Martial Law: Imminent Arrival?

[Lauren Johnson]

Back in the day, I used to get very emotional over the theme from Exodus.

Daniel Pipes' quote offered by Phil reveals the mythological nature of his telling of the founding of the state of Israel.

Only when the British Mandate of Palestine gave up power in 1948, followed immediately by an all-out attempt by Arab states to crush and expel the Zionists, did the latter take up the sword in self-defense and go on to win land through military conquest. Even then, as the historian Efraim Karsh demonstrates in Palestine Betrayed, most Arabs fled their lands; exceedingly few were forced off.

In order to hold up mythologies, one must tell lies. Usually they are whoppers. "Did you know Deir Yassin never happened and if it did -- so what?

Giving up those lies is painful. For all of us.

Benny Morris' book Righteous Victims has to be painful because Morris strips away the mythology and turns it into a something that is painfully truthful.

Not much is left feel triumphant about. (I live on land that was a fishery for native peoples. Hard to celebrate that.)

Morris was vilified and since has altered his views. He has become more mythological.

In honor of Daniel Pipes, I offer this rendition from the theme from Exodus.