Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder 9783110852479, 9783110096095

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Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

New Babylon

Studies in the Social Sciences

46

Mouton Publishers • Berlin • New York • Amsterdam

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

Raphael Israeli

Mouton Publishers • Berlin • New York • Amsterdam

Published in cooperation with The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace The Hebrew University, Jerusalem Book Design by: Norma Schneider

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Israeli, Raphael. Peace is in the eye of the beholder. (New Babylon, studies in the social sciences; 46) 1. Jewish-Arab relations-1973-Public opinion. 2. Israel—Foreign opinion, Arab. 3. Public opinion—Arab countries. 4. Antisemitism-Arab countries. I. Title. II. Series. DS119.7.I8268 1985 956.94 85-11504 ISBN 0-89925-077-7

CIP-Kurztitelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek Israeli, Raphael: Peace is in the eye of the beholder / Raphael Israeli. [Pubi, in cooperation with the Harry S. Truman Research Inst, for the Advancement of Peace the Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem]. Berlin ; New York ; Amsterdam : Mouton, 1985. (New Babylon ; 46) ISBN 3-11-009609-9 NE: GT

Printed on acid free paper © Copyright 1985 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin. All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form - by photoprint, microfilm or any other means - nor transmitted nor translated into a machine language without written permission from the publisher. Typesetting: Ben-Zui Printing Enterprises, Ltd; Israel. Printing: Gerike GmbH, Berlin. - Binding: Liideritz & Bauer, Berlin. Printed in Germany.

Can the Nubian Change his Skin or the Leopard his Spots? Jeremiah XIII: 23

Contents

Preface Sources

ix xvii

Acknowledgement

xxiii

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

1

Judaism and Israel

47

Israel's Domestic Affairs

63

The Political Leadership of Israel

103

Israeli Foreign Policy

121

Israel and the Arab World

139

Israel and the Palestinians

209

The Israeli Defence System

247

The Israeli Propaganda Machine

265

A Sample of Cartoons

283

Does 'Peace' Change Perceptions?

359

Index

371

Preface

It has become conventional wisdom that the level of hostility cultivated in the Arab world against Jews, Zionism and Israel persists. A brief scan of Harkabi's monumental study of Arabic sources' will satisfy the most sceptical minds in this regard. Although this hostility has admittedly been drawn from Islamic as well as imported western anti-Semitic stereotypes, it has undoubtedly been exacerbated by the Arab-Israeli conflict and the resultant bloodshed. And, as the conflict escalated, Arab utterances towards Israel became more extreme. One might therefore expect a reversal, or at least a downgrading, of anti-Israel virulence among those Arabs who have succeeded in overcoming the psychological hurdle separating them from Israel. In other words, one would have expected a softening of anti-Israel pronouncements in the media on the part of Egypt, which has formally made peace with Israel and ostensibly is prepared to accept her and legitimize her existence. But, as it turns out, reality often frustrates expectations. Thus, the question must be asked: Can fundamental attitudes inherent in a religion and a culture be reversed? Can hatred be removed once its apparent causes begin to shrink? Can a changed behaviour dictated by the political expedience of a ruling elite generate new attitudes on the part of the masses? Arabs in general have been using the words 'Jews', 'Zionists' and 'Israelis' interchangeably, imputing what they conceive as the evil of the one to the nature of the other. The negative stance they usually adopt towards these terms and what they symbolize stems from three strata of sources: (1) the traditional anti-Jewish attitudes cultivated by the Holy Qur'án and other Islamic writings; (2) an incremental layer of Christian anti-Semitic stereotypes which have seeped into the Arab world either through the Christian Arabs who are part of the Arab Nationalist Movement or through the importation of such European writings as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion; (3) as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the ensuing Arab need to dehumanize Jews in order to justify their annihilation.

x

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The Islamic Element Much has been written and said about the anti-Jewish stereotypes in Islamic tradition.2 However, Islamic sources are not free from ambivalence in this regard. Indeed, while some verses of the Qu'ran come close to praising the Jews and their heritage, others are overwhelmingly pitted against them.3 The residue of bitterness, not to say disgust and suspicion, that the Muslims harbour towards the Jews stems from the Prophet Muhammad's confrontation with them in the city of Medina, where he launched his career as political leader of his community. As the Muslims see it, the Prophet had regarded the Medina Jewish community as among his potential allies, since he was convinced that he was professing submission to the same God as they, and that he was bringing to humanity a clarified Divine Message — the Qur'an — to supplement or supplant a Holy Scripture which had been distorted by Jews and Christians alike. Both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible were recognized by the Prophet as sacred scriptures; and the major figures mentioned therein, such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, were recognized as true prophets. However, Muhammad, being the Seal of all prophets and the final link in the apostolic chain of Allah's messengers, is also by definition the most updated of them. But the Jews, far from accepting the Prophet on his own terms, ridiculed him and bluntly refused either to acknowledge him spiritually and religiously or to cooperate with him politically and militarily. The result was that he felt obliged to remove the Jewish challenge to his authority as ruler of Medina. He therefore persecuted and eventually evicted them not only from the city but from the entire Arabian Peninsula. After the death of the Prophet, the rapid expansion of Islamic rule eastwards and westwards came to incorporate, within a short period of time, a wide array of countries and peoples into the realm of Islam. Thus, two differentiations were elaborated in Islamic political theory to respond to the new expediencies: (1) the conquered territories were categorized as the Abode of Islam (Dar-al-Islam), as contrasted with the remainder of the universe — the Territory of War (Dar-al-Harb); (2) a division within the peoples of the world was determined: there were the Muslims; the dhimmis (i.e., protected 'People of the Book'), who were to be tolerated and defended by Islam as long as they recognized the superior Islamic sovereignty, and the pagans or unbelievers, who were to be fought into submission. This traditional Muslim viewpoint, which is still upheld by scholars of the Holy Law4 and probably by many of their constituencies, views the ingathering of the Jews into modern Israel as an intolerable challenge to

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the authority of the Muslim faith. The reasons are clear: (1) Israel gave shelter to the Jews, whom the Qur'an had termed 'wretched people'. Jews are obviously not a nation,5 only a faith tolerated under Islamic rule; therefore their claim to a separate political existence amounts to an insult, as it were, to the holy tradition of Islam. (2) The very fact that Jews, who had lived for generations as dhimmi people under the rule of Islam, sought refuge in Israel defies and exposes to criticism the traditional Muslim allegation that the People of the Book had enjoyed equality, protection and benevolence under their Muslim rulers. The massive exodus of these Jews from the Arab lands to Israel belies Muslim contentions that fair treatment had been meted out to the Jews in their midst. (3) Those same Jews who had been 'condemned to humiliation and misery' in the Holy Qur'an have dared, and even succeeded, although vastly outnumbered, in repeatedly defeating the 'Elected Nation of Allah'. Despite their assurances to the contrary, Arabs and Muslims in general regard the Israelis of today as descendants of the Qur'anic Jews; hence the correlation between the two, which serves to aggravate Muslim sentiments against Israel. (4) Palestine had been part of the Abode of Islam from the early seventh century through Ottoman rule, until it was taken over by the British and then by the Jews in the current century. The interregnum of the crusaders was a short-lived exception to that rule, inasmuch as they were eventually defeated by the Muslims under Saladin, who restored the land to Islam. The Jewish usurpation of Palestine is considered nothing more than an ephemeral crusader-like colonialist experiment, doomed to failure because it contradicts the logic of history. Thus, jihad (holy war) remains, as it has always been, a legitimate tool to be used by the Muslims to retrieve their lost land. A special status is accorded Jerusalem by virtue of its association with the Prophet's Night Journey (Isra') and Ascension to Heaven (Micraj), as well as with subsequent Islamic history.

European Anti-Semitism Arab borrowings from anti-Semitic western literature are apparent in the repeated Shylock depictions of Jews and Israelis and in such publications as the Protocols of the Elders ofZion, which is still being reproduced by state-owned printing houses and widely circulated in Islamic lands. There have even been cases where blood libels against the Jews are portrayed in literature and on the stage, if not in actual life. Arab political publications, as well as their state-controlled media, borrow many themes from the arsenals of Christian-European antiSemites:

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• The 'International Conspiracy' of the Jews and 'World Zionism' are said to be aimed at undermining the world socio-economic and cultural systems, with the ultimate aim of bringing it under their domination. • Zionism and world Jewry are often likened to an octopus which extends its tentacles whenever possible in a relentless drive to advance its ambition of enslaving humanity. • In order to achieve its objectives, world Jewry allies itself to aggressive forces akin to it, such as imperialism and colonialism. • The Jews in general, and American Jews in particular, are said to dominate and control the banking system, the media and the political arena. They plot behind the scene, concoct intrigues and support shadowy figures in order to advance their cause. • At times, however, Jews and Zionism are envied by their Arab slanderers for their determination and savoir-faire and for the meticulousness of their planning, devilish as it may be. The Ideological Rationalization of the Conflict While both Islamic and European anti-Semitism have left their imprint on the Arab perception of Jews and Israelis, there has recently been a change which shifts back and forth with the volatile political fortunes of the Arab-Israeli conflict. So, while the basic stereotypes of Jews are a constant in Arab political thought, a process of development is discernible in the articulation of Arab anti-Israel attitudes, in accordance with current political pragmatism. An Israeli reprisal-raid into Arab territory will, for example, be cited as characteristic perfidiousness and aggressiveness, and Israeli political triumph imputed to control of international politics. However, Israel's defeat in the political arena will herald the awakening of the world conscience to the danger of the Jewish evil. When Israelis respond to an Arab diplomatic initiative, they are regarded as having been overwhelmed by Arab power; when they do not, they are accused of obstinacy. In fact, Israel is regarded as a kinetic entity which reveals different faces under different circumstances: On the one hand, Israel lacks the prerequisite elements of a state, but, on the other, it has the power to assert itself with the impact of a strong nation. Whereas Israel could not survive without aid from imperialistic and colonialistic countries, she also manipulates world powers for her own ends. Israel is accused of'Nazi arrogance', but she is nevertheless a shaky, ephemeral entity whose days are numbered. In order to cope with the unacceptable concept of an invincible Israel, her bad deeds and failures can always be interpreted as

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manifestations of an evil character, while her successes or apparently positive steps can be imputed either to the powers standing behind her or to her arrogance and demonic propensity for plotting and secretly manipulating. This twist of mind serves yet another purpose: while it would be humiliating to attribute superior power and military prowess to an Israel that is held to be essentially inferior, it is much more acceptable to be at the mercy of a great power such as the US. Since the US purportedly puts her entire weight behind Israel, and the two have become inexorably intertwined in the Arab perception, a protracted struggle is imperative in order to rid the Arabs of the dominion of this twin evil. The layers which make up the Arab perception of Israel can only be differentiated analytically; however in daily usage in the Arab media they appear so inseparably intertwined that it is often impossible to distinguish between them. This study will therefore attempt to enumerate and categorize Arab, and especially Egyptian, attitudes towards Israel, without necessarily identifying the layer to which each element pertains. The following analysis is founded on a systematic combing of the Arab media between 1975 and 1979, that is two years before and two years after the two major events which turned 1977 into a watershed: the change of Government in Israel (May 1977) and what has come to be known as Sadat's peace initiative (November 1977). The idea, of course, is to discern any shift in pattern of verbal treatment of Israel by the Arabs in light of those two developments, and especially following Sadat's bold move. To illustrate the attitudes of the Arab media in this regard, extensive use was made of citations from major Arabic newspapers, magazines and radio and TV broadcasts, in order to show the widespread usage of anti-Israel themes across the board throughout the entire Arab world and to give the reader a sense of the intensity and repetitiveness of these themes over an extended period of time. However, in order to avoid tedious repetitions, we have often paraphrased the major arguments of the Arab media or simply relegated to footnotes sources which replicate the same words or ideas mentioned in the citation. The question arises whether the mass media provide an authoritative, true or accurate reflection of Arab thinking at the grass-roots level. The answer is a resounding 'no', because the media in virtually all Arab countries are controlled by the same ruling elites that make peace or wage war; therefore the media do not necessarily articulate the vox populi, even where there is one. Moreover, unlike the media in the western liberal democracies, which are assumed to represent the voices and inclinations of certain constituencies, media in the Arab world are more in the nature of a tool to shape and guide rather than to reflect public opinion. For example, there is no equivalent in the West of a Ministry of National Guidance, which we see in many Arab countries. This means that the

xiv

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authority of the ruler includes among its main components the right, or duty, to teach the people and direct them on what a sound policy or a righteous leader ought to be. Conversely, opposition to the regime directs its propaganda to the public it is trying to win over, and does not necessarily purport to represent any particular segment of the population. In other words, both the ruling regime and the opposition to it are totalistic in their aims and totalitarian in their means. They do not recognize a legitimate division of opinion; nor do they give credence to shades of political views. The truth is one and indivisible (be it Islamic, socialist or other), and therefore the ruling elite as well as the opposition (be it overt or covert, operating in public or underground) make no secret of their ultimate goal to convert the entire population to the sole legitimate authority which they claim to represent. In neither case is the voice of the people heard, and in neither is there any way to determine 'public opinion'. We can only trace the information with which ruling elites or their opposition strive to indoctrinate the masses. In contemporary Egypt, the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brothers is called Dacwa, the very same word for political propaganda that the Abbasids adopted during their struggle against the Umayyads in the mediaeval Islamic world. In both cases, Dacwa was devised to prepare the public for overthrowing the ruling house and for the institution of a new ruler who would inaugurate an era of redemption and bounty. In both cases, the opposition declared its desire to restore a replica of the Muslim state as it was perceived to have existed in the times of the Prophet Muhammad, namely a community in which pristine manners, equality, justice and the worship of Allah prevailed. Therefore, even though this work concentrates most heavily on state-controlled media, the organs of the opposition should not be ignored. The opposition is particularly significant in Egypt, because it is Sadat's policy of accommodation with Israel that is considered an aberration of history by an opposition which deems the Muslim Brothers as followers of traditional Islamic norms in their rejection of Israel. In this regard we will find that the views of the opposition vis-à-vis Israel comprise traditional anti-Israel stereotypes, while the official Egyptian media have only occasionally succeeded in departing from such views. It is also important to note that the minor fluctuations in the attitudes of Egyptian media towards Israel have, for the most part, reflected the fluctuating relations between Israel and Egypt. Virulent attacks against Israel and its leaders, by government-controlled and opposition media alike, were launched whenever negotiations reached a low ebb or when the Arabs felt they might intimidate Israel into taking a more conciliatory stance by submitting her to a harsh propaganda campaign. Conversely, when the

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peace talks seemed to be making progress and Israel was being deemed peaceful and compromising, she might be lauded for her 'good behaviour' by official media, while opposition papers continued to caution against 'plots, intrigues and schemings' hiding behind Israel's seemingly 'civilized' conduct.

THE ARAB MEDIA COVERAGE OF ISRAEL: A TECHNICAL ANALYSIS The Arab media predictably and understandably devote much more space to Israel and to the Arab-Israeli conflict than to any other single topic. And review coverage of Israel-related affairs spanning the almost four years 1975-1979 reveals only the tip of the iceberg. This survey attempts to dissect the material topically (Chapters 2-9), and to present the chronological development through cartoons (Chapter 10). However, certain reservations and desiderata must precede the listing of Arabic sources. Although an attempt has been made to cover most of the important newspapers and other media in the leading Arab countries, special emphasis has been placed on the media of those Arab states directly involved in the confrontation with Israel, notably Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, with the Palestinian media as such receiving less intensive treatment because they usually operate from various Arab states as part of those countries' media (e.g., 'Palestine Corner' on Radios Cairo and Damascus). Our analysis of Arab media is centred on specific issues, e.g., Iraq and Libya on war or on anti-Israel militancy; Saudi Arabia on the holy places, Jerusalem, armaments; Kuwait and other Gulf countries on oil and Israeli expansionism; Morocco and the Sudan on the repatriation of Jews of Arab-country origin who now live in Israel. The process of selection did not end there. Every Arab country has hundreds of newspapers, radio programmes and magazines which report regularly on Israel or Israel-related topics. Many of them are state-owned or state-supported, and practically all are state-controlled or at least tolerated by the existing regimes. Any selection of the major media in each country would therefore almost always reflect official thinking or policy in that country. Nevertheless, except for cases where it was necessary to define the extremes of Arab 'public opinion' positively or negatively, we generally used excerpts from the mainstream of the media in each country. For example, the state radio and the major organs of the ruling regime were more often and more extensively cited than, say, the Muslim Brothers' Journal in Egypt, or fundamentalist and underground publications in other Arab countries.

xvi

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Another criterion of selection was the recurrence of statements on any given issue. This point is crucial, as otherwise one might be led to believe that an occasional or stray statement has been presented as typical in the present study. Only massive recurrence of certain themes was considered sufficient evidence of their solid hold on the Arab media. This was relatively easy because of the almost seasonal outbursts with regard to Israel in the context of events such as war in Lebanon, the Entebbe operation or Sadat's peace initiative, or in commemoration of Land Day or the Aqsa Mosque arson. On all these occasions the Arab media take the opportunity to ruthlessly lash out at Israel. Events particularly detrimental to Israel or her image (e.g., figures released by the Israel Bureau of Statistics regarding crime rates, or emigration from the country) are sure to reverberate in an ever-increasing plethora of articles and commentaries. Incidentally, such concerted output by all the media, all in the same spirit and in all Arab countries, provides further evidence of the authorities' tight control. We have also endeavoured to avoid repetition by citing the same text in its entirety only once, in the chapter closest to its essence, rather than quoting parts in different chapters. None the less, the reader will find that many issues are treated in different chapters of the book, e.g., the Palestinians not only in their particular chapter, but also in the context of the occupied territories and the Arab minority in Israel; the Aqsa arson in the general context of Israel's image, in dealing with Jerusalem, Islam, the occupied territories, and Palestine; the Koenig Report as 'evidence' of discrimination in Israel and in relation to the Palestinians, the occupied territories and the Israeli Arabs. In these cases, we have tried to avoid repeating the same texts in the various contexts. Finally, a word about the pre- and post-November 1977 eras. While the former is extensively documented by a wide array of extracts from the major newspapers and media of all important Arab countries, for obvious reasons quotations from the post peace-initiative period usually focus on Egypt. The Egyptian press was scrutinized in depth in an attempt to detect any new outlook, or at least any indication of new trends. Where Arab views other than Egypt's shifted markedly following the peace process, we have quoted texts to illustrate the change. The signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty in March 1979 has been chosen as the most reasonable cut-off point for this study. However, the volatile and dynamic nature of the media may have resulted in further changes in the Arab press, particularly in that of Egypt. As things stand now (the end of 1984), it is our impression that there has been little headway, let alone breakthroughs in the Egyptian media in the five and a half years since the peace treaty was signed.

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xvii

SOURCES

The source materials used in this work are listed below in alphabetical order by their countries of origin, except for the Palestinian media which are multi-country based, and some Lebanese newspapers which have appeared outside the country since the 1975 Civil War. In these cases, the media in question will appear under Palestine or Lebanon, respectively, as well as under their countries of origin. When necessary and available, some words of identification follow the name of the medium.

ABU DHABI Daily Newspapers Al-Wahda (Unity)

EGYPT Daily Newspapers Al-Ahräm (The Pyramids) Al-Akhbär (The News) Al-Gumhüriyya (The Republic) Akhbär al- Yawm (Daily News) Jaridat Misr (The Egyptian Gazette) Sabäh al-Khayr (Good Morning)

Periodicals Akher Säca (The Latest Hour) Al-Ahräm al-Iqtisädi (The Economic Al-Ahräm) Akhbär al-Usbuc (The Weekly News) Al-Idhäca wal-Telefision (Broadcasting and Television) Al-Musawwar (The Pictorial) Al-Siyyäsa al-Dawliyya (International Politics) Al-Tali°a (The Avantgarde) October Rose el- Youssef

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Radio and Television Radio Cairo Egyptian TV Sawt al-cArab (The Voice of the Arabs) Radio Palestine, or Palestine Corner on Radio Cairo Palestine Corner on Sawt al-cArab

News Agencies Arab News Agency MENA — The Middle East News Agency

EUROPE Al-Sharq-al-Jadid (The New East), London Al-Watan-al-cArabi (The Arab Homeland), Paris

IRAQ Daily Newspapers Al-Thawra (The Revolution) Al-Jumhuriyya (The Republic)

Periodicals Filastin al-Thawra al-Muqawima (The Resistance Revolution of Palestine), a Palestinian organ

Radio Radio Baghdad Radio Palestine

News Agencies INA — The Iraqi News Agency

JORDAN Daily Newspapers Al-Dustur (The Constitution) Al-Liwa (Tht Flag) Al-Ra'y (The Opinion) Al-Shacb (The People) Al-Urdun (Jordan)

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xix

Periodicals Akhbar al-Usbuc (Weekly News)

Radio Radio Amman

News Agencies Jordanian News Agency

KUWAIT Daily Newspapers Al-Anba' (The News) Al-Nahda (The Renaissance) Al-Qabas (The Torch) Al-Ra'y al-cAmm (Public Opinion) Al-Siyyasa (Politics) Al-Watan (The Homeland) Al-Yaqdha (The Awakening)

LEBANON Daily Newspapers Al-Anwar (The Lights) Al-Hawadith (The Events) Al-Hadaf (The Goal), a Palestinian organ Al-Jumhiir (The Masses) Al-Muharrir (The Redeemer) Al-Nahar(7he Day) Al-Safir (The Ambassador) Al-Sayyad (The Hunter) Al-Sharq el jadid (The New East), London Al-Watan al-cArabi (The Arab Homeland), Paris Beirut al-Masa' (Evening Beirut) Ila al-Amam (Forward) Kull-shay (Everything) Nidal al-Shacb (The People's Struggle), a Palestinian journal Al-Naharal-cArabi wal-Dawli(Arab and International Events), Paris

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Periodicals Al-Usbùc al-cArabi (The Arab Week) Filastin al-Muhtalla (Occupied Palestine), a Fatah organ Shu'un Filastiniyya (Palestinian Affairs), a PLO organ

Radio Radio Beirut Palestine Broadcasts, Free Lebanon Radio

LIBYA Daily Newspapers Al-Jihad (The Holy War) Al-Fajr al-Jadid (The New Dawn)

News Agencies Libyan News Agency

MOROCCO Daily Newspapers Al-Anba' {The News) Al-Muharrir (The Redeemer) 'March 23'

PALESTINIAN Daily Newspapers Al-Hadaf (The Goal), Lebanon Al-Sumud (The Resistance), Lebanon Al-Ard (The Land), Lebanon

Periodicals Al-Talaic (The Avantgardists), a Saciqa organ, Syria Filastin al-Muhtalla (Occupied Palestine), Lebanon, a Fatah organ Filastin al-Thawra (Palestine —- The Revolution), Lebanon, a PLO organ

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Filastïn al-Thawra al-Muqawima (Palestine — The Revolutionary Resistance), Iraq Nidàl al-Shacb (The People's Struggle), Lebanon Shu un Filastïniyya (Palestinian Affairs), Lebanon Sawt Filastïn (The Voice of Palestine), Syria

Radio Palestine Palestine Palestine Palestine Palestine

Broadcast, Beirut Corner, Radio Damascus Corner, Radio Cairo Corner, Sawt al-cArab, Cairo Corner, Radio Baghdad

QATAR Al-cArab (The Arabs)

SAUDI ARABIA Daily Newspapers Al-Madinah (The City) Al-Nadwa (The Circle) Al-cUkaz (The Baton)

News Agencies SANA —Saudi News Agency

SUDAN Al-Ayyam (Days)

SYRIA Daily Newspapers Al-Bacth (The Revival) Al-Thawra (The Revolution) Tishrin (October)

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Periodicals Al-Talica (The Avantgarde) Al-Talâic (The Avantgardists), a Saciqa organ Al-Ishtiràkï (The Socialist) Al-Jaysh (The Army) Jaysh al-Shacb (The People's Army) Sawt Filastïn (The Voice of Palestine), a Palestinian organ

Radio Radio Damascus Palestine Corner, Radio Damascus

News Agencies SYNA — Syrian News Agency

TUNISIA Al-Sabäh (The Morning)

YEMEN Al-Thawra (The Revolution)

NOTES 1. Y. Harbaki, Arab Attitudes to Israel (Jerusalem, 1971). 2. See Harkabi, op. cit. See also Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arabs Lands (Philadelphia, 1979), and Bernard Lewis, Jews of Islam (Princeton, 1984). 3. See examples in Stillman, pp. 149-151. 4. See, for example, D. F. Green, Arab Theologians on Jews and Israel (Geneva, 1974). 5. This viewpoint is echoed in the Palestinian Covenant.

Acknowledgements

I feel indebted to a host of readers, archivists, research assistants, typists and secretaries, who took the time and trouble to labour through my handwritten, partly typed text or sections thereof. First of all, I am grateful to Prof. H.Z. Schiffrin, Director of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, whose funds, library and archive facilities, office space, secretarial help and editorial services I used extensively and over a long period of time. My special gratitude goes to Mrs Helga Low, the only living person who can decipher my otherwise illegible handwriting, who typed the entire manuscript with patience, endurance and good humour. I also owe a great deal to Prof. E. Katz of the Hebrew University Department of Communications, who read parts of the manuscript and made very perceptive suggestions which guided me throughout. My deepest esteem and gratitude are due to Joel Greenberg, my chief research assistant throughout, who diligently and intelligently sorted the material and made many insightful remarks which have shaped passages and chapters of this work. His contribution was, in fact, so invaluable that I regard him more as a collaborator than a research assistant. His imprint is felt in every single chapter. My sabbatical year at York University, Toronto, in 1983-1984, enabled me to revise the manuscript and introduce many useful additions. I was greatly aided in this endeavour by the Secretarial Services of York, which retyped the entire amended text. And finally, thanks to Ms Judith Cooper-Weill for copy-editing this work, and to Ms Norma Schneider, the Truman Institute's Director of Publications, for their patience, good advice and time-consuming efforts to see that the enormously complicated production of this book was carried out. York University, 1984

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

1

Despite protestations to the contrary, the Arabs often tend to confuse Jews with Zionists, to attribute the character of the former to the nature of the latter, and to diagnose the basic evils of Israel as emanating from the combination of the Jewish people and Zionist ideology. For example, since they consider the Jews and the Zionists as inherently racist, there is no escape from the conclusion that Israel was conceived and nurtured in an ambiance of racism. Similarly, since they regard Jews as aggressive by nature and Zionism as aggressive by ideology, Israel had to ally herself with the international forces of aggression, namely world imperialism, in order to achieve her goals of expansion by the oppression of others. So, while we can discern outright anti-Semitic attitudes on the part of the Arabs with regard to the Jews, their opposition to Zionism and to Israel is couched, at times subtly, more often bluntly, in ideological and political terms. In this respect, little change is noticeable after Sadat's 1977 visit to Jerusalem. The nuances will be described in the following pages.

BEFORE SADAT'S VISIT TO JERUSALEM Before President Sadat embarked upon his peace initiative in 1977, the Arab press in general and the Egyptian media in particular evinced continuity with set patterns of previous years. For the sake of analysis, let us group Arab attitudes into five categories, and illustrate each of them with typical extracts from the Arab media. The Racist and Imperialist Nature of Israel and Zionism 'Israel is bound to expand as a condition for her continued existence' is the motto of most Arab media. They contend that Zionism, in concert with world imperialism, provides the ideological rationale for Israeli expansion 'from the Nile to the Euphrates'. Moreover, Israel aims at imposing its dominance over all peoples of the Middle East and Africa, even over the entire world. Zionism is a godless creed in the grip of

2

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

insatiable greed which will not slacken until the universe is enslaved by the Jews. To further its ends, Zionism does not recoil from any crime or atrocity, for example, the Entebbe Operation in 1976. Israel's imperialistic ambitions are manifested in the regime which she enforces in the occupied territories, whereby raw materials are extracted and manufactured goods made from these raw materials are then sold as consumer products in the occupied lands. Thus, Zionism is to be likened to classic colonialism, is the conclusion of the Arab media. The Arab media also contend that, concurrent with her external imperialist aggression, Israel conducts a policy of internal racist aggression towards her Arab and oriental Jewish citizenry. For Zionism is in essence a racist ideology which sustains the Jews as the master-race in Palestine. Moreover, the racist attitudes of Zionism are anchored in such Jewish sources as the Talmud. Therefore Israel regards herself as free to expropriate lands, to deny the Arabs their rights and to discriminate against the people of the East. As a racist entity, Israel is the natural ally of racist regimes such as South Africa. In connivance with the latter, Israel plans acts of aggression against the nations of the Middle East and Africa. So, when the General Assembly of the UN adopted in 1975 its famous (or infamous) resolution condemning Zionism as 'a form of racism', the Arab media rushed to provide the rationale and the 'historical background' for this widely applauded international consensus. Excerpts from an Egyptian mass-circulation journal illustrate the point: The Jews think of themselves as particles of sand, which, the more they are trampled upon, the more glittering they grow.... Like grapes, when they are squeezed and stamped on, they generate wine.... But, beware, the Jews have turned the particles of sand into flakes of venom likely to consume the feet that step on them and the lips that kiss them; similarly they have transformed the wine into a terrible poison for anyone who would attempt to taste it.... Jews never relent from torturing themselves and excruciating others. No wonder they gave birth to such a man as Freud, the famous scientist of the soul who gained a reputation as the expert on fear, horror, complexes and death; or Kafka, who was attracted to the black colour, of all colours, and projected it on paper, onto all lands and onto European literature.... It appears that the Jews, by means of their printing houses, their cinemas, and newspapers, have brought upon humanity all manner of suffering.... they demonstrated their innate propensity for selling their inner tranquillity for money and they substituted sex for honour and for civilization and religious values.... They are the originators of revolutionary, anarchistic, communist, disruptive and deviationist ideologies, thus undermining the very society where they mean to live, injuring the very hand that was extended to help them and wounding the hearts that pitied them.... Herzl, the leader of Zionism, never thought of establishing the Jewish National Home in Palestine.... But the Jews have concocted lies in their

Arab

Perceptions

of Jews, Zionism

and Israel

3

Bible and Talmud, which claim that Palestine had been promised to them by God, and that they were elected as the nation of God. Zionism is racist because it is the religion of the Jews only. Judaism is a family religion which is transmitted by tradition. N o missionary activity is practised in Judaism, and it is extremely difficult to become Jewish or to acquire Israeli nationality.... The Jewish engineers, doctors and rabbis who had migrated into Palestine, were constrained to 'import' inferior darkskinned Jews in order to perform menial labour in Israel. In this fashion they carried out the 'Magic Carpet' operation whereby they brought in Yemenite Jews to sweep the streets and cultivate the land.... Zionism is interested in white Jews, but discrimination obtains even against white Jews from western origin who are considered inferior as compared with white Jews from the East: the Poles and the Russians.... But all these bands of Jews are regarded as superior to the Arabs dwelling in Israel.... Israel has usurped the Holy Places, destroyed the c Umar and Aqsa Mosques. ..., plundered Saint Catherine's Monastery.... The Jews have themselves accused their national hero, Moshe Dayan, of illegally appropriating to himself archaeological treasures.... Jews shoot poisoned arrows at the world, but the arrows are directed back to them.... They still remember what Hitler did to the Jews, but instead of avenging themselves on the Germans they picked on the Arabs. So their continuing presence here is a permanent vengeance against the Arabs, who did not commit any crime.1 W h i l e Mansur, the editor o f Akher

Saca,

singles out the Jewish peo-

ple as evil, and accuses s o m e o f its outstanding sons o f having distorted minds, he at the same t i m e accuses the Jews o f being racist. It goes without saying, then, according t o h i m , that such a d e m o n i c p e o p l e c o u l d only h a v e been planted in the M i d d l e East by the satanic w o r l d forces o f imperialism. A m e r i c a is described as the life artery o f Israel, and both countries as bent o n depriving the A r a b s o f their rights in order t o subjugate t h e m . H e n c e it is the duty o f all A r a b s t o struggle against Israel and its supporters with a v i e w not o n l y t o checking Israel's imperialist a m b i tions but also to achieving the physical disappearance o f the Z i o n i s t entity. A l l means are w o r t h y in the eyes o f A r a b m e d i a t o obtain this sacred goal: The problem between Israel and the Arabs emanates from the former's racist and imperialist character. Israel has elected to struggle against the Arabs, hence the necessity to wipe out this racist and imperialist polity; military action is not the only means to attain this end.2 W e must grasp the gravity of the racist element in the Zionist ideology. Zionist racism is a way of life that cannot sustain itself without menacing all nations and adjoining territories with criminal acts of racist and religious discrimination.... It is easy to understand Israel's opposition to the idea of a Palestinian state, because the establishment of such a state, even in only one part of Palestine, would expose Israel and its rulers by the very fact that Palestine would be secular and democratic as opposed to racist Israel.3

4

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

The change of government in Israel in May 1977, and the rise of the right-wing Likud Party led by Begin, only fuelled Arab disillusionment and anger at what they saw as the exacerbation of an already difficult situation. 'All talk about a prospective peace', wrote al-Thawra of Syria,4 'has fallen silent. Begin's rise to power has broken all branches of peace and consumed them in the flames.' In this light, al-Ba cth, the organ of the ruling party in Damascus, summoned all Arabs to pursue: ... the war against the Zionist enemy which is the war of the entire Arab nation. This means that our answer to the Zionist-imperialistic challenge must enable us to defeat the enemy.... Mobilizing all resources of the Arab nation is our most potent weapon against the alliance between Zionism and imperialism.... Our party has reconfirmed that the conflict against imperialism, Zionism and Israel is our main and constant endeavour. 5

One of the favourite ways of the Arab media to lend salience and credibility to their conceptions of Israel and Zionism is to quote 'scientific' research, 'investigative' reporting or proclamations in international forums which condemn the racist and imperialist designs of the Jewish polity. The rationale, of course, is that a world consensus and 'objective' findings cannot be easily refuted by Israel or by anyone who has respect for a majority opinion. After all, it is inconceivable that most people are wrong all the time or that Israel could mislead all the people most of the time. A 'study' of this kind was published by the daily al-Dustur6 in three instalments, and here are some excerpts from it: What has been published in recent weeks about the Straits of Bab-alMandeb goes to the root of Jewish ambitions to dominate the Arab countries. In the past, the Jews hatched plans to turn the Red Sea into a Jewish lake, to serve them as their second base (after Palestine) to launch their two-fold long-range plan: 1. To set up the Great Jewish State from the Nile to the Euphrates; 2. To expand into African and Asian countries with a view to controlling their markets and natural resources....

The racist character of Zionism was discussed on 15 November 1976 by a meeting of the Association of Arab Lawyers, held in Tunis. Respectability was conferred on the debates by commissioning research from two prominent Syrian lawyers, who were to submit their report to the Arab Lawyers Association.7 Another scientific study of this sort was completed by Luft-Allah Haidar, for which he received a doctorate summa cum laude at the University of Moscow. The title of his study tells the entire story: 'Zionism and Zionist Colonialism in Palestine up to 1920'. According to the Arab report, this dissertation won the highest praise from the Russian professors who supervised it: This is a most useful study that must be disseminated among teachers and students of Israel and the Arab East.... The study exposes Zionism in detail

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

5

and in precise terms as a racist movement and as an imperialist policy which resulted in the conquest of Palestine; the scholar in question has exposed Zionism as a racist-chauvinist movement, which derives from imperialism. He has also shattered the fallacious legend of the so-called Jewish historical and religious rights in Palestine and has destroyed Jewish contentions that they are the elected nation of God. 8

Of all international gatherings, the annual Islamic Conferences and the tri-annual non-aligned conferences are the most congenial for the Arabs to voice their anti-Zionist preoccupations. The diatribes against Israel are avidly reported, elaborated and commented upon in the Arab media. In the Colombo Conference of August 1976, the following references were made to Israel's 'imperialist and racist schemes', and a neat comparison was drawn between them and South African designs in Africa: The war in Lebanon is the manifestation of the imperialist-AmericanZionist scheme to undermine the Arab world.9 Israel is on the verge of being thrown out of the UN on account of her racist crimes... a new blow will be dealt to Israel at the Colombo Conference... because of her defiance of the international community and her close relations with other racist regimes throughout the world.10 Israel and South Africa will be on a par at the Colombo Conference, because both racist regimes are aiming at dominating the Arab and African countries."

In July 1976 another burst of anti-Zionist sentiment was aired in the Arab media before, during and subsequent to the international Conference on Zionism held in Tripoli. This was followed in November 1976 by another conference on 'Zionism as a Racist Movement', this time convened in the eastern part of the Arab world, in Baghdad. Even though these conferences boasted the participation of 'thinkers, writers, researchers and journalists from all over the globe',12 the level of vicious virulence levelled at Israel and Zionism did not fall short if compared with purely Arab gatherings. The Arab media reported with exuberance that: On 24 July 1976 an international symposium on Zionism and Racism will be held in Tripoli, and will be attended by 400 scholars and representatives of numerous international bodies. The conference will disclose many facts on the crimes of Zionism. 13 Qaddafi said in his address at the conference that the statesmen and jurists of the world are determined that the war against the racist occupiers of Palestine, South Africa and any other place, is a matter of duty for all.... It is not incumbent upon Libya, Palestine or the Arabs alone to condemn the illegitimate deeds of racist Zionism; this is indeed an international resolution. .. we regard, Jews of'oriental' origin who lived in Palestine before 1948 as legal inhabitants of the land, while all those who have immigrated, and

6 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder continue to immigrate, to Palestine subsequent to its occupation are sheer mercenaries. Qaddafi urged the return of all Jewish immigrants to Palestine to their countries of origin and offered to absorb back the Libyan Jews who had migrated....' 4

The Baghdad Conference of November 1976 did not display more generosity to Zionism. In fact it was also attended by '200 writers and thinkers', 15 and a shower of 'scientific reports' greeted the participants, assuring them of their 'usefulness to many groups in the world in their fight against the threat of Racist Zionism'. 16 Some of the participants vowed that 'the stream of history flows against Zionism and the Arabs are ultimately bound to emerge victorious'; others reiterated the dangers inherent in Zionism, not only to the Middle East, but to the entire world.17 President Sadat of Egypt used the occasion of the Conference of Solidarity with the people of South Africa, which convened in Addis Ababa in November 1976, to divulge to the press his views on Zionism: Egypt has been pursuing its struggle to liberate its land from the racist Zionist conquerors... and is stating her strong determination to wipe out racism in all its manifestations. Egypt is reconfirming the decision which was recognized by the International Community at the U N Assembly, namely that Zionism is one form of racism. Egypt is urging the intensification of efforts and actions until this burdensome yoke of reprehensible racism is removed from the conscience of humanity. 18

Sadat's call for the eradication of Zionism found an echo throughout the Arab world. A Jordanian newspaper predicted that 'common fate is awaiting all racist regimes, and Zionism will follow in the footsteps of Rhodesia and South Africa'. 19 The visit of the South African Prime Minister, John Vorster, to Israel in 1976 was seen as an indication of the growing complicity between Zionism and apartheid, and was dealt with accordingly. The commentator of Radio Cairo found 'striking similarities' between the Vorster government's treatment of the blacks in South Africa and Namibia and Israel's action against the Palestinians in the occupied territories. The rampaging of Israel was found to have trespassed beyond the Arab world into all of Africa, and only the determined struggle of the Arabs was exposing the aggressive and imperialist nature of Israel.20 A Lebanese magazine explained that, like South Africa, Israel has been besieged by world public opinion due to growing international awareness of the aggressive nature of the Zionist state and the barbaric racism of South Africa. Now that the UN has placed Zionism within the category of racism, the cooperation between Israel and South Africa could best be termed: 'an alliance of pariahs'.21 Another newspaper even expected the application of apartheid in Israel with Pretoria's aid, in view of'the experience accumulated in South Africa in this matter and Israel's desperate need to resort to such an experiment after its attempt to swal-

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

7

low up the population of the lands conquered since 1948 has dismally failed'.22 The publication of the Koenig Report23 in Israel in the autumn of 1976 furnished yet another opportunity for an outburst of anti-Zionist rage in the Arab media: Koenig is one of the leaders of the National Religious Party in Israel. Let us not be misled by the differences that supposedly exist between religious and non-religious Jews. All of them are imbued with the same Zionism that has always been characterized by racist and fascist ideas... we are now facing a new Zionist phenomenon, that is an outright religious war which has hitherto been hidden behind the shameful manoeuvres and manipulations of Zionism. Today there appears alongside Zionist racism a Jewish racism that has to be clearly distinguished in order to bring about an international condemnation of this document which reflects the Jewish-Zionist mentality.24 The Koenig report ought to be circulated among all members of the UN and discussed at the Civil Rights Committee.... Even though the formal Zionist majority in Palestine may persist it will always remain an enclave within the Arab motherland. Zionism ought to realize that it can never attain the strength of Nazi Germany, neither will the Arabs in Israel ever assume the status of the Jews in Hitler's Germany. 25

Finally, a non-political event is cited that reflects the Arab media's concern with life in Israel and their scrutiny of all Israeli publications while at the same time indicating their sensitivity to any act by Israel which they regard as humiliating themselves. In August 1976 a case of incest between brother and sister was widely publicized in Israel, since it resulted in the killing of the baby born of the illicit sexual relationship. The words of the attorney who defended the murderess before the court were cited verbatim in an Arab newspaper and given the full-blown interpretation of a consistent Israeli policy: The defence attorney described the family in question as one who had immigrated to Israel from Iraq whence it had imported Arab customs and mentality.... The defendant claimed that the boy saw no wrong in sexual intercourse with his sister, because this would be acceptable in an Arab milieu.... Our hands tremble from anger and rage as we record the words of the defendant, who repeated these racist words without compunction. This is the basest manifestation of the overt Zionist stance against the Arabs, and of the degree to which Israeli racists have descended.26

Zionism and Israel Undermine the World Order The racist and imperialist propensities of Zionism do not explain it all. Zionism is further characterized by the Arab media as a mammoth Satan, all-pervasive, all-powerful, who brings calamity upon the world. Zionism lies at the root of all evil and all dangers - is indeed the personification of aggression and destruction. Its scope of action transcends the Middle East

8

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

and wreaks havoc and anarchy across the world. Thus, headlines such as: 'Israel menaces the security of the Arab nations and Africa' 27 or 'Israel stands fast against rights, justice and peace', 28 give a glimpse of what is normal treatment of Israel by the Arab media. One of the most emotional charges levelled against Israel and Zionism is their commitment to combat world Islam. Arab accusations that Israel has been 'Judaizing Arab lands and destroying the holy places of Islam' have become routine. 29 Nothing can illustrate the fervour with which Israel's devilish design against Islam is perceived by the Arab media more than their annual commemoration of the Aqsa Mosque arson of 1969. 30 A sampling of the Arabic press of August 1977 will clarify this point: It has been eight years since the Zionist occupying forces set fire to al-Aqsa Mosque, in the framework of a well-calculated scheme to... annihilate the Islamic heritage and place all Holy Places under Zionist control. This act of provocation, which offended the sentiments of the Islamic world and constituted a blow to international law, was designed to alter the status of Jerusalem. The occupying authorities are also pursuing their digs around the Aqsa Mosque, thus posing a threat to its foundations.... Since it took over Jerusalem in 1967 Israel has controlled one of the gates of this city,31 set up a military check-post there and allowed Israelis to enter the Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques. The Israelis who thus entered through this gate performed dancing parties while in a state of drunkenness, and at the same time other groups attacked Muslims who were praying, in an attempt to hold their parties within the mosques.... Because of the resistance of the Arabs in the face of these Israeli attempts, the Israeli authorities were forced to expose their criminal face as they set fire to the mosque on 21 August 1969.... Israel committed the same sort of crime against the Church of the Nativity on 29 March, 1971, when an Israeli entered the church, chased the visitors and began wreaking havoc and destruction on the Holy Tomb,... he attacked the priests who tried to restrain him but they delivered him to the police. Israel has tried ever since to cover up this story.... 32 It is incumbent upon the Muslims and the Arabs, who control strategic and sensitive places and an unparalleled wealth of resources, to fulfil their religious, historic, national and cultural responsibilities with a view of recovering the Aqsa Mosque.... 33 When the Zionist enemy set fire to the Aqsa Mosque, it intended to hurt the feelings of the Arabs in the most difficult moment of their defeat... ignoring the anticipated furious reactions of the Islamic world.... If the enemy has not yet reached the stage of trembling with fear from the Muslims, then the convening of the Islamic Conferences, at the request of the Saudi king 34 ... will ultimately bring about Islamic solidarity and the recovery of Jerusalem into Islamic hands.35 The Arab media also allege that Israel and Zionism are cultivating not only their hatred of Islam 36 but also furtive designs to undermine the Arab World and thereby dominate it. The Zionists of this age are compa-

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

9

rable to the Nazis of a generation ago, they say; their barbaric deeds against the Muslims and the Arabs surpass even Nazi crimes.37 Israel is accused of observing no respect for world rules or international law, and the Geneva Agreements, regarding civil rights in occupied territories, mean nothing to her. Israel has thus become an outlaw in Arab eyes, the like of South Africa and Rhodesia, and an enemy to all.38 Israel's endeavour to cause chaos begins, of course, in the Middle East. Israel is seen as committing acts of aggression against the Arabs in general and the population of the occupied territories in particular, pursuing its raids against Lebanese villages, destroying Islamic shrines and wiping out the Arab nature of the territories under its occupation. All wars which break out in the Middle East are considered as Israel's fault, while the Arabs are innocent victims. In fact, 'Israel thrives on war',39 and, as a Syrian paper has it: All the wars in the Middle East during the past 30 years are a natural result of the Zionist presence in Palestine and its expansionary and aggressive policies. This has caused the Arabs, and especially those on the confrontation line, to allocate a large share of their budgets to their self-defence. Thus, the Zionist polity was one of the factors which inhibited the development plans of the Arabs; in fact this has been one of the major designs of this polity. 40

According to the Arab media, Israel is the major terrorist of the Middle East,41 an international pirate,42 an unscrupulous oppressor who has no regard for Arab culture or tradition. The list of accusations against Zionist Israel is long: She confiscated Palestinian lands under the pretext of self-defence, • and declared them 'closed zones'; more land was expropriated under the excuse of dispersion of the population and concern for social and environmental development; Israel established garrison settlements along its 1967 borders, under the cover of kibbutzim, thus usurping even more land; the ultimate goal was to turn the Palestinian peasants into industrial workers; Israel has been harming Arab culture and perpetuating illiteracy among its Arabs; Israel granted higher salaries to the Palestinian Arabs in industry than in agriculture, with a view to encouraging Arab migration from their lands and permitting the establishment of new settlements; Israel's policy towards the Arabs exposed the cancer-like expansionist trends of Zionism and its philosophy of imperialism, capitalism and colonialism.43 • Israel was pursuing a war of genocide against the Palestinians; Israel did not implement UN resolutions regarding the return of the refugees to their homes; Israel has taken over natural resources in the occupied territories, confiscating Palestinian real estate and bank accounts; Israel has been destroying Arab houses and villages in the occupied territories.44

10 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder • The best proof of the illegality of her deeds was, of course, the gale of condemnations heaped upon Israel at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and other UN agencies. The result of all this is that since the Arabs' right to defend themselves against Israel's excesses is well established, the Arab Boycott of Israel cannot be considered other than a legitimate form of self-defence.45 The change of government in Israel in May 1977, far from being seen as a manifestation of the democratic process, was on the contrary condemned in the Arab media as a 'further provocation to the UN, the international community, peace efforts and the Arabs....' because 'the treacherous adventurers who ascended to power in the racist Zionist entity will make more use of their war machine, built by the US over the years, under the pretext of preserving Israel's security'.46 Islam and Arabs apart, Israel's schemes to undo stability and foment disorder are allegedly world-wide, but they focus most particularly in the Third World. Here is how the Syrian government organ analyses the matter, under the appropriate title of 'The Israeli Cancer in the African Continent': Israel is well aware of the importance of the Third World to her economic and political schemes; therefore she invests great effort beyond the diplomatic relations she maintains there in order to deepen her penetration.... Israel stood behind the 23 coups which took place in 14 African states during the years 1963-1968.... Israel's penetration into the world was facilitated by world capitalism, which harnessed all developing countries to its benefit. In any case, Israel's aid to the Third World does not even amount to 25 per cent of what Israel gets in indemnities for the Jews of World War II. Israel takes advantage of the shortage in skilled manpower in these countries in order to 'dump' her own experts and training programme there.... The Arab world has been impotent in checking the Israeli inroads into the Third World.... Although not much can be done in this regard, political factors have of late limited and weakened Israeli influence in the Third World, mainly due to her aggressive and racist policies... ,47

Proof of Israel's designs against the Third World could be seen by the Arab media not only in 'the proverbial cooperation between Israel and the racist governments of Rhodesia and South Africa',48 but also in Israel's intervention in the affairs of other countries and in its plans to conquer the oil wells of the Arabs.49 The tension between Ethiopia and Sudan at the beginning of 1977 was thus interpreted by a Syrian newspaper: The Ethiopian regime has lost its prestige in Africa... not only does it deny the right of independence to the Eritrean people; it also poses a threat to the principles of the Organization of African Unity and to the progressivenational trend now awakening in Africa. The Ethiopian regime has been

Arab Perceptions

of Jews, Zionism

and Israel

11

playing an imperialistic role as a proxy of imperialism and Zionism, which are historically linked together. The problems with Sudan emanate from the fact that she is bound in military treaty with Egypt; in other words, the occupying Zionist forces are using this situation to their advantage at a time when the world is looking forward to a peaceful solution in the Middle East.... Israel is always ready to push the Ethiopian regime to confrontation with African Arabs, as a link in the Zionist-imperialist conspiracy.... 50 Along the same lines, Israel's commando operation in Entebbe, Uganda, in July 1976, to rescue hijacked hostages, was viewed as a flagrant violation by Israel of the sovereignty of Uganda as well as a threat to all Africa. Here is a sample of the views expressed in the Arab media: Rhodesia and South Africa were satisfied at the success of the Israeli operation, because the West and its extension in Israel have regained their military superiority, thus putting an end to the illusion of equality between nations and to the domination of the UN by the developing countries.... The most serious repercussion of the Israeli raid lies in the pressure that it exerts upon the relationships between rich and poor nations precisely when the latter have decided to open consultations establishing a new world economic order... ,51 No matter how much the Zionists and their supporters strive to endow their fact of piracy with glorious heroism, they are only proving once again that nothing deters them from operating like gangsters, from adopting fascist and criminal methods, and that they are the enemies not only of the Arab people but of all African, Third World and free people of the world.52 Israel's operation in Entebbe is reminiscent of the barbaric onslaughts which civilization has undergone throughout history; moreover it brings to mind the laws of the jungle.... Israel's very base is aggression and its history is sown with acts of aggression... such as the abduction of Eichmann from Argentina which generated international wrath against Israel for its violation of territorial sovereignty.... Israeli operations are those of professional criminals, international gangsters and sworn terrorists... one ought to confine those vile beasts in a jungle rather than let them run wild and inflict military, political and economic chaos throughout the world.53 The Arabs must understand that Israel is the main virus of piracy which is apt to suck blood and slaughter innocent victims.... Israel has sought to intimidate the African peoples and to please the racists of Rhodesia and South Africa, in order to strengthen the legend of the white man's superiority,... only Golda Meir's sons are capable of such an act of cowardice.54 According to the Arab media, Israel's political, military and economic conspiracy to corrupt the world order is matched by an equally perverse plot in the moral domain. She has been extorting money, indulging in moral excesses and engaging in organized crime and international espionage. The Arab media say that these 'illicit acts' are as indicative of Israel's decadent nature as of her meddlings in the international arena:

12 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder The lie of the murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany has served as a pretext to the Zionists to extort money from the German people, and it is a continuing excuse for further extortions.... Since 1967 the Zionist authorities have attracted to Israel 10,000 young Germans who volunteered for work in the kibbutzim.... During the three-month period of volunteer work, the German youth were subjected to oppressive and humiliating treatment, insults and physical beatings on the part of the Zionists both within the kibbutzim and in the streets of the cities.... More than 1,500 German girls who volunteered for work were pressured into responding to the approaches of the Zionist body. These young German girls were forced into prostitution in the cities and their earnings went to the kibbutzim treasuries. In addition, these young girls were compelled to satisfy the sexual desires of the kibbutz members. 55 Arab embassies abroad employ many British secretaries.... There are special schools to train English secretaries of this sort to obtain employment in the Arab countries.... These secretaries, regardless of whether they are efficient in their jobs or not, are to be watched and kept under surveillance because most of them are either Zionists or serve as agents of the Zionist racists.... We have prohibited our Arab diplomats to marry foreigners... so how can we put up with employing these secretaries and giving them access to our offices and official papers?56

Zionism and the Jews Although little differentiation is made between Jews and Zionists, Jews are sometimes meted out slightly preferential treatment by the Arab media. The grounds for this magnanimity lie in the argument that the Jews have fallen victim to Zionism and Imperialism. Zionism has been contaminated by the Jewish myth of superiority, claiming to be the national movement of the 'chosen people' who have rallied back to the 'promised land'. Zionism uses these symbols to mislead the Jews and paint for them an illusory vision of security. But this vision has proved vain, and Jews have begun to emigrate from Israel; the vast majority never even immigrated in the first place. On the operative level, the Arabs ought to combat Israel by encouraging her Jews, especially those who migrated from Arab countries, to return to their lands of origin; the Arab states should make practical arrangements to reabsorb them. The Arab media claim that by dominating the Jews, Zionism has made them the enemies of mankind. Thus, instead of curing their condition, it contributed on the contrary to reinforcing their negative image. Instead of the old Judaism, Zionism has forged an 'Israeli' culture which is in fact unauthentic, uprooted and inhuman. It is a corrupt and infamous culture which feeds upon conquest and military aggression. Jews are also depicted by the Arab media as the followers of a creed, not as a people worthy of political rights or of territorial patrimony. True, Jews claim a historical right to their land, but it has been conclusively

Arab Perceptions

of Jews, Zionism

and Israel

13

'demonstrated' that this so-called historical link is non-existent. So, if the Jews are not a nationality, they may be acceptable as 'Jewish brothers' in Arab lands, but only as long as they keep away from the Zionism that might otherwise pervert them. Not all Jews in the diaspora are Zionists, which the Arabs claim proves that not all of them view themselves as a nation. Unlike in Europe, no Jewish problem has ever been evident in the Arab countries. At the same time, the anti-Semitic Arab stereotype of the Jews testifies to an ambivalence towards Judaism at best and a covert hatred at worst, especially when viewed in Islamic terms. Jews are indeed repeatedly labelled the 'enemies of humanity', and 'proof is extracted from Jewish sources, especially the Talmud, to demonstrate their double standard of morality: one for the Jews, the other for Gentiles. Their claim to be the 'elected people' of God is interpreted as a debasement of Islam; it also provides a further proof of the inherent racism of the Jews. The interaction between Zionism and Jews, a complex matter, is analysed from various angles by the Arab media. In the process, contradictory arguments are advanced. For example: Zionism is, to the best of our understanding and the documents in our possession, a fraudulent movement that has nothing to do with Judaism. Zionism was a product of the Anglo-Saxon mind.... Since the 1840s, the West came to the conclusion that it needed a solid base which would be constantly hostile and antagonistic to its environment and at the same time so totally dependent on the West as to make it unable to detach itself and act independently.... Thus, the stories of the [Jewish] 'fatherland', the revival of the 'elected people' and its 'historic rights' are an invented ideology designed to cover up imperialistic schemes.... The West and Britain have attempted to find European and English settlers, but it was clear that these outsiders would not take root but would ultimately return to their countries and nations due to the hard climate and the tough living conditions [in Palestine]. Thus the choice fell on Zionism.... Jews have never migrated to Palestine out of pioneering or Jewish motives, but were willy-nilly funnelled in that direction. The imperialist West has assisted Zionism to obtain its power and draw several benefits from it: By presenting Zionism as a power, the West lent it its authority and the credibility to speak for the Jews. The role of Zionism as a cover-up for imperialism, enables the latter to claim vis-à-vis its Arab friends that it is withstanding Zionist pressures. By presenting Zionism as the power controlling the West and its economy, imperialism can intimidate the Arabs and drive them to despair... ,57 The U N resolution condemning Zionism as a form of racism was an opportunity, as one Arab magazine put it, to 'reopen the Zionist file'. 58 In fact, the magazine claimed: A new opportunity arises for the historical extinction of Zionist existence; a new international dimension has been added to the legitimacy of the Palestinian struggle, which opens the way to an international strategic con-

14 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder frontation with the Zionist entity; the legitimacy of Israel is no longer accepted as a matter of course, while the right for continued presence of the Jews in secular-democratic Palestine has not been harmed; the distinction has been established between Jews on the one hand, and Zionism and Israel on the other, which opens new opportunities for a dialogue with world Jewry with a view to reinforcing their links with their countries of domicile and blocking their way to joining Zionism. 59

The fact that the western countries voted against the UN resolution condemning Zionism was ascribed to their 'guilt complex' in view of their failure to prevent Nazi persecution of the Jews, and to Israeli and Zionist success in exploiting this complex for their own ends. The Arabs thus had no recourse but to 'launch an intensive information campaign in order to awaken world consciousness to the dangers posed by Zionism to human and cultural values, as well as democratic principles and the political, educational, social and economic ramifications of this'.60 The Arab media are optimistic that Jews who had been 'infected' by Zionism could be cured. The Palestine Liberation Movement was the 'mending and liberating factor' for the Jews who had either been swept up by, or were likely to be incorporated into Zionist ranks. To achieve these sublime humanitarian goals, it was imperative: to contain Israel in its attempts to monopolize the contacts, dialogues, and representation of world Jewry; to thwart Israel's efforts to fuse the identity between Judaism and Zionism so as to prevent the subjection of the Jews to Israel's political aims. The Arab media admit that the domestic policies of some Arab countries may imply a measure of discrimination against the Jews, but this is a mismanagement which calls for redress and denouncement while the discrimination practised in Zionist Israel is basic to the very existence of Zionism. Unlike Arab nationalism, which aspires to Arab communion in human values, Zionism denies the Jews such a process, thus allowing discrimination to become a value and an ultimate goal unto itself.61 The preoccupation with Zionism and Jews in the Arab media in the months following the UN resolution can be further exemplified by a few more excerpts, which still constitute no more than a drop in the bucket: Zionist propaganda has been conducted on a large scale; it embraces the entire world, in all languages, by means of hundreds of books and thousands of articles, to convince the world and primarily the Jews outside Palestine [not Israel!],62 that Israel is a wonderful and progressive nation, a paradise for Jews and a centre of culture in the area.... In fact Israel lacks most of its basic necessities, and if it were not for the billions it gets from the outside world, especially America, it could not survive. When we debate the Zionist nationalist argument that the Jews are a nation, we can see that it runs counter to historical fact....The Jews are dispersed in over 150 countries and among 80 peoples and speak over 80 different languages. This undermines world Zionist contentions that the Jews originate from one ethnic

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

15

group.... The Zionists also feed upon their claim as a 'chosen people', which lends to them their megalomaniac nature and generates the pretence of carrying a universal mission to humanity. A manifestation of this bravado can be found in the statement of the Israeli ambassador to Washington on 6 April 1957, to the effect that Jews have influenced the development of human thought over the years, more than Greece or Rome did.... These arguments only display Zionism's racist propensities and expansionist ambitions, their hatred of humanity, and their dreams to control the world.... As to the so-called 'historical rights of the Jews over Palestine', the establishment of the Jewish state cannot be justified on these grounds because Jews were not the original inhabitants of Palestine, and the Jews of today have nothing to do with the Jews who once inhabited part of Palestine.... This history of Palestine started with the waves of Semitic-Arab peoples who immigrated from the Arabian peninsula and settled there. Arabs have in fact controlled Palestine since the year 3000 B.C. Thus, 'Jewish rights over Palestine' amount to a falsification of history.... Moreover, Arab Palestine is tightly linked with the Islamic faith, inasmuch as it was considered by the Prophet Muhammad as the 'holy land', and the first Islamic campaign of conquest was directed towards Palestine. The first Muslims turned in prayer to Jerusalem and the prophet Muhammad personally prayed at the site of the Dome of the Rock.... After the Arab conquest, a mosque was built on that location, followed by the Aqsa Mosque.... Thus, after Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem is the third holiest place in Islam. Jerusalem is also holy to the Christians. So, where is the religious right of the Jews to Palestine?61 Despite their confidence that Israel no longer attracts Jews, one discerns contradictory statements by the Arabs in this regard. Although reconfirmations abound that Israel was stillborn and that Jews are reluctant to tie their fate to it, fury still erupts whenever hard evidence about continued Jewish immigration to Israel manages to find its way into the press: In his press conference in Vienna in 1960, Prime Minister Khrushchev was asked whether the Soviet government would allow Jewish immigration to Israel. He retorted furiously: 'Jews who desire to emigrate must submit applications to the ministry for foreign affairs.... To the best of my knowledge, not one single request has been submitted so far. On the contrary, many applications were received from Jews living in Israel asking for permission to return to their Russian homeland.... This statement proves that Zionist propaganda has no longer any echo among world Jewry, because they realize the true conditions of the Jewish entity. This has in fact shattered Ben-Gurion's national dream of gathering in Israel ten million Zionists.... This is understandable due to laws of terror and discrimination legislated in Israel, whereby oriental Jews do not enjoy equal rights with western Jews. Many Jews now living in Palestine [not Israel!] have never renounced their German nationality or their German passports.... Thus, in the aftermath of the October War, which shook the Zionist entity, emigration has been increasing.64

16 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder But, at the same time, the Arab League asked its member-states to pursue their bilateral efforts with the Soviet Union in an attempt to clamp down on Soviet Jewish immigration to Israel. The Council of the League has called upon Arab information machinery to launch campaigns against Jewish immigration to Israel because of the dangers this poses to the Palestine cause.65 Related to this is the Arab effort to show that immigration to Israel undermines the very foundation of Jewish existence in the diaspora: If Zionist leaders press their argument regarding the historic right of Jews in Palestine, and advance the claim that Palestine is their homeland, they thereby justify those who have evicted the Jews from their midst, banished and uprooted them on the pretext that they are a marginal people and therefore deserve to be persecuted and discriminated against... .66 The Arabs came to the conclusion that the only way to check Jewish immigration to Palestine was to denounce the evil nature of the Zionism which tries to attract them there. Hence, its identification with colonialism and imperialism, and the depiction of Zionism as a movement which strives to establish Jewish settlements at the expense of Palestinian Arabs; it aims at expelling the inhabitants of Palestine, at destroying their houses and at constructing new colonies for immigrants gathered from all over the world. Zionism hoped to tempt the Jews to settle in Israel so that it will be able to Judaize all things Arab and create the impression that Jews constitute the majority in Israel, leaving the Arab minority devoid of rights. Israel has spent a fortune on its settlement programmes, since the implementation of Zionist schemes hinged upon colonization which in turn required successful absorption of Jewish immigrants. Golda Meir is quoted as having declared that the raison d'être of Israel was Jewish immigration, and the absoprtion of thousands of newcomers on the land was a prerequisite for success in the struggle to take over Arab lands. The celebration of Independence Day in Israel, in which Zionists and Jews alike rejoice, is treated in the Arab media as 'the memorial day of the usurpation, celebrated by the leaders of oppression who imported their armed forces from abroad,... while paying no heed to the fate that had awaited all oppressors in history... such as Hitler, Genghis Khan and the US in Vietnam'. 67 The Arab response to what was seen as the combined onslaught of Zionism and Jews in Palestine lies, then, in reinforcing the notion of'rejection' among the Arab people. On January 31, 1977 a new column was inaugurated in the Bacth of Syria, under the headline 'Palestine Forever'. In this column, author Yusuf al-Khâtib assures us that he would strive, day after day: ... to refute the very idea of recognizing Israel's existence or the notion of ever becoming reconciled to this fait accompli.... If the word 'rejection' is to have any significance... all 150 million Arabs, from the Ocean to the

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism

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17

Gulf, ought to commit themselves to it... for all of them are the legitimate owners of Palestine and the proponents of its liberation... ,68 Rejection was all the more essential in view of the support that world Jewry brought to Zionism. The analogy is neatly established: as Zionism operates versus Palestine, so the world Jewish community acts against the Arab nation as a whole. Just as it was necessary to blunt the effects of Zionism, so it was imperative to neutralize whatever assistance the Jews were able to bring to Israel. Moreover, the cohesion of the Zionist-Jewish movement carried an example and lesson to the Arabs: The aid extended by world Jewry to Israel has amounted to 2.3 billion dollars in contributions collected by the Jewish Agency over the past five years.... The Jewish Agency is actually a disguised Zionist instrument in the service of Israel and together with Zionism it played a major role in the establishment of Israel.69 Jewish assistance to Zionism as perceived by the Arabs, was not confined to money. It embraced political and cultural interaction, all part of the 'world Jewish conspiracy'. Here are a few examples of this symbiotic cooperation between Jews and Zionism as seen by the Arab media: Leaders of Israel and Zionism, like Peres, Allon, Rabin, and (before them) Golda Meir, Dayan, Eban and Nahum Goldmann, intentionally make contradictory statements as part of their political tactics, which seek soft spots to enable the implementation of their goals in stages.... Even when their internal struggle seems on the rise, they act separately for the longrange goals of Zionism... as detailed in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.... In the conference of the Jewish Agency, held in Geneva in November 1976, Goldmann said [among other things] that the Israeli rulers ought to understand that their country would never be secure unless they achieved an agreement with the Arab states; that the Jews must realize that time is not on Israel's side and that they face a difficult political struggle similar to the Jewish struggle for survival; and that most Jews are not aware of the emergence of the Third World, whose votes in the UN have been cast against Israel in recent years.... The only difference between Peres and Goldmann is in the multi-stage tactics of Zionism.70 Arab media also alleged that Zionism and Jews collaborated further in their international endeavours to discredit the Arabs and to attack them all around the world: On 15 July 1976, three JDL [Jewish Defence League]71 members walked into the Syrian Embassy in London, under the pretext that they sought tourist information. While they were screened for security, 50 students, belonging to many nationalities, broke into the embassy and clashed with its personnel.... It turned out that only two of the arrested 15 students belonged to the JDL while the rest carried Iraqi and Palestinian passports.... One of London's papers has revealed that prior to this attack members of the JDL had staged several demonstrations just outside the embassy to

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protest Syria's anti-Israeli policies.... On another occasion, 28 July 1976, while the Bacth party held a press conference at the Syrian Embassy in Athens, 15 people who identified themselves as 'Trotskyite Jews' demonstrated in order to disrupt the conference.... Syria does not pay heed to her opponents who belong to Zionism and its allies.72 Under the headline 'The Campaign of Mutual Denunciation among the Arabs and the Role of Zionism in it', the respectable al-Ahram wrote the following comments: A campaign has been going on between Arabs to discredit each other... to depict each other as the 'ugly Arab'... but those who are aware of the Zionist methods of spreading hatred among the Arabs hardly believe this contention. ... Zionist and Israeli propaganda has been cultivating the feeling that Arabs are hated among their own brethren, especially in tourist centres. Some argue that the recent rise of rents in Egypt is calculated to squeeze money from Arab tourists and that the latter are no longer welcome in Egypt.73 The Arabs are simultaneously alarmed and fascinated by the apparent success of Zionism. They devote to it much attention and 'scientific' research. Symposia, 'scientific publications' and 'academic conferences' are given wide publicity in the media throughout the Arab world: The council of King cAbd-al-cAziz University has convened and discussed the establishment of a centre for research on Zionism, with a view to writing, translating and distributing textbooks on this subject.74 President Qaddafi of Libya attended the Scientific Symposium on Zionism and racism held in Tripoli on 26 July 1976.... Qaddafi attended the deliberations on the racist relations between Israel and South Africa. 75 Yasir Arafat of the PLO sent a message to the symposium: Many Jews have left their countries of origin and are now refugees in European countries; the latter out of humanitarian considerations, ought to accord to these Jews the right to settle permanently. Jews who had left their countries because of Zionist propaganda ought to be allowed to return there once they have realized the nature of this propaganda. One must emphasize that the Jewish faith is clear of Zionism and there is no connection between the two.... Moral support should be lent to Jewish organizations which refute Zionism, and a dialogue should be established with them.... The Conference should establish a committee to follow up on research about Zionism and on the implementation of the recommendations relating to the struggle against Zionism. 76 The Jews Apart from Zionism, which has 'poisoned' the Jewish spirit, the Jews as such are also treated in a derogatory manner by the Arab press. Indeed when the 'Jewish character' is analysed, straight anti-Semitic stereotypes

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are evoked. Jews are depicted as masters of trickery, cheating, plots and treachery, and as the archenemies of Islam. The Jews are loaded with psychological complexes and fears: they have a sense of inferiority to others and of imaginary suffering. They masochistically torture themselves with these feelings and sadistically force others to share them. For example, the television series "Holocaust", which was full of distortions, was meant to 'erode the conscience of Europe'. In the final analysis it is the Arabs who suffered most from Jewish paranoia and were compelled to pay the price for a crime they never committed. Thus, the Jew is himself the cause for his oppression by others. The best way to lend credence to these charges against Jews is to use their own weapons. What can be more authoritative than the Bible and other Jewish writings? The Jewish people never had any historical link with Palestine, because they were merely a conglomeration of tribes of robbers who raided the peaceful kingdom of Canaan.... Canaan was occupied by force of arms under the aegis of Joshua.... After the conquest, which subjected only a small part of the country, the Jews tended to assimilate with their neighbours.... The Jewish kingdom was a negligible episode on the margin of the history of Egypt, Syria, Assyria and Phoenicia....77 Another writer wrote, in response to the above article: The Bible is not reliable for this kind of information: we have already warned Arab authors against relying too much on stories of the Jews (isra 7liyyat in Arabic), where facts are distorted by Jews at will, with a view to breaking into Arab history and sharing it.... After the death of Joshua, anarchy prevailed among Hebrew tribes until the Judges ascended. These were no more than military commanders, but they were idealized in the Jewish Bible and made into mythological heroes.... Archaeological findings have proved beyond doubt that the Hebrew language, which is claimed to be holy, and the Bible, which is claimed to have been given by God, were written down only during the sixth century BC, while Moses lived in the thirteenth century BC and his Law was written down in Old Egyptian, 800 years before the advent of the Jews.... The Jews confuse various historical periods and chronologies of events. They meddle with history in order to credit themselves with existence well before they came into being....78 The Talmud is a historical scandal that the Jews try to conceal. This book is regarded as secret, therefore they do not encourage anyone to read it or translate it. Hence, the importance of publishing excerpts from it, because of the hatred it reveals on the part of the Jews towards all other peoples. They believe that they can kill at will Christians and Muslims and take over their property. Whoever kills a Jew is a murderer in their view; whoever kills a Christian is not a murderer. Whoever steals from a Jew is a thief, but whoever steals from a Christian or a Muslim is no thief....79 Political and religious leaders of Islam were called upon to reinforce these stereotypes:

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Jews have no right or title in Palestine because they are not the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob is not Israel,80 and the latter is a different person who had nothing to do with the patriarchs or the prophets; he was the forefather of the Jews.... It is a pure act of arrogance on the part of the Jews, the killers of prophets, to advance the claim that they are the prophets' descendants.... Jews are ambushing Muslims and plotting against them as best as they can.... They bask in the illusion that they can exploit the division in the Arab world to their advantage.... The war that took place in Ramadan [ 1973] when Arabs/Muslims waged war while believing in Allah, and Allah made them victorious as he had promised.... Oh Muslims in the East and the West! We must again shatter the arrogance of the Jews, and this can be accomplished only when we unite in the cause of recovering Jerusalem! Jerusalem is Arab and Islamic, and the Messenger of God will not be satisfied until Jerusalem reverts to being Arab and Islamic again.81 On 24 August 1977, an anti-Semitic play was shown on Egyptian television. The background was the beginning of Islamic history, and the Muslim heroes had no end of curses and insults to pour on the Jews: cheaters, intriguers, cursed by Allah, the enemies of Islam. The Jews were accused of having allied themselves with the Persians and the Byzantines to subvert the Islamic state. However, while the Persian commander was viewed as a respectable figure, he himself deprecated and humiliated his Jewish collaborators and reminded them constantly of their lowly nature. These traits of the Jews are evident, in Arab judgement, in the state of Israel whose inhabitants are mainly Jewish. However, rather than appearing to condemn the Jews as such, allusion was made to the corrupting nature of Zionism. And so the vicious circle is complete: Jews were debased and humiliated in the first place; Zionism is marked by the derogatory traits that are characteristic of Jews; and Zionism and Israel further debase the Jews by their inhuman attitudes: Israel turns the Jews into the enemies of humankind.... The Zionist idea that time is on their side is no more than a temptation of sycophants.... After World War II, humanity worked out a conciliation with the Jews.... But when Israel was established it provided confirmation of world opinions about them.... Israel has shown that it will not be satisfied until Zionist overlordship is imposed on all humanity, in the sense that everyone must put himself at her disposal and carry out her will.... This state has committed innumerable criminal acts, such as the shooting down of a [Libyan] civilian airliner. The crimes of Israel surpass anything attributed to the Jews in Europe, go beyond anything written down in the Talmud or in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Does world Jewry realize how much harm Israel brings upon them? Only a fifth war against Israel can bring an end to these absurdities, and the Palestinians will play a decisive role in it, for the Palestinian Arabs alone are able to undo Israel's schemes and bring about her collapse under the burden of her weapons.... This time the war arena will be Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and all Palestinian [not Israeli!] cities. The war must be

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

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transferred into Israel... what will Israel do when fifty thousand Palestinians, armed to the teeth, will invade Israel, killing everyone in their way?82

Israeli politics, society, culture, the Arab media charge, are all imbued with the evils that Jews have transmitted from one generation to another. Just as the Jews are thieves, so is Israel, where laws of the jungle prevail: whoever can, steals and robs from others.83 Prime Minister Begin, who announced his intention to hold a military parade on Israel's Independence Day, was accused of suffering: .. .not from a heart attack or a stroke, but from a Nazi sickness...; his deepest desire is to emulate the Nazi review stand and the Hitlerite parade.... Those who desire proximity to Satan by contributing money towards Zionist terror, and who are ready to pay taxes in order to help legitimize that bloodied entity, have collected 200 million pounds and handed them over to their prime minister.... The march of liberation is at hand and the end of terror is certain to come. Allah is great and the Arab people is great!84

Jewish literature is accused of including the racist elements from which Zionism and the Jewish Agency draw their inspiration. On a certain occasion, Haim Hazaz, a prominent Israeli writer, was attacked for 'having pronounced himself in favour of borders from the Nile to the Euphrates': This unrealistic style of Hazaz reflects all the arrogant writers of Israel, who cloak their literature with the faded vision of false prophets, while life in Israel has attained the lowest levels of obscurity and agony.... After the October War the Israeli market was choking with pornographic literature. ... The decline of Hebrew literature after October only points to the artificial nature of this literature, which is rootless and has no solid human values at its base.85

Even the proverbial Jewish Mother is charged with perversion in the Arab media, inasmuch as she 'commits murder, terror and torture against Palestinian Arabs'. She is accused of having played a major role in the conquest of Palestine, in the occupation of Palestinian women's homes, and in the expropriation of their children's schools. She also participated in the confiscation of agricultural land as new settlements were constructed. The Zionist woman lent her hand to murder, terror and torture, poisoning minds with Zionist racist philosophy and spreading libel and hatred against the Arabs.86 The logical conclusion is that there is no point in talking to the Jewish polity in terms of international law, morality or values, because an entity which is founded on piracy and terror, racism and exclusivism plus contempt for religious values, does not deserve to be addressed with logic. The only recourse is the escalation of the armed struggle to intimidate the Jewish forces of colonialism and imperialism in Palestine.87

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Jews in Palestine were said to show in their immature bickerings that they are unable to live with each other, but it would be dangerous to reinstate them in their countries of origin: The Jews originating from Arab countries, who now live in Israel, tend to emigrate from there because of the unfeasability of coexistence between them and the other Jewish elements. This, of course, shatters Israeli contentions that they desire to coexist with the Palestinian people.... Those who caution against the confusion between Judaism as a religion and Zionism as a racist movement ought to know that this distinction only applies to Jews who live outside Israel. Those who live there are themselves the people of Israel, and they took part in the building of Israel. Should these Jews leave Israel and return to their countries of origin... is there not a likelihood that they might serve as agents and spies for the country to which they owe allegiance? They are also likely to climb rapidly up the ladder of success, and we have learnt to know their talent for occupying highly sensitive economic positions. 88

The Arab media warn that even when Jews talk about peace and spread sweetness and light, they are not to be trusted, because 'Zionists who have practised aggression for two generations cannot suddenly change by donning academic gowns and preaching peace'. 89 The Jews, by having established a fascist racist regime in Palestine and by serving as a model for the violation of civil rights, cannot mislead the world by their so-called 'humanitarian deeds'. In fact, Israel's 'inhuman acts in the occupied territories' are likened to those of Nazi Germany in Eastern Europe. Again, the only recourse is to unite against the enemies of the Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa Mosque. 90 Thus, those who believed that the ingathering of the Jews in Palestine would solve their problems, are now faced with a terrible reality. 91 Jews are 'credited' with cunning treachery, and, as such, should never be taken at their word. When Prime Minister Rabin resigned his office in April 1977, this was interpreted as a stratagem to achieve some mysterious design. 92 To the Arabs, Israel's democracy was simply a facade which hides a military regime and an intricate fascist system. 93 Ostensibly, Israel has accorded civil rights and military rank to her Druze community, whereas in fact she is striving to obliterate them spiritually. Israel was accused of having inherited from her ancient forefathers not only the desire to conquer lands and enforce barbaric laws, but also the despicable policy of 'Divide et Impera', so as to control the Druze, the Circassians and the Bedouins and to harness them to her policies.94 'The Jewish Sages,' says one Arab newspaper, 95 'act according to their principle that a lie should be repeated until it becomes true.' So they devised a plan to take over Palestine in three stages: ideological Zionism; practical Zionism; and militant Zionism. The first phase was conceived according to the Protocols of the Elders ofZion; the second phase implied

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

23

the transition from talk to action; the third phase necessitated the rise of fighting groups such as the Haganah, the Irgun and the Stern Gang. These three stages reflect the range of their deception: (1) their 'war of liberation' did not 'liberate' any land from 'Arab conquerors', because the latter were its legal owners; (2) the Arabs did not flee Palestine willingly; this was a Zionist lie, because terror and pogroms expelled the Palestinians; (3) the myth of the 'abandoned Arab property' was shattered by the expropriation laws that were adopted by Israel. The lesson: beware lest you fall into Israel's trap. Or, as the Arab proverb has it, 'never put a snake in your pocket'. 96 One of these 'traps' was the Balfour Declaration, which was in fact designed to establish small religious and communal political entities on the Syrian coast in order to curb rising Arab nationalism in this part of the Arab world. That accursed declaration had been only partially and temporarily implemented, because ultimately the Arabs would prevail and thus call a halt to the Zionist invasion before it attempted to expand even further. To the Arabs, the Balfour Declaration was a historical absurdity, because of the illegality of its assumptions and their outcome. The Arab countries had allowed this illusion to become a dangerous reality insofar as what they termed an armed racist entity had not only usurped the land of Palestine but was undermining the entire Arab nation. 97 This declaration was a political plot from the Arab view-point, because it gave to a people who do not deserve anything something which did not belong to them. The Arabs claim that Balfour promised the Jews a homeland to which they had no title. Resistance to the Balfour Declaration is on the increase and will be until the land is redeemed by its legal owners, who are ready to shed their blood and wrench it from the hands of the rapacious Zionists.98 The International Power of Jews Despite their innate deficiencies and their depressed state of mind, the Jews succeeded, according to the Arabs, in reaching positions of influence in politics and in the world economy. Jews who make it to the top can put themselves at the service of Zionist propaganda and harm the Arabs. Israel was merely an extension of this world-wide endeavour of the Jews, and her success in spreading her values and in penetrating world markets was only one manifestation of international Jewish activity. The Arabs charge that Jewish propaganda was particularly directed to youth, specifically Arab youth, because this population was the most malleable to outside influences. The most striking characteristic of Jews is their penchant for organization on a world scale. They are presented as a huge brotherhood, a

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network of lodges where secret decisions are taken and whence orders flow to the outside world. Since most activities of world Jewry are illicit, the organization is reminiscent of a mafia-type setup which could manipulate funds, push its members into prominent posts and even decide people's fate. The tip of this iceberg is, of course, the World Jewish Congress, which is so efficient in Arab eyes that some have expressed their desire to emulate it: The idea to convene a general conference of world Jewry was born in 1932, in order to stress the unity of the Jews as one nation. The Congress was created as an organizational tool to pursue this goal, via a network of branches in dozens of countries. Since then, it has become a very strong lobby in many capital cities, and its impact is felt in decision making. When they convene to discuss the policy of any country, this automatically implies the condemnation of that country, and then a series of pressures, demonstrations, economic threats and even boycotts are applied to force those governments into submission to the will of the Congress."

At times the Arab media are even blunter about the control exercised by Jews throughout the world: 'If five million Jews have succeeded in dominating the US, they can certainly also control the entire western world, which is divided and less developed.'100 The Jews were thought to be so familiar with the intricacies of world power and were prepared to go to such lengths that they could interfere everywhere at will. For example, the international symposium convened in London to discuss the plight of the Palestinians had failed and one could suspect that behind its failure stood some undisclosed reasons. World Zionism might have been offered a deal to disburse 100 million dollars in order to wreck the conference and they would willingly accept such a deal.101 Jewish international solidarity was focused on aid programmes to Israel, and its world-wide activities were devoted to this end. For example, Jewish and Zionist organizations were said to have been exerting efforts to retrieve Jewish property left behind by deceased Jews in Greece. Arab legations in Athens were urged by their media to prevent the taking over of these assets by Zionist organizations.102 The mechanism of such world-wide self-help by the Jews was described in detail: World Jewry has extended to Israel assistance in cash and goods which amount to 750 million dollars, in addition to contributions collected by Jewish organizations amounting to 1,400 million dollars.... In the wake of the October War, Israel increased its demands from world Jewry and asked that they should play a growing role to fulfil its needs. The Jewish organizations acquiesced... they collected 1,250 million dollars between 1973 and 1974. Jewish organizations are to meet again in the spring of 1977 in order to increase their contributions because spring is always the time when foreign aid, which keeps the Israeli economy running, reaches Israel.103

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A Selection of Cartoons Some of the themes so laboriously described above are summarily suggested in a few masterly cartoonist strokes. Here are some examples: The Zionist monster who cannot satiate his avidity to devour Arabs tempts peaceful Lebanese to cross over to Israel through the 'Good Fence': The caption reads: [Defence Minister Shimon] Peres lures Lebanese Christians tc migrate into Israel.104

President Assad of Syria, on a noble Arab horse and in knight's attire, attacks the triple-headed dragon (Jews, Zionists, Israel): No explanation needed.105

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Israel and South Africa are on a par. The caption reads: Following the aggression of South Africa against Zambia and the recurring Israeli aggression against the Arabs. The two gentlemen who represent American and British imperialism are planning for their clients (Israel on the right, South Africa on the left) to continue to be planted in the midst of the Third World. They say to each other: Their Third World is going to be planted with stakes (which also means dirty tricks).106

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AFTER SADAT'S VISIT TO JERUSALEM After President Sadat's visit to Jerusalem in November 1977, which was accompanied by bombastic tumult on the one hand and virulent condemnations on the other, Israel's image in the Arab media did not show any great improvement. On the contrary, the anti-Israeli/Jewish/Zionist maliciousness seemed to gather momentum, and the Arabs felt vindicated in their cultivation of certain Zionist/Jewish stereotypes. The only change was that President Sadat and his entourage were cast in the same malign light as the Jews/Zionists. This was hardly surprising, as it was expected that the Arabs in other countries would rush to fill Sadat's breach in their anti-Israeli iron wall of hatred. What is startling, however, is that even the Egyptian press did not tone down its negative views of Israel. On the contrary, previous anti-Israeli positions continued to be the norm throughout 1978 and much of 1979, when the peace treaty was signed. Moreover, in some cases there even occurred a deterioration of the Egyptian view of Israel, as the media there began treating with increased 'authority' the Israelis whom they now knew personally. The vituperative charges against the racist nature of Zionism and its association with imperialism continued unabated including comparisons with fascism in general and Nazism in particular. Israel continued to be charged with expansionist ambitions and a superiority complex; with an endeavour to dominate the world and with the affinities of her rulers with Hitler and Mussolini — all these being the classic components of her militaristic and dictatorial makeup. Israel was said to be a country founded on brute force, which subjected its Arab citizenry to tyranny and expropriation, as reflected in its literature. Israel had shown its reluctance to determine definitive borders because the Zionist cliques which set her ultimate goals did not consider peace a desirable target. Such attacks against Israel and Zionism were backed by 'letters to the editor', which both showed popular sentiment against Israel and displayed Arab exasperation in the face of what they viewed as Israel's procrastinations during the drawn-out process which eventually led to Camp David. However, the Egyptian press has veered towards a slightly more realistic evaluation of Israel and of its chances of survival. At the beginning of the peace process, the press was unflaggingly optimistic about the prospect of detaching Israel from its Zionist-imperialist nexus, and hope was even expressed that an Israel alienated from Zionism might find it easier to assimilate into the Middle East. This wishful thinking might be fulfilled through the peace process, as Israel's adamant obstinacy in rejecting its Middle Eastern essence would wane. Thus, even though Zionism was still regarded as an extension of imperialism, it now seemed

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that Israel might be cured of that disease by peaceful means. The hope was outrightly expressed in the Egyptian press that Zionists, heretofore educated along the principles of the Protocols of the Elders ofZion, would undergo a change of heart with regard to the Arabs. Alongside these basically negative views of Israel's essence and existence, there were also some indications of a more positive approach. For example, Israel's birth was occasionally credited to world Jewry and Zionism and not always to imperialism. One reason for this slight mitigation might have been the rapprochement which was then beginning to appear betwen Egypt and the imperialists of yesteryear: the US. However, the intermittent rift between Israel and imperialism was by no means consistent, and the shift in the characterization of Zionism as more racist than imperialist can be seen as more a shift in emphasis than an outright reversal of basic attitudes. Israel's commitment to withdraw from the Sinai might also have blunted Arab accusations of Zionist expansionism, while a slight change in Egyptian attitudes was indicated by the less wholesale rejection of Zionism itself. At times there was even an implied admission of the Zionist success in raising money and making the desert bloom, an example the Arabs are sometimes urged to follow. Egyptian journalists who met with Israeli leaders realized, somewhat pathetically, that 'they were human beings after all', and that the 'devil is not as terrible as he seemed'. Accusations against the subversive power of Zionism became markedly less intense, most likely because it no longer seemed plausible to claim that Israel was seeking to undermine the security of the world at the same time that she was negotiating peace at a terrible cost to her security. Moreover, had Israel's demarche been charged as 'subversion', the Egyptian press would have played into the hands of Arab rejectionists who hurled precisely the same indictment at both Sadat and Israel. Since peace was concocted in conjunction with the US, the paradigm of imperialism, Zionism now began to be more conveniently compared with communism and atheism, the twin evils which allied themselves in their commitment to eradicate Islam and usher in anarchy. At the same time, however, relations between Zionism and the Jews continued to come under attack. The arguments advanced by the Jews concerning their link with Palestine were still dismissed, while emphasis was laid on the Zionist failure to turn the Jews into a sane and normal nation. Israel was depicted as an isolated, besieged entity; the Jews of Israel were called upon to use the opportunity of peace to break out of the siege mentality which had been imposed on them by Zionism and to mix with the people all around them. 107 The Jews were presented as craving the peace and security they had always longed for, but were prevented from attaining by Zionism. Now that the eve of peace was around the

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel

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corner, they could be integrated into human society if they would only shed Zionism. Nothing was said, of course, about Jewish national aspirations, because Zionism was not regarded as a national movement but as a foreign ideology which had once cast its spell on the persecuted Jews, and which must now be exorcized in order to facilitate their transition into the era of peace. For, unlike their Zionist rulers, the people of Israel desire peace. Before the peace initiative, Israeli Jews were generally identified with Zionism and were therefore perceived as aggressors and warmongers. Now, a distinction was made between Israeli Zionists and non-Zionists, and the slogan was often repeated: 'We accept Jews among us, not Zionists'. This was, no doubt, an elegant way for the Egyptian leaders to justify their peace negotiations with Israel. They would make peace with Jews wanting shelter and stability, but not with Zionism, which has never given up its inherent evils. At the same time, however, the point is made that peace with the Jews does not necessarily mean a romance with them, just a pragmatic arrangement. Anis Mansur, editor of October and one of Sadat's closest advisers and friends, wrote in January 1978: 'The hatred of Jews is a spiritual national necessity for Arabs.' Thus, while acknowledging the expedient wisdom of coming to terms with Jews, they continued to be denigrated. Blood-libels against Jews were analysed as facts of history, and warnings of the Muslim Brothers against 'Jewish plots to liquidate Islam' found wide currency among the Egyptian public. Embarrassment in the media could be discerned immediately following Sadat's visit to Jerusalem. They did not know how to present or to justify the idea that a peace process with the Jews had begun; how to reverse their prejudices of past years and to advocate instead the merits of a deal with the devil. Hence their seemingly contradictory statements on Jews: Jews were welcome, but not Zionism, their national movement. The Jews were as bad as they had always been but pragmatic considerations dictated that they engage in the peace process. The Jews would remain hated, but it was to the advantage of the Arabs to make peace. Jews were what they were, but perhaps peace would deliver them from their Zionism. Consolation was sought by the Arab media in such statements as: Judaism had actually borrowed its principles from other religions. The Israeli-Zionist identity had been on the decline following the Yom Kippur War. The spiritual vitality and original creativity of Israel was on the wane, as indicated by current nihilistic Israeli literature. The hope was also expressed that, since it was Jewish fanaticism which created Zionism, the possibility of peace might very well bring about a Jewish moderation which would result in the disappearance of this Zionism and their consequent return to normalcy.

30 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder Whilst Jews have been moderately treated by the Egyptian media of the post-initiative era, in the relative context of their Zionist-Israeli identity, there seems to be no let-up in the virulence they arouse when treated as an ethnic-religious group. Even worse, there has been a hardening of the old stereotypes on occasions. For example, during the difficult days of one-upmanship which followed Sadat's visit to Jerusalem and the first abortive peace talks, anti-Jewish stereotypes prevailed in the Arab media. Israeli 'procrastination' was blamed on the 'well-known character of the Jews', as personified by Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister. Mr. Begin was presented as obstinate, intriguing, sly and evasively paranoid in his aggressive desire to dominate and outwit the world. Enveloped in fear, he attributed ill intentions to his interlocutors. Due to his lack of self-confidence, he expressed hostility to his rivals and strove to outwit their strategies. President Sadat's saying that 'life is in itself the problem of the Jews' was cited over and over again, while the Shylock image attached to the 'Zionist persona', the 'Jewish essence' was exemplified by concrete, if vilifying, epithets: greed, hostility, cruelty, violence and innate weakness. The modern Jew was exposed as a perpetuation of the traditional eternal wanderer and miserable person in constant search of his lost identity. Any negative adjective that could be plucked from the vast arsenal of Arabic castigatory literature was mobilized to humiliate and vilify the Jews in the Egyptian media in particular and the Arab press in general. The inevitable conclusion was that it would take a long time after peace dawned to change the essential quality of the Jews. By the same token, the peace process shed a new light on the international power - particularly economic - of the Jews. Indeed, fears were expressed at the prospect of Israeli penetration into Egypt's economy. To allay some of them, Egyptian writers advanced the argument that Israeli economic penetration posed no more of a threat to Egypt than that of any other foreign country marketing its goods there. The difference, however, lay in the limitless resources and resourcefulness of the Jews, to spread their propaganda (and by implication their commercial advertising) around the world, as the prominent example of the world-wide screening of 'Holocaust' proved. The Jews were alleged to control international organizations such as Rotary, which in turn helped them to take up positions of power throughout the world. Before summing up this long chapter, here are a few illustrations from the Egyptian press: Jews suffer from a historical complex; all over the world they lived in ghettos and in restricted areas. On the other hand, they regard themselves as the 'chosen people'. Upon the foundation of the Jewish state, Israel too became a big ghetto surrounded by hatred and hostility, which never envi-

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saged ridding the Jews of their complexes. We want peace exactly as the Jews want it, but we need its material and spiritual benefits much more than they do, because our resources are limited, while theirs are limitless.... Making peace with the Jews does not mean that we have to love them, we just have to sit down with them and settle our accounts. We have been maintaining contacts with Jews since 1948, for the most part covertly. Nevertheless, the Arabs insist on appearing as warmongers and as haters of Jews, because boycotting Jews and denying any negotiation with them have always constituted a natural psychological necessity for us. We have cultivated hatred of the Jews and we have never devoted the time to reconsider this assumption. 108 The history of the Jews came to an end in AD 70. 109 Begin has stated in the Knesset, in the presence of Sadat, that the Balfour Declaration enabled the Jews to return to their homeland and that they did not expropriate anyone's land. But the truth of the matter is that the Bible itself depicts the details of the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites and the expropriation of its owners which resulted. In fact, the Canaanites, the Emorites, the Philistines and the other peoples which had inhabited Palestine never abandoned it. The Bible bears witness to the constant wars between the Israelites and the local peoples of this area. Jews exiled to Babylonia, Assyria and Egypt mixed and assimilated with the local population while very few responded to the Cyrus Declaration and returned to Palestine...." 0

Aside from these generalizations, 'personal' stories found their way into the media: The wife of an Israeli journalist who covered the Cairo Conference, called him from Jerusalem to announce that he had received more than 70 invitations from various Israeli groups that wanted him to talk about his experiences in Egypt. Her husband immediately asked: 'How much will they pay for a lecture?' ' 5 0 I L " " she said. 'Ask for more,' retorted the husband. The next day she called again to report about 100 invitations. 'How much?', asked the journalist. '80 IL,' came the reply. 'Ask for more,' repeated the journalist. On the following day she called again telling her astonished husband that 150 invitations had piled up. 'How much?'; '100 IL,' shouted the wife. 'Ask for more!' urged her husband again. His wife, exasperated, could not help reacting: 'Just remember that an important proviso is attached to all this: you must get back here before all the other journalists.' Whereupon, the Israeli journalist collapsed in his chair and begged his hosts: 'Please let me go back to Jerusalem forthwith!'" 2

This theme on the 'greedy Jews' was further elaborated in an article by Mustafa Amin, editor of the prestigious al-Akhbar, who made use of the derogatory 'Cohen' character to tell his story: In his dream Cohen saw an angel descending from heaven and holding a purse filled with gold currency. When the angel opened the purse, Cohen breathlessly extended his open hand. The angel began counting coins into

32

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder Cohen's hand, and they sounded to him like magnificent music. When the angel counted 90 coins, he stopped. Cohen protested: 'Please go on till 100!' The angel refused but Cohen insisted: 'Please, only 95!'; then 'I beg of you, just 91!' But the angel remained adamant. Whereupon Cohen woke up and found out that his hand was empty; it did not even contain the 90 coins he had been reluctant to accept. He closed his eyes and implored the angel for 90, but to no avail. He came down to 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, but the angel had disappeared. Not one single coin remained in Cohen's hand.

Although the lesson is clear the writer leaves no room for doubt: Today, Cohen has been experiencing something greater than a dream. He opened his eyes and saw the angel of peace handing him a promise that no more wars would occur in the future. The angel also handed him recognition of Israel and safeguards for its security. If Cohen insists on taking one more inch of land, or deprives the Palestinians of their rights, he will be imitating Cohen's vain dream. He will not get 90 or even 80 or one single coin. He will discover that the angel of peace has also vanished."3 Anis Mansur is perhaps the most vitriolic anti-Jewish raconteur. His reports are avidly read because of his authority as an 'expert' on Jewish affairs. So when he enjoins his readers philosophically, to 'just imagine who the Jews are' following a description of their burgeoning success in selling empty cans filled with air from the Holy Land, it is clear what kind of Jew he wants to project. The report in his magazine about Israelis who completely disregard the tenets of their religion conveys a sense of a greedy and godless people." 4 Here is one of Mansur's favourite stories relating to the peace talks in Egypt: We are not tired by the shuttle trips, or by the radio broadcasts, even by reading the newspapers. The Israeli journalists exhausted me more than anything else. They are journalists like us, all right, but they were probably entrusted with more specific missions.... As we waited near Sadat's palace in Ismacilyya, we noticed an Israeli photographer scanning the skies and murmuring to himself. We asked him whether he was praying. 'No,' he said. 'I am counting the trees.' 'What for?' we inquired. 'Oh, nothing, it's a Jewish sickness,' was his answer. Then Mansur goes on to explain that the first word that a newborn Jew pronounces is 'one'. 'Is it to designate the oneness of God? Certainly not. The first words that he utters are simply numbers.... Israeli journalists are a bunch of reporters, intelligence informants and Dervishes. Our problem was that we did not exactly know which they were....' 115 In other of his numerous columns, Mansur has written: To this day the Jews have not provided the answer to the puzzle 'who is a Jew?'... of late, the Jews found one answer: 'A Jew is someone who poses many questions.' Jews would argue that this is a libel, but it is the truth. Their Bible writes about them that they are a stiff-necked people, namely that it is difficult for them to turn their heads to the right, to the left,

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upwards or downwards. This means that they cling obstinately to a thousand different opinions. They ask questions because they are never convinced. They are never convinced because it is difficult to convince them. They are sceptical, they presume ill intentions on the part of others. Thus, they lack self-confidence and are hostile to anyone who exhibits selfconfidence. It is only natural that they should sow doubts, ill-will, fear and anxious machinations in an attempt to achieve parity, as it were, with all the rest. It is not uncommon to discern divisions of opinion among them, and everyone sticks firmly to his own opinion. It is hard to tell the difference between their believers, pagans and dogmatic doctrinaires; their communists, Zionists, and atheists. No wonder there are so many political and religious schools in their midst. There are only 2.5 millions of them in Israel, but they are divided among 20 political and religious parties. A majority-based government is for them unattainable." 6 Israel newspapers attack me and keep asking whether I hate the Jews because I know much about them or whether I know such a lot about them because I hate them. They also wonder how I could sit down and talk with Israeli journalists and write what I wrote... well, drinking coffee with others does not mean anything; one could equally drink coffee in a zoo. And even those condemned to death have the right to coffee. The fact that I sat down with Israelis in Egypt and in Jerusalem may have changed the course of things but not their essence... we all know that to sit down with Jews means dealing with the greatest speculators of all times.... Jews will be the greatest losers if they cannot find peace and security in this region.... They are sceptics by nature; even if the Angel of Death, Azriel, should come to them they would bargain for each extra minute they could get from him.... A famous medieval story tells of a Jew who asked the Pope to sell hell to him. The Pope ridiculed the Jew for his eagerness to make such an unrewarding deal, but the Jew was smart enough to make a tour of Christian houses and ask them to pay him for not letting them into hell. We shall not sell hell to the Jews, but are offering them the real paradise: security and peace instead of war." 7 Other commentators, writing about the difficulties encountered in the peace talks, made similar remarks: We should not forget that Israelis are Israelis and that bargaining, concocting plots and computing benefits are traits of their character which they cannot change." 8 The state of Israel is made up of two components: it is, first of all, a Zionist state, and then a Jewish state. Zionism, in its ambitions and thinking, has adopted a Hitlerite Nazi style, wishing to dominate everyone around it and then control the entire world, as their holy book prescribes. But all this came to an end in October 1973... and Moshe Dayan was the first to understand this when he said that Israel was close to extermination.... Thus Zionism is no more.... The fact that Begin has picked Dayan, the man responsible for Israel's defeat, as his foreign minister, is the best guarantee for the end of Zionism. As to the Jewish state, Jews have existed for thousands of years. Hitler thought that he could wipe them out and we paid the price. Israel

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Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder would have never been established, despite the efforts of Zionism and imperialism, if it were not for Hitler. Nowadays, the Jews can live anywhere they wish and collect the money needed for Israel's existence." 9 The secret of the fanaticism that is evinced by Zionism lies in the fact that it is the first of all religions which does not recognize its successors, and the last of all nations which does not recognize its predecessors. The Zionist mind does not take cognizance of others or of its environment except in the context of an enemy waiting in ambush and therefore to be wiped out or turned away.... Until 1917, Zionism was only an idea, and then it took the form of the Balfour Declaration. Zionism was not a form of nationalism, because religion was not its foundation. Zionism had no territory either, and until 1947 and the partition of Palestine, Zionism was neither a state, nor a banner, nor even an entity.... Its lagging behind led it to adopt its extremist stance. The fact that it is the first of religions and the last of nations gave it its adamant military nature and its eagerness for wars; it needed to live off blood rather than off the land.... 120

Commenting on Prime Minister Begin and his book The Revolt, Musa Sabry, editor of al-Akhbar and a senior Egyptian journalist, wrote: In his book, Begin tells the story of what he calls the 'struggle for independence'. This struggle was nothing but a series of terrorist attacks and acts of violence by the underground organization headed by Begin.... He denies that these acts were directed against the Arabs and boasts that they were designed against the British.... The acts of violence which started in the 1940s and generated the birth of Israel, led necessarily to further acts of violence which will continue forever as long as the victims are peace, truth and justice.... It turns out that Israel's prime minister is the same Begin who headed a terrorist movement and slaughtered hundreds of innocent lives in Deir Yassin and at the King David Hotel. Even Ben-Gurion termed him a 'new Hitler'. With arrogance and conceit, Begin has been defying the entire world by insisting on his interpretation of Security Council Resolution 242.... Begin has indicated that Jewish forces could use terror against Carter!... Many commentators in the US say that Begin wants Carter to learn the lesson of President Ford and the Jew Kissinger, who were liquidated by the Jews. Begin is insinuating that he is the ruler of the world!... Begin cannot rise above himself or bear the responsibility for peace. He continues to think like a terrorist; but the only alternative to peace is violence and preparation for another war.... It would be a shame that the fate of the world should be determined by a man infected by his past, by his Hitlerite ambitions, by his adamant arrogance.... So, President Carter, beware of Jewish terror which menaces the entire world!121

The personal attacks against Prime Minister Begin were picked up by other Egyptian media and rose to a level unparalleled in recent memory: Among Israeli leaders no one is as fanatic as Menachem Begin. He is a European ruling the East: when he speaks about Jews he sounds like someone who wants to suck the blood of all anti-Semites, that is all people

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of the world who are not Jewish. This bitterness knows no limits. He looks upon President Sadat as a descendant of Ramses II, who expelled the Israelites from Egypt. He is convinced that the new pharaohs are prepared to act a thousand times worse. Begin is a victim of historical madness, of a terrible racist fanaticism. Throughout his life he appeared as a terrorist who preaches like a rabbi. This will soon become evident when he takes revenge on the Palestinians. Begin is now biting the hand which feeds him, namely the US, because of her pledge to provide arms to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.122 Begin spelled rigidity but he gained nothing from that. He gained more land and more hostility on the part of the Jews and the entire world. Begin is the man of war on the eve of peace.... Begin is living in an epoch of which he is unworthy. His life has been too long. The Jewish people should allow him to be burned with blood suckers, because he gave them land but took away from them security and tranquillity.123 In a perverse twist, Mustafa Amin, who holds the copyright for the 'Shylock' image attached to Begin, now claims that 'Begin is a blessing after all': Many have considered Begin's rise to power as a disaster for the Arabs. But we regard it as a blessing for the Arabs and a curse for Israel. For if it were not for his arrogance and obstinacy, world public opinion would still believe that we are beasts who want to drive Israel into the sea, while Israel projects the image of a young and innocent child about to be swallowed up by the devil. If it were not for Begin, the Americans would not have removed the black mask which covered their eyes for 30 years, and they would not have realized that their baby has grown claws and no longer feeds on milk but wishes to eat up the lands of other peoples. If it were not for Begin, the Americans would not be convinced that the Israeli Prime Minister wants to squeeze their economy and bring economic disaster on them, and a nuclear war on the world.... All this is happening thanks to Begin. We wish that Allah should prolong his days as the Prime Minister of Israel.124 Nor did other Egyptian and Arab media relent from their old prejudices regarding Zionism and Israel. Accusations against Jews and Israel have included the following characterizations: • Zionist perpetuation of psychological warfare intended to 'blunt the national spirit of the Arabs' and to lower their morale.125 • Zionism was a Nazi and racist ideology. Therefore the gap between it and Arab nationalism was unbridgeable. The idea of'the elected nation of Allah' which was at the base of Zionism, in contrast to the tolerance that has always characterized the Arabs.126 • Jews as the richest people in America, but the worst citizens; their protests in favour of Israel made them (look) like monkeys. American Jews as manifesting religious madness and wanting to make America the obedient slave of mad Zionists and terrorist Israel.127

36 Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder • Jews as spreading confusion among peoples and attempting to impose their principles of coercion and destruction. They compared the 1967 war to the fight between David and Goliath.128 • Zionism as a world-wide concern, because of its spreading influence. 129 • The 'wandering Jew' as reflecting the isolation and despair that has become part of the Jewish lot. Jews as pessimistic with regard to the past, present and future. The wandering Jew as symbolizing the loss forever of the Israelite identity. Jews as feeling that their existence is in itself an aberration, because they are the origin and source of evil, suffering, despair and hatred on the part of other peoples.... They are therefore miserable, mendicant (although others have accused them of being wealthy!), rebellious against others but resigned to the punishment that God imposed on them.130 • Egypt as having to cast doubts on every word Israel utters. The theoretical basis of Israel as unfounded and reason for concern.131 • Zionist propaganda as dominating much of the European media.132 • As the greater obstacle to Arab unity, because Israel represents a foreign geographical element, a concentration of aggressive people and a racist idea. Israel was a parasite undermining the channel to ArabEuropean understanding.133 A new spate of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic outbursts in the Egyptian press accompanied the Camp David conference in September 1978. Before the conference, the Egyptian media were sceptical about its ultimate results, blaming Israel and Begin in advance for any eventual failure. However, the successful accords which were announced at the end of the conference were credited, for the most part, to the greatness of Sadat. Before the conference, commentaries appeared to the effect that: • Israel's stated positions were but a repetition of old ideas. They wanted to continue to occupy the lands, to oppress the Palestinians. If Israel wanted to be part of the Middle East, she had to behave like a state, not to confuse security with peace, and to desist from acts that might exacerbate the conflict in the future.134 • Egypt stood to lose nothing if Begin's stratagems and plots to undermine Camp David were successful. Begin had a chance to go down in history if he followed Sadat's example.135 • Begin was the proponent of territories and desired to hold on to Arab lands. His political outlook was based on his religious creed, according to which the occupied lands were part of Israel in the past. Whenever this matter was brought up with Begin, he directed it to religious channels. He

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believed that religion was not a matter for negotiation or debate. 136 • The staunchest supporters of Israel had begun reviewing their positions. Kreisky, amazed by Begin's obstinacy, had accused Israel of being a police state led by generals from central Europe who know nothing of politics although they proved their worth in war and aggression. Israel's supporters, such as Aron and Sartre, were revising their attitudes because of her tyrannical and racist mentality which was based on the power of arms. But Zionism was not influenced by world public opinion because it had become accustomed to defying principles of human rights and to violating the U N Charter for the past 30 years. In that respect there was no difference between Begin and Peres, between right and left.137 • Israel had made considerable progress in the domain of urbanization, but her 'mental' state left much to be desired. The Israelis were divided and had no confidence in the future of their country; they were constantly preoccupied by an impending psychological crisis. Could Camp David change the Zionist character of Israel?138 As long as the Camp David Conference proceeded, it seemed that the Egyptian media were exercising relative self-restraint in expectation of the final results. But, paradoxically, when the conference was over and the Accords were announced, the accumulated steam was let off (interspersed here and there with a reasonable note): The struggle between Israel and ourselves is not only a military struggle but one of existence.... The Arab mind must grasp that this is a state which is alien to the Arab people, and which strives to distinguish itself as the most progressive and the most influential in this area.... [Israel] wants to be the exclusive producer while her neighbours should be confined to the role of consumers. In order for the Arab mind to base itself on sound foundations, it must study Israeli thought, the declarations of Israeli leaders, and it must learn to read between the lines. When the Arab mind considers Zionist thought, it must do that critically and analytically.... There is a similarity between Begin's The Revolt and Hitler's Mein Kampf\ both books are comparable in style and wording.139 We must confess that our most important struggle against Israel is yet to come. We have fought the military war and we are now engaged in a political battle. There remains the economic campaign, which is linked to the way Israel justifies its ideological existence.... The Israeli existence in Palestine began in 1904 with a farm of 15 families. Later on, a state was established which attempted to act as an agent for the economic interests of the western world.... Israel is still subsisting on her economic links with many countries abroad... although they were bothered by the economic boycott that the Arabs used in their armed dialogue with Israel. This economic siege is precisely what Israel has been asking us to give up in a context of peace. The peace treaty will bring about a confrontation between our two economies, but not as rivals. There will be natural rela-

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Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder tions without threats or boycotts. It will simply become a competition over markets.140 I [Mansur] have entitled this article 'the Defeat of Zionism and the Victory of the Arab Will', because Zionism has always spoken of its infallible will which it could impose on the Arabs in order to advance its expansionist goals.... Now that Israel has desisted, even temporarily, from establishing new settlements, and will ease her military government, the Zionists are incurring their ultimate defeat, and a victory for the Arab will.... Israel can live in peace and security, and even prosperity, with the Arabs, provided she learns to be courteous, modest and cooperative, no longer the arrogant and hostile Israel she used to be.... 141

Other articles accused the Zionist movement of basing its ideology on the 'racial purity' of Jews, and for that purpose having encouraged in the past Jews to migrate into anti-Semitic countries (Austro-Hungary and the Balkans), as well as to emigrate from liberal nations where they were likely to be assimilated. Jews were blamed for delving into the past, for collecting documents and forging others in order to condemn people they did not like. In this way, they take revenge on the living and the dead alike, and tarnish the stature of personalities they dislike such as the composer Wagner or the writer Nietzsche.142 Anis Mansur reverted to his earlier depiction of the Jews: They are 'so fearful of losing their land that you can hear a peace hysteria in Israel'. He vowed to take back the land that the Jews had expropriated from the Arabs, whether it took a year or twenty. The most important thing was to begin the process and take what you were given. Jews lived and died with weapons hanging on them. Every household in Israel kept a number of firearms for the husband, the wife and the children. Racist discrimination in Israel was as evident as ever, and oriental Jews continued to suffer at the hands of western Jews. Israel had become a first-rate capitalist-racist military state. If Israel had failed so dismally in her attempts to normalize her domestic inter-communal relations during 30 years, how could she hope to normalize her contacts with her enemies before centuries had elapsed? Israel would throw the Middle East into chaos while remaining as she was with America standing behind her. The Israelis were afraid of peace because their existence was based on non-peace with non-Jews.143 Israel's obstinacy was blamed for the danger that Communism might take over the Middle East 'and extinguish the freedom that has been prevailing there'.144 So, while peace was credited with the likelihood of modifying Israel, the latter's procrastinations and the obstacles she erected on the road to peace remained very obvious in Egyptian eyes. In this respect, Jews are accused of reverting to greed out of fear that if peace turned Israel into a normal society, they would no longer be able to collect money throughout the world for her sake. (A cartoon in alGumhuriyya145 shows Begin asking Carter whether American financial aid could be obtained in gold instead of dollars.)

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Israel was perceived as clinging to her old illusions of continuing to occupy Arab lands and of carrying out her absurd dreams; therefore, if she does not abide by Camp David, the old Partition Plan should be imposed on her. Israel is again reminded that 'even 100 years will not make the Arabs forget that Jews have no right in Arab land'. Israel must evacuate the territories she occupied in 1967 and must understand that she will have to pay the price of her aggression sooner or later. The Arabs who refuse to make peace with Israel are right, because Israel planned to dominate the Arab economy and dispossess the Arabs of their treasures. Israel's plans for the year 2000 were all geared to this end. Thus, the Arabs should fortify their economic system, withdraw their money from Jewish banks which make their living on interest, and reinvest it in Arab lands.146 The Egyptian media also vowed that Egypt would rush to help other Arabs in the event of war with Israel; that Egypt was not striving for a separate peace but for a complete Israeli withdrawal and the recognition of Palestinian rights, since Egypt is as committed as ever to the needs and aspirations of the Arab nation.147 For, just as there is no war without Egypt, there can be no peace without Palestine.148 Some Egyptian writers continued to warn against trusting Israel or her spokesmen, because Israel did not want Camp David; she had been forced to accept its terms. Begin especially should not be credited with a peace which was thrust upon him, though in fact the Arabs owe much to his 'wisdom', without which America would still be dominated by Israel, and American presidents would still be giving precedence to Israeli over American interests.149 Peace did not effect a change in Israel, and the Jews have stuck to their old mentality. Their breach of faith had been recognized by the Qur'an, the Bible and the New Testament alike, and nothing has (changed) since.150 At the same time that they mislead the world, the Jews have continued to wail in public in order to arouse sympathy for their cause; this had been the case with the 1965 Nobel Prize, awarded to the Jews Agnon and Nellie Sachs for their lamentations over thousands of years of Jewish suffering.151 Almost daily, the Egyptian press included new and reprinted articles vilifying the Jews, Begin and Israel, and calling on the Israelis to rebel against their government, as biblical precedents 'allow' them to do. Israel and the Jews were even threatened with a renewed holocaust, with gallows and crematoria which would be prepared for them around the globe if they did not rid themselves of evil Begin.152 All this came at the height of the crisis in the peace talks which followed the Camp David euphoria, amidst the feeling that the peace structure was collapsing. Israel and Germany; Zionism and Nazism again became familiar and favourite comparisons. 153 The peace treaty, which

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was signed in March 1979, halted some of the virulence against Israel, but basic doubts kept coming to the fore and devils were still sought behind every Israeli.154 Having studied the above mass of evidence from the Arab media, which represents only a drop in the vast sea of vicious attacks against Israel, one can but draw the following conclusions: No basic change has occurred in the substantive conception of Jews, Israelis or Zionism in the period which followed Sadat's visit to Jerusalem, compared to the level in the pre-peace initiative epoch. While the fortunes of the negotiations were reflected in the ups and downs of anti-Israeli virulence in the Egyptian media, one cannot escape the feeling that Egypt's controlled press was involved in a game of nerves against Israel in order to influence the process. Mixed feelings were expressed as to the future of Israel after the peace treaty. Some writers were optimistic about a basic modification in what they considered Israel's evils; but, for the most part, their fundamental stereotypes and prejudices remained intact. These emerged in outbursts, as the political circumstances dictated, but whenever they were aired publicly they almost invariably took on the same language pattern. Even when Jews were shown some lenience, or a readiness was expressed to accept them and assimilate them into the region, the same negative spirit against Zionism was preserved. Moreover, at times the peace treaty was seen as a means to liquidate Zionism. Despite repeated Arab and Egyptian assertions to the contrary, antiSemitic onslaughts in the media have been the norm rather than the exception whenever there was a 'need' to attack Israel or Zionism. This is understandable because Israel could not be separated from its Jewish inhabitants and supporters, while the latter could not be detached from their national ideology. While there have been ups and downs in the level of anti-Israeli utterances distinguished in the Egyptian press during the peace process, the other Arab nations maintained, or even increased, their accusations; for them peace constituted a new threat concocted by the Jews and Zionism. The only difference was that this time Sadat (rather than the Egyptian people) was cited as a collaborator of Zionism and vilified. Once the peace treaty was signed, when subsequent difficulties arose in the 'autonomy talks' and around other aspects of'normalization', all the old and vituperative anti-Israeli attacks were again in evidence. This meant that basic anti-Jewish feelings in Egyptian society were little affected by the peace process. It will take a much longer time to verify whether an extended period of peace, as relations develop between the two countries, may make an impact on the media, and through this on the public at large.

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41

Generally speaking, the Egyptian (and of course other Arab) press persisted after Sadat's visit in its criticism of Israeli propaganda as a major stimulus to anti-Arab trends in sections of world public opinion, especially in the US. Thus, even though the peace process was under way, the Egyptian media hardly relented in their demand that the Arabs should meet the challenge and counter Israeli propaganda with their own. To the extent that any progress was noticeable in the Egyptian press, as a result of Sadat's initiative, it was usually more in quantity than quality. Whenever the peace process stagnated, such as following the adjournment of the Jerusalem talks in February 1978, or the failure of the Leeds Conference afterwards, or when the Camp David Conference seemed deadlocked, the major Egyptian newspapers did not hesitate to pour vitriol upon what they perceived as Israel's propagandist distortion of the facts. And when they did so, they were hardly different from the rest of the Arab media which continued their own campaigns unabated.

NOTES 1. Akher Sa'a, by Chief Editor Anis Mansur, 3 December 1975, pp. 5-8. 2. Al-Dustur, 3 July 1976. 3. Shafiq al-Hut, a prominent Palestinian leader, in a lecture to the annual Conference of American University Graduates in New York City. Cited by the Middle East News Agency (MENA) 3 October 1976. 4. 5 July 1977. 5. Al-Ba'th, 3 June 1977. 6. Al-Dustur, 9, 12, 17 January 1977. 7. Tishrin, 11 November 1976, p. 2. 8. Al-Thawra, Syria, 24 April 1976. 9. Faruq Qaddumi, foreign affairs spokesman of the PLO. Reported by the Arab News Agency, 19 August 1976. 10. Radio Damascus, 16 April 1976. See also a dispatch from the Libyan News Agency, 14 August 1976; Radio Damascus, 14 August 1976; Radio Cairo, 16 August 1976. 11. Radio Damascus, 16 August 1976. 12. Al-Jihad, 20 July 1976. 13. Libyan News Agency, 18 July 1976. 14. Ibid., 28 July 1976. 15. Iraqi News Agency, 6 November 1976. 16. Ibid., 13 November 1976. 17. Ibid. 18. MENA, 3 November 1976. 19. Al-Dustur, 1 November 1976. 20. Radio Cairo, 21 February 1977. See also Radio Damascus, 21 February 1977. 21. Al-Hawadith, 16 April 1976. 22. Al-Ra'y, 5 April 1976.

42

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

23. Israel Koenig is the Northern District Commissioner in the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. He reported to the government his concern about the rapid growth of the Arab population of the Galilee which, if unchecked, might give rise to an Arab majority in that area in the long run and to demands of secession from Israel on grounds of 'self-determination'. The report was debated by the Israeli public, but never adopted as a policy of the government. 24. Al-Dustur, 28 September 1976. 25. Al-Bacth, 29 March 1977. See also INA, 5 October 1976. 26. Al-Ra'y, 22 August 1976. 27. President Sadat quoted by Radio Cairo, 7 March 1977. 28. Yasir Arafat quoted by MENA, 7 March 1977. 29. See, for example, MENA, 7 March 1977. 30. On 21 August 1969, a young Australian tourist, Michael Rohan, set fire to the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Despite the Israeli condemnation of the act, the conviction of the culprit and the rush to extinguish the fire as soon as it erupted, Israel has been accused of arson for the purpose of burning the entire mosque. Incidentally, that incident brought about the convening of the First Islamic Summit Conference in Rabat in 1969. 31. In fact, Israel controls all the gates to the Old City; here reference is made specifically to the military checkpost adjacent to the Western Wall which checks access to the Moslem shrines. 32. MENA, 21 August 1977. 33. Al-Dustur, 21 August 1977. See also al-Bacth, 22 August 1977. 34. After the Aqsa arson, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia called for a summit meeting of all Muslim countries to discuss the outrage. That summit, which convened in Rabat, Morocco, in late 1969, inaugurated the Islamic Conference which has met since annually in one of the Islamic capitals. 35. Al-Madinah, 22 August 1977. 36. Al-Thawra, Yemen, 21 August 1977. 37. Sawt al-cArab, 7 November 1976. 38. Radio Cairo, political commentary, 8 November 1976. 39. Al-Ra'y 5 February 1976. 40. Tishrin, 28 April 1977. 41. Al-Sabah, 1 July 1976. 42. MENA, Cairo, citing the Algerian and Moroccan press, 5, 6 July 1976. 43. Al-Bacth, 29 March 1977, p. 15. 44. Al-Anwdr, 26 July 1977. 45. Ibid. 46. Tishrin, 8 June 1977. 47. Ibid., 12 August 1976. 48. Radio Cairo, quoting President Sadat, 7 March 1977. 49. Akher Saca, 21 July 1976. 50. Al-Ba'lh, 14 January 1977. 51. Al-Thawra, Syria, 6 July 1976. See also INA, 5 July 1976. 52. Al-Jumhuriyya, 6 July 1976. See also MENA, quoting the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmi, 4 July 1976. 53. Radio Cairo, 6 July 1976. 54. Radio Damascus (Palestine Comer), 4 July 1976. 55. Al-Thawra, Syria, 18 December 1976. 56. Al-Fajr al-Jadid, 29 July 1976. 57. Interview with Habib Qahwaji, the head of the Ard Institute for Palestinian Studies: al-Thawra, Syria, 21 June 1976.

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel 58. 59. 60. 61. 62.

63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103.

43

Shu'un Filastiniyya, December 1975, p. 6. Ibid., pp. 6-8. Ibid., pp. 9-10. Ibid., p. 11 In most cases, the Arab media refer to Israel as the 'occupied land' or 'occupied Palestine', while the usage of 'Palestine' instead of'Israel' is quite rare. For an example of the latter, see Tishrin, 2 February 1977. Jaysh al-Sha'b, 19 October 1976, p. 16. Ibid. MENA, 9 September 1976. Tishrin, 6 January 1977. Akhbar al-usbu', Jordan, 28 April 1977. Al-Ba'th, 31 January 1977, p. 8. Al-Gumhuriyya, cited by MENA, 19 July 1977. Sawt Filastin, citing Fahd Qawasmeh, Hebron's mayor, January 1977. See also al-Musawwar, 5 November 1976, p. 28, and al-Bacth, 30 August 1976, p. 2. The original mistakenly read the initials as 'Zionist Defence League' in a Freudian slip which betrays Arab non-differentiation between Jews and Zionists. Al-Ba'th, 11 August 1976, p. 1. Al-Ahram, 11 August 1976. Al-'Ukdz, 13 June 1976. INA, 27 July 1976. Palestinian broadcast from Beirut, 27 July 1976. Al-Ba'th, 8 and 11-19 November 1976. Ibid. October, 5 June 1977. This refers to the renaming of Jacob in the Bible (as Israel); hence the Children of Israel. Al-Idha'a wal-Telefision, 6 August 1977. See also al-Akhbar, 15 August 1977. Al-Akhbar, 24 March 1977. Al-Ra'y, 16 August 1977; al-Musawwar, 22 April 1977. Radio Damascus, 29 August 1977. October, 6 June 1977. Al-Dustur, 6 November 1976. Al-Madinah, 17 August 1977. Al-Ahram, 3 May 1977. Al-Ba'th, 23 May 1977. Radio Damascus (Palestine Corner), 15 August 1977. See also MENA, citing al'Ukaz, 21 June 1977; al-Dustur, 26 June 1977. Tishrin, 15 May 1977. Al-Ba'th, 12 April 1977. Al-Dustur, 1 October 1976. See also al-Ishtiraki, 14 June 1976. October, 15 May 1977. Al-Ra'y, 25 October 1976. Ibid. Al-Shacb, 2 November 1975; Radio Damascus, 2 November 1975. Palestinian broadcast from Beirut, 1 November 1976. Akhbar al-Yawm, 18 December 1976. Al-Usbitc al-cArabi, 12 December 1977. Al-Ahram, 26 June 1976. Akhbar al-Yawm, 17 April 1976. Ibid., 11 February 1977.

44 104. 105. 106. 107.

Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder

Al-Dustur, 29 January 1976. Tishrin, 12 February 1976. Al-Sha'b, 18 July 1976. It should be noted that devices for assimilating Israel into its environment and encouraging Israeli society to dissolve by peaceful means reflect the thoughts of an entire school of intellectuals in Egypt, e.g., Butrus Ghali (the present minister of state for foreign affairs in Egypt) and his Siyyasa Dawliyya circle, and Muhammad Sayyid Ahmad; see R. Yadlin and A. Baram, 'Egypt's Changing Attitudes towards Israel', Jerusalem Quarterly, No. 7, Spring 1978, pp. 68-88. 108. Anis Mansur, in October, 27 November 1977. 109. This is the year of the destruction by the Romans of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the symbol of the end of the Second Jewish Commonwealth. 110. October, 22 November 1977. 111. IL: Israeli Pound = one-tenth of a shekel. 112. October, 25 December 1977. 113. Al-Akhbar, 21 December 1977. 114. October, 25 December 1977. 115. Al-Ahram, 28 December 1977. 116. Ibid., 31 December 1977. 117. Ibid., 3 January 1978, p. 12. 118. Al-Akhbar, 1 January 1978. 119. Ibid., 2 January 1978. 120. Al-Gumhuriyya, 17 February 1978. 121. Al-Akhbar, 15 March 1978. 122. Al-Ahram, 15 March 1978. See also al-Akhbar, 26 March 1978. 123. Al-Ahram, 25 March 1978. See also al-Gumhuriyya, 26 March 1978. 124. Akhbar al-Yawm, 25 March 1978. See also al-Ahram, 26 March 1978. 125. Al-Qabas, 25 March 1978. 126. Ibid. It is interesting to note, in this context, that this accusation does not prevent the Muslims, including Arabs, from calling themselves 'the elected nation of Allah'. See, for example, the Ta'if Islamic Conference of January 1981 (Saudi News Agency, 29 January 1981). 127. Al-Ahram, 24 May 1978. 128. Akher Sdea, 24 May 1978. 129. Al-Musawwar, 26 May 1978. 130. October, 21 May 1978, p. 43. 131. Rose el-Youssef, 29 May 1978, p. 11. 132. Tishrin, 8 July 1978, p. 8. 133. Ibid. 134. Al-Akhbar, 4 September 1978. 135. Rose el-Youssef, 4 September 1978. 136. Al-Gumhuriyya, 4 September 1978. 137. Ibid., 5 September 1978, p. 12. 138. October, 3 September 1978, p. 50. 139. Jaridat Misr, 19 September 1978, p. 12. See also al-Ahram, 20 September 1978, p. 7, 24 September 1978, p. 7; October, 24 September 1978, pp. 24-5. 140. Al-Gumhuriyya -, 25 September 1978. 141. Al-Akhbar, 26 September 1978. See also al-Ahram, 11 October 1978. 142. Al-Ahram, 21 November 1978, p. 18. 143. October, 26 November 1978, pp. 8-11. 144. Akhbar al-Yawm, 2 December 1978, p. 8.

Arab Perceptions of Jews, Zionism and Israel 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154.

45

Al-Gumhuriyya, 23 November 1978, p. 8. Al-Akhbar, 29 November 1978, p. 5. Akhbar al-Yawm, 16 December 1978, p. 8. Al-Gumhuriyya, 17 December 1978, p. 12. Al-Akhbar, 19 December 1978; Rose el-Youssef, 18 December 1978; Akhbar alYawm, 16 December 1978. Al-Ahram, 16 December 1978. Ibid., 19 December 1978. See Ibid., 21, 22, 24 December 1978; al-Akhbar, 20, 24 December 1978. Al-Ahram, 12 February 1979. Akhbar al-Yawm, 17 March 1979.

Judaism and Islam

2

We have seen some of the diatribes levelled against Jews in the name of Islam. Here we shall examine in more detail two of the factors which underlie these charges: (1) The contention that Jews/Israelis are bent upon the destruction of Islamic heritage in general and of Islamic institutions of the occupied territories in particular; (2) vilification of Judaism per se. The contention that Jews are undermining the Islamic nature of the occupied territories is centred by the Arab media upon what they see as the obvious physical evidence of the desecration of the holy mosques in Jerusalem. Indeed, the argument is advanced that Israeli excavations close to the mosques have been undertaken with the specific intent of undermining the mosques' foundations and causing their collapse, so that the Jews can reconstruct their Temple on the site. This applies equally to the arson of the Aqsa Mosque, referred to in Chapter 1. The Jews are further accused of attacking mosques throughout the territories, of molesting Muslim worshippers, of breaking into holy places and of tearing up copies of the Holy Qur'an. The Israeli court system is charged with legitimizing such acts by allowing Jews to penetrate and pray in Muslim houses of worship. Jews are also found guilty of destroying Arab houses adjoining the Western Wall and of confiscating lands with a view to taking over the property of the wa 187-8 191 194 197 210 212ff 273 281 303 308 314-15 324 354-5 in the Galilee 230 232-3 Removal of 110 190 Settlers 113 Shah (see also Iran) 135 197 202

386

Index

Shakespeare, William 58 Shalit, Colonel 255 Shallum 313 Shamir, Yitzhak 106 Shapiro 261 Sharm al-Sheikh 110 253 261 Straits of Tiran 261 Sharon, General Ariel 68-9 82 97 99 103 107-9 112-14 240 Shatilla (refugee camp) 366 369 Shcharansky, Anatoly 277-8 Shi'ites, in Lebanon 148 Shiloh 239 Shlomtzion Party (Israel) 97 Shu'afat 60 Shylock vii 30 290 Begin as 35 57-8 190 Siba'i, Yussuf 238-9 Siberia 57 Sidqi, Isma'il 272 Sinai 28 110-11 126 141-2 152 155 160 168 170 189 197 203 223 238 252 255 264 273 Borders of 151 Israeli settlements in 93 110 176 188 315 Oil in 91 Sinai War (see also Suez, War) 223 242 300 Withdrawal from 183 189-90 277 366 Singapore 130 Six-Day War (1967) 36 39 51 74 82 84 99 114 129 152 155 165 171 174 209 223 227 230 252-6 259 263 267 269-70 272 300 307 Siyyasa Dawliyya 44 Smith, Ian 181295 Socialism x in the Arab World 179 365 in Israel (see also Kibbutz) 89 186 Socialist Bloc 130-1 Sofia 275-6 Solomon, King 58 117 Temple of 51 Somalia 186 275 South Africa 2 5-6 9-11 18 26 66 122 129 Israel's cooperation with 6 129-30

134 181 268 284 291 Spain and the Arabs 128 and Israel 122 128 Jews in 58 72 Muslim rule in 55 Stern Gang (Lehi) 23 88 106 Stone Age 93 Stuttgart 275-6 Sudan xi 10-11 72 76 134 163^4 173 202 249 259 266 271 292 Media 186 Sudetenland 329 Suez Canal 139 253 Front 114 Gulf of 188 261 War (see also Sinai, Sinai Campaign) 242 Sunday Times 232 Super-powers (see also US; USSR) 121 135 159 252 259 262 284 Sweden 129 Switzerland 123 194 238 268 Syria xi4 17-19 2325 63-493 111 113 127 136 141-2 145 148-50 160 162 167 192 197-8 202 212 220 229 253-4 267 271 275 366 and the Arabs 149 171 197-8 289 Government of 191 205 and Israel 149-50 152 160 184 189-91 223 256 284 289-90 364 and Lebanon 145-8 151 154 164 201 369 Media in 9-10 16 64 118 135 146 148 185 190 193 197-9 260 284 363 Military 152 156 160 251 258-9 363 and the Palestinians 146-52 154 290 Ta'if 44 Taiwan 130 135 Tal, General Israël 256 Talmud 2-3 13 20 48-9 114 365 Téhéran (see also Iran) 202

Index Tel Amarna Texts 59 Tel Aviv (see also Israel) 20 68-9 71 81 106 118 129-30 150 158 160 175 178 191 193 222 291 University of 161 Teller, Edward 249 Tel Zacatar 147 200 289-90 293 355 Temple (Jewish) 47 50 219 Second 44 56 Third 51 Temple Mount 53 214 219 244 Terrorism Arab 176 Begin's 35 83 8792 106 111 113 116 168 250 368 Israeli 127 155 157 169 174 191 215 220 233 255 281 309 322 329 363 366 368 Palestinian 69 90-1 110 127 182 191 193 212 215 224-6 239 369 Zionist 21 23 34-5 71 77 98 107 191 Third World (see also Non-aligned Countries) 10-1117 26 122 128-32 198 Conference of 131 Israel's designs against 158 Tiberias 244 329 Tigers of Lebanon (see also Christians, Lebanon) 201 Tigris River 75 Time Magazine 249 Tishiin University 220 Torah 19 52 54 57 61 116 219 Triangle (Israel) 192 223 228 231 233-4 244 Tripoli (Libya) 5 18 Conference in 185 259 272 Trotsky, Leon 18 Truman, Pres. Harry S. 240 Tunis 4 Tunisia 75 276 Turin 275-6 Turkey 57 130 275 Turkish Liberation Army 275

Uganda

11 157-8 173 178 226 249 292

'Ulamä' 48 176 Um Hashiba

254 264

387

Umayyads x United Nations 5 7 17 95 124 129 158 179 192 204 213-14 231 271 286-7 292 323 Civil Rights Committee 7 231 Charter 37 178-9 231 General Assembly 2 6 10-11 124 221 International Health Organization 224 Resolutions 2913-14127152167 178-9 213 271-2 329 Secretary General 225 Security Council 10 158 174 179-80 Resolutions of 95 110 112 139 141 185 203 308 338-64 UNESCO 52 209 220 UNIFIL 204 323 UNRWA 275 United Arab Emirates (see also Gulf States) 163 Ur 223 United States viii-ix 26 51 57 70 74 77 82 84 93 112 115 121 124-6 128-9 135-6 160 170 175-6 194 252 275 278 306 313 321 325 327-8 334 347 356 361 and the Arabs 5 41 121 124-7 134ffl40 146 157 164 167 176 184 192 194-9 212 217 221 252 267 274 277-9 282 285 288 334 Congress 167 278 364 Department of State 153 Elections 169 284 as Imperialists 28 123 136 141 145 196 Intelligence 158 160 278 CIA 249 254 261 275 Interests in the Middle East — see Middle East and Israel 3 10 14 35 38-9 65-8 83 90 92 121-9 133fT 139—41 155 158 163 165 167-9 172 189 191-3 197-9 248 251-5 257-9 261 274 277-80 284-5 305 348 350 362 Israel as agent of 129-30 132-3 137 141 267 309 Jews of 68 77 91 98 191 215

388

Index

Jewish power in 24 35 39 125 193 261 268 274 277-80 284 Media 34 117 261 278-81 and the Peace Process 28 110 126 134ff 168 184 188 190 194 Pentagon 129 in Vietnam 16 121 158 255 Weapons to Israel F-l5,-16 aircraft 123 175 254 Harpoon missiles 155 253 262 Hawkeye aircraft 254 Lance missiles 155 Maverick missiles 155 253 258 Missile boats 259 Pershing missiles 251 Phantom jets 160 247 249 253 258 261 White House 328 USSR 15-16 68 97 125 158 252 278 and the Arabs 125 128 135 195-6 267 270 275 362 Emigration from 187 and Israel 121 125 127-8 172 175 189 194 196 278 Jews of 16 57 68-70 91 122 128 132 276-8 Leaders of 128 and the Middle East 195 198 275 Military Journal 258 Weapons to the Arabs (Scud and Frog missiles) 258 Uzan, Aharon 76 Vienna 15 114 275-6 Vietnam 16 84 158 255 259 280 South 121 135 Vorster, John 6 129 181 Wagner, Richard 38 Wailing Wall (Jerusalem) 42 47-8 51 53 74 365 Wall Street Journal 366 Waqf 47 220 Ministry 50 51 in Jerusalem 53 220 War (see also World War; Six-Day War; October War) 74 92-3 117 124 141 148 152 160 167 191 258-9 261 362 364

God of 284 309 against Israel 39 83 89-90 95-6 107 166 174-6 180 185 188-90 197 300 by Israel 67 70 88 106 114-15 124 134 140 142 150 154 162-3 167-8 170 172-3 175 184 189 194 198 248 256-7 259 262 301-2 305-6 366 State of 114 170 250 War of Attrition 156 War of Independence ( 1948) 107 116 160 204 259 272 300 Washington (see also US) 15 87 116 124-7 129 134 279 356 Egyptian Embassy in 117 Visits by Arabs to 167 Washington Post 254 279 Washington Star 280 Watergate 125 Israel's 83 Weizmann, Chaim 223 Weizman, Ezer 90 92 106 108-9 113-15 117213 West (see also US; Europe) 11 13-14 57 59 82 137 152 159 165 176 265-6 276-7 Arab-Islamic 20 49 153 188 Israel as agent of 37 265 Jews from 38 69 73 75-8 80-1 98 190 Jews in the 24 57 70 Media 59 97 167 254 267 Public opinion in 153 265-6 Westernization in Israel 69 73 81 265-6 362 West Bank 53 67-8 92 110 112 115 135 143 151-2 155 187 189 198 201 203 209fF227fF241 252 281 286-7 329 349 Annexation of 153 21 Off Israeli settlements in 93 95 107 119 140 153 169 176 194 21 Off 292 Mayors 21 Off 241 Military government 213 241 Palestinians in 110 152-4 209ff 231 Palestinian State in 108 177 179 183 187 211ff Unrest in 104 152-4 21 Off 241 324

Index Withdrawal from 109 168 Wingate, Orde 240 245 Institute 245 'Yemin Orde' 245 World War II 10 20 50 84 215 218 World War III 194 Yadin, Yigael 68 97 103 107-8 110 114-15 117 119 Yadlin, Asher 67 97 99 Affair 83 87 Yamit 188 Yariv, General Aharon 112 256 Yarmuk River 234 Yemen 76 Jews of 3 76 North 186 South 186 Yom Kippur War (see also October War) 9 65 80 211 252 254 Agranat Committee 99 254 264 Yugoslavia 276 Zambia 26 Zamzam 360 Zayyad, Tawfiq 227-8 244 Zionism (see also Israel; Jews) v viii Iff 11 27ff 33 51-4 66 70 77 86 95 103 127 136 141 147 164 177 198 215 223 260 305

389

and the Arabs 153 158 165 178-80 228 252 260 262 281 289 305 340 367 and Israel 27 68 98 103 122 149 183 186-7 189 271 280-1 362-4 and the Jews 12ff 28 71-2 114 219 271-2 280 364 Military 64 80ff 114 146 148 171 212 222 256 259 Struggle against 143 174 179 187 192 197-8 226 271-4 World 36 71 118 123 125 135 145 177 193-4 265-6 364 Zionist Conference 5 18 Congress 70 76 Expansionism 9 15 28 38 103 105 121 123 144 153 155 169 172 189 213 222-3 230 243 271 301 Ideology 3 16 20 22 29 38 48 50 53 63-4 76 105 111 116 124 145 153-4 169 171 192 212 222-3 230 247 271-4 289 329 Lobby in the US 194 274 277-8 284 328 Propaganda 36 56 70 72 76 166-7 171 226 255 265-82 Zohar, Ezra 222