“That’s how the call for a free Palestine ‘from the river to the sea’ gained traction in the 1960s. It was part of a larger call to see a secular democratic state established in all of historic Palestine. Palestinians hoped their state would be free from oppression of all sorts, from Israeli as well as from Arab regimes.”
Remember, she is talking about the people who elected Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is dedicated to eradicating Israel in the name of Islam. The Palestinian Authority that rules Judea and Samaria is likewise given to annihilationist Islamic rhetoric regarding Israel, particularly from its Fatah arm. If the “Palestinians” want a “secular democratic state,” why haven’t they established one in either Judea and Samaria or Gaza?
“And notwithstanding the extreme rhetoric of some leaders on both sides, a recent joint poll shows that only a small minority of Palestinians see “expulsion” as a solution to the conflict – 15%…”
Maybe, but those “Palestinian” people aren’t in charge. And Mahmoud Abbas has said that no Jews would be allowed to live in a “Palestinian” state, as has Sheikh Hammam Saeed, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. Fatah has also called upon Jews to leave the area.
The Forward should be ashamed for publishing this grotesque attempt to whitewash a clearly genocidal call. Maha Nassar is an Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona; the Forward follows this piece with the announcement that “the views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.”
Well, all right, but notice that you seldom see op-eds in the Forward by those who don’t reflect its editorial stance.
“‘From The River To The Sea’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means,” by Maha Nassar, Forward, December 3, 2018:
Over the weekend, scholar and social justice activist Marc Lamont Hill apologized for ending his recent remarks at United Nations by calling for “a free Palestine from the river to the sea.” His apology came after three days of furious online attacks and criticism from many people who felt deeply hurt by his remarks.
Critics have pointed to Hamas’s use of this phrase to claim that Hill was either deliberately parroting a Hamas line that calls for Israel’s elimination, or at the very least ignorantly repeating a deeply offensive and triggering phrase.
Yet lost in all these discussions is any acknowledgement of what this phrase actually means — and has meant — to Palestinians of all political stripes and convictions. As a Palestinian American and a scholar of Palestinian history, I’m concerned by the lack of interest in how this phrase is understood by the people who invoke it….
That’s how the call for a free Palestine “from the river to the sea” gained traction in the 1960s. It was part of a larger call to see a secular democratic state established in all of historic Palestine. Palestinians hoped their state would be free from oppression of all sorts, from Israeli as well as from Arab regimes.
To be sure, a lot of Palestinians thought that in a single democratic state, many Jewish Israelis would voluntarily leave, like the French settlers in Algeria did when that country gained its independence from the French. Their belief stemmed from the anti-colonial context in which the Palestinian liberation movement arose.
That’s why, despite the occasional bout of overheated rhetoric from some leaders, there was no official Palestinian position calling for the forced removal of Jews from Palestine. This continued to be their position despite an Israeli media campaign following the 1967 war that claimed Palestinians wished to “throw Jews into the sea.”
While Palestinians viewed Zionists as akin to colonial settlers, Jews who were willing to live as equals with the Palestinians were welcome to stay. In his 1974 speech to the UN, Fatah leader and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat declared, “when we speak of our common hopes for the Palestine of tomorrow we include in our perspective all Jews now living in Palestine who choose to live with us there in peace and without discrimination.”…
And notwithstanding the extreme rhetoric of some leaders on both sides, a recent joint poll shows that only a small minority of Palestinians see “expulsion” as a solution to the conflict – 15% — which is incidentally the same percentage of Israelis who view this as the only solution….
Most troubling for me, the belief that a “free Palestine” would necessarily lead to the mass annihilation of Jewish Israelis is rooted in deeply racist and Islamophobic assumptions about who the Palestinians are and what they want….
Olli Hekkala says
You can’t nullify Jewish and Islamic religious aspiration for Jewish homeland and Islamic caliphate. Israel is as secular state as it is possible for religious people to have. It gives all people access to political process and Israel have freedom of religion. Unfortunately if you want to replace Israel with YOUR secular state “From the river to the sea”, you have to destroy Israel. And that is what Maha Nassar clearly wants.
Zionists btw. asked Arabs and other minorities to STAY in Israels side on independence war and those who stayed and didn’t leave, are now Israeli citizens. Arab leaders tried to evacuate all Muslims from way of their Zionist annihilation war. You must remember that Zionism is not something mysterious evil, it is simply put: Jewish nationalism. They were people building national home. And you cannot overly emphasize that there were lot of antisemitism in Islamic world then as there is now and for Jews it was not option at that time to surrender for Nazi sympathizer Arab leaders.
Nationalism is beautiful thing, when you do not need to deal with rivals like globalist caliphate or replacement theology of different ethnicity.
Robert_k says
Vat, the Palestinians vant to trow da Jews in da sea? Oy vey, can’t be. My son read it in the Forved (Forward) that they vant a secular democratic state.
The Forward used to be a Yiddish paper for Socialist Jews. Now it’s the paper for their inane de-Judaized la-Obamatimized children.
FYI says
Why should anyone believe the muslima liar?
No one,except dhimmis and Lefties, believe the taqqiya-tongued apologists for “palestine”.
Bearing FALSE witness is an islamic speciality:they never stop lying and dissembling.Their deceiver god allah in his unholy koran teaches and encourages it.
taqqiya,tawriya,taysin,muruna,darura:we KNOW the islamic dissembling tricks!
Regarding “mass annihilation of Jewish Israelis”..
Perhaps maha nassar can explain ..
Sahih Muslim #6985
islam’s plan for Genocide against the Jews
hamas,hizbollah,Iran,isis and all the other putrid,evil, demonic offspring of satan’s own religion,islam, …subscribe to this wickedness.
NO OTHER RELIGION EXCEPT islam calls for the annihilation of another group of people{The Jews}
Explain that you lying muslima!
nassar is a member of the evil cult.And the invented nonsense of “palestine” is well known by now..
Mirren10 says
Oopsie doopsie hun, I see a tiny little bit of hair visible under that hijab ! Run ! Your mohammedan shitebag cohorts may want to make that an honour killing offence. 🙂
somehistory says
In the Bible book of Daniel, chapter 11, anyone can read what this phrase means…and has meant, for centuries.
44) But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.
45) And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
(According to the American Standard Version)
She is moslim. moslims lie.
islam is all in one: politics, religion, secular. If a “government” is run by moslims, it does not separate the different elements when “governing” society. islam’s goal: eliminate Jews, destroy Christianity, and subject mankind to demonic rule and destruction.
moslims must hide the truth of this until they are in enough positions of control that when they give up the game and come out with it all, no group will have the strenght and power to object.
She…makes the claim that she… is a “scholar”…of “palestinian history.” My, my. Aren’t we all impressed!
She knows then, there is no such thing beyond what the moslims themselves concocted in order to pull a scarf over everyone’s eyes and make trouble for Israel.
She is “concerned…about the lack of interest”…No. She is “concerned” that hill’s blabbering at the U.N. and the news about what he said, and its meaning, will cause more people to see what moslims are up to; what they are all about.
And she is doing her utmost to appear *sweet and desirable* to any male seeing her. Would any, in her mind, not want her as a wife?
And, her hair is *showing*….just a little peek of it. Isn’t it just lovely and most desirable?
Liars make me want to puke.
Roland says
It’s shocking how historic Jewish institutions are being hijacked today by addled-headed leftists. Here, the Forward. Also, the ADL and the Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative rabbinical seminaries. Bad.
Rarely says
Don’t worry. I doubt that there are more than a handful of American Jews (and NO Israeli Jews) that believe this gal’s BS. Just another muslim myth that has absolutely NO basis in fact and contradicts their entire history AND, most importantly, their recent history and current actions..
In fact she could easily earn a good fee as an entertainer at any Jewish Comedy Festival. She would have ’em rolling in the aisles for hours as she tried to explain how lovely life would be for Jews living in a Palestinian State. Needless to say the Christians wouldn’t fair much better. Her university classes must be real hoot. If there was a Nobel Prize for Humour she would win it hands down.
In fact her assertion has just taken over top spot in the list of The Three Biggest Lies from the traditional gold medalist: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you”.
BTW, as RS mentioned, they could have set up a secular society in the West Bank and/or Gaza anytime they wanted but have not.
Secular?? Why the Sunnis and Shiites can’t even live together in peace.
gravenimage says
Forward op-ed: “From the river to the sea” just means that “Palestinians” want a “secular democratic state”
……………………
Say, isn’t that what the “Thousand Year Reich” meant, as well? sarc/off
Rarely says
By “democratic” they mean the tyranny of the majority. “Equal” rights would be as they are in Egypt, Pakistan and all other majority muslim “democracies”. This time it would be different, of course.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Mr spencer, true democracy came from sharia compliant political system. After all what is democracy? it is simply a system of governance where rules of law prevails to ensure social justice. The democratic system currently operating in the mithraist christian west deviates this norm because it is based on extreme capitalism where wider gap is created between strata of the society as can be seen in the evil United States where few, less than 2% control over 90% of wealths. Such oppressive policy has been extended to international economic relations where evil United States topples good leaders to install those who steal the wealths of their countries and stash it in the economy of evil United States leaving their people hand to mouth. wicked scums of evils!!
gravenimage says
Ibrahim itace muhammed wrote:
Mr spencer, true democracy came from sharia compliant political system. After all what is democracy? it is simply a system of governance where rules of law prevails to ensure social justice.
……………………….
What Ibrahim itace muhammed considers “social justice” is the rape, enslavement, and murder of non-Muslims.
This is absurd, in any case–he has condemned actual democracy here before.
More:
The democratic system currently operating in the mithraist christian west deviates this norm because it is based on extreme capitalism where wider gap is created between strata of the society as can be seen in the evil United States where few, less than 2% control over 90% of wealths.
……………………….
Ibrahim itace muhammed has said that free trade is “international brigandage” because Americans do not allow Muslims to enslave them.
And, of course, his claims about the US economy is completely false. But then, why should this surprise?
Moreover, Muslim countries are among the most unequal in the world–and unlike in the West, there is often no possibility of social mobility.
More:
Such oppressive policy has been extended to international economic relations where evil United States topples good leaders to install those who steal the wealths of their countries and stash it in the economy of evil United States leaving their people hand to mouth. wicked scums of evils!!
……………………….
Of course, far from this being the case, the US gives billions in foreign aid.
But Ibrahim itace muhammed is not happy unless the West is paying Dar-al-Islam tribute.
Wellington says
True democracy came from ancient Greece, Ibrahim. It started with Solon’s reforms in the early sixth century B.C. and were essentially completed by Cleisthenes’ reforms around 508 B.C. (and thereafter fine-tuned in the fifth century B.C. by people like Themistocles and Pericles). The ancient Athenian democracy was a pure democracy (i.e., direct personal participation) rather than a representative one in a country like the American Republic (N.B., America is both a democracy and a republic—so many people get this wrong by claiming that America is ONLY a republic) but, in any case, it was ancient Greece that invented democracy.
Islam and Sharia had NOTHING to do with the development of democracy. Indeed, democracy, whether in pure or representative form, has never existed in ANY Islamic polity because true democracy must be backed up by a proper moral system and a decent legal system, both of which Islam is massively deficient in.
gravenimage says
+1
PissedoffCanuck says
Ottoman Empire was run under Sharia, kafirs were forced to live in “millets” (village ghettos) designated by their religion. The Pact of Umar was enforced. How is this democracy, freedom for all? They were involved in heavy slave trading and it was Britain that got them to stop it! The Govenors and Shah and political persons kept the money for themselves. They neglected the people and near it’s demise people retaliated, they wanted what the west had: education, medical, infrastructure…in other words modernization!
Have you checked out KSA run under Sharia? House of Saud keeps the wealth for themselves! Democracy??? It got rid of slavery in 1964, yet there is evidence of sex-slave markets still going on! They keep expat passports (usually expats from 3rd world countries) work them extremely long hours, living in deplorable conditions and refuse to pay them, a form of slavery! Democracy at its finest, 21st Century! (sic)
Talk about corruption, Arafat embezzled 2million from Palestinian UN Aid money to build himself a mansion!
mortimer says
“BARAA” is the ARABIC way of saying “FREE” as in “FREE FROM A DISEASE” or “FREE FROM POLLUTION”.
Muslims want Sharia countries to become “FREE FROM KAFIRS and FREE FROM KUFR”.
Muslims want GENOCIDE and ETHNIC CLEANSING, but they deny it.
‘Baraa’ is HATRED directed towards Kafirs ‘for the sake of Allah’…Al Bughoud or Al Mu’adaat (hatred) is the opposite of Al Muwalaat (love towards Muslims). Baraa is:
– To Hate
– To keep distance from
– To be enemy to
– To desert
– To decline to help
– To disrespect
– To put down
– Not to ally with
– Not to support
Allah ordered Muslims to have Baraa (to be cleansed) from the dirty kufaar and from kufr and shirk.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
mortimer, genocide and ethnic cleansing are the wholemarks of your pagan mithraist christianity sanctioned by your pagan Bible in Samuel 15:3 and book of Numbers 31:17 carried out by mithraist christians during crusade wars and in Spain, extermination of the original inhabitants of Americas, Colonisation and deprivations of other nations, 15% of Algerians killed by French mithraist christians during brutal colonisation and attempt to annex algeria into France, more than half of world Jews kiłled by mithraist christian Nazis, 17million Black Africans thrown into Atlantic Ocean and eaten by sharks during transatlantic slave trade, wars of inquisition, cruel apartheid rule in South Africa, destruction of Iraq, Libya and Syria and many other atrocities committed by mithraist christians inspired by the Satan called Holy Spirit. wicked scums of evils!!
Joss says
Iby – you still haven’t explained just what you mean by “mithraistic Christianity”. Is it merely a stock phrase that’s lodged in your addled ‘brain’?
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
mortimer, genocide and ethnic cleansing are the wholemarks of your pagan mithraist christianity inspired by the satan In Samuel 15:3,book of Numbers 31:17 and other verses of genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by mithraist christians during crusade wars and in Spain, extermination of the original inhabitants of Americas by white mithraist christians, wars of inquisition, more than half of world Jews kiłled by mithraist christian Nazis, 15% Algerians killed by French mithraist christians during brutal colonisation and attempt to annex algeria into France, 17million Black Africans thrown into Atlantic Ocean by mithraist christians during transatlantic slave trade, cruel apartheid rule in South Africa, brutal colonisation and deprivations of other nations, destructions of other nations causing miseries and many other atrocities being committed by mithraist christians across the globe even today like what brigand evil United States has been committing to maintain that archaic hegemonic control over international community. wicked scums of evils!!
gravenimage says
Actually, it is Ibrahim itace muhammed who has affirmed that Muslims have the right to enslave Infidels, and who has said that he looks forward to taking part in the genocide of the Jews. So this from him is nothing but projection.
Norger says
“That’s why, despite the occasional bout of overheated rhetoric from some leaders, there was no official Palestinian position calling for the forced removal of Jews from Palestine.”
What a relief! So I assume that Palestinians are going to stop teaching vicious Jew hatred to their children and calling for genocide, right? What a total and complete load of hogwash. Utterly shameless.
Mark Swan says
Khaled Meshaal the head of Hamas said Palestine is ours
from the river to the sea.
This is what it means—all of Israel is the so-called Palestinians.
In other words—Israel must not remain there from the river to
the sea. The entire State of Israel must be gone from there.
It sure seems right that these two pockets within Israel should be
vacated by these people and Israel should be allowed to clean these
pieces of its state up and have all it’s territory totally with-in its
National borders.
Keeping these two pockets of Arabs there is absurd, it surely was
devised by the enemies of Israel to hinder Israel’s Statehood and
National Security.
The World should help evacuate these so-called Palestinians to Jordan—
all of them, from everywhere, from so-called refuge camps, Gaza, and
the West Bank—to Jordan. Jordan is the occupier of so called Palestine.
Jordan has been and will continue to be an enemy of Israel forever.
gravenimage says
Yes–this is all about destroying Israel.
Telh says
Another sad attempt to plagiarize a biblical passage. This time it’s God’s promise to the Jews that He would give them the land “from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates river”. See Genesis 15:18.
It’s happening and will be competed one day.
krishna says
ironically forward is an leftist Jewish site
Jacinte Lamothe says
Palestinians wanting democracy? What a joke! Their cult does not allow democracy. I really dont see why they have a voice or that Canada gives money to eternal fake refugees. There is only one solution: the entire destruction of Palestine.
Peter says
She looks like a devout secular democrat, but her smile betrays her.