, and
see what happens! No poll, however, will be worth anything unless the
nations of the earth are willing to open their doorsjust a littleto the
Jews. In other words, if in such a poll a Jew says he wants to go to Sweden,
Sweden must be willing to accept him. If he votes for America, you must let
him come in. Any other kind of poll would be a farce. For the desperate Jew,
this is no idle testing of opinion: this is a grave matter of life or death.
Unless he is absolutely sure that his vote means something, he will always
vote for Palestine, so as not to risk his bird in the hand for one in the
bush.
In any event, Palestine can accept no more. The 65,000 Jews in Palestine in
1918 have jumped to 600,000 today. We Arabs have increased, too, but not by
immigration. The Jews were then a mere 11 per cent of our population. Today
they are one third of it. The rate of increase has been terrifying. In a few
more yearsunless stopped nowit will overwhelm us, and we shall be an
important minority in our own home. Surely the rest of the wide world is
rich enough and generous enough to find a place for 200,000 Jewsabout one
third the number that tiny, poor Palestine has already sheltered. For the
rest of the world, it is hardly a drop in the bucket. For us it means
national suicide.
We are sometimes told that since the Jews came to Palestine, the Arab
standard of living has improved. This is a most complicated question. But
let us even assume, for the argument, that it is true. We would rather be a
bit poorer, and masters of our own home. Is this unnatural?
The sorry story of the so-called "Balfour Declaration," which started
Zionist immigration into Palestine, is too complicated to repeat here in
detail. It is grounded in broken promises to the Arabspromises made in cold
print which admit no denying. We utterly deny its validity. We utterly deny
the right of Great Britain to give away Arab land for a "national home" for
an entirely foreign people. Even the League of Nations sanction does not
alter this. At the time, not a single Arab state was a member of the League.
We were not allowed to say a word in our own defense. I must point out,
again in friendly frankness, that America was nearly as responsible as
Britain for this Balfour Declaration. President Wilson approved it before it
was issued, and the American Congress adopted it word for word in a joint
resolution on 30th June, 1922.
In the 1920s, Arabs were annoyed and insulted by Zionist immigration, but
not alarmed by it. It was steady, but fairly small, as even the Zionist
founders thought it would remain. Indeed for some years, more Jews left
Palestine than entered itin 1927 almost twice as many. But two new factors,
entirely unforeseen by Britain or the League or America or the most fervent
Zionist, arose in the early thirties to raise the immigration to undreamed
heights. One was the World Depression; the second the rise of Hitler. In
1932, the year before Hitler came to power, only 9,500 Jews came to
Palestine. We did not welcome them, but we were not afraid that, at that
rate, our solid Arab majority would ever be in danger. But the next yearthe
year of Hitlerit jumped to 30,000! In 1934 it was 42,000! In 1935 it
reached 61,000!
It was no longer the orderly arrival of idealist Zionists. Rather, all
Europe was pouring its frightened Jews upon us. Then, at last, we, too,
became frightened. We knew that unless this enormous influx stopped, we
were, as Arabs, doomed in our Palestine homeland. And we have not changed
our minds.
I have the impression that many Americans believe the trouble in
Palestineis very remote from them, that
America had little to do with it, and that your only interest now is that of
a humane bystander. I believe that you do not realise how directly you are,
as a nation, responsible in general for the whole Zionist move and
specifically for the present terrorism. I call this to your attention
because I am certain that if you realise your responsibility you will act
fairly to admit it and assume it.
Quite aside from official American support for the "National Home" of the
Balfour Declaration, the Zionist settlements in Palestine would have been
almost impossible, on anything like the current scale, without American
money. This was contributed by American Jewry in an idealistic effort to
help their fellows. The motive was worthy: the result were disastrous. The
contributions were by private individuals, but they were almost entirely
Americans, and, as a nation, only America can answer for it. The present
catastrophe may be laid almost entirely at your door. It is your press and
political leadership, almost alone in the world, who press this demand. It
is almost entirely American money which hires or buys the "refugee ships"
that steam illegally toward Palestine: American money which pays their
crews. The illegal immigration from Europe is arranged by the Jewish Agency,
supported almost entirely by American funds. It is American dollars which
support the terrorists, which buy the bullets and pistols that kill British
soldiersyour alliesand Arab citizens your friends.
We in the Arab world were stunned to hear that you permit open
advertisements in newspapers asking for money to finance these terrorists,
to arm them openly and deliberately for murder. We could not believe this
could really happen in the modern world. Now we must believe it: we have
seen the advertisements with our own eyes. I point out these things because
nothing less than complete frankness will be of use. The crisis is too stark
for mere polite vagueness which means nothing. I have the most complete
confidence in the fairmindedness and generosity of the American public.
We Arabs ask no favours. We ask only that you know the full truth, not half
of it. We ask only that when you judge the Palestine question, you put
yourselves in our place. Your government, almost alone in the world, is
insisting on the immediate admission of 100,000 more Jews into Palestineto
be followed by countless additional ones. This will have the most frightful
consequences in bloody chaos beyond anything ever hinted at in
Palestinebefore. Our
answer is the same. And what would be your action if, in spite of your
refusal, this outside agency began forcing them on you? Ours will be the
same.
--
Ashok Agrwaal
56 Todar Mal Road
New Delhi-110001
Tel: 91 11 23714531(o)
http://works.bepress.com/ashokagrwaal/
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