Myths of Zionism

In his article "The myths of Zionism", Mail&Guardian, 27 Jan 2006, Ronnie Kasrils does an excellent job of exposing some of those myths:

"At the core of Zionism lies the biblical myth, suggesting that the Jewish people have a God-given right to the land that was known as Canaan. This revered holy book is not, however, based on scientific fact. The East European Zionist pioneers were not particularly religious, but embraced the biblical promise of Zion in order to exploit the beliefs of most Jews. In fact, the Zionist movement was overwhelming secular and wished for a secular Jewish society, something it has long since abandoned.

A Jewish kingdom certainly existed in ancient times, but so too did numerous other kingdoms. A plethora of peoples traded and sojourned in the region. Canaanite civilisation existed in the area as early as 3 500BC. It becomes problematic, though, when one group makes a historical claim on the land centuries later, regardless of who else resided there, based on the interpretation of a holy book. As the eminent Jewish thinker Erich Fromm has pointed out: "If all nations would suddenly claim territory on which their forefathers had lived two thousand years ago, this world would be a madhouse."

Zionists allege that the Jewish people’s sojourn in Arab lands was pervaded by a hatred of Jews. In fact, Jews flourished and enjoyed considerable periods of peaceful co-existence. Historical documents show that there was a symbiosis between Arabs and Jews, and what could be called an Islamic-Jewish tradition. The discovery of the Cairo “Geniza”, a treasure trove of documents found in an 11th-century Cairo synagogue, depict Jewish communities as an integral part of Islamic culture."

Kasrils also points out:

"Historical records prove that an Arab community had existed in Palestine prior to the creation of the State of Israel. At the time of the Balfour declaration in 1917, there were about 65 000 Jews living in Palestine. British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour admitted the extent to which Arabs occupied the area when he said, “Zionism is of far profounder import that the desires of 700 000 Arabs who inhabit the land.”"

Furthermore, he illustrates the perversity of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which was a blueprint for genocide and ethnic cleansing:

"The 1947 UN Partition Plan, influenced by the then balance of forces and post-Holocaust sentiment, offered the Jewish people 56% of Palestinian land, when they only owned 6,5% at the time. The remaining 43% was allocated to the Palestinians, with an international enclave around Jerusalem. The fact that Palestinians have been willing to accept a further reduction of land to 22% of historic Palestine is an exceptional compromise on the part of their leadership."