Israel and the Arabs
Sir, — As the person who drafted the letter, the contents of whigh Mr Mark Braham (May 19) has referred to as " puerile over-simplification, malicious over-statement," and "thoroughly mischievous," I think Mr Bra..ham is treading on dangerous ground to use such forceful language about a subject on which his thinking appears somewhat confused.
Mr Braham writes: "Virtually since 1917 the choice for the Arabs has been to negotiate or make war and Arab leadership has almost invariably advised the latter course of action." 1 rshould be interested to learn which Arab leadership " made war" before 1948, when, after the UN recommendation that the Jews should have 56 per cent of Palestine, by the time the British mandate ended, the Zionists had attacked and occupied towns and villages in the proposed Arab state and had attacked and expelled Arabs from towns and villages in the proposed Jewish state so that, before the Arabs "made war," 325,000 Palestinians had become refugees. And what "negotiation " was possible in 1917 when, in spite of a Palestinian Arab population of 92 per cent and a Jewish land-holding of less than two per cent, Dr Chaim Weizmann was proclaiming that Palestine would be " as Jewish as England is English "?
If Mr Braham considers it " malicious " and " false" to condemn Zionism as a " racist " and " persecuting " ideology, perhaps he ought to refresh his memory as to Herzl's proposals for the expulsion of the indigenous population of Palestine. And perhaps he ought to read the Zionist Book of Education (Ray Kook Institute, Jerusalem, 1948) which is in current use in Israeli schools and which teaches hatred of Arabs. The word ' Amalek ' Amalekite — is used in Israel today as a synonym for Arabs and other so-called "enemies of Israel," and children are told that it is a valid present-day instruction to" strike Amalek, and you take all he has and you have no mercy and you put to death man and woman, from babe to suckler . . ." (Samuel 1.15.3).
Marion Wool/Son 35 Camden Mews, London NWI.
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