As the Arabs see the Jews

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

I've read this essay before, and it's a good read. The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews really started after the Jewish state was imposed on Palestine after the second world war. King Abdullah of Jordan puts it all into great perspective. Today the Arabs have fallen to old ethnic hatreds -- but really, was it, is it, only the Arabs that hate the Jews?

The essay was written in 1947, and is very much relevant today. When I read today of the hotheads -- both Palestinians and Israelis, protesting and getting confrontational with each other and amongst themselves, right here in Toronto, I lose hope. There will never be peace unless one completely obliterates the other.