When Genocidal Intention Went Wrong!

Michael Sherbourne

It may seem strange to use the name of the Nazi Josef Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, to refute the distortions of history employed by the Arabs, but Goebbels said, more than once, and he used that principle extensively: "The greater the lie, the more likely it is to be believed!"

And it is hard to imagine any lies greater than those concerning the history of Zionism and the State of Israel that are taught to Arab children, and are constantly used by Arab politicians and their supporters all over the world. I can personally testify that in May, 1948, Ben-Gurion's public appeal to the Arabs of Haifa and Jaffa was widely spread and broadcast live and repeated over and again in the streets of these two towns, calling upon the Arabs to accept his outstretched hand in peace, and not to leave their homes and possessions as they were being urged by the Arab Higher Command.

I was in Haifa on 16th May, 1948 and I watched the Arabs as they calmly and joyfully lined up to be taken aboard the British warships to be transported to Egypt and Lebanon. There was no panic as they fully expected to return in a few days to take over all the Jewish property from the massacred Jews, as they were promised by their leaders. They were not "refugees". They considered themselves to be no more than "temporary evacuees" just for a few days, and it was a joyful holiday break for them.

I was a member of Machal (Mitnadvei Hutz La-Aretz - Overseas Volunteers), and served in Hativah Sheva (7th Brigade) in the newly formed Israeli Army. I took part in the unsuccessful attempts to take the town of Latrun, where the monastery was held by the (Transjordan) Arab Legion, commanded by Major-General Glubb and other British officers seconded from the British Army. We had no artillery, and at first had only home-made (in Ramat Gan) Sten Guns. They had a wealth of arms and armaments including 25 pounder Howitzers, and we suffered heavy casualties. Latrun was not taken until 19 years later in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Steven Shamrak