Sunday, August 13, 2006
From Palestinian Media Watch, a reminder that we've just seen a replay of history [in full, not online yet]:
1948 - Arab League tells Arabs to leave Haifa to facilitate the killing of Jews
2006 - Hezbollah tells Arabs to leave Haifa to facilitate the killing of Jews
by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's request of Arabs to leave Haifa to facilitate the bombing and killing of Jews in Haifa is the identical call heard by the Arabs of Haifa and other cities by the Arab League attacking the new State of Israel in 1948.
2006 - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah:
"I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call you to leave this city. I hope you do this. ... Please leave so we don't shed your blood, which is our blood."
1948 - Palestinian journalist describes Arab leaders action in 1948:
"To the [Arab] Kings and Presidents: Poverty is killing us... yet you are still searching for the way to provide aid... like the armies of your predecessors in the year of 1948, who forced us to leave [Israel], on the pretext of clearing the battlefields of civilians... "
[Fuad Abu Higla, columnist official PA daily Al Hayat Al Jadida, in an article before an Arab Summit, critical of Arab leaders for a series of failures. Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, March 19, 2001]