tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post5147795525891770899..comments2024-03-29T11:39:42.348+00:00Comments on Point of No Return: Jewish Refugees from Arab and Muslim Countries: Haaretz pursues Mizrahi 'bridge-building' mirageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post-8145926506378471212017-03-22T20:48:45.594+00:002017-03-22T20:48:45.594+00:00Davsil, when Mr Avisar was born, under the Ottoman...Davsil, when Mr Avisar was born, under the Ottoman Empire, there was no "palestine" as an official subdivision of the Empire. The name "palestine" was Western and was not used under the Ottoman Empire or its predecessor, the Mamluk Empire. The first Arab Empire in the Land of Israel, starting in the 7th century, used the name Filastin, <i>Jund Filastin</i>, Filastin military district [= jund], for only the southern part of the country, what the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire had called Palaestina Prima. The Arab conquerors called the north of the country Jund Urdunn, referring to the Jordan River, and meaning Jordan military district. The Romans had called the north of the country Palaestina Secunda, but for the Arabs it was Jund Urdunn, although there is speculation that a 7th century Byzantine emperor had renamed Jordania or somesuch. <br />So it is not correct to call anyone in the country "Palestinian" in the 19th century, unless you are using Western terminology.<br /><br />But the thesis of the Haarets writer and his informants from the Van Leer and a university, do not explain the case of Eliyahu Sassoon. He was a Syrian Jew, from Aleppo I believe, and was active in the nationalist movement there after WW One. He even edited an Arab nationalist newspaper. Yet he ended up as an Israeli diplomat, prominent in Israel's foreign ministry. Why did he leave Arab nationalism for Zionism? Maybe the answer to that question can help to explain why this notion of Avisar and others did not come to fruition. Eliyahu m'Tsiyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07973268399414290195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12677825.post-81470219242655435882017-03-21T00:47:46.738+00:002017-03-21T00:47:46.738+00:00The article describes david avisar as being of ira...The article describes david avisar as being of iraqi jewish origin. But on closer look, and what the article does not mention, is that avissar was a Palestinian jew, born in hebron to an Iraqi Jewish family who came to israel in the mid-19th century, before the beginning of zionism.by Davsilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01422042823291325964noreply@blogger.com