Comments on: A Trip to Bethlehem

By: Jan

Jan — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:31:35 +0000

Villa- Here is something that your government won’t tell you.
On April 9, 1948 Jewish terrorists of the Irgun went into the village of Deir Yassin and slaughtered some 100 men, women and children. News of the massacre was broadcast by the Jews who were planning to take over the land for themselves and to get rid of as many Arabs as they could. Fearing that what happened to the people of Deir Yassin could happen to them, thousands of Arab Palestinians, including the family of my Jerusalem born friend, fled into their exile in Jordan. Israeli law prohibited them from ever returning to their homeland. My friend who now lives in America, can trace her family in the Holy Land by name back to the mid 1500s. They were among the founders of Ramallah. While I, because I am a Jew, can “return” to a place where to my knowledge not one of my biological family has ever set foot except as a tourist, she and all the other Palestinians whose roots are in the land are barred by Israeli law from returning. This is a travesty of justice.
Furthermore, while it is true that many Palestinians , especially the women, children and the elderly, fled as people always flee in a conflict to save their lives, tens of thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed by the Jewish forces of the Haganah and the Palmach who committed several massacres as they drove the people out. One of the members of the Palmach was my American born relative by marriage. On a visit to America in 1952 he told the family the role he had played in what he called the “cleansing” of the Arab villages in the north of Israel. He said that they had gone under cover of night into each village and at gunpoint forced every man, woman and child, including the elderly and infirm, to walk barefooted in the night to their exile in Lebanon. They were barefoot because they were not even given time to put on their shoes or to take any of their belongings with them. Anyone trying to come back was called an “infiltrator” and was shot on sight. I didn’t ask if he killed anyone. Like the “good Germans” of only a few years earlier, I just didn’t want to know.
The villages were among the 500 villages destroyed by Israel after 1948. The land of one of the villages was taken by the kibbutz where my relative lived until his death. The first roads on that kibbutz were made from the broken stones of the Arab homes.
When I first heard my relative’s story, I believed it to be an isolated incident. But I was wrong. It happened all over Israel. It is way past time for Israel’s and their supporters to acknowledge that Israel was built on ethnic cleansing because had all the Arabs of Palestine been able to remain in their homes and on their lands, there could not have been a Jewish majority state.

By: Ginger

Ginger — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 12:45:14 +0000

Thank you Gilla. I’m learning that this is a very complex and multi-faceted situation. I always love spending time in Israel and time with you. Hope you had a wonderful Passover.

By: Gilla

Gilla — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 23:46:19 +0000

Ginger, I am sure Marwan’s predicament is a difficult one. Notice he neglected to tell you which government told his family to leave their home in 1948, because it was the Arab leadres that encouraged their own people to leave their homes for a short time so they can make it easier for their army to “throw the Jews to the sea” and then when they return they can have their own homes and the Jewish people’s homes. Aren’t you glad it did not work this way? and what’s more, the whole world sends money for the people in the refugee camps. Unfortunately the money is pocketed by their leaders and they never see any of it.
I don’t think Marwan would dare tell you that.
Nevertheless these people need our help and our compassion. We are not sure how we can help them without the cooperation of their leadership. Israel tried on many occasions to build good neighbourhoods for them and set up places of work, but we were not allowed to do so. These people are held hostage by thier own leaders so they can use it against Israel.
Wishing you a very good Easter
Love you

By: Gilla

Gilla — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 23:36:52 +0000

Hi Rose, are you asking if the Jews in Israel are driven by Old Testament laws like: “Love your neighbour like yourself, I am the Lord” Leviticus 19:18, or” And when he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am merciful.” – says the Lord Exodus 22:27.
I think Rose that the Jews in Israel are simply driven by self defence. Unfotunately our neighbours were in the habit of shooting rockets at us from Bethlehem or coming into our cities as suicide bombers in our buses and our restaurants. Thank God the wall stopped that so everyone can visit Israel and Bethlehem.
I wish you a very happy and peaceful Easter

By: Debbie

Debbie — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 17:11:10 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Ginger. I believe through your experience and narrative, many who thought they understood the conflict, will have to rethink their conclusion. (I loved the pictures you shared along your journey!).

By: Rose Gilbert

Rose Gilbert — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 01:40:10 +0000

Awesome perspective. I’m a little curious though. Are the Jews of today more aware of (may not be using the right words there) Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament? Or are they predominantly driven by Old Testament laws? This could explain some of the conflict right?

By: June von Dullen

June von Dullen — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 23:53:44 +0000

Wow, a new perspective on what is going on over there.