Israel Matzav

Coming attractions: 'The Tale of a Key'

In their continuing efforts to indoctrinate their children with Jew-hatred, the 'Palestinians' are making a children's animated film called 'The Tale of a Key.' The film describes the Jews as "enemies of the religion and enemies of the homeland" and highlights what the filmmakers call the "holy right of dispossessed Palestinians" to 'return' to land that is now part of Israel.

The women behind the film, who run a production company in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, say they are not politically aligned but want to teach Palestinian children and adults about the events that drove them from their homeland.

"It tells of the suffering, the killing and displacement," said Moamena Abu Hamda, director of the JohaToon company in Gaza City. "It shows that the Palestinian people did not leave their land by their own will but they were forced to do it.

Of course, we all know that last sentence is a lie.

Tens of thousands of rural villagers were likewise forced out by order of the AHC, local Arab militias, or the ALA. Within weeks of the latter’s arrival in Palestine in January 1948, rumors were circulating of secret instructions to Arabs in predominantly Jewish areas to vacate their villages so as to allow their use for military purposes and to reduce the risk of becoming hostage to the Jews.

By February, this phenomenon had expanded to most parts of the country. It gained considerable momentum in April and May as ALA and AHC forces throughout Palestine were being comprehensively routed. On April 18, the Hagana’s intelligence branch in Jerusalem reported a fresh general order to remove the women and children from all villages bordering Jewish localities. Twelve days later, its Haifa counterpart reported an ALA command to evacuate all Arab villages between Tel Aviv and Haifa in anticipation of a new general offensive. In early May, as fighting intensified in the eastern Galilee, local Arabs were ordered to transfer all women and children from the Rosh Pina area, while in the Jerusalem sub-district, Transjordan’s Arab Legion likewise ordered the emptying of scores of villages.

As for the Palestinian Arab leaders themselves, who had placed their reluctant constituents on a collision course with Zionism in the 1920’s and 1930’s and had now dragged them helpless into a mortal conflict, they hastened to get themselves out of Palestine and to stay out at the most critical moment. Taking a cue from these higher-ups, local leaders similarly rushed en masse through the door. High Commissioner Cunningham summarized what was happening with quintessential British understatement:

You should know that the collapsing Arab morale in Palestine is in some measure due to the increasing tendency of those who should be leading them to leave the country. . . . For instance, in Jaffa the mayor went on four-day leave 12 days ago and has not returned, and half the national committee has left. In Haifa the Arab members of the municipality left some time ago; the two leaders of the Arab Liberation Army left actually during the recent battle. Now the chief Arab magistrate has left. In all parts of the country the effendi class has been evacuating in large numbers over a considerable period and the tempo is increasing.

Arif al-Arif, a prominent Arab politician during the Mandate era and the doyen of Palestinian historians, described the prevailing atmosphere at the time: “Wherever one went throughout the country one heard the same refrain: ‘Where are the leaders who should show us the way? Where is the AHC? Why are its members in Egypt at a time when Palestine, their own country, needs them?’”

Meanwhile, this film hopes to spread the message of Jew-hatred throughout the Arab world:

JohaToon plans to screen the 32-minute film, which it says is for adults as well as children, in Gaza this month and hopes to market it in other Arab countries and further afield.

But for some reason Ehud, Tzipi Feigele and Ehud have convinced George and Condi that our conflict with the Arabs is about the results of the 1967 war and not about the results of the 1948 war. After all, if the Arabs weren't willing to accept the results of the 1948 war - the establishment of the State of Israel - there wouldn't be any way to make peace, would there?

By the way, the pictures of the keys in this post (that's a bloody frame around the top one in case you missed it) were published in al-Hayat and al-Quds, respectively on 'Naqba Day' three years ago - May 14, 2005.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:29 AM