Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
In this controversial new book, a prominent Israeli historian at Haifa University revisits the formative period of the State of Israel. Decisively debunking the myth that the Palestinian population left of their own accord during the War of Independence, he offers archival evidence to demonstrate that a central plank in Israel's founding ideology was the forcible removal of the indigenous population. This book is a passionate plea to acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 as...
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In this controversial new book, a prominent Israeli historian at Haifa University revisits the formative period of the State of Israel. Decisively debunking the myth that the Palestinian population left of their own accord during the War of Independence, he offers archival evidence to demonstrate that a central plank in Israel's founding ideology was the forcible removal of the indigenous population. This book is a passionate plea to acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 as the root cause of the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. Publishers Weekly In his latest work, renowned Israeli author and academic Pappe (A History of Modern Palestine) does not mince words, doing Jimmy Carter one better (or worse, depending on one's point of view) by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, beginning in the 1948 war for independence and continuing through the present. Focusing primarily on Plan D (Dalet, in Hebrew), conceived on March 10, 1948, Pappe demonstrates how ethnic cleansing was not a circumstance of war, but rather a deliberate goal of combat for early Israeli military units organized by David Ben-Gurion, whom Pappe labels the "architect of ethnic cleansing." The forced expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians between 1948 and 1949, Pappe argues, was part of a long-standing Zionist plan to manufacture an ethnically pure Jewish state. Framing his argument with accepted international and U.N. definitions of ethnic cleansing, Pappe follows with an excruciatingly detailed account of Israeli military involvement in the demolition and depopulation of hundreds of villages, and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arab inhabitants. An accessible, learned resource, this volume provides important insights into the historical antecedents of today's conflict, but its conclusions will not be easy for everyone to stomach: Pappe argues that the ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues today, and calls for the unconditional return of all Palestinian refugees and an end to the Israeli occupation. Without question, Pappe's account will provoke ire from many readers; importantly, it will spark discussion as well. (Jan.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
List of Illustrations, Maps and Tables viiiAcknowledgements ixPreface xiAn 'Alleged' Ethnic Cleansing? 1Definitions of Ethnic Cleansing 1Ethnic Cleansing as a Crime 5Reconstructing an Ethnic Cleansing 7The Drive for an Exclusively Jewish State 10Zionism's Ideological Motivation 10Military Preparations 15The Village Files 17Facing the British: 1945-1947 22David Ben-Gurion: The Architect 23Partition and Destruction: UN Resolution 181 and its Impact 29Palestine's Population 29The UN's Partition Plan 31The Arab and Palestinian Positions 33The Jewish Reaction 35The Consultancy Begins its Work 37Finalising A Master Plan 39The Methodology of Cleansing 39The Changing Mood in the Consultancy: From Retaliation to Intimidation 52December 1947: Early Actions 55January 1948: Farewell to Retaliation 60The Long Seminar: 31 December-2 January 61February 1948: Shock and Awe 72March: Putting the Finishing Touches to the Blueprint 80The Blueprint for Ethnic Cleansing: Plan Dalet 86Operation Nachshon: The First Plan Dalet Operation 87The Urbicide of Palestine 91The Cleansing Continues 103Succumbing to a Superior Power 114Arab Reactions 115Towards the 'Real War' 123The Phony War and the Real War over Palestine: May 1948 127Days of Tihur 131The Massacre at Tantura 133The Brigades 'Trail of Blood 138Campaigns of Revenge 141The Escalation of the Cleansing Operations: June-September 1948 146The First Truce 148Operation Palm Tree 154In Between Truces 156The Truce that Wasn't 173Completing the Job: October 1948-January 1949 179Operation Hiram 180Israel's Anti-Repatriation Policy 187A Mini Empire in the Making 191Final Cleansing of the South and the East 193The Massacre in Dawaymeh 195Occupation and its Ugly Faces 199Inhuman Imprisonment 200Abuses Under Occupation 204Dividing the Spoils 211Desecration of Holy Sites 216Entrenching the Occupation 219The Memoricide of the Nakba 225The Reinvention of Palestine 225Virtual Colonialism and the JNF 227The JNF Resort Parks in Israel 229Nakba Denial and the 'Peace Process' 235First Attempts at Peace 237The Exclusion of 1948 from the Peace Process 239The Right of Return 241Fortress Israel 248The 'Demographic Problem' 249Epilogue 257Endnotes 262Chronology 282Maps and Tables 288Bibliography 296Index 301
\ Publishers WeeklyIn his latest work, renowned Israeli author and academic Pappe (A History of Modern Palestine) does not mince words, doing Jimmy Carter one better (or worse, depending on one's point of view) by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, beginning in the 1948 war for independence and continuing through the present. Focusing primarily on Plan D (Dalet, in Hebrew), conceived on March 10, 1948, Pappe demonstrates how ethnic cleansing was not a circumstance of war, but rather a deliberate goal of combat for early Israeli military units organized by David Ben-Gurion, whom Pappe labels the "architect of ethnic cleansing." The forced expulsion of 800,000 Palestinians between 1948 and 1949, Pappe argues, was part of a long-standing Zionist plan to manufacture an ethnically pure Jewish state. Framing his argument with accepted international and U.N. definitions of ethnic cleansing, Pappe follows with an excruciatingly detailed account of Israeli military involvement in the demolition and depopulation of hundreds of villages, and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arab inhabitants. An accessible, learned resource, this volume provides important insights into the historical antecedents of today's conflict, but its conclusions will not be easy for everyone to stomach: Pappe argues that the ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues today, and calls for the unconditional return of all Palestinian refugees and an end to the Israeli occupation. Without question, Pappe's account will provoke ire from many readers; importantly, it will spark discussion as well. (Jan.)\ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\ \
