On the Palestinian Information Center website in Arabic – said to be the leading gateway site in Hamas’ online propaganda network – Ibrahim Al Madhoun makes a startling admission regarding the “Nakba” (auto-translated):
We are living these days the seventy-fourth anniversary of the loss of Palestine and the scattering of its people across the globe, with what was called the Nakba because of the pain and repercussions that every Palestinian has suffered for decades , is able to defend and protect its land, but the loss of Palestine for all this time raises many questions and exclamation points.
When our fathers left their lands, cities, and homes, they kept their money, belongings, clothes and ornaments, and they only took with them the land and the key to the house.
Unfortunately, some of the armies of the Arab regimes participated in persuading the people and towns to emigrate and leave their homes, under the pretext of defending and fighting the Zionist gangs. The Palestinians believed them and trusted them, so the families withdrew in the hope that the defeat of the Zionist gangs would break their thorns, and then the armies were defeated and lost and fled and handed over Palestine.
The people of Palestine would sell their wives’ jewelry for one piece of gunpowder, with which they would defend their village, and the Arab armies would collect weapons from them and promise them to fight on their behalf, so they would receive the weapons and expel the fighters and then withdraw without a fight.
It was enough for the Arab leadership to support the Palestinian fighters with weapons and money, or not to interfere and leave them alone so that Palestine would not be lost. However, they did not do that. They intervened, planned, mobilized, and then handed over the country with ease.
Unlike the prevailing narrative of the Israel-haters that we expelled the palestinian Arabs, here is an admission that many people left at the behest of the Arab armies, who promised they could return after the certain victory.
Interestingly enough, this article does not appear on the English version of the website. Perhaps they realize this would be a huge own goal if it saw light of day. Oops!
Not that this is the first admission by palestinian Arabs that many left on their own volition. Mahmoud Abbas has admitted it, as have others.
Hat tip: Memri
