Edward
Said (vol 2, no. 3) bases the entire Palestinian claim to their
being disposessed (of a state?) in 1948 and in 1967. He neglects
to mention some minor points. In both cases a number of Arab armies
attacked the Jewish state and in both cases lost. In neither of
these attacks were there Palestinian armies for the simple fact
there had never been a Palestinian state or army. And one more
minor point -- Iraq signed the Treaty of Versailles declaration
that a Jewish State would be created from the British Mandate
over the entire area of what is now Jordan, Israel and the West
Bank. Apparently a Jewish state could be acceptable to Muslims
in recent history and there was no Palestinian issue for them.
People can only claim a right of return to an area they once had
control of and again have control over. What Palestinian monarch,
Prime Minister, President ever ruled Palestine? How can they claim
a right of return to an area that is not theirs. Shall close to
a million Jews claim a right of return to Arab countries which
admittedly evicted them? Compensation for property, given full
documentation, is certainly in order and the Jewish claim against
Arab states is a better case than unsubstantiated case for disposSessed
Palestinians.
Would
Edward Said care to begin by setting forth legal evidence for
himself and drop the rhetoric of an oppressed victim?
Herbert
Basser, Professor of Religious Studies, Queen's University, Kingston
Canada.
The interview
with Edward Said is absolute garbage--it reads like a set up for
a one-sided barrage of everything that's already been claimed
FALSELY by Palestinians. Simply offensive to have to read this
old crap.
Olga Stein
