Abbas’ Truth Cleansing
Reuters reports:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in Arab East Jerusalem by banning the building of Palestinian homes and cutting the city off from the occupied West Bank. . . .
“Our people in the city (Jerusalem) are facing an ethnic cleansing campaign through a set of Israeli decisions such as imposing heavy taxes, banning construction and closing Palestinian institutions in addition to separating the city from the West Bank by the racist separation wall,” Abbas said.
Abbas has a very unique understanding of “ethnic cleansing,” given that the Arab population in Jerusalem continues to grow (both in absolute numbers and in relation to the city’s Jewish population.)
According to the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, the Arab population has grown from 68,600 in 1967 to 252,300 in 2006, and from 26 percent to 34 percent of the total population. (See Hebrew tables on Page 12.)
But Abbas doesn’t have to take the word of an Israeli outfit on this issue. He can consult with the Palestinian center PASSIA, which reports:
Jerusalem’s Arab population is growing much faster — three times — than the Jewish population . . . . (page 344 of Facts & Figures)
PASSIA also cites Palestinian numbers for the Arab population in Jerusalem, which are higher than those given by Israelis. Some “ethnic cleansing.”
Moreover, the construction of the security barrier in the Jerusalem area has prompted more — not less — Arabs to move into Jerusalem, including into western neighborhoods, which are predominantly Jewish. (Note that thee JIIS original document on this information has been hacked, thus the above url refers you to a cached page.)
Likewise, Abbas’ claim that is Israel is “banning [Arab] construction” in Jerusalem has just as much basis in reality.
Abbas gives his colleague Saeb Erekat a run for his money when it comes to creativity with facts.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Why Does a NY Times Journalist Want to Suppress an Anti-Hamas Article?
May 29, 2018
A New York Times journalist thinks the Wall Street Journal shouldn't have published an opinion piece criticizing Hamas's anti-Israel propaganda campaign. The reporter, Declan Walsh, is one of the Times reporters who has covered the [...]
Iran is Funding Hamas’s Violent ‘Protests’ at the Border, Media M.I.A.
May 22, 2018
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini The Islamic Republic of Iran is behind the recent Hamas-orchestrated violent demonstrations—dubbed the “March of Return”—at the Israel-Gaza border, according to Israeli authorities. Yet many major U.S. news outlets [...]
Are Gaza Gunmen “Protesters”? NY Times Refuses to Say
May 21, 2018
After repeatedly insisting that "Israeli soldiers killed 60 protesters" during clashes last Monday, May 14, the New York Times is refusing to clarify whether its count of supposed protesters includes the eight armed Hamas fighters [...]
Bahrain Says Israel Has a Right to Self-Defense, and the Media Shrugs
May 15, 2018
Bahrain's Foreign Minister and then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry The foreign minister of the Arab nation of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid al-Khaalifa declared on May 10, 2018 that Israel has a right to defend itself. [...]
AFP Captions Call Jerusalem Parade Participants Settlers
May 15, 2018
Numerous Agence France-Presse photo captions generalized all participants in Sunday's Jerusalem Flag Parade as "settlers," despite the fact that the crowd hailed from across Israel, within the Green Line, as well as outside. A sampling [...]
Journalist: Hezbollah Shows ‘More Maturity’ Than Israel
May 9, 2018
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah A Los Angeles Times special correspondent, Nabih Bulos, declared on Twitter on May 7, 2018, that Hezbollah (“Party of God”) shows “more maturity” than Israel. Hezbollah is a Lebanese-based, Iranian-backed, [...]