Amid the flurry of reports and articles (e.g here, here and here) mourning the 58th anniversary of the creation of Israel and the so-called Palestinian 'Nakba', it takes two 93-year-old ladies with long memories to set the record straight on the letters page of The Guardian:
"What about the thousands of Jews who were forced to flee from Arab countries where they had lived for centuries, albeit often as second-class citizens? They were able to find refuge in the new Israel, roughly the size of Cornwall. After great struggles they made a new life there. In contrast, the Palestinians who felt they had to leave Israel were thrown out of neighbouring countries. Offers by Israel to build houses, roads, sewerage and provide water in Gaza were not accepted. Instead, most Palestinians were isolated in primitive camps on the borders, where they wasted their lives harbouring resentment and hatred. Why did the Arab world fail to look after the Palestinians when Egypt occupied Gaza from 1948 to 1967, or Jordan the West Bank? We are two 93-year-olds who have long memories."
Kitty Freund and Malli Katz
London
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