Definition and Classes of Israeli Terrorism
by the hyper text
Two Prime Ministers of Israel were terrorists by almost any definition:
Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, since they directly planned and carried out terrorist attacks against Arabs, Brits and other Jews.
If killing civilians for political purposes is terrorism, other Prime Ministers of Israel were also terrorists, such as Ariel Sharon, Ehud Barak and Bibi Netanyahu.
If ethnic cleansing is terrorism, then David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Yitzhak Rabin and Levi Eshkol were terrorists.
If threatening to destroy the world with nuclear weapons is terrorism, "Mother Israel," Golda Meir may have been the ultimate terrorist, and Shimon Peres was the terrorist mastermind who placed an arsenal of nuclear weapons in her hands. If invading another country on false pretexts for political purposes is an act of terrorism, then Ehud Olmert is a terrorist.
Terrorism as a Plank of Israel's Political Parties
Israel's largest political party, Kadima (28 seats in the Knesset), was founded by a terrorist, Ariel Sharon. Kadima means "forward!" or "charge!" and is associated with the battle-cry of Israeli army officers. Kadima's platform states that the Israeli nation has a national and historic right to the whole of Israel, and that both Jerusalem and the large West Bank settlements must remain under Israeli control, leaving a potential Palestinian state without a capitol and with much less land for a much larger population. Is that fair?
Israel's second-largest political party, Likud (27 seats), was founded by a terrorist, Menachem Begin, who murdered Brits, Arabs and Jews with impunity. Likud was also the party of terrorists like Yitzhak Shamir and Ariel Sharon (before he left to form Kadima).
The Likud's charter rejects a Palestinian state, claims that all Jerusalem belongs to Israel and says: "The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting."
Israel’s third-largest political party, Yisrael Beiteinu [15 seats] describes itself as "a national movement with the clear vision to follow in the brave path of Ze'ev Jabotinsky [the author of the racist, fascist Iron Wall doctrine]." Yisrael Beiteinu was formed by Avigdor Lieberman to create a political platform for Russian immigrants and other Jews who support a hard line in negotiations with Palestinians.
In November 2006, Lieberman, who described Arab members of the Knesset who have discussions with Hamas as "terror collaborators," called for their execution. Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Arab party Ta'al, strongly objected to Lieberman's ministerial appointment, describing him as "a racist and a fascist." Labour minister Ophir Pines-Paz, who resigned over Lieberman's appointment, echoed Tibi's remarks, saying that Lieberman was tainted "by racist declarations and declarations that harm the democratic character of Israel.
" In July 2003, Lieberman said: "It would be better to drown [350 Palestinian] prisoners in the Dead Sea if possible, since that's the lowest point in the world."
Einstein on Palestine and Israel: the Prophet of Peace
Albert Einstein was more than a scientist: he was also a philosopher, humanitarian and peace activist. I also find it interesting that his last name rhymes with "Palestine." What did Albert Einstein have to say about Palestine, Zionism and the modern state of Israel? Was he a Zionist, and if so, in what way? If he could speak to us today, what would he say? Fortunately, his words are still with us, so we can consult them. [Anyone who doubts anything said on this page can easily scan the Hebrew University's online archive of Einstein's collected writings by doing a Google search for "Einstein Archives Online."]
compiled by Michael R. Burch, an editor of Holocaust and Nakba poetry
"... the strength of our whole movement [Zionism] rests in its moral justification, with which it must stand or fall." ― Albert Einstein
If you are unfamiliar with the real history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, or have been told that Israel is "only defending itself," please read Albert Einstein's 1948 letter to the New York Times, then click your browser's "back" button to return to this page. If you want to understand how the constant theft of Palestinian land relates to Israel's military offensives against Gaza, known as Operation "Cast Lead," Operation "Pillar of Defense" and Operation "Protective Edge," please click here Amud Annan "Pillar of Fire." If you want to hear the opinion of the former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who negotiated peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, please click here Jimmy Carter: "Israeli policy is to confiscate Palestinian territory."
Einstein Demanded "Complete Equality" for Palestinians
Einstein denied any superior rights for Jews, calling for "complete equality" for Palestinian Arabs as the "most important aspect" of Jewish policy, saying: "The most important aspect of our policy must be our ever-present, manifest desire to institute complete equality for the Arab citizens living in our midst ... The attitude we adopt toward the Arab minority will provide the real test of our moral standards as a people." Only cooperation with Arabs, led by "educated, spiritually alert" Jewish workers, he wrote, "can create a dignified and safe life." He also said, "What saddens me is less the fact that the Jews are not smart enough to understand this, but rather, that they are not just smart enough to want it."
Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952. Why did Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion say, "Tell me what to do if he says yes! I've had to offer him the post because it was impossible not to, but if he accepts we are in for trouble!" And why did Einstein turn down the presidency, saying, "I would have to tell the Israeli people things they would not like to hear"? If you continue to read this page, the reasons will become clear, and you will see that Albert Einstein was remarkably consistent on his views about Palestine and Zionism: he always opposed the creation of a Jewish political state at the expense of good relations with the Palestinians. For example:
Einstein participated in the Sixteenth Zionist Congress in 1929. But the World Zionist Organization mentioned him as one of 112 "non-Zionist" attendees.
On April 17, 1938 in a speech to the National Labor Committee for Palestine, Einstein said, "I should much rather see reasonable agreement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish state. Apart from the practical considerations, my awareness of the essential nature of Judaism resists the idea of a Jewish state with borders, an army, and a measure of temporal power, no matter how modest. I am afraid of the inner damage Judaism will sustain, especially from the development of a narrow nationalism within our own ranks, against which we have already had to fight without a Jewish state."
Having seen the current living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and refugee camps throughout the Middle East, who can refute him?
In January, 1946, in a reply to the question of whether Jewish refugee settlement in Palestine demanded a Jewish state, Einstein told the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, "The State idea is not according to my heart. I cannot understand why it is needed. It is connected with narrow-minded and economic obstacles. I believe it is bad. I have always been against it."
In What Price Israel? Alfred M. Lilienthal, recounts that on April 1, 1952, in a message to the Children of Palestine, Inc., Einstein "spoke of the necessity to curb 'a kind of nationalism' which has arisen in Israel 'if only to permit a friendly and fruitful co-existence with the Arabs.'" Lilienthal also relates a personal conversation with Einstein: "Dr. Einstein told me that, strangely enough, he had never been a Zionist and had never favored the creation of the State of Israel.
Also, he told me of a significant conversation with [Chaim] Weizmann [leader of the World Zionist Organization.] Einstein had asked him: 'What about the Arabs if Palestine were given to the Jews?' And Weizmann said: 'What Arabs? They are hardly of any consequence.'"
No wonder Albert Einstein refused the presidency of Israel, since he would have been replacing Weizmann and would have been surrounded by men with similar racist, inhumane views of Palestinian Arabs.
These are just a few quick examples and I will provide many more, if you will stick with me. I fail to see how anyone who reads what the great man of peace said himself, so consistently and for so long, can come to any conclusion but that Albert Einstein wanted a homeland for Jews in Palestine where they could live in peace with Palestinians, but not a Jewish political state.
He despised racism, intolerance and injustice, so I'm sure he would be appalled at Israel's apartheid walls, its Jim Crow laws and kangaroo courts, and its denial of freedom, justice and basic human rights to millions of Palestinians.
And what would Albert Einstein have to say about Israel's leaders? Well, shortly after the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre, he wrote a letter to American Friends of the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel. In it he referred to the Irgun, led by Menachem Begin (later, a Prime Minister of Israel) and the Stern Gang, of which Yitzhak Shamir (also a future Prime Minister of Israel) was a member, as terrorist organizations, roundly denouncing these “misled and criminal people.â€
Einstein, along with Sidney Hook, Hannah Arendt, Seymour Milman and other prominent Jews, wrote a letter to the New York Times (December 4, 1948) in which they condemned Menachem Begin’s and Yitzhak Shamir’s Likud party as “fascist†and espousing “an admixture of ultra-nationalism, religious mysticism and racial superiority.I believe you can also find the letter online in the archives of the New York Times.
Other articles published in by New York Times confirm Einstein's consistent views: a 1930 article headlined "Einstein attacks British Zion Policy," a 1938 article stating that Einstein was "Against Palestine State" and a 1946 article stating "Einstein Bars Jewish State."
