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By Paul J. Balles*
20 October 2003
Though the world's longest-running crisis, the Palestine-Israel conflict remains a mystery to many people outside the Middle East. In 1948, decades of intrigue and collaboration between the Zionist movement and the West - principally Britain - led to the establishment of the state of Israel, mainly by European settlers, and the dispossession of an entire people, the Palestinians, who today remain the world's largest group of refugees. Yet, thanks to the well-oiled Zionist propaganda machine and to Israel's well-placed apologists within the Western political elites, this blot on the conscience of the world is lost on many people in the West, especially those in the countries that bear the greatest responsibility for the prolongation of this gross injustice. Below, Paul J. Balles, a retired American university professor, considers some sources of information on this conflict.
Recently I received a letter from an associate asking about Palestine. He wrote: "Explain the Israel/Palestine issue to me. What the hell is going on? What is the history behind it all? I've been reading up on the Internet but I am baffled by who really is in the right."
My response:
I've been actively following the Israel-Palestine issue for a long time. The history behind it is extensive and complex. There must be hundreds of books written about it. Rather than trying to detail that history in one article, let me offer some useful sources of information on the Israel-Palestine issue.
Before saying anything else, let me make it clear that I am pro-Palestine and against Zionism. I can give you lots of sources of information on both sides; but Palestinians and Israelis are both suspect because of their biases, and I won't refer you to the loads of Zionist propaganda.
On the other hand, some of the best books and articles on the subject have been written by anti-Zionist Jews, like Alfred Lilienthal (The Zionist Connection II), Noam Chomsky (Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians), Rabbi Elmer Berger (Zionist Ideology: Obstacle to Peace), Uri Avnery (founder of the Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom), Israel Shahak, Israel Shamir, Mick Ashley, Norman Finklestein (The Holocaust Industry), Michael Neumann (What Is Anti-Semitism) and ultra-orthodox Jews (see the page by The Central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada).
Norman Finklestein wrote: "What offence did the Palestinians commit except to be born in Palestine? The great offence of the Palestinians was that they refused to commit auto-dispossession..."
Israel Shahak's records showed a total of 385 of 475 villages were demolished at the founding of Israel in 1948.
An enlightening Jewish website is Jews Against Zionism.
You don't read about these people, their books, articles or websites in the mainstream media, despite the fact that the writers are notable Jewish scholars. You can read about the massive media cover-up on the website headed Jews Against Zionism: The Hidden Protest.
Apart from the Jews who have exposed the deceptions and genocide committed by the Zionists, you can locate information about the Palestinians by reading Edward Said (especially The Politics of Dispossession). Sadly, Dr Said recently passed away. However, a prolific writer, he left behind a remarkable collection of books and articles. You'll find the Edward Said archive here.
Unfortunately, few other Arab writers have distinguished themselves as such prolific authors of books or articles, partly because getting the truths about Palestine published by the establishment media is almost impossible. However, Palestinians and their sympathizers seem to be doing a better job of hosting and contributing to websites that deal with Palestinian issues, like Palestine History ,where the Zionists haven't been able to exercise their control - yet!
My favourite website with an Arab editor is Redress Information and Analysis, for which I have written a number of artiles.
You'll also find a Middle East News page on my website which is updated daily with fairly objective coverage of news that seldom gets into the mainstream media. You'll also find links there to alternative news sources that deal with current issues as they arise.
As the BBC has reported, many websites out of Palestine have been knocked offline by the Israeli military. Internet sites related to Palestinian problems provide links to a number of informative locations. Have a look at Ali Abunimah's Bitter Pill, the Palestine Chronicle and the Electronic Intifada.
This is probably much more than you were looking for, but much less than the whole issue deserves. It's a start, however, and hopefully you'll explore these resources and learn more about the subject. If you read much of this material, as I have, I suspect you'll draw the same conclusion: the Palestinians have been grossly mistreated - murdered, dispossessed, maimed, humiliated and downtrodden - by a racist gang of criminal Zionist thugs.
Regards,
Paul
*Paul Balles is a retired American university professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for 34 years. For more information, see http://www.pballes.com.
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