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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 37, No 15. July 3 1974

Hate

Hate

It is an "accepted fact" that Arab hates Jew and vice versa. Is this true? Until the appearance of the British in Palestine in 1916, the Arabs had lived in harmony with Jews for centuries and had never persecuted them After the 1914-18 War they were even prepared to let them establish a national home in Palestine. However the events of the past 50 years were to turn them against the Jews, but their real hatred was to be reserved for those they call the "Inglesi" (the English which includes Scots, Welsh, Irish, New Zealanders, Australians) and the "Amrika" (the Americans). They despise and hate the former for their duplicity and weakness, and the latter for their immediate recognition, and economic and military support of the state of Israel. In 1970 I revisited the Middle East and throughout my journey I sensed their hostility, At Djbouti I was stripped and searched, at Khartoum I was interrogated for half an hour despite the fact that they knew I was a guest of the British Embassy. The story was the same at Cairo and I also found a similar attitude prevalent among Palestinians in Israel, until they knew I was "Ibn Arab" (translation Son of an Arab, interpretation — one of us). I have never heard an Arab say that he hates a Jew, or vice versa, which is quite an interesting fact when you think about it.