Letter to the Editor

(c) November 2002

Jordan White

            It looks like the Zionists are at it again, trying to make us believe that there is “no such thing as a Palestinian” and, therefore, it makes perfect sense to dispossess these “non-entities” to Jordan, etc., etc. (Readers’ Forum, November 18).

 

            Let’s go over this once again.  There were Arabs living in Palestine for thousands of years.  During the Ottoman period (that is, before 1917), legal documents and even postage stamps were issued with  the name “Palestine” (not “Jordan”), and property owners were allowed to register legal deeds with the Ottoman government in Istanbul, Turkey, where they remain to this day, in case you want to check them out.

 

            Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, land ownership may not be changed through warfare.  Israel was one of the original signatories of this agreement.  Subsequent UN Resolutions have asserted the right of ownership of those refugees displaced by Israeli expansionism to their legal properties.

 

            For a descriptive, photographic documentation of historic Palestine, see “Before Their Diaspora”, by Walid Khalidi.  You will see photos of prosperous farms, businesses, schools, wedding parties, musical groups, sports teams and so on, all part of a rich and well-established Palestinian culture and identity.

 

            By the way, calling those of us who support Palestinian rights  “crybabies” and “dummies” is just another example of the type of racism and arrogance that pervades the Zionist point of view.  Just because I don’t agree with you does not make me weak nor stupid.