"When you come into the land that G-d your L-rd is
giving you as an heritage, occupying and settling it." (Deut. 26:1)
One
of the grave mistakes Eretz Yisroel's government and pro-Israel PR groups
are making in their presentation of the current situation to the world
is that they continue to call the Arabs who are occupying Eretz Yisroel
"Palestinians."
The
language we use in incredibly important. As is taught in kabbala, a person's
name is connected with his essence. It is vital to understand why our
enemies have chosen a media propaganda campaign based on rights of a false
"Occupied Palestinian Nation" in their war against the Jews.
A bit
of history. The Romans destroyed the second Beis HaMikdash, butchered
thousands of Jews, and sent the surviving Jewish people out of Eretz Yisroel,
scattering us throughout their empire. In an attempt to erase all Jewish
connection to the Holy Land, the Romans renamed Jerusalem Aelias Capitolina,
or Capital City, and renamed the entire Eretz Yisroel "Palestina."
Why "Palestina"? Because the Philistines, who lived on the Mediterranean
coast near Gaza and Ashkelon, were our arch enemies. To further humiliate
and degrade the Jewish people, not only did the Romans kill and exile
us from our Holy Land, but they also renamed the entire Land of Israel
according to the name of our arch enemies, the Plishtim, or Philistines.
Now,
the Philistines were not Arabs at all. The Arabs had not yet invaded Eretz
Yisroel. The Philistines were descendants of the Aegean Greeks, who migrated
down the coastline from Greece.
There
was never a "Palestinian" nation or a "Palestinian"
people. The name "Palestine" stuck, and the Holy Land was referred
to by this name by many goyim, as well as by certain Jews, who called
themselves "Palestinians."
This
is evidenced in the books, songs, and publicity of the Zionist movement
in the early part of the 1900's. And at the World Fair in 1939, the Palestine
exhibit was none other than the exhibit of the Jewish community of Eretz
Yisroel at the time.
Sure
there were Arabs who lived in Eretz Yisroel, but they were migrants from
Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Arab lands. Even Arafat, yimach
shmo, the "leader" of the "Palestinian" nation was
born in Egypt, as were his parents.
For
public relations and educational purposes, it is absolutely critical that
we cease to call the Arabs of Eretz Yisroel by a name that helps their
goals of feeding the world misinformation and hostile propaganda, in claiming
that the Holy Land belongs to them.
We
must begin to make a conscious effort to call them what they truly are:
ruthless Arab settlers, Arab occupiers of our country, the land that G-d
gave to us, the Jewish people. Or simply, "Arabs." But not Palestinians.
May the darkness of Galus be no more and may all the nations of the world
see the truth with the coming of Moshiach now!
Zelig Krymko is former Director
of College Activism for ZOA, and is the national director of TruePeace.org.
He does presentations and debates on college campuses, Chabad Houses,
and communities across the U.S. When he was a student in Safed he worked
as a counselor in Ascent.
To arrange a multimedia presentation
with videos, maps, a historical background and the Rebbe's perspective
on the current situation in your community, please contact Zelig@TruePeace.org
or call 1-877-TRUE-PEACE. The website address is www.TruePeace.org
To order bumper stickers please contact: hillelhellinger@hotmail.com or
call 305-770-1137
For unbiased news: www.IsraelNationalNews.com
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