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Source: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0805/22edinternational.html
Latest Case of Ethnic Cleansing
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Jeff Fishman - As I watch the removal of Jewish families from their homes in Gaza and listen to the world praising Israel for taking this step toward peace, I wonder why there is no criticism of the Palestinians and no outrage at the ethnic cleansing the world seems to condone and endorse. Why is it necessary and acceptable to remove such a tiny minority from Gaza? What is so special about Jews that it is the normal course of events to expel them from their homes simply because they are Jews? Would it have been such a hardship for a million and a half Palestinians to have about 9,000 Jewish neighbors? What makes it acceptable for the Arabs to so threaten the existence of those few that the only way to protect them from violent attacks is to either maintain a military presence or move them away? Israel has a million Arab citizens and has expelled none of them. When Israel became a nation in 1948, the surrounding Arab countries expelled their Jews and sent them to live in the Jewish state, after confiscating most of their possessions. But Arabs in Israel were invited to stay and be Israeli citizens with full voting rights in the new democracy. Despite the attacks, economic difficulties, and cultural differences, the Jews in Israel worked hard to integrate their Arab citizens and afford them full rights. But still, the Arabs have no room for Jews.