EclectEcon

Today's Globe and Mail carries a scurrilous opinion piece, billed as a web-exclusive comment, asserting that Israel's war in 1948 was an act of ethnic cleansing.

What the piece does not mention is that

• It is not "ethnic cleansing" when one country whose existence is threatened fights wars to hold off the aggressors; why do so many writers keep forgetting or refusing to refect upon the implications of what the Arab-Israeli wars were about?
• Israel's actions were the result of the Arab countries' refusal to acknowledge the creation of the state of Israel. The shelling and the fighting by the Israelis would not have taken place if Jordan, Syria, and Egypt had accepted the existence of Israel in 1948.
• Israel did not set out to cleanse the area of its former residents. Those residents left primarily because of (a) the war that was started by the Arab countries, and (b) assurances by those Arab countries that Israel would soon be driven out of existence and they would be able to return to their homes in a matter of days or weeks or months. And,
• these Arab countries themselves were carved out of the former Ottoman empire. What about all the Jews who were forced to leave their homes and possessions in Arab countries by the anti-Semitic regimes in those countries? Their losses have by far outweighed those of the Arabs who left Israel.

I can easily be convinced that the Israelis made mistakes in their early years. But to emphasize those mistakes without granting Israel the right to fight for its very existence gets to the heart of most writings that castigate Israeli policies. If the Israelis had not fought hard and wisely in 1948, 1967, and 1973, they would not exist as a country today. And most of the displacement that has followed during the 60 years of Israel's existence would not have occurred had Jordan, Syria, and Egypt been willing to accept their new neighbour.

Update: Eric, a friend and former colleague, writes,

Here are useful antidotes to this, on Israel's sixtieth anniversary:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200403u/int2004-03-25

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/1948--israel--and-the-palestinians-br--the-true-story-11355?page=all

1948 was a big mess, and if it had not been Israel, it might have been worse for the Palestinians--with all of the mistakes made. A two-state solution, with the right security moves, is the way to go. Even though Israel has accepted this and the Arab world has refused it several times. Don't forget that Israel's national anthem, Hatikvah means 'hope'.