FAIR Christians for Fair Witness on the
Middle East
WITNESS 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1960
New York, New York
10115
(212) 870-2320
www.christianfairwitness.com
THE USE
OF HOLOCAUST TERMINOLOGY AGAINST ISRAEL PART II
Israel has
been portrayed in an excessively and unjustifiably negative light, to the point
of accusations of engaging in attempts at genocide or “ethnic cleansing” of the
Palestinian people. Genocide is an
attempt to exterminate a people. Ethnic
cleansing is an attempt to rid a particular land of one group of people. During the Second World War the Nazis tried
to exterminate every Jewish person in Europe. A previous generation of
Jews were victims in an actual attempt at ethnic cleansing. Now
that tragic history is being perversely convoluted and used to incite
hostility towards the current generation of Jews by portraying them as modern
day Nazis who are perpetuating a new genocide of their own.
The Nazis'
objective was the systematic extermination of every Jew in Europe
While Israel sometimes employs very harsh
measures against Palestinians in the territories, these measures are defensive,
not offensive, in nature. They have
unfortunately been necessary to protect Israelis from the murderous campaign of terrorism waged against them since the Oslo Accords
and the 2d Initifada. These measures (including the security barrier) prevented
71 attempted suicide bombing attacks in 2006 alone.
Israel’s objective is to
protect its people from terrorism
The words genocide and “ethnic cleansing” have
enormous rhetorical power. But making
scurrilous and offensive comparisons between Hitler’s plan to exterminate the
Jews and the current situation in the Palestinian territories dishonors the
memory of victims of the Holocaust and trivializes evil. Palestinian suffering is real. However, that suffering is actually
trivialized when exaggerated by comparing it with the suffering in
concentration camps.
The
Palestinian Population in the Territories Surged
in the Years
After 1967
Accusations
of Israeli Ethnic Cleansing are Irresponsible and Untrue
Year Population
in the Palestinian Territories[1]
|
1950 |
1, 005,000 |
|
1955 |
1, 042,000 |
|
1960 |
1, 101,000 |
|
1965 |
1, 199, 000 |
|
1970 |
1, 096, 000 |
|
1975 |
1, 255, 000 |
|
1980 |
1, 476, 000 |
|
1985 |
1, 783, 000 |
|
1990 |
2, 154, 000 |
|
1995 |
2, 610, 000 |
|
2000 |
3, 150, 000 |
|
2005 |
3, 700, 000 |
Period Palestinian
Population Growth Rate
|
1950-1955 |
0.73 % |
|
1955-1960 |
1.10 % |
|
1960-1965 |
1.70 % |
|
1965-1970 |
-1.80 % |
|
1970-1975 |
2.72 % |
|
1975-1980 |
3.25 % |
|
1980-1985 |
3.78 % |
|
1985-1990 |
3.78 % |
|
1990-1995 |
3.84 % |
|
1995-2000 |
3.76 % |
|
2000-2005 |
3.23 % |