Dakota Beacon

A recent article written by Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, appeared in “Capitalism Magazine” (the on-line version). He encouraged readers to share his observations and comments and I am doing just that. The June 24, 2024, article bears the title “Why No Arab or Muslim Nation Has Been Willing to Accept Palestinian Refugees from Gaza.”

Dershowitz opens with a poignant and little-known observation. In his words, “Israel has long been the primary supporter of the Palestinian people, both on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Israelis… opened their borders to Palestinian workers... [and] accepted Palestinian patients, including… terrorists, into their… hospitals… Even during the current Gaza war, Israel has provided more food, medicine and humanitarian aid to Palestinians than any country...”

Dershowitz then asks the obvious question. “What have other countries done? Very little. Norway, Ireland and Spain… ‘formally recognized a Palestinian state.’ How does that help the Palestinian people? It doesn’t… The only reason [they]… can safely recognize a Palestinian state is that they do not have to live with the consequences.”

What are the consequences of accepting Palestinian refugees into a country? Dershowitz offers evidence as follows. “Consider the fact that no Arab or Muslim nation has been willing to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza… [A]nyone who has tried to help the Palestinians has lived to regret it. When Jordan took them in, the Palestinians tried to overthrow the government of King Hussein in 1970. The attempted coup, known as Black September, ended with the Palestinians being expelled to Lebanon. Once there, a civil war erupted between the Muslims, backed by the PLO, and the Christians, resulting in the PLO being expelled once again, this time to Tunisia in 1982. After Kuwait offered roughly 400,000 Palestinians visas and jobs, and Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the PLO sided with Iraq. After the liberation of Kuwait, an estimated 200,000 were expelled and another 200,000 were not allowed back.”

Dershowitz continues with further observations. “Egypt, which has its own history of terrorism in the Sinai, has closed its borders to Palestinians. Lebanon has kept much of its Palestinian population in refugee camps for decades. Jordan killed Palestinians who were building a state within a state, during Black September. Saudi Arabia has shut its doors. Qatar has taken a few Gazans in need of medical care but has refused to accept large numbers of refugees.”

“After Israel forced its own people out of Gaza in 2005 to allow a Palestinian [state] … instead, in 2006 the Palestinians elected Hamas, which built more than 350 miles of terror tunnels, a ‘city under a city’.”

“It is not the responsibility of Israel to make life better for the Palestinians… In 2000, 2001 and again in 2007, Israel offered the Palestinians the West Bank and to move toward the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state, but the Palestinian leadership rejected these opportunities, without even a counteroffer. As an Israeli scholar once put it, ‘Palestinian leadership does not know how to take yes for an answer.’”

No wonder their neighbors prefer not to take in Gazans. Palestinians chose Hamas to run their government using “free elections.” Palestinians support Hamas with men, money, and material. Why would any state welcome a population like this to settle within its borders who actively embrace a terrorist organization?

“Those who claim to support the Palestinians ought to put up or shut up. Instead of constantly attacking Israel for its imperfections, they ought to be urging Arab and Muslim nations to help the Palestinians in material ways. These would include demanding the end of incitement to violence and the end of the Palestinians’ murder-for-hire ‘pay-for-slay’ program, which incentivizes terrorism by paying the terrorists’ families for life if they murder Jews.”

Dershowitz succinctly articulates a defense for Israel’s actions. Unfortunately, the legacy media long ago betrayed America’s trust by not telling us both sides of the story.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).