From: ayr1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Amir Y Rosenblatt)
Subject: Re: Legality of the Jewish Purchase (was Re: Israeli Expansion-lust)
Nntp-Posting-Host: cunixa.cc.columbia.edu
Reply-To: ayr1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Amir Y Rosenblatt)
Organization: Columbia University
Lines: 69

In article <1993Apr16.225910.16670@bnr.ca> zbib@bnr.ca writes:
>Adam Shostack writes: 
>> Sam Zbib writes
>   >>I'm surprised that you don't consider the acquisition of land by
>   >>the Jews from arabs, for the purpose of establishing an exclusive
>   >>state, as a hostile action leading to war.
>
>>	It was for the purpose of establishing a state, not an
>> exclusive state.  If the state was to be exclusive, it would not have
>> 400 000 arab citizens.
>
>Could you please tell me what was the ethnic composition of 
>Israel right after it was formed. 
>
>
>> 	And no, I do not consider the purchase of land a hostile
>> action.  When someone wants to buy land, and someone else is willing
>> to sell it, at a mutually agreeable price, then that is commerce.  It
>> is not a hostile action leading to war.
>
>No one in his right mind would sell his freedom and dignity.
>Palestinians are no exception. Perhaps you heard about
>anti-trust in the business world.
>
>Since we are debating the legality of a commercial
>transaction, we must use the laws governing the guidelines
>and ethics of such transactions. Basic ANTI-TRUST law says
>that, while you can purchase IBM stocks for the purpose of
>investing, you can not acquire a large number of those
>shares with the intent or controlling IBM. You can do so
>only if you make your intentions CLEAR apriori . Clearly,
>the Jews who purchased properties from palastenians had some
>designs, they were not buying a dwelling or a real estate.
>They were establishing a bridgehead for the European Jews.
>
>The palastenians sold their properties to the Jews in the
>old tradition of arab hospitality. Being a multi-ethnic /
>multi-religious society, accepting the jews as neighbours
>was no different, just another religion. Plus they paid fair
>market value, etc... They did not know they were victims of
>an international conspiracy. (I'm not a conspiracy theorist
>myself, but this one is hard to dismiss).
>

Right now, I'm just going to address this point.
When the Jewish National Fund bought most of its land,
It didn't buy it from the Palestinians themselves, because,
for the most part, they were tenant farmers (fallahin),
living on land owned by wealthy Arabs in Syria and Lebanon.
The JNF offered a premium deal, so the owners took advantage of
it.   It's called commerce.  The owners, however, made no 
provisions for those who had worked for them, basically shafting 
them by selling the land right out from under them.
They are to blame, not the Jews.

>
>> Adam Shostack 				       adam@das.harvard.edu
>
>-- 
>Sam Zbib                                         Bell-Northern Research
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>       My opinions are my own and no one else's


Amir
