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Born of War, or Premeditation?Born of War, or Premeditation? Benny Morris and Nur Masalha debate the Palestinian Benny Morris and Nur Masalha debate the Palestinian Refugee ProblemRefugee Problem

Morris’ Argument

Benny Morris Benny Morris 4 Options for Overcoming the Zionist Dilemma4 Options for Overcoming the Zionist Dilemma

1) Immigration1) Immigration

2) Apartheid2) Apartheid

3) Partition3) Partition

4) Transfer 4) Transfer

Herzl and TransferHerzl and Transfer

““We must expropriate We must expropriate gently…We shall try and gently…We shall try and spirit the penniless spirit the penniless population across the population across the border…Both the border…Both the process of expropriation process of expropriation and the removal of the and the removal of the poor must be carried out poor must be carried out discreetly and discreetly and circumspectly”circumspectly”

Theodor HerzlTheodor Herzl

DiariesDiaries (1895) (1895)

Ben-Gurion / Transfer?Ben-Gurion / Transfer?““The compulsory The compulsory transfer of the Arabs transfer of the Arabs from the proposed from the proposed Jewish state could give Jewish state could give us something which we us something which we never had….Any doubt never had….Any doubt on our part about the on our part about the necessity of this necessity of this transfer…may lose us transfer…may lose us an historic opportunity an historic opportunity ….I support compulsory ….I support compulsory transfer. I don’t see in transfer. I don’t see in it anything immoral.”it anything immoral.”

David Ben-David Ben-

GurionGurion Diaries (1937)Diaries (1937) Speech (1938)Speech (1938)

Menachem Ussishkin / Menachem Ussishkin / Transfer?Transfer?

• ““We must continually raise We must continually raise the demand that our land the demand that our land be returned to our be returned to our possession.... If there are possession.... If there are other inhabitants there, other inhabitants there, they must be transferred they must be transferred to some other place…to some other place…

• We cannot start the Jewish We cannot start the Jewish state with...half the state with...half the population being Arab…population being Arab…Such a state cannot Such a state cannot survive even half an hour... survive even half an hour... It [transfer] is most It [transfer] is most moral... I am ready to moral... I am ready to come and defend ... it come and defend ... it before the Almighty.before the Almighty. Menachem Menachem UssishkinUssishkin

1930 / 19381930 / 1938

Transfer – Yosef WeitzTransfer – Yosef Weitz

““There is no room for both There is no room for both peoples in this country. peoples in this country. After the Arabs are After the Arabs are transferred, the country will transferred, the country will be wide open for us…not a be wide open for us…not a single village or a single single village or a single tribe must be left…there is tribe must be left…there is no other solution”no other solution”

Yosef Weitz (1940)Yosef Weitz (1940)

Morris on Transfer Morris on Transfer Sentiment Sentiment

““My conclusion was and remains that My conclusion was and remains that thinking about the transfer of all or part of thinking about the transfer of all or part of Palestine’s Arabs out of the prospective Palestine’s Arabs out of the prospective Jewish state was pervasive among Zionist Jewish state was pervasive among Zionist leadership circles before 1937…the leadership circles before 1937…the consensus or near consensus in support of consensus or near consensus in support of transfer…was clear.”transfer…was clear.”

Benny MorrisBenny Morris

Revisiting the Palestinian Exodus, pp. Revisiting the Palestinian Exodus, pp. 40, 44.40, 44.

Morris on Transfer Morris on Transfer ThinkingThinking and and TransferTransfer

““What is the importance of expressions of What is the importance of expressions of support for transfer and how do they support for transfer and how do they connect to what actually happened…My connect to what actually happened…My feeling is that the connection is subtle and feeling is that the connection is subtle and indirect.” indirect.”

Benny MorrisBenny Morris

Revisiting the Palestinian Exodus, pp. Revisiting the Palestinian Exodus, pp. 47-48.47-48.

The Refugee ProblemThe Refugee Problem

…the refugee problem was essentially a product of the war, of the shelling, shooting and bombing, and the fears that these generate….Above all,…the refugee problem was caused by attacks by Jewish forces on Arab villages and towns, and by the inhabitants fear of such attacks compounded by expulsions, atrocities and rumors of atrocities – and by the crucial Israeli Cabinet decision in June 1948 to bar a refugee return.

Where Did Refugees Go?Where Did Refugees Go?

PlacePlace # (est) # (est)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------

Jordan/W. Bank Jordan/W. Bank 400,000400,000

GazaGaza 200,000 200,000

LebanonLebanon 120,000 120,000

SyriaSyria 75,000 75,000

““There are circumstances There are circumstances that justify ethnic that justify ethnic cleansing. A Jewish state cleansing. A Jewish state would not have come into would not have come into being without the being without the uprooting of 700,000 uprooting of 700,000 Palestinians. Therefore it Palestinians. Therefore it was necessary to uproot was necessary to uproot them…. It was necessary them…. It was necessary to cleanse the border to cleanse the border areas and main roads…to areas and main roads…to cleanse the villages…I cleanse the villages…I know it doesn’t sound know it doesn’t sound nice, but that’s the term nice, but that’s the term we used at the time.we used at the time.””

Benny MorrisBenny Morris

Ha’aretz Ha’aretz Interview Interview (2004)(2004)

In 1948 the Palestinians became a In 1948 the Palestinians became a disinherited people…. The reality was disinherited people…. The reality was that of an Arab community in a state that of an Arab community in a state of terror facing a ruthless Israeli army of terror facing a ruthless Israeli army whose path to victory was paved not whose path to victory was paved not only by its exploits,… but also by the only by its exploits,… but also by the intimidation and at times atrocities it intimidation and at times atrocities it perpetrated against the civilian Arab perpetrated against the civilian Arab community. A panic stricken Arab community. A panic stricken Arab community was uprooted under the community was uprooted under the impact of massacres that would be impact of massacres that would be carved into the Arabs’ monument of carved into the Arabs’ monument of grief and hatred,…the less [sic] Arabs grief and hatred,…the less [sic] Arabs remained, the better; this principle is remained, the better; this principle is the political motor for the expulsions the political motor for the expulsions and atrocities.and atrocities.

Shlomo Ben-AmiShlomo Ben-Ami

pp. 42-43pp. 42-43

Masalha’s Argument?Masalha’s Argument?

…the problem of the Arab minority, supposed to reside in that [prospective Jewish] state, began to preoccupy the Yishuv's leadership obsessively. They were justified in seeing the future minority as a great danger to the prospective Jewish state…. The transfer idea...was viewed by the majority of the Yishuv leaders in those days as the best solution to the problem

...the Yishuv military establishment, presided over by Ben-Gurion, formulated in early March 1948 and began implementing in early April Plan Dalet in anticipation of Arab military operations. According to Morris, the essence of Plan Dalet "was the clearing of hostile and potentially hostile forces out of the interior of the prospective territory of the Jewish State.

Masalha: No Masalha: No Master Plan?Master Plan?

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Born of War, or Premeditation?Born of War, or Premeditation?