Robert Fraser on Diana Fullbrook`s 'Israel - the truth'

Diana Fullbrook obviously is completely clueless to the demographics & the history of the Middle East & even the meaning of Zionism - which is the movement to restore the Jewish people to live in their own historic land of their forefathers. The land promised to them by G-d - The Land of Israel. Many individuals reading Ms Fullbrooks comments, would declare them as one sided & anti-semitic. One sided they certainly were but instead showed a true naivety to the facts.

There are 5 million Jews living in Israel which is a Democracy that also includes many other religions including Christianity & Islam. This is compared to over 350 million Arabs from Syria to the Sudan that live in one party states that have no democracy, limited human rights, zero rights for woman & last but perhaps more importantly very little religious freedoms for anyone that is not a muslim.

To describe Israel as land grabbing, proves that she has either been reading the Guardian or perhaps watching Channel 4 or the BBC.

In 1948 Israel offered the Palestinian Arabs the rights to stay within the fledgling state. A large percentage did so & today have the highest standard of living for any Arabs in the Middle East & are part of the democratic process. Those that did not, left because Arab leaders at the time were not prepared to accept the State of Israel (& apart from Jordan & Egypt - still do not) & told them that they would be given Jewish property once the Jews had been 'thrown in to the sea'. The Arab armies attacked a vastly inferior Israel both militarily & in numbers & lost - the result which left those Arabs that left, homeless.

Since which, a tiny percentage of those that left have been offered new homes in other Arab counties. What is never mentioned & thus confined only to the history books is that there were close to 1 million Jews living in Arab nations (Jews had lived in Arab nations since the times of Babylonia) that were forced to flee their homes & only one county offered them a guarantee of freedom & citizenship - Israel.

Ms Fullbrook should also learn that in 1967, Israel under severe provocation once again beat the Arab nations & took the Gaza Strip & the Sinai from the Egyptians & the West Bank from Jordan. As we know the Sinai was given back to the Egyptians in a peace deal but not Gaza & even though a peace deal was brokered with Jordan, The West Bank was not given up.

In the case of the security wall, the Israeli Government faced with a decision to protect it's citizens built it through not only Arab land but also land owned by Israelis. Compensation is given to every party no matter race or creed. Lastly, Israeli's are not entitled to just build a home wherever they decide, whether it be in Israel or in The West Bank, if it is owned by an Arab, it has to be purchased & it is entirely up to the owner if he decides to sell, the same arrangement as anyone else.

Robert Fraser