Times Series on Arab World
A standard in the propaganda campaign against Israel is the accusation that Israel “expelled” the Arabs in 1948 and thereby created the Palestinian refugee problem. It is unfortunate that David Lamb evokes this myth in his front-page piece (July 15), “Arab Power on the Wane Despite Oil.”
Fact: After the War of Independence the call of Arab leaders for emigration from Israel, combined with a self-imposed panic, generated the flight of Arabs. This, in spite of Israel’s efforts to reassure them.
Recently discovered documents of the British Mandatory authorities--not exactly a pro-Israeli source--lend proof of Israel’s efforts to convince the Arabs not to flee. On April 26, 1948 the British superintendent of police in Haifa wrote in a secret memorandum: “Every effort is being made by the Jews to persuade the Arab populace to stay and carry on with their normal lives, to get their shops and businesses open and to be assured that their lives and interests will be safe.”
It would be advisable for a widely respected newspaper like The Times to pay more attention to historical accuracy in order not to play a part in propagating certain mistruths about the Middle East.
LARRY DRESSLER
Los Angeles
Dressler is assistant regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
