Concise Explanation of the Middle East War 665
by Steven Plaut

Myth #1: Israel is an aggressor.
Truth #1: Israel is the victim.

Myth # 2: The "intifada" wave of Palestinian terror was caused by
Israeli occupation.
Truth #2: The "intifada" wave of Palestinian terror was caused by
removal of Israeli occupation.

Myth #3: The territory of Israel used to be an Arab Palestinian
state.
Truth #3: There has never been an Arab Palestinian state anywhere,
anytime.

Myth #4: Arabs are mistreated by Israel.
Truth #4: Arabs under Israeli rule are treated infinitely better than
are Arabs living under Arab regimes.

Myth #5: The West Bank is Palestinian land.
Truth #5: The West Bank is Jewish land, even though some governments
of Israel have been prepared to relinquish it.

Myth #6: Creation of a Palestinian state will produce peace.
Truth #6: Creation of a Palestinian state will produce escalated war,
perpetual terrorism and barbarism.

Myth #7: Arab war and terrorism against Israel was produced by
Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Truth #7: Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza was produced
by Arab war and terrorism against Israel.

Myth #8: Israeli leftists are seeking to achieve peace.
Truth #8: Israeli leftists are motivated by hatred of their own
country and their own people, and are seeking their destruction.

Myth #9: Arab terrorism is a byproduct of poverty.
Truth #9: Arab terrorists are almost all middle class and educated
yuppies.

Myth #10: The key to peace is granting Palestinians hope.
Truth #10: The key to peace is taking away Palestinian hope (of
destroying Israel).

Myth #11: The Palestinians seek to have their own state alongside
Israel.
Truth #11: The Palestinians and their apologists seek to destroy
Israel and conduct genocide against Jews.

Myth #12: Zionism is a form of racism.
Truth #12: Anti-Zionism is a form of racism.
Myth #13: Arab violence is a result of excessive use of force by
Israel.
Truth #13: Arab violence is a result of insufficient use of force by
Israel.

Myth #14: Israel can only achieve tranquility through displays of
niceness.
Truth #14: Israel can only achieve tranquility through displays of
harshness.

Myth #15: Israeli displays of flexibility and willingness to make
concessions build Arab trust.
Truth #15: Israeli displays of flexibility and willingness to make
concessions are seen by the Arabs as signs of weakness and encourage Arab
aggression and irredentism.

Myth #16: The bulk of Palestinians want peace with Israel and oppose
terror.
Truth #16: Virtually all Palestinians support war and endorse terror.
None have publicly denounced terrorism.

Myth #17: Arafat is trying to halt the terror.
Truth #17: Arafat personally commands the terrorist groups carrying
out most of the violence.

Myth #18: The Road Map is an effective plan to achieve peace.
Truth #18: The Road Map is an effective plan to achieve the
destruction of Israel.

Myth #19: The Palestinian cause is similar to that of black South
Africans under apartheid.
Truth #19: The Palestinian cause is similar to that of the Sudeten
Germans in Czechoslovakia.

Myth #20: Israel is an apartheid country.
Truth #20: Israel is the only state in the Middle East that is NOT an
apartheid country.

Myth #21: The Arab war against Israel is a struggle for justice.
Truth #21: The Arab war against Israel is a struggle for injustice.

Myth #22: The Middle East war is a result of unwillingness by Israel
to share land and resources.
Truth #22: The Arabs control land from the Atlas mountains to Central
Asia. The war is because they are unwilling for the Jews to control an
area smaller than New Jersey.

Myth #23: Arabs became refugees because Israel expelled them.
Truth #24: Jews from Arab states became refugees because the Arab
countries expelled them.
Myth #25: The Middle East war is about Israel refusing to acknowledge
the Palestinian right of self-determination.
Truth #25: The Middle East war is about the Arab world refusing to
allow the Israeli Jews the right of self-determination.