There is No “Palestine”

Dear Editor:

Israel was known as the British Mandate for Palestine from 1920 to 1948. For 400 years before then it was Ottoman Syria. So, whither Palestine?

In 1867, Mark Twain described the Holy Land as “desolate and unlovely” and noted the people’s “miserable huts” and “filthy rags”.

Jerusalem had a Jewish majority. Zionists, hoping for peace in a corner of the Ottoman Empire began immigrating. They purchased whatever wealthy land-owners would sell and set up farming communities. Their productivity sparked envy, but also attracted Arabs seeking work. Both the Jewish and Arab populations grew.

1918 saw the end of WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. At San Remo, in 1920, the victors carved up the Empire, creating a series of mandates, one of which was the Mandate for Palestine, the reconstituted Jewish Homeland. The mandate was ratified by the League of Nations in 1922.

During the mandate, the Arab population doubled. In 1948, when the State of Israel declared it’s independence, in the areas currently governed by Hamas and the PA, there were 500,000 Arabs. Today, there are 2,700,000.

The Arabs’ leader was Haj Amin al-Husseini, named Grand Mufti of Jerusalem by the British. He hated the Jews, who where no longer Dhimmi and made the desert bloom. He launched pogroms against them from 1920 to 1942. He spent the war years in Europe where he organized the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croation), a division of the German Nazi Party, charged at Nuremberg with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Husseini was captured by the French who let him escape to Beirut

The United Nations was founded in 1945. Article 80 of its constitution makes it clear what was promised the Jews cannot be abrogated. This means the hundreds of anti-Israel resolutions the UN and its agencies pass do not have the force of law. They are suggestions, at best.

UN Resolution 181 (1947) was a plan to split the mandate between Jewish and Arab states. The Zionists accepted, but the Arabs refused to allow the Jews even the tiniest sliver of land.

When Israel announced its independence from Britain, Husseini and 5 armies attacked, vowed to ‘drive the Jews into the sea’. When the fighting ended in 1949 in an armistice, 700,000 Arabs had fled. Jordan illegally occupied Judea and Samaria and Egypt captured Gaza. The 30,000 Jews living in these territories were killed or expelled, their synagogues destroyed and their properties turned over to Arab squatters.

The Arabs consider their loss to be a humiliation, a Nakba.

In the late 1950s, America became estranged from Egypt over the New Aswan Dam project and the Soviets stepped into the gap. Next, to further diminish US influence, the KGB and Egypt established the Palestine liberation Organization. They recruited Arab fighters from throughout the Middle East and North Africa and called them “Palestinians”.

Their MO was terrorism to drive home the message. They blew up airports and embassies. They hijacked aircraft, murdering passengers. They slaughtered Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich.

They then called Israel, Palestine. Arabs who ever lived in the region were called Palestinians too. They coopted Judea-Christian history. Jesus became a Palestinian. They were thrown out of Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon for fostering revolutions.

But they made their point. Everyone was aware of Palestinianism. Jew-haters were happy to jump on the band-wagon. It was also the perfect vehicle for left-wing academics and agitators to protests against Western democracies.

Sincerely
Len Bennett, Author of ‘Unfinished Work’
Deerfield Beach, Fl.

A Warning on Arming Authoritarian Regimes

Dear Editor:

On June 16, an Israeli drone destroyed two Iranian F-14 fighter jets minutes before they were set to take off. These jets, once sold by the U.S. to Iran, serve as a reminder of the risks of arming unstable regimes.

Many may wonder how American-made jets ended up in Iran. The answer is simple: they were sold when Iran was an ally. This should serve as a warning to today’s policymakers. The United States must stop selling advanced weapons to authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.

Putting fighter jets like the F-35 in the hands of autocratic rulers is extremely risky. These regimes are inherently unstable, and history shows how quickly allies can turn into enemies. We must learn from the past and recognize the national security risks of arming regimes whose allegiance could change.

The U.S. should prioritize long-term security over short-term gains and place strict limits on weapon sales to regimes lacking democratic safeguards. Let the destruction of those F-14s serve as a cautionary tale of how quickly things can change.

Sincerely,
Moshe Phillips
National Chairman
Americans For A Safe Israel / AFSI

Sliwa Would Make an Excellent Mayor

Dear Editor:

As a lifelong New Yorker, I believe our city needs a mayor who not only understands its challenges but lives them every single day. That is why I am convinced that Curtis Sliwa is the right choice to lead New York City at this critical moment.

Unlike his opponents–who in recent weeks have jetted off to the Hamptons or even Uganda–Curtis Sliwa remains firmly rooted in the city he seeks to serve. As Sliwa himself aptly put it during a recent press conference, “I do my campaigning on the subway. You never see them in the subway other than for a photo opportunity.” This is the kind of commitment New Yorkers deserve from their mayor: someone who walks the same streets, rides the same trains, and confronts the same realities as the people he hopes to lead.

Public safety is the top concern for many of us, and with good reason. Crime is rampant, and too many politicians seem more interested in pandering than in protecting. Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, has spent a lifetime on the frontlines of public safety. He knows firsthand that having more police on the streets is not just a campaign slogan–it’s an essential deterrent to crime. His unwavering support for law enforcement and his expertise in public safety set him apart from the political class that treats these issues as talking points.

Moreover, while other candidates have been pressured to exit the race, Sliwa has made it clear he isn’t going anywhere. That kind of tenacity and refusal to back down in the face of political headwinds is precisely the leadership quality New York City needs.

In a crowded field of candidates who seem more focused on their next destination than on our city’s future, Curtis Sliwa stands out as the one candidate truly dedicated to the people of New York. He is ready to put public safety first–and that should be a priority for every voter this November.

Sincerely,
Diane Tepperman
Brooklyn, NY