The HyperTexts

Albert Einstein's 1948 Letter to the New York Times

If we want to understand the real history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, we can go to a trustworthy source: Albert Einstein, who was a great humanitarian and peace activist in addition to being one of the greatest scientists of all time. In his landmark letter to the New York Times in 1948, Einstein clearly and candidly explained why the leaders of Israel were not to be trusted and did not deserve money or support from Americans, including American Jews who believe in equality and democracy for all human beings. You can see a scanned image of the Einstein Letter by clicking the hyperlink. The letter was written by Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook and more than 20 other prominent Jewish intellectuals, to alert Americans and the larger world to the dangers represented by the emergence of racism, fascism, terrorism and religious fanaticism among the Zionist leadership of the newly-formed state of Israel. The letter accurately predicted some of the terrible results we see today. I have annotated the letter with [bracketed comments] to help readers understand how the "Einstein Letter" relates to the present situation. — Michael R. Burch, an editor and publisher of Holocaust and Nakba poetry

Christians may want to consider the ethical questions What does the Bible say? What would Jesus do?

Letters to the New York Times
December 4, 1948

New Palestine Party
Visit of Menachem Begin and Aims of Political Movement Discussed

TO THE EDITORS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our times is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the "Freedom Party" (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine.

The current visit of Menachem Begin, leader of this party, to the United States is obviously calculated to give the impression of American support for his party in the coming Israeli elections, and to cement political ties with conservative Zionist elements in the United States. Several Americans of national repute have lent their names to welcome his visit. It is inconceivable that those who oppose fascism throughout the world, if correctly informed as to Mr. Begin"s political record and perspectives, could add their names and support to the movement he represents.

[Einstein was saying, essentially, that supporting men like Menachem Begin was like supporting the Nazis. Unfortunately, many prominent Americans have supported the fascist movement represented by Begin and other Israeli prime ministers like him. The "Freedom Party," also known as Herut, was founded by Begin in 1948. He was the leader and prime mover of both the Irgun, a terrorist group, and its political twin, Herut. Both were ultra-right-wing racist/fascist organizations that opposed any ceasefires or negotiations with Arabs, and sought expansion of Israel's borders in defiance of international law and the UN mandate that partitioned Palestine and thus defined Israel's borders. Before entering politics, Begin had been the preeminent terrorist in the Middle East, murdering British, Jewish and Palestinian civilians. His most infamous act was blowing up the King David Hotel in 1946, killing 91 people and wounding 46, most of them hotel staff and other civilians. (That still remains the single most deadly act of terrorism in Israel/Palestine to this day.) It was not only peace-loving Jewish intellectuals who compared Begin to European fascists like Hitler; so did David Ben-Gurion, Israel's George Washington and first prime minister. But by the mid-1960's the ultra-right-wing fascists seemed to have won the battle for the hearts and minds of Israel's voters. A 1964 government resolution calling for the reinternment of Zeev Jabotinsky’s remains in Israel signaled Herut's and Begin's ascendency. (Jabotinsky was the creator of the "Iron Wall" doctrine, which maintained that Jews had to crush the spirit and will of Palestinians through superior firepower and sheer brutality, rather than seeking peace through diplomacy and compromise.) By 1977 fascism had become so popular in Israel that Begin was elected prime minister in a landslide. In his book Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid, former US president Jimmy Carter mentioned the sea change that took place in Israel after Begin's rise to power. His adminstitration promoted the construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, in effect expanding Israel's borders by allow robber barons to grab land from defenseless farmers and their families. Begin also authorized the bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear plant and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. As Israeli military involvement in Lebanon deepened, and the Sabra and Shatila massacre shocked world public opinion, Begin grew increasingly isolated. He resigned from politics in 1983, but his racist, fascist spirit continues to live on in disciples of his and Jabotinsky’s, including the current prime minister of Israel, Benyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu.]

Before irreparable damage is done by way of financial contributions, public manifestations in Begin's behalf, and the creation in Palestine of the impression that a large segment of America supports Fascist elements in Israel, the American public must be informed as to the record and objectives of Mr. Begin and his movement.

[Unfortunately, exactly what Einstein warned against happened. American individuals and the American government have supplied Israel with hundreds of billions of dollars in financial aid and advanced weapons. Much of that money has been used by Israel to create its current system of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. This has created the impression in Palestine and throughout the Muslim world that Americans are raging hypocrites when they talk about "equal rights," "justice" and "democracy." There are constant public manifestations that the United States has a "special relationship" with Israel, and that the United States will always support Israel, no matter how cruelly, brutally and offensively it treats Palestinians, Bedouins and other non-Jews in its quest for "free land" to expand its borders. The results have included 911, two otherwise avoidable wars, multitudes of lives lost on both sides, and trillions of dollars in unpaid war debt that threatens not only the solvency of the United States, but that of the free world. If the dollar plummets in value, or if the United States can no longer borrow money, what will happen to the economies of Europe, Japan, and other countries that rely on exports to the United States?]

The public avowals of Begin's party are no guide whatever to its actual character. Today they speak of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism, whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state. It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character; from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.

[If we heed Einstein's wisdom, and judge Israel by its actions rather than its oceans of propaganda, the racist/fascist nature of the government of Israel quickly becomes apparent. Or we can simply read what prime ministers of Israel have said themselves, in unguarded moments. Please keep in mind that when the terms "transfer," "eviction" and "removal" are used, the Zionists are talking about ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity. When the right of return is denied to Palestinians, this means the victims of ethnic cleansing are being collectively sentenced to remain stateless, rightless refugees forever. When the term "expropriation" is used in regard to land, it means the theft of Palestinian land via superior firepower, which is armed robbery and fascism. For example:

"There is no such thing as a Palestinian."—Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (later parroted by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum)
"They [the Palestinians] are as grasshoppers in our sight."—Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
"The Palestinians are like crocodiles ..."—Prime Minister Ehud Barak
"We shall reduce the Palestinians to a community of woodcutters and waiters."—Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
"Eretz Israel will be restored to the people of Israel. All of it. And for Ever."—Prime Minister Menachem Begin
"[The Palestinians] are beasts walking on two legs."—Begin
"We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."—Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
"There is no Zionism, colonization, or Jewish state without the EVICTION of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands."—Sharon
"I believed and to this day still believe, in our people's eternal and historic right to this entire land."—Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
"Zionism is a TRANSFER of the Jews."—David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister
Regarding the TRANSFER of the Arabs, this is much easier than any other TRANSFER."—Ben-Gurion
"The compulsory TRANSFER of the Arabs ... could give us something we never had [even in Biblical times]."—Ben-Gurion
"Jewish power, which grows steadily, will also increase our possibilities to carry out the TRANSFER on a large scale."—Ben-Gurion
"With compulsory TRANSFER we have a vast area ... I don't see anything immoral in it."—Ben-Gurion
"It is impossible to imagine general EVACUATION without compulsion, and brutal compulsion."—Ben-Gurion
"There are two issues here: sovereignty and the REMOVAL of a certain number of Arabs; we must insist on both."—Ben-Gurion
"Before [statehood] our main interest was self-defense ... But now the issue at hand is conquest, not self-defense."—Ben-Gurion
"We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria."—Ben-Gurion
"We must do everything to ensure they [ethnically cleansed Palestinian refugees] never return."—Ben-Gurion
"[Gaza will suffer] a bigger Shoah [Holocaust]"—Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, before Israel used white phosphorous on Gaza
"We shall use the ultimate force until Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours."—Deputy Prime Minister Rafael Eitan
"[When we build settlements] Arabs will only be able to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle."—Eitan
"Spirit the penniless [Arab] population across the border by denying it employment."—Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism
"The REMOVAL [ethnic cleansing] of the poor [Arabs] must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly."—Herzl
"It is our right to TRANSFER [ethnically cleanse] the Palestinians!"—Jewish National Fund Director Yossef (Joseph) Weitz
"We [Zionists] all applaud, day and night, the IRON WALL."—Ze'ev Jabotinsky, spiritual father of the Likud, Begin, Sharon, et al
"This IRON WALL is our policy towards the Arabs. To formulate it any other way would be hypocrisy."—Jabotinsky
"Zionist colonization ... must either be terminated or carried out in defiance of the will of the native population."—Jabotinsky
"Zionism is a colonizing adventure and, therefore, it stands or falls on the question of armed forces."—Jabotinsky
"The Arab is culturally backward ... his instinctive patriotism ... cannot be bought, it can only be curbed [by] major force."—Jabotinsky
"There is no justice, no law, no God in heaven; only a single law which decides and supersedes all: [Jewish] settlement."—Jabotinsky
"I devote my life to the rebirth of the Jewish State, with a Jewish majority, on both sides of the Jordan."—Jabotinsky
"If we desire ... a Jewish State, we must first of all create a Jewish majority [by expelling Arabs.]"—Jabotinsky
"If it was possible to TRANSFER the Baltic peoples, it is also possible to TRANSFER the Palestinians."—Jabotinsky
"The Islamic soul must be broomed [swept, ethnically cleansed] out of Eretz-Yisrael."—Jabotinsky
"[Muslims are] yelling rabble dressed up in gaudy, savage rags."—Jabotinsky
"Hitler—as odious as he is to us—has given this idea [ethnic cleansing] a good name in the world."—Jabotinsky
"The interests of security demand that we get rid of them." Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett
"TRANSFER [ethnic cleansing] could be the crowning achievement, the final stage in the development of [Zionist] policy ..." Sharett
"We are equally determined to explore all possibilities of getting rid, once and for all, of the huge Arab minority ..." Sharett
"The killing [of Palestinians] is a good deed, and Jews should have no compunction about it."—Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg
"If there are other inhabitants there, they must be TRANSFERRED to some other place."—Menachem Ussishkin
"[Land is acquired] by force—that is, by CONQUEST in war, or in other words, by ROBBING land from its owner."—Ussishkin
"This the land problem ... the [Palestinian] Arabs do not want us because we want to be the rulers."—Ussishkin
"Eventually we will have to thin out the number of Palestinians living in the territories."—General Eitan Ben Elyahu
"There are no two peoples here. There is a Jewish people and an Arab population."—Benzion Netanyahu
"We should CONQUER any disputed territory in the Land of Israel. CONQUER and hold it, even if it brings us years of war."—Netanyahu
"[War with Arabs] will include withholding food from Arab cities, preventing education, terminating electrical power and more."—Netanyahu
"They won’t be able to exist, and will run away from here. But it all depends on war, and whether we win the battles."—Netanyahu
"[Operation Cast Lead was] not enough ... we should have hit harder."—Netanyahu
"There is no Palestinian people, so you don’t create a state for an imaginary nation."—Netanyahu
"They only call themselves a people in order to fight the Jews."—Netanyahu
"We enthusiastically chose to become a colonialist society, ignoring international treaties, expropriating lands ... "—Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair

Do we need any more evidence than what the prime movers of Zionism said themselves, and the terrible things they actually did, which confirm their own self-incriminating words?]

Attack on Arab Village

A shocking example was their behavior in the Arab village of Deir Yassin. This village, off the main roads and surrounded by Jewish lands, had taken no part in the war, and had even fought off Arab bands who wanted to use the village as their base. On April 9 (THE NEW YORK TIMES), terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants " 240 men, women, and children " and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish community was horrified at the deed, and the Jewish Agency sent a telegram of apology to King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan. But the terrorists, far from being ashamed of their act, were proud of this massacre, publicized it widely, and invited all the foreign correspondents present in the country to view the heaped corpses and the general havoc at Deir Yassin.

The Deir Yassin incident exemplifies the character and actions of the Freedom Party.

Within the Jewish community they have preached an admixture of ultranationalism, religious mysticism, and racial superiority. Like other Fascist parties they have been used to break strikes, and have themselves pressed for the destruction of free trade unions. In their stead they have proposed corporate unions on the Italian Fascist model.

During the last years of sporadic anti-British violence, the IZL and Stern groups inaugurated a reign of terror in the Palestine Jewish community. Teachers were beaten up for speaking against them, adults were shot for not letting their children join them. By gangster methods, beatings, window-smashing, and wide-spread robberies, the terrorists intimidated the population and exacted a heavy tribute.

The people of the Freedom Party have had no part in the constructive achievements in Palestine. They have reclaimed no land, built no settlements, and only detracted from the Jewish defense activity. Their much-publicized immigration endeavors were minute, and devoted mainly to bringing in Fascist compatriots.

Discrepancies Seen

The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party, and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party. This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs, and British alike), and misrepresentation are means, and a "Leader State" is the goal.

In the light of the foregoing considerations, it is imperative that the truth about Mr. Begin and his movement be made known in this country. It is all the more tragic that the top leadership of American Zionism has refused to campaign against Begin"s efforts, or even to expose to its own constituents the dangers to Israel from support to Begin.

The undersigned therefore take this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party; and of urging all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism.
(signed)

ISIDORE ABRAMOWITZ, HANNAH ARENDT, ABRAHAM BRICK, RABBI JESSURUN CARDOZO, ALBERT EINSTEIN, HERMAN EISEN, M.D., HAYIM FINEMAN, M. GALLEN, M.D., H.H. HARRIS, ZELIG S. HARRIS, SIDNEY HOOK, FRED KARUSH, BRURIA KAUFMAN, IRMA L. LINDHEIM, NACHMAN MAISEL, SYMOUR MELMAN, MYER D. MENDELSON, M.D., HARRY M. ORLINSKY, SAMUEL PITLICK, FRITZ ROHRLICH, LOUIS P. ROCKER, RUTH SAGER, ITZHAK SANKOWSKY, I.J. SCHOENBERG, SAMUEL SHUMAN, M. ZNGER, IRMA WOLPE, STEFAN WOLPE

New York, Dec. 2, 1948

You may also want to read and consider Israeli Prime Ministers who were Terrorists and Does Israel Really Want Peace?

Christians may want to consider the ethical questions What does the Bible say? What would Jesus do?

The HyperTexts