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January 27, 2010
What the AP Doesn't Say about the Palestinians and the Holocaust
In her article about the controversy among Jews and Arabs surrounding an Israeli Arab MK's trip to Auschwitz today, AP's Diaa Hadid reports:
The conflict over the Holocaust dates back to the founding of Israel in 1948.
At this point, readers knowledgeable about Mideast history and the Holocaust may have expected mention of the Palestinian Arabs' close collaboration with the Nazis. Grand Mufti Haj-Amin El-Husseini, with his warm relationship with Nazi leaders, was instrumental in recruiting several SS divisions worth of Bosnian Muslims. It's not for nothing that he's been called Hitler's "Muslim Pope."
But Hadad does not mention the Palestinian Arabs' role in the Holocaust here or anywhere else in the article. Instead she goes on to state:
But in the war surrounding Israel's creation, about 700,000 Palestinians were fled or were driven from their homes, leading to a widespread feeling that they were forced to pay the price of the Nazis' persecution of the Jews in Europe.
And Mahommed Barakeh, the Israeli Arab MK, is quoted:
"The Jews, who are the victims of the Nazis, are now practicing oppression against the Palestinians. . . I want to tell them: You must learn the real lesson, you must fight oppression and repression in all places and times."
Haj-Amin El-Husseini's role in the genocide of the Jews undercuts the claims by Barakeh and others of Palestinian "suffering at Israel's hands." Barakeh's views are certainly worthy of reporting. But fair reporting requires that historical events directly relevant to the subject at hand -- either Palestinian Arab collaboration with the Nazis or the Arab rejection of a Jewish state and the subsequent war launched by neighboring Arab states as well as the Palestinians themselves on nascent Israel, leading to the refugee problem -- are also worthy of reporting, even if they contradict claims of Israeli responsibility for Palestinian suffering.
Posted by TS at January 27, 2010 07:19 AM
Comments
I am curious, what was the extent of Palestinian collaboration with the Nazis, beyond the famous photo of Haj Amin El-Husseini meeting with Hitler? What exactly was Husseini's role in the genocide of the Jews? Does Husseini's behavior almost seventy years ago really undercut current claims of Palestinian "suffering at Israel's hand"? Do the Mufti's actions nearly seventy years ago really mean that Palestinians today have no right to complain about Israel's treatment of them? That's a lousy message to be spreading on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Posted by: reader at January 27, 2010 03:57 PM
it also does not mention the Nazi Arab were fervent ZIONISTS - they were happy to get rid of their JEWS- over 500,000 JEWS were expelled from Arab countries, businesses and land and money confiscated first. sSrael offered compensation for the displaced, SYRIAN, IRANI, IRAQI, Jordan EGYPTIAN JEWS GOT NOTHING. Arabs were happy to have JEW FREE LANDS it was thier goal.
A population transpfer took place, ovcer and done 1948.
the past is over
ISRAEL is REAL
they already stole most of the mandated land- NOT ONE INCH MORE
Posted by: Isaiah62 at January 27, 2010 04:16 PM
Dear "Reader,"
Since you are curious, you can easily find that the extent of the collaboration is much, much more than just one "famous photo." For example, you can find details here: http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1510. Of course, the blog post itself gives brief detail, but perhaps you missed it.
By the way, Husseini also helped foment the murderous pogrom of Iraqi Jews called the Farhud (http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=7&x_issue=60&x_article=1352), as well as pre-Holocaust massacres of Jews in Palestine.
And no, this doesn't "mean that Palestinians today have no right to complain" about their situation, or whatever else they may want to complain about it. That's a misreading of the blog post.
But does anyone who believes in truth have a right to equate the Holocaust and the situation of Palestinians; or to pretend that the extent of the Palestinian leader's ties to Nazism was only a photograph? No.
Posted by: gi at January 27, 2010 04:39 PM
The Mufti used Nazi funds to arm his "Arab Liberation Army" against the Jews. And in 1944, there was a foiled Nazi plot assisted by the Mufti, to poison the the drinking water in Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Adam at January 27, 2010 04:52 PM
comment back to "reader"
Palestinian support for Hitler began early in the Nazi years and included full support for the final solution. This was widespread and Palestinian leaders agreed to rise and fight with Hitler's army when he conquered Egypt.
Husseini also recruited Muslim soldiers to fight for Hitler.
Husseini was a regular contact of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Shoah (Holocaust).
He wrote letters to Hitler admonishing Hitler not to spare Jewish children.
Palestians have named their kids Abu Hitler; philo-Nazism is prevalent in Palestinian society, not only did they dance on the roofs when Saddam Hussein rocketed Israel in 1991, they sang a little ditty about "sweet" Saddam killing Jews with poison gas.
In 1948, Palestinians openly called to finish off the Jews to complete Hitler's work and did so with Husseini as their leader. This represents Palestinians full-throated ratification of the single greatest crime in human history.
The real message of Holocaust Memorial Day is there were many perpetrators in many lands, there were many supporters in even more countries. Six million people one sixth of all the dead of WWII were killed for the crime of being Jewish.
As allies and supporters of this crime, Palestinians made poor decisions in 1948 and, when their own attempt at genocide failed, found themselves in their current situation.
It is ignorant and obscene. Israel has tried to make peace with the Palestinians on many occasions but Palestinians suffering is mostly self inflicted. They are human beings and Israel has no desire to make them suffer but the Jewish people will never again subject ourselves to our enemies's murderous desires.
Posted by: Uncle G at January 27, 2010 05:01 PM
There were a little more than 500 000 jews kicked out of Arab countries . It was almost 1 million
Posted by: Aunt r. at January 27, 2010 09:07 PM
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