It is important to not get too bent out of shape over the lies and ignorance expressed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. This is their strategy: Keep saying outrageous things that the media must cover. It is working like a charm and, I imagine, other new Democrats are frustrated that they constantly suck all the air out of the room.
Tlaib must have been getting jealous of all the headlines that her colleague Ilhan Omar was getting with her outlandish statements. So she decided to outdo her and for that, she needed to say something crazy about the Holocaust.
It would be easy to ignore her, but when it comes to the Holocaust and the creation of Israel, it’s impossible to not address the lies. People are not educated on these issues. So when someone who is charismatic, like Rep. Tlaib, spreads a false narrative, it is often believed without being challenged.
Friday, on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery,” Tlaib said the following:
“There’s always kind of a calming feeling, I tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out… And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. And, I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways, but they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them.”
Okay, so where do we begin?
1. This is the first time I have ever, ever heard someone (and it is a U.S. Congresswoman) say that the murdering of six million Jews, raping of our women, grotesque scientific experiments on our children, confiscation of our property and displacement of millions, brings someone calm. Has anyone ever walked out of a screening of Schindler’s List with a “calming feeling”?
2. In 1948, there were no, as in zero, ethnic Palestinians in the world. The word simply referred to anyone, Jewish or Arab, who lived in the region. There was no government of Palestine or State of Palestine—not ever.
3. In 1919, there were 500,000 Arabs living in the region of Palestine. Because of the Jewish renewal and restoration of the Land, there was growing economic opportunity—the best in the Middle East. Arabs from all over the area flocked to the region of Palestine for a better life. The population grew to 1.3 million Arabs by 1948—which means, more than 60% of Arabs living in Palestine in 1948 were newcomers.
4. Tlaib loves the fact that it was her “ancestors that provided… a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust,” except, there is no truth in that!
The Land was not theirs to give. It was under Ottoman rule for 400 years until 1917, and then under the British Mandate until Israel’s independence.
In 1917, as the British were about to take over, they issued the Balfour Declaration, promising the Jewish people a state in their ancient homeland.
That was adopted by the post-World War 1, San Remo Conference and was made international law in 1920.
In November 1947, the United Nations passed the “Partition” plan. This was a plan to take what was left of Palestine (after creating Jordan with 80% of Palestine) and create two states—one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. The Arabs rejected this; the Jews accepted.
The British left Israel on May 14, 1948 and Israel declared independence on the same day.
As for her ancestors, instead providing a safe haven for Jews (as the silly congresswomen suggests), they declared war on Israel, seeking to murder the upstart Jews. While many Arabs living in the region did not want war, the surrounding Arab nations called for them to evacuate, so they could wipe Israel off the map. Roughly 800,000 of her “Palestinian” ancestors fled, praying for an Islamic massacre, after which, they would return to the plunder. Israel’s unexpected victory threw a monkey wrench into that plan and created the refugee crisis. Had they stayed, they would have become full citizens here in Israel—just like the 600,000 Arabs who did not flee.
5. Tlaib spreads a false narrative that Jews just showed up in “Palestine” after the Holocaust because the Arabs here were going to help them establish a “safe haven.”
The Grand Mufti, the leader of the Arabs of Jerusalem, was an ally of Hitler calling for the final solution to come to the Middle East. The Arabs of “Palestine” were calling for Jewish genocide, not a “safe haven.”
There were already 500,000 Jews living in “Palestine” at the end of World War 2.
They were in the Holy Land because Israel is the ancient Jewish homeland going back to Abraham—not because of a fictitious post-Holocaust resettlement.
Great Britain passed a law in 1939 that said only 75,000 more Jews could immigrate to Palestine without Arab approval. Eleven million were at risk, and that Arab approval never came; thus no “safe haven” for Jews.
In fact, Great Britain worked tirelessly throughout WW2 with Rep. Tlaib’s Arab ancestors to keep European Jews from immigrating to Israel, even unleashing British destroyers against European Jews seeking to enter by boat. It only became a safe haven to those Jews after Israel was a nation.
Having said that, there is no question that the Arabs living in what we now call the Palestinian territory, have not had it easy. But that is due to their corrupt leadership—not Israel. Israel’s desire has always been to live in peace. If they had been willing to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1948, the Arabs of this region would be living in prosperity today, with their own country. Only, it would not have been called Palestine, as at the time, the word had no connection whatsoever to any Arab ethnicity.
It remains a fact, that Israel’s Arab population of over one million has more freedom than any other Arabs in the Middle East.
