Hopkins One has to “read between the lines” and search beyond what the liberal establishment media says to learn the truth about things, particularly as to the Palestinians, Israel and the late Yasser Arafat. The liberal western media presented Arafat as the “George Washington” of the beleaguered Palestinians. They sought to present him as selflessly giving his life for the freedom of the dispossessed Palestinians. Actually, the Palestinians are not dispossessed or unrepresented in Israel. I learned a few weeks ago that Palestinians have representation and votes in the Knesset. The truth is there is no such thing as a Palestinian language, culture or history. What is called Palestinian is simply Arab and all the Palestinians speak Arabic. While visiting Israel I learned by observing that Palestinians refuse to acknowledge Israel, the Israeli people; even Palestinian signs display only Arabic and English. Israelis display Arabic, Hebrew, English and sometimes other languages in different areas. Ironically, Yasser Arafat was not a Palestinian. He assumed the leadership of the movement and began speaking for it. Yasser Arafat was actually an Egyptian terrorist who was responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent victims. So he was a man of violence and viciousness seeking to harm as many Israelis as possible. He was not poor or honest in his dealings as a terrorist and promoter of terror through the Palestinian Authority (PA). He actually took billions of dollars for himself and his family from that movement. My question is about his money. Arafat had billions of dollars skimmed from money intended to assist the beleaguered Palestinians. He siphoned off millions through hidden accounts and complicated arrangements. Investigators at one point estimated that the total he may have taken was between 1 and 3 billion U.S. dollars. He lived off this vast sum and funded his wife. Arafat’s widow, Suha, was actually born and reared as a Roman Catholic, having been educated in a Catholic convent and at the Sorbonne. She was the daughter of a wealthy banker. She married Arafat at the age of 27 (he was 61) and all the while she continued to live in luxury and extravagance. While married to Arafat she lived most of the time in Paris, receiving a living allowance of approximately $250,000 a month from the PA budget. She actually divided her time among three luxurious homes in France, one that cost $16,000 a night. She earned a reputation for extravagant spending (even Arafat privately compared her to Imelda Marcos). At Arafat’s death, questions were raised about the billions he took. Officials with the PA, knowing about Arafat’s stolen money, wanted it back. In fact, Suha did not attend Arafat’s funeral because she feared that the PA might arrest her and detain her in order to gain control of the billions in his assets. That wasn’t the strangest thing in this international drama in Arafat’s final sad finale. As things unfolded the PA ironically requested that the Israeli government help them find the hidden billions. The sad thing about this tragic drama is, if and when the PA finds the billions and regains control of them they will use the money to kill more Israelis. This is another illustration of the tragedy involving the Palestinians and the dictatorship of Arafat. Again the question we must ask is, “Where is Arafat’s billions?” There are connections in words, people, places and ancient things. The Palestinians want to be associated with the Philistines and the ancient peoples of this area known as “the Promised Land.” The Old Testament Philistia, the home of the hated Philistines, was situated on the Mediterranean Sea, on the southwest coast of the Promised Land. Philistia was historically divided into five city states — Ashkelon, Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath (home town of Goliath). The Philistines were actually descendents of Phoenician seafarers (not Arabs), who were fierce pagan warriors perpetually fighting the Jews. In fact, in the time of the Judges, Samson went to Ashkelon, killed thirty Philistines, taking their garments to pay a debt (Judges 14). The area that was then Philistia is today what is known as the Gaza Strip. It is amazing that cities still exist with names like Gaza and Ashkelon. Amazingly, names and places come together in the simple plant we know as the onion. From ancient times Ashkelon was known for its onions that grow to be very slender with small bulbs at their base. Some linguists contend that the onion actually contributed the name of the city. In New Testament times Ashkalon was pronounced “Ascalon” and it was famous for its onions called “ascallions.” These onions today are called scallions, shallots or leeks. For many folks in the American South, these are simply “green onions” that produce mostly edible green tops. This is one of the fascinating connections that link these green onions and the Gaza Strip. In this there is a little miscellaneous history and linguistic novelty giving us an idea as to what is historically and presently real about this area. Is this attempt to associate Palestinians and Philistines legitimate? No! There is no connection at all between the Palestinians of today and the ancient Philistines. The ancient Philistines are extinct. They no longer exist as an ethnic or racial group. There are no identifiable survivors from these ancient people. The only connections today are the words that were created by the Romans to identify this geographical area. In this there is an interesting story that can explain how things developed. The Romans intentionally chose to insult the Jews by using the name “Palestina” for the region. The term was derived from “Philistines” as a deliberate and determined insult to the Jews. Thus the name stuck and ultimately was legitimized when the British labeled the Jewish homeland established during World War I as “Palestine.” Thus the only actual descendant from the ancient Philistines is the name “Palestine” via the Romans. It should be clearly understood that the present Palestinians are not related in anyway to the ancient Philistines. Today’s Palestinians are actually immigrants from the Arabian Peninsula who are Arabs, speaking Arabic and influenced by Islamic culture. They do not have a distinct language or culture, certainly not anything directly or historically associated with the ancient Philistines. History should help us understand the conflicts and controversies at the present time. There are simple answers and clear relationships when one understands what is true and real. In the Old Testament there is a clear record of God’s gift to Abraham and through Him to the Jews of today, this territory that once again became their land in 1948. Ancient enemies still promote hate and violence against the Jews. Understanding this should make it very easy for our leadership to determine what should be done and who should receive our support. Yet our present leadership has determined to fund the terrorists and anti-Semitic forces in Egypt and Syria. Our “community conversation” must deal with the historical reality of the Palestinian question, Arafat’s wealth and the existence of Israel as a nation. We need to share together about our nation’s need to support Israel as our friend in the Middle East.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:01:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015