THE DEMISE OF DISTORTING HISTORY (09.12.02)

Something over six decades ago Adolph Hitler initiated it, and his propaganda chief, J. P. Goebbels, perpetuated it. It was the Big Lie of the century. In simple summary, the Jew is the decadent evil behind world finance, the archenemy of society, and consequently must be destroyed. Today to most of the civilized world, this is preposterous logic in the light of the political correctness of the 21st century. Yet in those days most of Germany and even much of Europe bought into the diabolical scheme, culminating in the genocide of 6 million Jews who ultimately perished in the incomprehensible treachery of Hitler's gas chambers,

Unfortunately only a limited few of us are still alive today who would yet clearly remember those sordid details as they unfolded. But just as sad, are all the others who have heard the reports but have all too little sensitivity to this tragic episode of history. Philosopher George Santayana warned that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to relive it. And alas, that condemnation is once again heavy upon us. The Jew-the world's scapegoat since the ancient kingdoms of Egypt, Babylon and Persia-once more bears the heaviest condemnation of all. And today's world barely blinks.

In these days, in newscast after newscast referring to the land of Israel, we hear the one-liner "the occupation" bandied about. And just what occupation is being spoken of, may we ask? But Joseph Goebells knew that the bigger the lie, the better it was swallowed. Not much has changed in 60 years!

If one would only take the time and effort to probe the annals of the last century and a half with regard to the so-called Palestinians, he would find some startling statistics.

Historians, theologians and authors, including the celebrated-and less than biased- Mark Twain, spoke as if with one solitary voice of the barrenness and desolation of this land the Romans had belligerently renamed Palestine in 132AD. But in spite of most Jews being driven far from their homeland in those days, there was always a remnant Jewish population in what was historically known as Judea and Samaria. By 1893 the total Arab population within the Jewish settled areas was but 92,300 souls. Many of these Arabs were even recent arrivals who had followed their Jewish cousins as they trickled back to their ancient lands from the middle of the 19th Century onwards.

An intriguing work by Joan Peters, From Time Immemorial published by Harper and Row in 1984 tells the entire story.

Ms. Peters was a no-nonsense secular English journalist, who in deep empathy for the displaced Arabs-from the wars their own leaders happened to initiate in 1948 and again in 1967-had initially absorbed the propaganda as it was served up. And as an idealistic and bright-eyed young professional, she assumed that the Arab generated fiction of their rights to this hotly contested bit of Middle East real estate was built on solid fact. With the plight of these refugees deeply embedded within her soul, her own integrity set her on a course to expose and defend their miserable situation.

Then the shocker. Digging deeply into the pre-1915 Ottoman records, and the ensuing postwar statistics from the British Mandate period that lasted until 1947, Ms. Peters discovered that the majority of the present day Arabs flooded into the land only after World War I. And the more she probed, the more she came up with an impelling revelation of the truth that all the world should know. But all the world does not want to know. No one is so blind as he who does not wish to see!

Peters discovered that from the Ottoman census in 1893 until the recognition of Jewish independence in 1947, Arab population in the predominately Arab-only areas of western Palestine grew by a little over 200%, a figure that demographers would describe as "natural increase".

BUT, the revelation of the hour was that during that identical period of time, the Arab in-migration within the expressly Jewish areas of population was no less than 500% increase, or two and a half times above what demographics would allow as natural growth! Why the massive Arab influx? Historians inform us that Muslims from neighboring Middle East countries migrated in because of the job and economic opportunities being created with the Jewish reclamation of barren sites and wastelands. And not a few others came with less honorable reasons of internecine ambitions!

So much for the crude media propaganda that the Jews have replaced the "Palestinians" and driven them out of their 5000 year homeland! Unfortunately, far too many journalists today-not to mention an ever-ready potentially anti-Semitic reading clientele-have once again swallowed the Big Lie revisited, like Australian crocodiles coming off a hunger strike!

In a globe of widening gaps of injustice at the expense of political greed and expedience and with a corresponding escalation of trial by media, the victim is once again blamed for the crime!

The author is a former nuclear scientist turned linguist, Bible translator, literacy and community development advisor in Papua New Guinea, and is currently the director of South Pacific Island Ministries, Inc. in Queensland, Australia. He has spent considerable periods of time researching and writing in the Middle East and has published several books, his most recent, "Showdown of the Gods", whose stark warnings of global unraveling ironically went to press with Genesis Communications, Mobile, AL on exactly September 11, 2001. It is readily available on <Amazon.com> and in most Christian book stores through Spring Arbor or Anchor distributors.