A Few Things I Have Learned

A  few things I have learned in the last two days. 

At the 4-day conference that the City of Bethlehem has organized for Latin American-Palestinians living in the diaspora— “The Second Diaspora Convention”— I learned that the theft of Palestinian heritage via archeological digs and the  confiscation of ancient artifacts started back in the 1920’s under British military control. In other words, Britain encouraged and supported the early Zionists’ efforts to prove that they were the original (and only?) inhabitants of Palestine.  This they did under their Internationally sanctioned  colonization of the area in the post-WWI “British Mandate.”

I have known about the more recent Israeli excavations, especially under the Old City of East Jerusalem, seeking thereby to prove Jewish historical ownership of everything from the river to the sea. Likewise, in the Northern West Bank town of Sebastia there is a well-preserved Roman amphitheater where settlers try to fly the Israeli flag. This is the Zionist dream that Israel is now pushing into reality. Their digging under the Old City is causing the Palestinian houses above ground to crack.  Some families have had to evacuate their homes which are no longer safe.  Thus Israel kills two birds with one stone: they get their stolen proof, and  the Palestinians leave.

Do I sound cynical?  I am not.  It is not my nature.  I am telling the truth according to reports from professional Israeli archeologists who question the methods being used by these opportunistic diggers, and reports of Palestinian journalists who have interviewed the dispossessed families.  That is enough proof for me.

Another thing I learned is that the CIA has about 60 employees in none other than the city of Ramallah, the Palestinian equivalent of Washington DC..   Ramallah is a West Bank city, supposedly under Palestinian control. The CIA is there to advise the Palestinians on how to do security cooperation with Israel. Do you smell a rat? The Guardian newspaper reported in 2009 that half the PA’s budget is from international donors, and at least a quarter of that goes to security, which includes a force of about 7,500 security personnel - police, etc— trained by US, British, Canadian and Turkish army officers under the command of a US. General. (The Guardian, Dec, 17, 2009)

I could have researched this before now, because it is documented on the CIA website. But that is not a website I am accustomed to visiting!