Noor Dahri – A Dialogue between a Zionist and an Anti-Semite
Pakistani writer Noor Dahri tears apart all of the arguments made by anti-Semites and other Israel haters across the globe via a dialogue between a Zionist and an anti-Semite. He claims that it represents many of the conversations he had with Israel haters across the globe.
This is a dialogue between a Zionist, which is me, and an anti-Semitic person. It mimics any anti-Semitic person over the last several months in which I discussed various issues with. I have compiled all their baseless claims against the State of Israel and the Jewish nation that are made around the world. People, especially those who have less and very limited knowledge about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, argued for no reason. They are not ready to listen or research anything but to only victimise Israel and the Israeli people. I decided to gather their questions and to make a dialogue based article where I answer their same repeated questions.
Here, I present a dialogue between an anti-Semite and a Zionist:
Anti-Semite: You are a Zionist, an enemy of Islam and an enemy of humanity.
Zionist: An enemy of Islam? Am I? I don’t think so. I have not done anything which caused great damage to Islam or Muslims.
Anti-Semite: You have killed millions of Muslims around the world. You are behind all problems in the world so you cannot hide your crimes.
Zionist: We have been displaced from every corner of the world yet still we are blamed for every wrongdoing!!! We have experienced genocide in Europe and in the Muslim world and still we are mischief!!! We are the smallest nation and country in the world and still we are blamed for every crime in the world!!!! You must have misunderstood. Can you provide any bit of evidence which supports your claims?
A-S: The greatest crime of yours is to occupy the land of the Palestinians. Is it not a crime against humanity?
Zion: Did we? Which land and whose land? Have you read the history which certainly was not written by Jews? The land which you call Palestine did not exist prior to the creation of Israel. If it did, can you tell me the currency, flag and the leader of the land of Palestine? Our country was lawfully created by the majority of western countries in the world, just as Jordan and Pakistan were created and accepted.
Anti-Semite: Before your occupation, there were millions of Palestinians/Arabs living in that land. You not only occupied it but you displaced the majority of them and now you claim it was your biblical land!
Zion: I think you don’t know the history of it. I will tell you something very clearly. In your questions, there are 3 claims:
- You occupied the land of Palestine!
- Millions of Arabs/Palestinians were living there!
- Israel displaced the majority of them!
I will now respond to each of the claims one by one.
Occupied land: In fact, there wasn’t any country which was called Palestine. There was never a separate currency or a flag of your dream land of Palestine. Before the British Empire, the land which now people call Palestine was a part of the Ottoman Empire. The regions under the Ottoman Empire were called SANJAK. There was Sanjak Syria, Sanjak Baghdad, etc. The land was called Sanjak Jerusalem under the Vilayet -e-Syria until 1917. Under the control of the British Empire, it was called the British Mandate of Palestine until 1948. Then it was given to the Jewish people which was then called it the State of Israel. It was never an independent country or state named Palestine. According to Abdul Hati, a prominent Palestinian leader who told the Peel Commission in 1937, “There is no such country…. Palestine is a term that the Zionists invented…. Our country was for centuries part of Syria.”
Existence of millions of Palestinian residents: According to Alan Dershowitz, it was always claimed by Arabs that Israel was allocated 54% of the land of Palestine, despite the fact that only 35% of the residents of that land were Jews. The Jews of the first Aliyah in 1882 did not displace local Arab residents by conquest or fear as the Americans and Australians did. They lawfully and openly bought land- much of it thought to be nonarable – from absentee landlords.
Israel displaced Palestinians: The fact is when the Israeli War of Independence began in 1948, Arab countries ordered the Palestinian residents of Israel to leave all the areas because they were going to target the civilian population (the Jews) of Israel. So, based on this request, the Arabs/Palestinians left Israel due to the plea of the Arab countries. This is a historical fact and can be found in the history books. You cannot blame Israel for the displacement of Arab Palestinians but rather the Arab countries.
Anti-Semite: I do not believe in the facts you provided because these are all Israeli myths. We are a nation and want our separate state/country.
Zionist: I knew that you would not believe any historical facts I provide. If I accept that you are a nation and state that really deserves your own separate state, then why every time the international community and Israel offered you a separate state, your political leaders rejected it? So please do not blame Israel for your refusals. Here, I give you some historical dates and peace proposals which your leaders threw away:
- The Peel Commission in 1937
- The UN Partition plan in 1947
- The Oslo Accord in 1994
- Camp David-Taba Peace offer in 2000-2001
- The complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005
- The Ehud Olmert offer in 2008
Actually, you want your separate state to annihilate the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Anti-Semite: We do not want to live with you or near you; we just want our land back.
Zionist: I have already mentioned before the reality of your so called land. You can live with us or near us just as 1.8 million Arabs are living in Israel side by side with the Jewish people. So why don’t you?!
Anti-Semite: We cannot make Jews our friends because Allah forbids us to make friendships with Jews. We cannot live with you ever.
Zionist: I believe you have no knowledge of your religion and your holy book. This is why you lie to your Lord without having proper knowledge about him. Anyway, I will provide you the explanation given in a Quranic verse in which you claimed that your Lord ordered you not to have Jewish friends.
O YOU who have obtained faith! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies: they are but allies of one another and whoever of you allies himself with them becomes verily one of them; behold, God does not guide people who are unjust. (Quran 5:51)
This verse is often quoted to show that Islam is intolerant.
A complete understanding can only be achieved by understanding the whole issue as presented over all the verses and chapters and not by looking at only part of the Quran. God specifically warns us against doing just that, upholding part of the Quran while disregarding the rest.
During the time of the Prophet when the Jews and Christians were in open conflict with the Muslims, there were some Muslims who were more concerned about maintaining their alliances with the Jews and Christians at the expense of the Muslim community. The above verse is referring to such situations where Muslims with doubts in their hearts will ally themselves with the enemy.
Let us look at some other verses about this issue. The following two verses regulate relations with any people, regardless of faith: As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight against you on account of [your] faith and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for verily, God loves those who act equitably. (Quran 60:8)
From the above verses, we learn that we are only discouraged from befriending those who fight Muslims because of their religion. So, according to these above verses from the Quran, you can be kind to Jews, you can have Jewish friends and you can have a good relationship with Jews except those who fight with you. You are all going against your religion and your holy book.
Anti-Semite: We do not need to learn our religion from you Zionists so stop teaching us. Okay, let us say we believe in what you said about the Quranic verses. It says, “We do not make friends with those Jews who fight with us.” In this sense, all Jews are our enemies because you Israelis are in a war with us in Gaza and in the West Bank and we are permitted to fight back. It means we follow the Quranic verse. How do you see this Zionist??!!!
Zionist: Well, I again disagree with you that we are at war with you. I can prove you wrong as I did in the above discussion.
In 1948, we got our country under the UN charter exactly like Jordan did. How come Jordan became a lawful land for you and Israel an unlawful one? I still cannot understand that. In the 1948 War of Independence, the Arab countries attacked us and in 1967, the Arab countries again attacked Israel. In this war, we not only defended our country but conquered Arab territories as well including Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. In peace treaties, we have given back most of these areas to their countries including part of the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula and then slowly, we offered different areas on the condition that we receive peace in return. In 1994, Jordan made a peace treaty with Israel and so did Egypt.
The Peace Treaty consists of a preamble, 30 articles, 5 annexes, and agreed upon minutes. It settles issues about territory, security, water, and cooperation on a wide range of subjects.
Annex I concerns borders and sovereignty. Section Annex I (a) establishes an “administrative boundary” between Jordan and the West Bank occupied by Israel in 1967 without prejudice to the status of that territory. Israel recognised the Jordan’s sovereignty over the Naharayim/Baqura area (including Peace Island) and the Zofar/Al-Ghamr area.
Annex II concerns water and related matters. Pursuant to Article 6 of the Treaty, Jordan and Israel agreed to establish a “Joint Water Committee” (Article VII).
Annex III concerns crime and drugs.
Annex IV concerns the environment.
Annex V concerns border crossings, passports and visas. Article 6 stipulates that ″each Party has the right to refuse entry to a person in accordance with its regulations.”
The Agreed upon Minutes of the treaty give some details about the implementation of the peace treaty.
Syria refused to make a peace treaty with Israel. In 2005, Israel gave the entire Gaza Strip back to Palestinians. Hebron, Jericho and some other parts of Israel were also given to the Palestinians. It means that Israel is serious about making peace and to not fight with you. You have now no reason to use any Quranic verses to justify fighting them or possessing enmity against Jews.
Anti-Semite: You are cheaters and Nazis. You claim you have given back all of Gaza but then blocked off Gaza in 2007. How can you justify that?
Zionist: Yes, I agree with you that we have blocked off Gaza by sea, by air and by road and it’s not our fault but the Palestinian political leaders did not leave an option except to block off their territory. Here are facts about why we blocked off the Gaza Strip:
Since Hamas controlled the Gaza Strip, they threw thousands of rockets into Israel, kidnapped Israeli soldiers and civilians through their terror tunnels and smuggled illegal arms via the sea from Iran to destabilise the State of Israel. Hamas resumed rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and increased its building of terrorist tunnels into Israel, which it used to kill and kidnap Israelis. It was only after these acts of wars by Hamas that Israel instituted its blockade in 2007, nearly two years after it ended its occupation.
Anti-Semites: No, you are criminals if Hamas attacks Israel. Why did Israel always kill innocent Palestinians, especially in the recent attack in 2014 when the IDF launched the Operation Protective Edge against the Gazan people for no reason? They mercilessly killed children, women and the elderly but only few a Hamas operators. Can you justify that? Even the UN condemned your acts of war crimes.
Zionist: I was devastated that innocent Palestinian children and other unarmed civilians were being killed in a war between Hamas and Israel but Hamas is fully responsible for all these killings. It was Hamas who attacked during the Month of Ramadan in Israel. Do you have any idea how many rockets they launched during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan? These rockets were intercepted in civilian areas. Why don’t you consider these Hamas brutal acts as war crimes?
You claimed: (1) Israel launched the operation for no reason (2) Israel mercilessly killed innocent women, children and the elderly (3) Israel killed a few Hamas operators but most of the deaths belonged to civilians.
According to a UN report: “Palestinians armed groups fired 4881 rockets and 1753 mortars towards Israel from 8th July to 20th August 2014. At least 243 of these projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system while at least 34 fell short and landed within the Gaza strip.”
Hamas used their civilians as human shields. They sacrificed their lives to give enough justification for Hamas to achieve its political – terrorist benefits. According to Fathi Hammad, a Hamas member of the PLC (Palestinian Legislative Council): “For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry…. This is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly and the Mujahedeen in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine.”
Do you really want more proof which discloses the use of Palestinians as human shields? You referred to the UN report, but you forget to mention what the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon stated about Hamas war crimes: “We condemn the use of civilian sites, schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities for military purpose.”
And of course, when Israel hits back at those civilian sites, then definitely civilian casualties will increase and this blame goes to Hamas, not Israel. Israel killed not a few, but much of Hamas and other terrorist organisation members. You consider all of them as civilians. The facts have shown that hundreds of members of terrorist organisations had been killed while combating the IDF during Operation Protective Edge (OPE).
In an interview with the London based paper Al-Hayat, Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad said: “It has been said that the people were harmed by the war but is Hamas not part of the people? It is a fact that on the first day of the war, Israel struck police headquarters and killed 250 members of Hamas and the various factions in addition to the 200-300 operatives from Al-Qassam Brigades.” These are the first days of Hamas losses during Operation Protective Edge (OPE). Now consider that this operation took more than one month and Hamas members death tolls hit more than 1,000. These are the answers to your three accusations against Israel.
Anti-Semite: What about the people of the Gaza strip who are starving because of the Israeli blockade? Israel prevents humanitarian aid from going into Gaza which is needed to feed the poor and to rebuild their houses which the Zionist army destroyed.
Zionist: This is the problem. You people do not study or research anything but follow blindly what the media shows you and when we show you the other side with facts and figures, you reject them all. This I call anti-Semitism. Anyway, because I follow the truth, I will answer all of your accusations.
After Operation Protective Edge, Israel provided thousands of tons of food and construction material to Gaza on a daily basis. Here I provide you with the real figures.
On a daily basis, Israel’s department for the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria known as COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) delivered thousands of tons of food via roads from Israel into Gaza. In a week, COGAT delivered 23,340 tons of food, material and other humanitarian products via 1,336 trucks through the Kerem Shalom Crossing including 591 trucks full of food, 32 trucks full of humanitarian products, 33 trucks full of electrical products, 162 trucks full of construction material and 548 trucks with other materials.
These are totally separate from those Gazans who enter into Israel for work, who have been given work permits by the Israeli Government to earn money and change their lifestyle by working in the Israeli market. More than 5,000 people from Gaza enter into Israel daily for work and they return back home safe and sound. Hamas’ intent to kill Israeli civilians and Israel’s intent to help the life of the people of the Gaza strip are evident. This is the difference between those who love death and those who love life and give life.
Anti-Semite: You Zionists cannot change our minds through presenting these fake facts and figures. You cannot hide your crimes. You have displaced millions of Palestinians and how could you hide these crimes? Palestinian refugees are all around the world because of your Zionist crimes.
Zionist: I have already explained to you that those Arabs who left Israel in the Independence War did so because they were told to do so by the Arab states. By the way, what about those Jewish refugees who were displaced from their home countries into Israel? Can’t you see these crimes?! Here are the figures of Jewish displacement before answering about the so called Palestinian refugees.
In 1948, about 850,000 Jews were displaced from the Arab countries which include 8,000 from Aden, 140,000 from Algeria, 75,000 from Egypt, 135,000 from Iraq, 5,000 from Lebanon, 38,000 from Libya, 265,000 from Morocco, 30,000 from Syria, 105,000 from Tunisia and 55,000 from Yemen. No one speaks about these Jews who left everything behind from homes to businesses. Who will compensate them including their new generation? Yet, some people say, Jews got their country, Israel, so why do we still talk about them as refugees? Exactly, the same Palestinians got citizenships in European countries and their new generations are citizens of a western country, so why do they still call them Palestinian refugees?!
Those who are still living in refugee camps, why do they not go to their country Jordan which was created for Palestinians? 60% of the population of the Kingdom of Jordan is Palestinian. Jordan uses the refugee issue to increase pressure on Israel, even though Jordan can accommodate the rest of them as well. There are 22 Arab countries but they don’t take those Palestinian refugees back because they want this issue alive in order to pressure and single out Israel at the international level.
Anti-Semite: These people were displaced in wars with Israel; it was not their fault. So why do they suffer only?
Zionist: During wars, people of other nations too were displaced so why don’t you talk about them? Aren’t they humans or aren’t they Muslims? It is because there isn’t a Jew behind their displacement to blame so you don’t mention it. I will give you the real figures of people of other nations who were displaced because of wars.
According to the report by Global Overview 2014, the following peoples were internally displaced by conflict, war and violence: 746,700 in Pakistan, 280,000 in Bangladesh, 640,900 in Myanmar, 953,700 in Turkey, 631,000 in Afghanistan, 526,000 in India, 6,500,000 in Syria, 1,100,000 in Somalia, 2,426,700 in Sudan, 3,300,000 in Nigeria, 2,100,000 in Iraq and 146,000 in Palestine.
Now, what would you say? Look at the figure and tell me which nation’s refugees suffer less in the Muslim’s world? Of course, PALESTINIANS and you people are still mourning for them! Can’t you see other peoples? Can’t you feel the pain of other Muslims suffering around you? You just see Palestinians because you can find an easy target to blame Jews for that. You people are nothing but anti-Semites.
Anti-Semite: Israel is the only country which is behind all of killings in the Muslim world. Israel is the only country to be blamed for their displacement.
Zionist: I knew that you people never accept the truth and are always ready to blame Israel and Israelis. So, you think that Israel is killing all Muslims in the Middle East and Israel is responsible for all problems in the Muslim countries? Was Saddam Husain a Jew? Is Bashar Assad a Jew? Was General Yahya Khan a Jew? Was Kamal Ataturk a Jew? Is El-Sisi a Jew? Was Colonel Gaddafi Jew? Those head of states who were/are involved in the killings of their own Muslims are Muslims, not Jews. The jihadi/terrorist organisations belong to Muslims not Jews. The figure shows that “over 90% of the 11 million Muslims in the Middle East have been killed by Muslims and only 0.3% have been killed by Israel throughout 66 years of conflict.” YET, Israel is accused of being the root of the Middle East’s problems!!! This is nothing but a pure anti-Semitic and anti-Israel attitude.
Anti-Semite: I don’t want to talk to you about these issues any more. I just want to tell you that Hamas is a resistance movement and is better for the future of the Palestinians. Hamas will achieve independence from Israel one day.
Zionist: HAMAS, a well-wisher of the Palestinians! This is nothing but a joke to me. Either you hide all the corruption of Hamas and PA or know nothing about these organisations. I think I can provide you the facts and figures and present to you the real face of Hamas and Fatah (PA). I know you people would not accept it but at least I can educate you and try to open your eyes.
Hamas is one of the wealthiest terrorist organisations in the world. Its members have billions of dollars of assets throughout the Middle East and in the Gaza Strip as well. Hamas leaders are millionaires and even billionaires. They have 4 and 5 star hotels, gyms, restaurants, apartments, villas and shopping centres in Gaza and in other Middle Eastern countries.
There are many Hamas leaders who were nothing and belonged to refugee camps including Ismael Haniyeh. But now they are multi-millionaires and some of them are even billionaires. The founding members of the Hamas organisation are Khaled Mashaal, Ismael Haniyeh and Dr. Musa Abu Marzook. Their wealth is worth billions of dollars. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, one of the most prestigious in the Arab world, recently reported that at least 600 millionaires were living in the Gaza Strip – the same people sitting on the money pipelines there. Hamas collects $250 million in taxes per year from Gazans and that money could pay for more than 339,600 Gazan civilians to have an average monthly salary in Gaza in a recent report.
The Fatah spokesman claimed that while Gaza is one of the poorest places in the world, there are 1,700 millionaires among Hamas members, hinting that the terror group imposes steep taxes on its citizens for goods entering from Egypt and Israel and that this money finds its way into Hamas officials’ pockets. In 2012, a Jordanian website reported that Mashal had control of a massive $2.6 billion with a large part deposited in Qatari and Egyptian banks.
It is not only Hamas but the PA is hugely involved with corruption as well. PA President Mahmood Abbas’ son has a mobile phone company which provides mobile networks throughout the Palestinian Authority. No one can open a company in a PA area without giving a commission to Abu Mazen. A year ago, Mohammad Dahlan, who used to be a senior level Fatah security officer in Gaza, filed an international lawsuit against President Abu-Mazen, claiming Abbas has stolen over $1 billion from the Palestinian budget.
The world, especially the Islamic world, accused Israel of not providing enough life resources for the people of Palestine including the Gaza Strip but they don’t think that Palestinian political leaders are responsible for their people’s horrible condition.
According to a World Bank report released in November of last year, the Gaza Strip ranks third in the Arab region in terms of poverty, ranking above only Sudan and Yemen. The report stated that the poverty rate in Gaza stands at 38 percent. Furthermore, of the 144 countries included in the report, Gaza was the 44th poorest, with most of the countries with a higher poverty rate being located in Africa. Global estimates say Mashaal is worth $2.6 billion, but Arab commentators alongside other sources say he is worth between 2 and 5 billion as he “invested in Egyptian banks and the Gulf countries including in real estate projects.”
Anti-Semite: I do not believe whatever you said and whatever you provided as evidence are facts that are generated by Zionists. We will defend Palestine and Hamas. We will support our Palestinian Muslims and will fight you until our last breath. We will get our freedom and one day we will destroy Israel, including all you Zionists. Bye
Zionist: Anti-Semites or Anti-Israelis will never accept whatever facts we can provide and they will hate us for political reasons but we will continue providing them with evidence and facts which are not fabricated. While the anti-Semitism continues, others continue to suffer. We will educate people and we hope if we change one mind, we will certainly change one generation. We will continue to defend our country and our nation without caring what the world considers it; we have right to exist, the right to defend and the right to live freely without fear.
Noor Dahri is an independent researcher based in London, UK. He has studied Counter Terrorism from International Institute for Counter Terrorism ICT- Herzliya – Israel. He is a honorary member of the ZF-UK
