TEN MYTHS ABOUT ISRAEL
Ilan Pappe
First published by Verso 2017
© Ilan Pappe 2017
All rights reserved
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
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Verso
UK: 6 Meard Street, London W1F 0EG
US: 20 Jay Street, Suite 1010, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Verso is the imprint of New Left Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-78663-019-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-78663-021-6 (US EBK)
ISBN-13: 978-1-78663-020-9 (UK EBK)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pappe, Ilan, author.
Title: Ten myths about Israel / Ilan Pappe.
Description: Brooklyn, NY : Verso Books,
[2017] | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044832 | ISBN 9781786630193
Subjects: LCSH: Palestine—History. |
Palestinian Arabs—Israel—History. |
Arab-Israeli conflict. | Israel—Politics and government.
Classification: LCC DS125 .P2985 2017 | DDC 956.94—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044832
Typeset in Electra by Hewer Text UK Ltd, Edinburgh
Printed in the UK by CPI Mackays
Contents
Preface
PART I. FALLACIES OF THE PAST
1.Palestine Was an Empty Land
2.The Jews Were a People Without a Land
3.Zionism Is Judaism
4.Zionism Is Not Colonialism
5.The Palestinians Voluntarily Left Their Homeland in 1948
6.The June 1967 War Was a War of “No Choice”
PART II. FALLACIES OF THE PRESENT
7.Israel Is the Only Democracy in the Middle East
8.The Oslo Mythologies
9.The Gaza Mythologies
PART III. LOOKING AHEAD
10.The Two-States Solution Is the Only Way Forward
Conclusion: The Settler Colonial State of Israel in the Twenty-First Century
Timeline
Notes
Index
History lies at the core of every conflict. A true and unbiased understanding of the past offers the possibility of peace. The distortion or manipulation of history, in contrast, will only sow disaster. As the example of the Israel–Palestine conflict shows, historical disinformation, even of the most recent past, can do tremendous harm. This willful misunderstanding of history can promote oppression and protect a regime of colonization and occupation. It is not surprising, therefore, that policies of disinformation and distortion continue to the present and play an important part in perpetuating the conflict, leaving very little hope for the future.
Constructed fallacies about the past and the present in Israel and Palestine hinder us from understanding the origins of the conflict. Meanwhile, the constant manipulation of the relevant facts works against the interests of all those victimized by the ongoing bloodshed and violence. What is to be done?
The Zionist historical account of how the disputed land became the state of Israel is based on a cluster of myths that subtly cast doubt on the Palestinians’ moral right to the land. Often, the Western mainstream media and political elites accept this set of myths as a given truth, as well as the justification for Israeli actions across the last sixty or so years. More often than not, the tacit acceptance of these myths serves as an explanation for Western governments’ disinclination to interfere in any meaningful way in a conflict that has been going on since the nation’s foundation.
This book challenges these myths, which appear in the public domain as indisputable truths. These statements are, to my eyes, distortions and fabrications that can—and must—be refuted through a closer examination of the historical record. The common thread that runs through this book is the juxtaposition of popular assumption and historical reality. By placing each myth side by side with the truth, each chapter exposes the weaknesses of the received wisdom through an examination of the latest historical research.
The book covers ten foundational myths, or clusters of myths, which are common and recognizable to anyone engaged in one way or another with the Israel–Palestine question. The myths and the counter arguments follow a chronological order.
The first chapter charts Palestine
