By Alan Seeling
1917 The Balfoure Declaration. Setting up a protectorate for Jews and Arabs out of the defeated Turkish Caliphate, to be governed by Britain who named the area “Palestine.”
1933 -1945 WWII Millions of Jews, Poles, and Gypsies were sent to concentration camps where at least 6 million Jews died.
1947 Because of the world-wide horror at the discovery of the concentration camps negotiations were being made to establish a Jewish State in British Palestine. Jews had begun fleeing Eastern Europe and Russian since the Balfour Declaration. The British tried slowing the post WWII stream of immigrants and ended up creating a minor uprising of the Jewish settlers already there.
1948 With the announcement that the Jewish settlers were negotiating to set up a Jewish state, historically called Israel. With the Lebanese to the north, the Syrians to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the South all joined together marshalling their armies to the east border of the Jordan River. They announced that they would all attack (from the river to the sea) and “exterminate” ANYONE they found, including any Arabs who had lived among the Jewish remnant for 2000 years. Most Arabs (600,000?) looking at the overwhelming Arab military, escaped to the east. The Arab armies numbered about 60,000 but with modern tanks and small arms. The Israelis numbered about 30,000 in militias and had no access to modern weaponry. The Arab armies made it in some places, to just 10 miles from the Mediterranean.
1967 Again, the Arab countries under Abdul Nasser mobilized once again. This time Israel had modern arms and they not only defeated the Arab armies but pushed the larger Egyptian army all the way back to the Suez Canal.
1972 It was 1967 again, but the Arab nations were able to not be as defeated as badly. In fact after pushing the Israelis back initially, the Israelis were able to cross into Egypt, though were convinced to withdraw by the US. By this time the Arab refugees, now facing their 20th years in “refugee” camps, we’re still being denied citizenship in any of the surrounding Arab countries. My Egyptian friend at the time (a Christian) explained that those Arabs were like the gypsies of Europe, undesirables. That attitude still exists and is the reason Egypt is not letting Gazans into their country.
Post 1972 the refugee camps we’re overpopulating. Less and less room and no hope for local jobs. As it is being told by the arabs escaping, all the “Relief” money disappeared into the bank accounts of the leaders. A typical 3rd World problem. People now commonly began calling these Arabs “Palestinians.” I had a cousin whose father was a son of a “Lebanese” mucky muck. They called themselves Lebanese because “Palestinian” was too low caste. These Palestinians, without any where to go, became pawns of the Islamic jihadists of the surrounding countries. Their only claim to fame was making war against the Israeli “oppressors.” Daily rocket attacks, bombings, sniping has been going on ever since. It became so difficult that Israel built a 40’ wall entirely around the area, allowing the many Arab workers into Israel only through guarded gates. Violence within Israel decreased markedly. Two groups emerged to lead the Palestinians. One lead by Yasser Arafat and the other by Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who’s son Massob, wrote “Son of Hamas,” that described how the Palestinian situation devolved into the violence that became Gaza. Gaza has been a moderately separate area since the ancient Egyptions. In 1967 Israel won it from Egypt. In 2006 Israel gave it to the Palestinians. The Political Hamas party ran elections and has ruled since. Over 18,000 missiles have been launched into southern Israel since 2006. Once the horrific attack on October 7th 2023 occurred public sentiment in Israel demanded some sort of attempt to stop these missile attacks as well as the ground base attacks. Due to the Hamas military building a huge tunnel system underneath all of the Gaza strip stopping the missiles and discouraging military attacks was very difficult. It was finally determined that the tunnels would have to be captured and eliminated. When the Israelis started trying to bomb the tunnel system they announced the areas to be struck a day ahead so that the people could flee. Most fled south to the border of Egypt. There’s a huge refugee problem as you can imagine. However, Hamas’ military continued to use schools, residences, and hospitals as cover for their tunnel system and their launch sites. My take away on people calling the war “Genocide of Gazans” is that it is completely beyond hypocritical. It is the 70th-year of the Moslim imams calling to completely ERASE Jews from Palestine. THAT is the definition of genocide. Remember, the Gazans have been supporting and electing Hamas since 2006. Outside occasional raids into Gaza to destroy launch sites, Israel has just endured. That has stopped.
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