(JNS) Danny Danon - When PA leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke before the UN Security Council last week to denounce the U.S. Mideast peace plan, he brought with him a series of maps which purport to show how "Historic Palestine" has "disappeared" over the course of the 20th century. This episode represents a growing trend of rewriting the historical record of the Middle East. Abbas' graphic misleadingly suggests how "Historic Palestine" in 1917 has shrunk in size through a series of compromises until it is barely recognizable in 2020. Taken at face value, the map suggests that the creation and growth of one state, Israel, came at the expense of another, Palestine. The truth, however, is altogether different. The notion that a state of Palestine existed in 1917 is a fantastical reinterpretation of history. Moreover, as the Jews continually agreed to international offers for compromise and partition, the Arabs' and Palestinians' response each time was "no." Presenting these maps as "compromises" on the part of the Palestinians is rewriting history. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the UN.
2020-02-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive