Times Series on Arab World
In his article on Arab power, Lamb says, “The Palestinians are in their third Diaspora--first expelled from Israel in 1948 . . .”
Lamb--wittingly or unwittingly--is endeavoring to perpetuate a falsehood that all too many Americans have accepted as gospel.
The fact is that the Arabs who left Israel in 1948 did so at the urging of Arab governments who believed the Israelis would quickly be swept into the sea. Then, so they claimed, the Palestinian Arabs could return to their homes joyful in the knowledge that there would be no Jews left to threaten them.
The fact is that the Israeli government pleaded with the Arabs to remain and assured them that their rights would be fully respected. Thousands of Arabs did remain in Israel, still have their homes, their businesses, their freedom, their political rights, and even representation in the Knesset.
It is time that these facts be made clear in the American press. It is the Arab governments who are responsible for this myth, those who urged the Palestinians to leave, and those who, after 37 years, persist in perpetuating the myth by forcing these people to live in squalid filth and poverty in order to keep alive the flames of hate.
The Palestinians deserve far more from their so-called brothers.
DAVID LESSER CAPLAN
Palm Springs
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