I disagree. The Arabs fled because, unlike the Jews, they had no genuine attachment to the land. Most were workers looking for jobs and fled to the bosom of their compatriots in the surrounding Arab countries.
They were not that scared, as you put it, because a lot of them returned with weapons and genocide in their hearts.
That does not give you the right to steal their properties...hell, even the Israeli government agrees with that.
You are wrong. Try doing some research and you will find :
1. The spin sold to the world by the Arabs is that they were one nation in their homeland 'from time immemorial'. And that having been "unfairly removed" from their ancient homeland, they were entitled to return. This is untrue on both accounts.
2. The overwhelming majority had in fact illegally immigrated into Palestine - and not all that long ago either. Secondly that the 'refugees' had left voluntarily, at the urging of their leaders.
3. When the war was over they made no immediate clamor to return. The majority knew perfectly well they were not indigenous. That Palestine was not their ancient homeland.
4. Many had fought with the pan-Arab military forces intending to exterminate the Jews. Those who made war for this purpose had as little right to return as had the defeated Arab armies.
Try reading Joan Peters "From Time Immemorial". from her book :
Peters quoted an early statement by Churchill (1939) that effectively challenged the claim that the Arabs had been in Palestine for millennia.
"So far from being persecuted, the ARABS have CROWDED into the country till their population has INCREASED more than even all world Jewry could lift up the Jewish population."
Tewfik Bey El-Hurani, Governor of the Hauran said August 12, 1935, as published in "La Syrie": "in the last few months from 30,000 to 36,000 Hauranese (Syrians) had ENTERED Palestine and SETTLED there".
Massive Arab immigration from 1922 to 1936 into Palestine was confirmed by the British Governor of the Sinai, who observed that: "This illegal immigration was not only going on from SINAI, but also from Transjordan and Syria....." |
