Comments on: A Nakba Memorial, of Sorts http://mondoweiss.net/2008/05/a-nakba-memoria.html The War of Ideas in the Middle East Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:41:06 +0000 hourly 1 By: the Sword of Gideon http://mondoweiss.net/2008/05/a-nakba-memoria.html/comment-page-1#comment-59462 the Sword of Gideon Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/05/15/a-nakba-memoria.html#comment-59462 <p>Are you sure that Hannah Mermelstein didn't start out life has Henry. That is one ugly broad.</p> Are you sure that Hannah Mermelstein didn't start out life has Henry. That is one ugly broad.

]]> By: William Burns http://mondoweiss.net/2008/05/a-nakba-memoria.html/comment-page-1#comment-59463 William Burns Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/05/15/a-nakba-memoria.html#comment-59463 <p>You really get off on insulting women, don't you, "Sword of Gideon."?</p> You really get off on insulting women, don't you, "Sword of Gideon."?

]]> By: bar_kochba132 http://mondoweiss.net/2008/05/a-nakba-memoria.html/comment-page-1#comment-59464 bar_kochba132 Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/05/15/a-nakba-memoria.html#comment-59464 <p>Wow! You actually got 10 anti-Zionist Jews to show up. Why didn't they join rank with the extremist Haredi Neturei Kartas groups? They could have made the group bigger. They might have had 20, instead. Would have looked better in a propaganda photo. Meanwhile, thousands of Jewish youth are signed up this year for Birthright. Tens of thousands more will show up for the annual Salute to Israel parade in Manhattan.</p> <p>Interestingly enough, I found out that you are not using the term "Naqba" in its original sense. Palestinians first used the term in 1920. George Antonius, whose book "The Arab Awakening", written in 1938 to explain "Arab Nationalism" to a Western Audience writes on page 312 , "The year 1920 has an evil name in Arab annals: it is referred to as the Year of theCatastrophe (Am al-Nakba). It saw the first armed risings that occurred inprotest against the post-War settlement imposed by the Allies on the Arab countries. In that year, serious outbreaks took place in Syria, Palestine,and Iraq." 1938 was the first attempt to define Arab nationalism for a Western audience. <br /> It was because the Palestine mandate was separated from Syria that the "Palestinians" protested. The viewed it as a "Naqba" that their country was defined as "Palestine" and not part of Syria, since they viewed themselves as "Syrians" and REJECTED the term "Palestinian". Thus, the original "Naqba" was when the identity "Palestinian" was thrust upon the Arabs of Eretz Israel AGAINST THEIR WILL. </p> Wow! You actually got 10 anti-Zionist Jews to show up. Why didn't they join rank with the extremist Haredi Neturei Kartas groups? They could have made the group bigger. They might have had 20, instead. Would have looked better in a propaganda photo. Meanwhile, thousands of Jewish youth are signed up this year for Birthright. Tens of thousands more will show up for the annual Salute to Israel parade in Manhattan.

Interestingly enough, I found out that you are not using the term "Naqba" in its original sense. Palestinians first used the term in 1920. George Antonius, whose book "The Arab Awakening", written in 1938 to explain "Arab Nationalism" to a Western Audience writes on page 312 , "The year 1920 has an evil name in Arab annals: it is referred to as the Year of theCatastrophe (Am al-Nakba). It saw the first armed risings that occurred inprotest against the post-War settlement imposed by the Allies on the Arab countries. In that year, serious outbreaks took place in Syria, Palestine,and Iraq." 1938 was the first attempt to define Arab nationalism for a Western audience.
It was because the Palestine mandate was separated from Syria that the "Palestinians" protested. The viewed it as a "Naqba" that their country was defined as "Palestine" and not part of Syria, since they viewed themselves as "Syrians" and REJECTED the term "Palestinian". Thus, the original "Naqba" was when the identity "Palestinian" was thrust upon the Arabs of Eretz Israel AGAINST THEIR WILL.

]]> By: Peter http://mondoweiss.net/2008/05/a-nakba-memoria.html/comment-page-1#comment-59465 Peter Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/05/15/a-nakba-memoria.html#comment-59465 <p>bar_kochba, besides your suggestion that the number of the gathered people has anything to do with the rightness of their position, which I find objectionable, your story about the original use of the term Naqba - a recent Zionist blogosphere toy - is not very smart. What difference does it make what the word was used for before? It symbolizes something now, that's what is important. Tell me, now, as an adherent of original meanings, did Matan Vilnai use the word "Shoah" (holocaust) to describe what awaits Gazans if they don't stop the Qassam attack on Israel in its original sense? If so, then you have an Israeli govenment official talking about genocide for the Palestinians and as such he should be tried in court and thrown in jail ASAP (if only he were the only one).</p> bar_kochba, besides your suggestion that the number of the gathered people has anything to do with the rightness of their position, which I find objectionable, your story about the original use of the term Naqba – a recent Zionist blogosphere toy – is not very smart. What difference does it make what the word was used for before? It symbolizes something now, that's what is important. Tell me, now, as an adherent of original meanings, did Matan Vilnai use the word "Shoah" (holocaust) to describe what awaits Gazans if they don't stop the Qassam attack on Israel in its original sense? If so, then you have an Israeli govenment official talking about genocide for the Palestinians and as such he should be tried in court and thrown in jail ASAP (if only he were the only one).

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