How could you not know that Arabs were offered a state of their own when the United Nations proposed a partition plan? A state for the Jews and a state for the Arabs was offered. Instead of taking the opportunity of having a state of their own, Israel was attacked by surrounding Arab states that rejected the UN plan. The result was a massive exchange of populations for both Palestinians and Jews. The Palestinians became refugees, 750,00 of them, and 850,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries. The Palestinians were urged to leave their homes while Arab Armies would “drive Israel into the sea.” Israel welcomed those expelled from their homes in those countries in which the Jews have resided from centuries. In this factual “narrative” the Palestinian refugees were placed in camps in several Arab countries that refused to have them become residents for 70 years and instead used them as pawns against Israel. The number of “refugees” supported by the UN is now 5.2 million. It has been reported that schools in these camps are taught to hate Jews and trains them to become terrorists!
Alan, as a Jewish educator, you know about the true history of the Palestinian’s rejection of having a state of their own, not only in 1948, but also in 1967 and 1973 that were followed by intifadas. Recently several proposals offered by Israeli prime ministers that included withdrawal of many settlements and a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. What do these rejections that would have given Palestinians their own state mean? Do Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran really want a two- state solution? Do they want a one state solution that would be the end of Israel? Now there is “an alternate narrative!”
It was reported that you claim that “this one (our) trip (interfaith group) was unlike any other trip was just for Jewish people.” Amazing! Alan, you have not reinvented the wheel.
I appreciate your empathy for the Palestinian people that deserve more from their leaders, but would appreciate a more balanced view.
Sol Koenigsberg
Overland Park, Kansas