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Al-Nakba: an Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Will Zupan

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Al-Nakba: an Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Will Zupan Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II Volume 19 Article 11 2014 Al-Nakba: An Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Will Zupan Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Zupan, Will (2014) "Al-Nakba: An Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine," Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II: Vol. 19 , Article 11. Available at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol19/iss1/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Zupan: Al-Nakba Fashion, Feminine Identity 123 124 Historical Perspectives June 2014 Al-Nakba: An Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Israeli Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Will Zupan Finding a solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict is continually at the top of the American foreign policy agenda. Secretary of State John Kerry worked to begin yet another round of peace negotia- tions between President Netanyahu and the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority this past October. Although it is now beginning to seem as though the talks are in jeopardy as “each side appears to be maneuvering and potentially laying the foundation to avoid blame should the talks fail,” it is likely efforts will continually be made until some sort of agreeable solution is found.1 The United States has long been “Israel’s main patron and strategic ally.”2 In terms of total money received, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of military assistance from the United States since World War II.3 Much of this is due to the clout of pro-Israel 1 Michael R. Gordon and Isabel Kershner, "While Kerry Pushes Peace Talks, Israeli Leader Airs Criticism," New York FIGURE 6 Times, January 2, 2014, accessed February 24, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/world/middleeast/whil Shiseido, Uchiwa Fan, 1932 in “Marketing e-kerry-pushes-peace-talks-israeli-leader-airs-criticism.html. 2 Beauty.” Selling Shiseido, John Dower, Edward W. Said, The Question of Palestine (New York: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/shis Times Books, 1979), xxiii. 3 eido_01/sh_essay03.html Jeremy M. Sharp, U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, report, April 11, 2013, accessed February 11, 2014, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf. Published by Scholar Commons, 2014 1 Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II, Vol. 19 [2014], Art. 11 Al-Nakba 125 126 Historical Perspectives June 2014 lobbyist groups like the American Israel Public Affairs designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by Committee (AIPAC), amongst the most powerful in violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian popula- Washington. It is considered a foolish mistake for any tion of another ethnic or religious group from certain American politician to criticize Israel. geographic areas.”4 In the introduction of his book, Today, Israel is often pointed to as a bastion of Ethnic Cleansing, Andrew Bell-Fialkoff delineates democracy amidst the sea of turmoil that is the Middle ethnic cleansing as “a planned, deliberate removal East. Yet, there is a side to the country’s history and from a certain territory of an undesirable population politics that is all too often ignored or shied away from: distinguished by one or more characteristics such as its treatment of the Palestinian people, both histori- ethnicity, religion, race, class, or sexual preference. cally and in the present day. This essay will argue that, These characteristics must serve as the basis for since the nation’s founding in 1948, Israel has engaged removal for it to qualify as cleansing.”5 in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from Ethnic cleansing involves the homogenization of a as well as within their native homeland. The cleansing particular territory or region by purging it of any process still continues today in the form of Israeli undesirable elements. It involves the permanent settlement building in the West Bank and Gaza, as removal of these undesirable elements from their well as in the form of discriminatory and dehumaniz- native land through either population transfers or ing practices against members of the Arab population large-scale killing. This is precisely what happened in within Israel’s formal borders. the case of Palestine as “half of the indigenous people This paper will examine the Israeli ethnic cleansing of living” in the former British Mandate “were driven out, the Palestinians in depth. It will first establish a half of their villages and towns were destroyed, and working definition of the term “ethnic cleansing,” as only very few among them ever managed to return.”6 well as identify and scrutinize the common practices There are a number of different practices that that ethnic cleansing involves. It will then examine constitute or accompany efforts at ethnic cleansing. both the historical and contemporary treatment of the They include, but are not limited to: the identification Palestinians by the Israelis and apply that working of a dominant, ideal group coupled with the simulta- definition and list of practices to that particular case. 4 Defining Ethnic Cleansing Report of the Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 780, report, Before analyzing the historical and contemporary accessed February 24, 2014, Israeli practices that constitute the ethnic cleansing of https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RE the Palestinians, it is important to define the term and S/780%281992%29. examine the common practices that it entails. 5 Andrew Bell-Fialkoff, Ethnic Cleansing (New York: St. With Security Resolution 780, the United Nations Martin's Press, 1996), 3. 6 Ilan Pappé, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Oxford, UK: established ethnic cleansing as “a purposeful policy Oneworld, 2006), 9. http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol19/iss1/11 2 Zupan: Al-Nakba Al-Nakba 125 126 Historical Perspectives June 2014 lobbyist groups like the American Israel Public Affairs designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by Committee (AIPAC), amongst the most powerful in violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian popula- Washington. It is considered a foolish mistake for any tion of another ethnic or religious group from certain American politician to criticize Israel. geographic areas.”4 In the introduction of his book, Today, Israel is often pointed to as a bastion of Ethnic Cleansing, Andrew Bell-Fialkoff delineates democracy amidst the sea of turmoil that is the Middle ethnic cleansing as “a planned, deliberate removal East. Yet, there is a side to the country’s history and from a certain territory of an undesirable population politics that is all too often ignored or shied away from: distinguished by one or more characteristics such as its treatment of the Palestinian people, both histori- ethnicity, religion, race, class, or sexual preference. cally and in the present day. This essay will argue that, These characteristics must serve as the basis for since the nation’s founding in 1948, Israel has engaged removal for it to qualify as cleansing.”5 in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from Ethnic cleansing involves the homogenization of a as well as within their native homeland. The cleansing particular territory or region by purging it of any process still continues today in the form of Israeli undesirable elements. It involves the permanent settlement building in the West Bank and Gaza, as removal of these undesirable elements from their well as in the form of discriminatory and dehumaniz- native land through either population transfers or ing practices against members of the Arab population large-scale killing. This is precisely what happened in within Israel’s formal borders. the case of Palestine as “half of the indigenous people This paper will examine the Israeli ethnic cleansing of living” in the former British Mandate “were driven out, the Palestinians in depth. It will first establish a half of their villages and towns were destroyed, and working definition of the term “ethnic cleansing,” as only very few among them ever managed to return.”6 well as identify and scrutinize the common practices There are a number of different practices that that ethnic cleansing involves. It will then examine constitute or accompany efforts at ethnic cleansing. both the historical and contemporary treatment of the They include, but are not limited to: the identification Palestinians by the Israelis and apply that working of a dominant, ideal group coupled with the simulta- definition and list of practices to that particular case. 4 Defining Ethnic Cleansing Report of the Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 780, report, Before analyzing the historical and contemporary accessed February 24, 2014, Israeli practices that constitute the ethnic cleansing of https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RE the Palestinians, it is important to define the term and S/780%281992%29. examine the common practices that it entails. 5
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