Israel Matzav

When Egypt occupied Gaza

Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip from 1948-67. Had they chosen to do so, and if the real goal of the 'Palestinians' and the Arab countries had been to do so, Egypt could have granted Gaza independence as a 'Palestinian' state. (Jordan could have done the same with the 'West Bank').

But that was not Egypt's goal and the Arab countries have no interest in the 'Palestinians' or a 'Palestinian state.' Here are a couple of examples of how the 'refugees' in Gaza were treated in the 1960's, long before there was any 'occupation.' It sounds remarkably like today, doesn't it?

Egypt's policy for the Strip was succinctly spelled out by the deputy governor, Muhammad Flafaga, in an interview appearing in the Danish newspaper Aktuelt on February 9, 1967:

Question: Why not send the refugees to other Arab countries? Syria would no doubt be able to absorb a vast number of them. Are you afraid that national bonds with Palestine will be loosened, that the hatred against Israel will vanish if they become ordinary citizens?

Answer: As a matter of fact, you are right. Syria could take all of them, and the problem would be solved. But we do not want that. They are to return to Palestine.

UNRWA reported in 1956: "One of the obstacles to the achievement of the General Assembly's goal of making the refugees self-supporting continues to be the opposition of the governments in the area."

Ralph Galloway, an UNRWA official who quit in frustration, observed bitterly: "The Arab states don't want to solve the refugee problem. They want to keep it as an open sore, as a weapon against Israel. Arab leaders don't give a damn whether the refugees live or die."

Now you know why most UNRWA employees today are 'Palestinians.' Everyone else quit in disgust, being unwilling to play a role in keeping these people 'refugees' for generations.

Read it all.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:25 PM