Israel paid for its rights

TO BEGIN with, there has never been a Palestinian state, except for the British Mandate for Palestine, 1920-48, held as the reconstituted Jewish homeland. It was one of several mandates created at the San Remo Accords, 1920, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after WWl. It was ratified by the League of Nations, 1922, and the AngloAmerican Convention on Palestine in 1924. Article 80 of the United Nations charter stipulates that nothing can alter what had been given to the Jews.

Zionists started moving into the area around 1850. At the time most of the occupants were Arabs who Identified with the countries they originated from. Gaza were mostly Egyptians and the others were mainly Lebanese and Syrians. Arabs were encouraged to move in by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini.

The Mufti led attacks on the Jews from 1920 on. The first large scale massacre was against the Jewish community in Hebron in 1929 which killed 67, injured hundreds and destroyed their homes and synagogues. The survivors were moved to Jerusalem.

He led attacks on all Jewish centres including in Iraq in 1942. The Farhud in Baghdad, killed 189, injured 1 000 and destroyed 900 Jewish homes.

As Hitler’s ally, he established a Bosnian SS unit, was personally responsible for sending 4 000 Jewish children to Auschwitz, and planned the ‘final’ solution’ for the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa.

LEN BENNETT AUTHOR OF UNFINISHED WORK | OTTAWA, CANADA