Israel has deployed a mass facial recognition program in the Gaza Strip, creating a database of Palestinians without their knowledge or consent, The New York Times reports. The program, which was created after the October 7th attacks, uses technology from Google Photos as well as a custom tool built by the Tel Aviv-based company Corsight to identify people affiliated with Hamas.
You’ve almost got it right. The Palestinian identity was developed (by the KGB if we’re being real here), as an anti-semitic response to the establishment of the state of Israel.
This is pretty well documented too, I’m assuming you’re familiar with it. You’re just leaving it out of the story because it doesn’t fit your narrative…
Your claims of ethnic cleansing are also not backed up by the history as plenty of Arabs remained in Israel upon its formation. Of course they were under marital law, the newly forming nation was figuring out who it’s enemies were and guess what? They were pretty much all the Arabs surrounding them. Those Arabs now serve in the IDF, sit in the Knesset and serve in the judiciary among being pretty well integrated into Israeli society. You’re completely neglecting the fact that more Jews were displaced from the surrounding Arab countries. Then Arabs were displaced within the newly formed state of Israel. Many of those were violently removed from their homes in a similar fashion to what happened within Israel. Although what happened in Iraq etc was on a much grander scale as well as being much more violent. But that’s again a different story. The UN has a pretty detailed report on that up on their website if you wanted to go take a look. This isn’t to say that Arabs weren’t displaced within the new borders of Israel. Many left voluntarily and some took up arms. There was a war happening. Unfortunately people die in wars. Going back to the twenties. The Arabs were attacking Jews then then the Hebron massacre being one of the more prominent. But there’s dozens and dozens of examples in history too.
All of this is pretty easily summarized with the fact that the Arabs turned down multiple offers to develop their own state alongside the state of Israel going back to the 1930s. They refuse to this day to acknowledge the existence of the state of Israel. This has always been about hate not land. That hate has led to far too many dead Arabs but hopefully one day soon they will love their children more than they hate the Jews. I remain hopeful, but I also remain confident that Israel is not going anywhere and will not run out of ammunition if the Arabs continue to want to martyr their children.
You have a very revisionist understanding of the history of Israel-palestine. None of the New Historians that have thoroughly researched the history agree with you, not even Benny Morris. Many of the links I provided already debunk most of this, but I can go into more detail.
The origins of Palestinian as an ethnicity goes back very far, as far as the 7th or 4th century. Palestinian Nationality developed largely during the British Mandate, but has roots back to the 16th century under the Ottoman Empire, and has always included Palestinian Jews and Christians. Rashid Khalidi stresses that Palestinian identity has never been an exclusive one, with “Arabism, religion, and local loyalties” playing an important role. He (Khalidi) acknowledges that Zionism played a role in shaping this identity, though “it is a serious mistake to suggest that Palestinian identity emerged mainly as a response to Zionism.”
If you have read any of the works by New Historians you would find the development of Palestinian Nationalism began before Zionism entered the scene. You would also find that it was/is then about the opposition to the settler colonialism of Zionism. Your insistence that its antisemitism is untrue, ahistorical, and revisionist.
Zionists Leadership (including the Ben-Gurion quotes you ignored), the Shaw and Peel Commission, and Palestinian Leadership have all understood that the issue was with Settler Colonialism and not from antisemitism. If it was antisemitism, Palestinians wouldn’t have advocated for a Unitary Binational State for decades during the British Mandate, which they did. It was partition that was a deliberate tactic of the Zionist Leadership to expand its Settler Colonialism and Expulsions of Palestinians. This is extensively documented.
Origin of the Palestinians Palestinian Nationalism Antisemitism in Islam, the Arab World, and Europe
Zionism as Settler Colonialism
The Concept of Transfer 1882-1948
Palestinian Arab Congress advocating for Unified State 1928
Transfer Committee and the JNF led to Forced Displacement of 100,000 Palestinians throughout the mandate.
1929 Riots: Forward and 972Mag
Shaw Commission
Peel Commission Report
Memorandum of the Arab Higher Committee advocating for Unified State 1937
1936-1939 Revolt: JVL, Britannica, MEE
In 1933 Ghazi took control of Iraq and promoted Nazi Propaganda, leading to targeted attacks against Jewish people and the killing of hundreds of Jewish people in 1941.
Irgun and Lehi terrorist activities against Palestinians and Jewish people in Arab countries.
The Grand Mufti connection to Nazi Propaganda: Time, Haaretz, WaPo
12,000 Palestinians fight against Nazi Germany WWII: Haaretz, JPost
Plan Dalet
Declassified Massacres 1948
Details of Plan C (May 1946) and Plan D (March 1948)
Arab League advocating for Unified Binational State 1948
1967 war: Haaretz, Forward
Israel Martial Law and Defence (Emergency) Regulations practiced in the occupied territories after 1967