Monadnock Ledger-Transcript · 13 October 2015

CP-2015-016

Reconsidering U.S. support for Israel

By Tricia Saenger

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Transcribed from the clipping

As presidential candidates vie to be the biggest supporter of Israel, this is an excellent time to examine America’s support for Israel. Israel defines itself as the Jewish democratic state. In order to remain both Jewish and democratic, Israel must maintain a substantial Jewish majority.

Yet, Israel was established in an area where Jews were in the minority (in 1947 Palestine, Jews owned only about 6 percent of the land while non-Jews owned 94 percent). Immediately establishing a Jewish majority required not only significant Jewish immigration but also a widespread appropriation of non-Jewish property.

This was accomplished by 1) preventing non-Jews who fled in 1948 from returning and 2) instituting discriminatory laws that effected involuntary land transfers to the Jewish state. In 1950, Israel passed the Law of Return: “Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an [immigrating Jew]. This law is still in effect.

A Jew who grew up in Peterborough and decides to move to Israel today has more rights there than a non-Jewish Palestinian who used to live in Israel before 1948 and still has the key to his house there. Also in 1950, Israel passed the Absentee Property Law which allowed for the confiscation of lands previously owned by non-Jews.

The law declared any property situated within the post-war boundaries of Israel and whose owner had left the country between November 29, 1947 and May 19, 1948, or who went abroad or to an area of Palestine held by hostile forces up to Sept. 1, 1948, lost all rights to that property.

The law’s language was tailored so that under the guise of impartiality, land was confiscated solely from non-Jews who were declared “absentees.” The property was then turned over to the Custodian of Absentee Property, whose job was to transfer this property for the exclusive use of the Jewish population.

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