Friday, December 1, 2006

What Do We Do Now?

2 Comments:

Blogger LanceThruster said...

An Arab leader who should be hailed as truly insightful and ahead of the curve on this matter would be King Abdullah who wrote this in 1947 in The American Magazine at a time when apparently US citizens could get a more thoughtful and balanced account of the tension brewing.

Please read the whole thing as it is incredibly moving. Alfred Lilienthal is an amazing figure himself in his tireless efforts to foster peaceful coexistence in the region; not the hateful and paranoid ravings of those who helped bring about the conflict in the first place. If the Jewish leadership at the time had half as much integrity as either of these two men, the region would already be in the midst of a fair and just peace.

http://www.alfredlilienthal.com/arabsjews.htm

"As the Arabs see the Jews"
His Majesty ,King Abdullah
The American Magazine
November, 1947

SUMMARY

This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein's grandfather King Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe. Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.

8:44 AM  
Blogger HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace said...

Lancethruster,

Thank you so much for bring this to my attention. While I know know some about this man and from what I have seen he was a remarkable man I just wish the president King would have followed in his footsteps.

As you brouth this to me attention to read, I would hope other's would follow and do the same thing; again thank you.

12:11 AM  

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