Remember:
Israel is bad!
Its existence keeps reminding Muslims what a bunch of losers they are.
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"There will be no peace until they will love their children more than they hate us."
-Golda Meir-
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'If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel'
~Benjamin Netanyahu~
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"Peace for us means the destruction of Israel.
We are preparing for an all out war, a war which will last for generations.
~Yasser Arafat~
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"The Palestinian people have no national identity.
I, Yasser Arafat, man of destiny, will give them that identity through conflict with Israel."
~ Yasser Arafat ~
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"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel. For our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of Palestinian people, since Arab national interest demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism".
American president enraged by Iranian counterpart's allegations suggesting the US was behind terror attack
US President Barack Obama denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments on the September 11 terrorist attacks as "hateful" and "inexcusable," according to excerpts of a Friday interview with the BBC's Persian affiliate.
speaking before the United Nations in New York city Thursday, Ahmadinejad said that most people believe the United States itself orchestrated the September 11 terrorist attacks.
His comments prompted US and European officials to leave the UN general assembly.
"For him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of Ground Zero, where families lost their loved ones, people of all faiths, all ethnicities who see this as the seminal tragedy of this generation, for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable," Obama told BBC Persian in an interview Friday.
The Iranian leader's comments came just a few hours after Obama reiterated a call for peace in the Middle East and said he was willing to find a diplomatic solution to concerns that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons for defense purposes.
While Washington views Ahmadinejad's comments as outrageous, US officials said a diplomatic solution is still possible if Iran takes concrete steps to show the international community that its nuclear weapons are for peaceful purposes.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also condemned Ahmadinejad's statement: "I strongly condemn the comments made yesterday by a leader of a delegation that called into question the cause of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on US soil," he said.
"It is unacceptable for the platform of the General Assembly of the United Nations to be misused in this way."
The US, as well as other countries, this year initiated tough sanctions against Iran, which they say the sanctions have hampered Ahmadinejad's popularity among Iranians.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad defended his remarks and challenged the United Nations to set up a commission to study the attacks: "I did not pass judgment, but don't you feel that the time has come to have a fact finding committee?" he said.
Author Note:
Maybe now the world can realize who is Ahmedinejad, the mental disorder president of Iran which has no sense and wants to wipe Israel from the global map.
People assume that the Koran (Qur'an - Muslim holy scriptures) has anti-Israel passages. While there is no doubt some level of anti-Jewish sentiment in the Koran, there are many passages that are actually in support of a Jewish state of Israel! The following are eleven passages showing the support for a Jewish state in the Muslim holy scriptures.
Sura 2:190
A case could even be made that Israel's victory over the Arabs in the 1948 war was a judgement by Allah against the Arabs for their apostasy in opposing the Zionists. This would be their just reward for transgressing Sura 2:190, which says, "Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities."
Sura 5:21
Moses is quoted as telling the Jews to "enter into the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you". While Mohammed later condemns the Jews for their sins and their refusal to accept his message, he never says that, as punishment, Allah has revoked our title to the Holy Land. Therefore the title still stands, and Muslim anti-Zionists are apostates.
Sura 9:5
“Then when the Sacred Months have passed, kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and observe the Islamic lifestyle, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” - Does this sound like a peaceful religion to you?
Sura 10:93-94
“We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place...If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee" - In case you had any doubts about whether the Koran talks about the Jews' right to live in the land of Israel.
Sura 16:126
"If ye punish, then punish with the like of that wherewith ye were afflicted." Yet Ariel Sharon's nonviolent, if provocative, visit to the Temple Mount was met with rioting, including the use of firebombs and AK-47's.
Sura 17:4
"And We [Allah] gave (clear) warning to the children of Israel in the Book, that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!" The succeeding verses tell us that the punishment referred to was banishment from the land. But "twice" means twice, not three times; hence the Jews, having been banished from the land once by the Babylonians and a second time by Rome, will never again be banished from the land. According to the Qur'an, Israel is an eternal nation.
Moreover, "twice would they do mischief on the earth" means twice, not three times; hence the Jews will never again do mischief on the earth. In particular, the Jews cannot bear moral responsibility for the Palestinian refugee problem.
Sura 17:7
The Palestinians deny that there ever was a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. But Sura 17:7 records the destruction of the First Temple by Babylon and the Second Temple by Rome, and Mohammed never contests the Bible's claim that the Temples were in Jerusalem.
Sura 17:104
The Jews' return from 19 centuries of exile is actually the fulfillment of Islamic prophecy. Sura 17:104 says that 'And we said to the Children of Israel afterwards, "Go live into this land. When the final prophecy comes to pass, we will summon you all in one group."'
Sura 60:9
Moreover, Sura 60:9 forbids aiding the enemies of the Muslim people. Contrast this with the Palestinians' continued support of Saddam Hussein, whose hands are red with the blood of Iranian, Kurdish, and Kuwaiti Muslims.
Sura 83:1
"Woe to those that deal in fraud"; yet Yasir Arafat reneged on his promise to guard Joseph's Tomb in Nablus after the Israeli troops withdrew.
Palestinian leader Abbas seeks to adopt racist policy based on ethnic cleansing of Jews
The Palestinian Authority is under heavy international pressure, mostly American, aimed at facilitating the transition from proximity talks to direct negotiations with Israel.
The written message recently sent by President Obama to Palestinian Chairman Mahmud Abbas indicated that the American administration is not content, to say the least, with the Palestinian foot-dragging in the peace process, or with what is perceived to be a lack of appreciation for American pressure on Israel (which led PM Netanyahu to accept the two-state solution and to temporarily freeze settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem.)
However, there is no obvious fundamental change in the Palestinian stance. The PA hesitates and refrains from explicit commitment to direct negotiations without any pre-conditions. Instead, it tries to weather the American demands by raising a new proposal to convene a three-way meeting of Palestine, Israel, and America to discuss the agenda of the negotiations, its legitimacy, and the settlement cessation.
While briefing the Egyptian media in Cairo, Abbas divulged last week his version of the failure of the peace talks with former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and his positions regarding the political settlement of the conflict. Abbas noted that he almost reached an agreement with Olmert, but the negotiations failed at the final stretch because of disagreement on the discussed land swap.
Olmert proposed 6.5% but Abbas accepted to no more than 1.9%. Abbas said that he demanded to divide Jerusalem, with the city’s eastern section handed over to the Palestinians and the western part remaining in Israeli hands, and insisted that the refugee problem must be settled in accordance with an Arab peace initiative from March 2002, and UN resolution 194. He also stressed that he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
"I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces, but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land,” he was quoted by Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.
A state without Jews The Palestinians intend to demand the implementation of the UN resolution regarding refugees, from a Palestinian perspective, which gives the 5.5 million refugees and their descendants the right of return and to settle in the State of Israel. In his briefing to the Egyptian media, Abbas presented this strategy and denied the Jewish character of Israel. He maintains that Israel should, in fact, become a bi-national state, but on the other hand that Palestine must become a state “clean” of Jews.
The term “Israeli” used by Abbas means “Jew,” as the PA sees Israeli Arabs, Muslims and Christians alike as an integral part of the Palestinian people. The future State of Palestine, according Abbas, must resist any Jewish presence in its territory. In other words, the PA embraces a racist policy – Palestinian apartheid – directed at Jews, based on denial of Jewish history and the cultural and religious linkage of the Jewish people to the land.
The anti-Semitism embodied in Abbas’ words refers also to his position towards the NATO observers’ force that may be deployed in the West Bank to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement with Israel. He is opposed to Jews being included in this force; meaning, he will ask Germany and all other partner countries in NATO to use their own forces in the West Bank, in an effort to the exclude any Jewish soldiers.
He didn’t explain how these countries would determine who is a Jew, whether according to orthodox Jewish laws or just if one of the parents or grandparents was a Jew. But even Saudi Arabia didn’t dare oppose the deployment of American Jewish soldiers on its land during operation Desert Storm (1990-1), and no one in Israel ever demanded to disqualify Muslim soldiers from serving in the international observers’ forces in Lebanon, the Golan Heights and Sinai.
The racist language used by Abbas is particularly despicable as it doubts the loyalty of the Jews to their country. It is for this reason that his comments call for a firm Israeli and European response.
Jonathan Dahoah Halevi is a senior researcher and fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and Director of Research at the Orient Research Group
Terrorism has been defined throughout the international community as a crime against humanity. As such, the state of Israel not only had the right but also the obligation to do everything in its power to lessen the impact and scope of terrorism on the citizens of Israel.
The security fence in an operational concept conceived by the Israeli Defense Establishment in order to reduce the numbers of terrorist attacks whether in the form of explosive-rigged vehicles or in the form of suicide bombers who enter into Israel with the intention of murdering innocent babies, children, women and men.
Hypocrisy:
Morocco - Sahara: The great wall of Morocco known as "the security belt" is a defensive wall of 2720 kms (1690 mi) long. It serves to protect Morocco from hostile intentions of Polisario.
Pakistan - Afghanistan: Pakistan built a 2400 kms (1490 mi)barrier to separate itself from Afghanistan.
India - Pakistan: As well India built its 3300 kms (2050 mi) wall to separate itself from neighboring Pakistan.
South Korea - North Korea: South Korea protects itself from North Korea with a barrier of 250 kms (154 mi).
Saudi Arabia - Yemen: Saudi Arabia built 1770 kms (1100 mi) concrete wall with sophisticated electronic monitoring devices. The wall is intended to prevent Yemenite infiltration into the country. The barrier costs over 700 million dollars. Little matters the anger of local Yemenite tribes denouncing the reduction of Yemenite territory by 7 kms (4 mi).
(and Iraq) As well Saudi Arabia erects a 900 kms (500 mi) ultra modern barrier on its border with Iraq.
Turkey (Cyprus): Turkey claims part of the island of Cyprus and delimits that territory by a barrier of 300 kms. (187 mi)
Thailand - Malaysia: Since 2007, Thailand erected a 75 kms (46 mi) barrier along its most accessible border with Malaysia. According to Bangkok, its purpose is to prevent southern troubled provinces Muslim terrorists from entering the northern part of the country.
Uzbekistan - Tajikistan: Uzbekistan erected a closure of 1283 kms (797 mi) along its border with Tajikistan.
United Arab Emirates - Oman: United Arab Emirates are in the process of building 410 kms (255 mi) barrier on their border with Oman.
Kuwait - Iraq: Kuwait reinforces the exiting 215 kms (134 mi) structure along its border with Iraq.
United States - Mexico: What about United States? What about Obama and his speech in Cairo? What about this land of liberty and the Mexican border? The 3360 kms (2087 mi) length wall between United states and Mexico is being erected to protect the U.S from Mexicans who try to enter illegally the country in order to escape poverty and misery.
And what about Europe? Always so ready to condemn certain others?
Spain - Ceuta and Melilla Spain of Javier Solana and Moratinos erected an electrified barrier of 11 kms (7 mi) guarded continuously by soldiers at Melilla, as well at its border with Ceuta, The fence's long 11 (7 mi) kms and consists of parallel 3-metre (10-foot) fences topped with barbed wire, with regular watchposts and a road running between them to accommodate police patrols or ambulance service in case of need. Underground cables connect spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras to a central control booth; dozens of Guard ships and patrol boats check the coast, while 621 Guardia Civil’s officers and 548 police officers control the shore.
It serve to protect Spain from illegal Moroccan and sub Saharan workers who try to enter its territory to escape famine.
Ireland (Belfast) There are also the famous "walls of Ireland", length of 0.5 kms (0.310 mi), where for over thirty years, Catholic and Protestants desire to be separated from each other. For this, roads have been cut in order to end the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails, hand grenades and various other projectiles. Entire areas of Belfast have been disfigured, homes destroyed and residents ex-pulsed in total general international indifference.
BUT THE ONLY WALL CALLED "THE WALL OF SHAME" IS THE ONE BUILT BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL!!!
For Israel however the benefit of such wall is without question: Between 2002 and 2008, the number of victims of suicide bomb attacks on its soil has fallen from 451 to 7. This fall of 98.5% (!!!) does not of course apply at Eilat, nor Dimona, nor along the Judean desert as these areas are not yet enclosed in the security barrier.
It is more legitimate to build a wall in order to protect oneself from immigrants living in poverty and misery than to do it in order to prevent the entering of TERRORIST, SUICIDE BOMBERS?
I let you, Mr. Obama, Mr. Solana, Mr. Moratinos and all your colleagues answer this question. It is quite rhetorical, I must admit.
Here is the complete list of all the barrier walls around the world:
Name: Malaysia-Thailand border Country: Thailand and Malaysia Type: Anti-terrorism Year: Proposed Length: 650 kms (403 mi)
Name: Indo-Bangladeshi barrier Country: India Type: Anti-illegal immigration and Anti-Terrorism Year: Under construction Length: 3,268 kms (2041 mi)
Name: Indo-Burma barrier Country: India type: Anti-Drug smuggling and Anti-Terrorism Year: Under construction Length: 1,624 kms (1009 mi)
Name: Indian Kashmir barrier Country: India Type: Anti-terrorism (disputed territory) Year: 2004 Length: 550 kms (341 mi)
Name: Iran-Pakistan barrier Country: Iran and Pakistan Type: Anti-drug smuggling Year: Under construction Length: 700 kms (434 mi)
Name: Israeli West Bank barrier Country: Israel - West Bank Type: Anti-terrorism (disputed territory) Year: Under construction Length: 650 kms (403 mi)
name: Saudi-Yemen barrier Country: Saudi Arabia and Yemen type: Anti-illegal immigration Year: 2004 Length: 1770 kms (1100 mi)
Name: Turkmen - Uzbekistan barrier Country: Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Type: Anti-illegal immigration Year: 2001 Length: 1,700 kms (1056 mi)
Name: United Arab Emirates-Oman barrier Country: United Arab Emirates and Oman Type: Anti-illegal immigration Year: Under construction Length: 410 kms (254 mi)
name: United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus Country: Cyprus and Northern Cyprus Type: Conflict zone Year: 1974 Length: 300 kms (186 mi)
Name: United States–Mexico barrier Country: United States Type: Anti-illegal immigration and drug smuggling Year: Under construction Length: 3,360 (2087 mi)
The name Palestine is derived from the biblical name Peleshet designating the coastal plain in which the Philistines (Peleshtim) settled in the course of their 12th century (BC) expansion. The Philistines were an Aegean people who were driven out of Greece and the Aegean islands around 1300 BC.
The first time the area which is today named Israel was given the name Palestine was in 135 AD after the Roman conquest of Judea. This was immediately after the Romans crushed the revolt led by Simon Bar Kochba in 135 AD. The Romans renamed the land Syria-Palesitina in an attempt to cancel the Jewish claim to the land. They proceeded to destroy Jerusalem and rename it Aelia Capitolina. But we can still find as late as the 4th century, the Christian author, Epiphanius referring to "Palestine, that is, Judea." Previous to 123 AD (a turning point in Jewish history), there is about 2000 years of Jewish presence and history in the area today termed Israel. Here is a brief history, leaving out thousands of names and places. Pick up any history book that covers this period and this region:
2000-1225 BC - The period of Abraham 1120-1180 BC - Moses, the exodus from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea 1180-1100 BC - The assault on Jericho 1080-1030 BC - Samson, Samuel, Shaul 1030-1013 BC - David, battle of Gilboa 1013-1006 BC - David proclaimed king at Hebron, David captures Jerusalem 1006-980 BC - The wars of David (Arameans, Moab, Edom) 980-933 BC - The death of David, Solomon, the 1st Temple 933-875 BC - War between Israel and Judah, Omri founds the 3rd dynasty of Israel 987-851 BC - The era of Samaria 854-746 BC - Ahab, the Assyrian advance, the end of the Omri dynasty 746-720 BC - Amos at Bet-el, Shallum, Menachem, Pekahiah - kings of Israel, Ahaz king of Judea, deportation of Israelite population to Assyria 720-692 BC - The fall of Samaria, the capture of Ashdod 692-609 BC - Beginning of decline of Assyrian power, the fall of Ninveh, death of Josiah. 608-586 BC - The end of the kingdom of Judea, the destruction of Jerusalem, the flight to Egypt by Jews 586-538 BC - Babylonian exile 538-432 BC - The restoration of the 1st Temple, Nehemiah builds the walls. 424-187 BC - Greek rule 187-142 BC - Hellenism, rededication of the Temple, Judah the Maccabbee. 142-37 BC - Simon, Syrian invasion repulsed, Samaritan temple razed, rise of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Pompey, Caesar, Herod named by Romans to be king of Jews 37-4 BC - Herod the Great 4BC-67 AD - Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Agrippa confirmed by Claudius, Josephus in the Galilee 68-135 AD - Titus, destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the capture of Masada, Hadrian, the Jewish uprising led by Bar Kochba, the renaming of Judea to Syria-Palestina by Rome
Only in 632 AD did the Moslem Arabs invade Syria-Palestina and by 640 AD the area was part of the Moslem empire. This reign lasted 450 years, with first the Omayyads, then the Abbasid dynasty and finally by the Fatimids.
Nazism: 1) Extermination of non-Aryan ethnic groups. 2) Extermination of Jews and homosexuals 3) Dictatorship of the Aryan race over all other races. 4) Installation of totalitary in all aspects of life and policy.
Islam 1) Extermination of so called unbelievers subjugation of the "people of the book" 2) Extermination of Jews and homosexuals 3) Dictatorship of Muslims over all + Men over women (inc. Pedophilia) 4) Installation of totalitary in all aspects of life and policy.
Nazism or National Socialism refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler and the policies adopted by the government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, a period also known as the Third Reich.
The official name of the Nazi party was the National Socialist German Workers' Party, (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP). Nazism was the main form of National Socialism that emerged after World War I, and is generally considered a form of fascism.
Nazi Rules: Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, bringing an end to German democracy. Guided by racist and authoritarian ideas, the Nazis abolished basic freedoms and sought to create a "Volk" community. In theory, a "Volk" community united all social classes and regions of Germany behind Hitler. In reality, the Third Reich quickly became a police state, where individuals were subject to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment.
In the first months of his chancellorship, Hitler began a concerted policy of "synchronization," forcing organizations, political parties, and state governments into line with Nazi goals and placing them under Nazi leadership. Culture, the economy, education, and law came under greater Nazi control. Trade unions
were abolished and workers, employees, and employers were forced into Nazi organizations. By mid-July 1933, the Nazi party was the only political party permitted in Germany. The Reichstag (German parliament) became a rubber stamp for Hitler's dictatorship. The Fuehrer's will became the foundation for government policy.
The appointment of Nazi party members to government positions increased Hitler's authority over state officials. According to the Nazi party's leadership principle, authority flowed down from above and absolute obedience towards one's superior was expected at each level of the Nazi hierarchy. Hitler was master of the Third Reich.
The Nazis managed to recruit some Moslems directly. Several Moslem SS divisions were raised: the Skanderbeg Division from Albania, the Handschar Division from Bosnia, and smaller units from throughout the Moslem world from Chechnya to Uzbekistan were incorporated into the German armed forces in one capacity or another. This was only taking the first step in Heinrich Himmler’s planned grand alliance between Nazi Germany and the Islamic world. One of his closest aides, Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger, boasted that "a link is created between Islam and National-Socialism on an open, honest basis. It will be directed in terms of blood and race from the North, and in the ideological-spiritual sphere from the East."
What an image: a Nazi-Moslem alliance to conquer the world! Naturally, totalitarian ideology (as shown by the Sino-Soviet and Iran-Taliban splits, for example) is a notoriously weak glue, so it is questionable how far this could have prospered. But the thought is chilling enough.
From Jerusalem Post. 14,000 tons aid was transferred from Israel to Gaza last week. Total 637 trucks, of aid, transferred to Gaza Strip via crossings.
Shipments consisted of: ☛Hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel! ☛21 trucks of milk formula/baby food! ☛897 tons of cooking gas! ☛66 trucks of fruits/vegetables! ☛51 trucks wheat! ☛27 trucks meat, poultry/ fish! ☛40 trucks dairy products! ☛117 trucks animal food! ☛37 trucks of hygiene products! ☛22 trucks sugar! ☛38 trucks clothing/shoes. ☛781 medical patients from Gaza crossed to Israel for medical treatment with 4 trucks medicine/medical equipment! ☛191 members of international organizations crossed to Gaza 202 crossed from Gaza to Israel.
Hamas Steals Aid From Palestinians: The Israeli Defense Forces continue to face a good deal of heat from humanitarian groups such as Human Rights Watch, which say the military's tight cordon around Gaza City is taking a punishing toll on civilians who are in desperate need of humanitarian supplies.
Apparently Hamas, the terrorist "government" in Gaza, doesn't agree. As the Jerusalem Post reports:
Hamas on Monday raided some 100 aid trucks that Israel had allowed into Gaza, stole their contents and sold them to the highest bidders.
... Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF has facilitated the transfer of close to 900 trucks into the Gaza Strip with over 20,000 tons of basic food and medical supplies.
So Hamas loots 1 out of 9 aid trucks, not only stealing food and supplies from the mouths of its own people to fund more rockets but also jeopardizing Israel's inclination to allow future relief deliveries.
What are the chances that HRW, the United Nations, and other humanitarian organizations will now express the same outrage over relief access with Hamas that they showed with Israel? Far less than 1 in 9 is my guess.
Author Note: The Palestinians have no shame to blame Israel for "genocide" and they couldn't understand this situation will stay as long they refuse to release Gilad shalit. The bleeding heart people of the world are support Palestinian terrorism and helping the terrorists as long it's on Israel's back.
"There is no such country as Palestine. 'Palestine' is a term the Zionists invented. There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria. 'Palestine' is alien to us. It is the Zionists who introduced it".
- Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, Syrian Arab leader to British Peel Commission, 1937 -
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"There is no such thing as Palestine in history, absolutely not".
- Professor Philip Hitti, Arab historian, 1946 -
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"It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but Southern Syria".
- Representant of Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, 1956 -
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Concerning the Holy Land, the chairman of the Syrian Delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in February 1919 stated:
"The only Arab domination since the Conquest in 635 c.e. hardly lasted, as such, 22 years".
"There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent (valley of Jezreel, Galilea); not for thirty miles in either direction... One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings. For the sort of solitude to make one dreary, come to Galilee... Nazareth is forlorn... Jericho lies a mouldering ruin... Bethlehem and Bethany, in their poverty and humiliation... untenanted by any living creature... A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds... a silent, mournful expanse... a desolation... We never saw a human being on the whole route... Hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil had almost deserted the country... Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes... desolate and unlovely...".
- Mark Twain, "The Innocents Abroad", 1867 -
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"In 1590 a 'simple English visitor' to Jerusalem wrote: 'Nothing there is to bescene but a little of the old walls, which is yet remayning and all the rest is grasse, mosse and weedes much like to a piece of rank or moist grounde'.".
- Gunner Edward Webbe, Palestine Exploration Fund,
Quarterly Statement, p. 86; de Haas, History, p. 338 -
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"The land in Palestine is lacking in people to till its fertile soil".
- British archaeologist Thomas Shaw, mid-1700s -
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"Palestine is a ruined and desolate land".
- Count Constantine François Volney, XVIII century French author and historian -
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"The Arabs themselves cannot be considered but temporary residents. They pitched their tents in its grazing fields or built their places of refuge in its ruined cities. They created nothing in it. Since they were strangers to the land, they never became its masters. The desert wind that brought them hither could one day carry them away without their leaving behind them any sign of their passage through it".
- Comments by Christians concerning the Arabs in Palestine in the 1800s -
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"Then we entered the hill district, and our path lay through the clattering bed of an ancient stream, whose brawling waters have rolled away into the past, along with the fierce and turbulent race who once inhabited these savage hills. There may have been cultivation here two thousand years ago. The mountains, or huge stony mounds environing this rough path, have level ridges all the way up to their summits; on these parallel ledges there is still some verdure and soil: when water flowed here, and the country was thronged with that extraordinary population, which, according to the Sacred Histories, was crowded into the region, these mountain steps may have been gardens and vineyards, such as we see now thriving along the hills of the Rhine. Now the district is quite deserted, and you ride among what seem to be so many petrified waterfalls. We saw no animals moving among the stony brakes; scarcely even a dozen little birds in the whole course of the ride".
- William Thackeray in "From Jaffa To Jerusalem", 1844 -
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"The country is in a considerable degree empty of inhabitants and therefore its greatest need is of a body of population".
- James Finn, British Consul in 1857 -
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"The area was underpopulated and remained economically stagnant until the arrival of the first Zionist pioneers in the 1880's, who came to rebuild the Jewish land. The country had remained "The Holy Land" in the religious and historic consciousness of mankind, which associated it with the Bible and the history of the Jewish people. Jewish development of the country also attracted large numbers of other immigrants - both Jewish and Arab. The road leading from Gaza to the north was only a summer track suitable for transport by camels and carts... Houses were all of mud. No windows were anywhere to be seen... The plows used were of wood... The yields were very poor... The sanitary conditions in the village [Yabna] were horrible... Schools did not exist... The rate of infant mortality was very high... The western part, toward the sea, was almost a desert... The villages in this area were few and thinly populated. Many ruins of villages were scattered over the area, as owing to the prevalence of malaria, many villages were deserted by their inhabitants".
- The report of the British Royal Commission, 1913 -
