This should help...
The Palestinians are victims of Israel? You decide.
By Andrew White, June 10, 2007
In the Palestinian narrative of their own situation, they are the victims of Israel.
They "lost their country" because of Israel. They became refugees because of Israel. They are under occupation because of Israel. And Gaza is in chaos because of Israel.
Not only is this mindset deeply embedded in Palestinian society, with few mechanisms for self-questioning.
The narrative is now also accepted as fact among large sections of 'informed' international public opinion.
This narrative underlies the poor showing of Israel in public opinion surveys. It drives Amnesty International's stance on Israel, and the latest moves in Britain in favour of boycotting Israeli academics. And it receives persistent reinforcement via BBC coverage of Israel, and via other media outlets.
The narrative is, however, based on myths. The fact that it is becoming increasingly deep-rooted in liberal opinion doesn't make it true.
'Israel's creation took away Palestine from the Palestinians.'
Reality: In 1947 the internationally supported UN Partition Plan proposed a state for the Palestinian Arabs, coexisting side-by-side with Israel. While the leaders of the future Jewish state accepted the plan, Arab leaders rejected it.
Israel's creation did not cause, as The Economist expressed it recently, "the loss of Palestine". It was Arab leaders in 1947-8 who refused to agree to the creation of a Palestinian Arab state.
'Israel's creation brought about the Palestinian refugee problem in 1948.'
Reality: Arab aggression, not Israeli aggression, was the root cause of the Palestinian refugee problem. Arab opposition to Israel's existence brought about the conflict of 1947-8 which resulted in thousands of Palestinian Arabs becoming refugees.
While many Palestinians left willingly, others were forcibly displaced during the fighting. The argument rages as to how many Palestinian Arabs belong in each category.
But the basic fact is this: if the UN partition plan had been accepted by the Arabs, and Israel had been allowed to live in peace at birth, there would have been no Palestinian refugees in the first place.
It was not Israel's creation that brought about the Palestinian refugee problem, but Arab rejection of the creation of Israel.
'The Palestinians are the victims of Israel's 40 year military occupation of the West Bank.'
Reality: Jordanian violence brought about Israel's capture of the West Bank in 1967, and Arab and Palestinian rejectionism have perpetuated that presence since then.
Successive Israeli governments have declared that they seek territorial compromise and a two-state solution in the context of peace. It's the explicit refusal of the Palestinian leadership to recognise Israel's right to exist which now prevents negotiations which could make this happen.
The reason why the Palestinians have not achieved a West Bank state is not Israeli opposition to Palestinian statehood and human rights. It's Palestinian opposition to Israeli statehood and human rights. That Palestinian stance is supported by Iran and other rejectionist forces determined to sabotage a two-state solution.
It follows that Israel's continued presence in the territories is the consequence of Palestinian violence, not its cause. And most Israelis now accept that, however painful and traumatic it will be, Israel would need to withdraw from most of those parts of the West Bank where still has a presence, in the context of a durable peace.
"Israel has caused the chaos in Gaza."
Reality: In 2005 Israel physically destroyed its own presence in Gaza. The Palestinians were given the opportunity to build up a mini-state, and benefit from a gigantic financial windfall, which was promised by G8 countries and other members of the international community.
The Palestinians elected a Hamas leadership in January 2006 on a programme of rejection and incitement towards Israel. Hamas has since refused to budge, plunging Palestinian society into self-imposed isolation from the West.
The despair in Gaza is not due to the actions of Israel but, once again, to those of the Palestinian leadership. Meanwhile, the factional warfare in Gaza has claimed many more Palestinian lives in the last year than Israeli military activity.
The mindset of 'Palestinians as victims of Israel' recurs in many other areas.
Thus: 'The Palestinians are victims of Israel's security fence, the checkpoints, and the targeted attacks'. In reality, each of these policies has been forced on a reluctant Israel by the Palestinians' own behaviour.
Israel's share of responsibility
Of course, Israel is responsible day-to-day for a measure of Palestinian suffering, inconvenience and resentment. Most fair-minded Israelis recognise this. But the root cause of the Palestinians' situation is not Israel's actions, but their own. Yet, their culture of victimhood blinds them to this reality.
Furthermore, the mindset is constantly echoed by 'supporters' of the Palestinians around the world who demonise Israel, blame it in one-sided fashion for the Palestinians' plight, and do virtually nothing to encourage the Palestinians to acknowledge their responsibilities.
In so doing, these 'supporters' are actually damaging the Palestinians and helping to consign them to perpetual misery.
As long as the culture of Palestinian victimhood prevails, it will fuel the conflict, and make peace impossible to achieve.
at the "confidential" stamp
