The Battle of TerminologyThe Battle of Terminology
PalestinianDamaging Terminology: Palestinian
Palestinian
Palestinian
The Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by violinist Bronisław Huberman in 1936, at a time when many Jewish musicians were being fired from European orchestras. Its inaugural concert took place in Tel Aviv on December 26, 1936, and was conducted by
Arturo Toscanini.
Palestinian
More than 30,000 Palestinian Jews who enlisted in the British army in the course of World War II. In the last stages of the war, the Jewish Brigade Group was established and saw action against the Nazis in northern Italy.
Palestinian
PalestinianRecommended Terminology:
Palestinian Arab or Arabs living in the Palestine region
Rationale: Establishing that a Palestinian Arab identity is a modern construct undermines the very foundation of the Arab narrative.
Palestinian Land
Palestinian Land
Palestinian Land
Palestinian LandRecommended Terminology:
Disputed landIsraeli territorriesFormer Ottoman Land
Rationale: Even though official Israeli spokesmen may use the phrases “Occupied Palestinian land” or “Palestinian territory,” we should minimize their use as they are not accurate and support the false Arab narrative. Even the more accurate term, “disputed territory”, has fallen into disuse.
Relative Sizes
Occupation
The occupied communities of1948
Occupation
The invasion of 1967
OccupationRecommended Terminology:
Disputed landIsraeli territorriesFormer Ottoman Land
Rationale: Even though official Israeli spokesmen may use the phrases “Occupied Palestinian land” or “Palestinian territory,” we should minimize their use as they are not accurate and support the false Arab narrative. Even the more accurate term, “disputed territory”, has fallen into disuse.
Settlements
Kfar Etzion
Settlements
Hebron
Settlements
Jerusalem
Settlements
Tel Aviv
SettlementsRecommended Terminology:
Jewish Communities, towns, villages
Rationale: In modern times, cities with populations of tens of thousands aren’t called settlements anywhere except when Israel is involved.
Anywhere else in the world most of what are called “settlements” would be referred to as Jewish communities.
Arab communities, regardless of age, size, of legality, are rarely called “settlements”.
Insist that there shouldn’t be special definitions just for Israel or Jews as that could be an indication of anti-Semitism.
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East JerusalemRecommended Terminology:
Neighborhoods on the east side of Israel’s capital
Rationale: Eastern Jerusalem has never been referred to as a distinct municipal entity until the illegal Jordanian Arab invasion and partition.
The Old City of Jerusalem was “ethnic cleansed” of the Jewish population in 1948.
Always refer to Jerusalem as “Israel’s Capital” or “Jerusalem, Israel’s Capital”.
Green Line
Green Line
Green Line
Recommended Terminology:
Cease fire lines or Armistice line
Rationale: The 1967 cease fire lines should not be referred to as the “border” or “green line” because this implies that Israel violated a border during the 1967 war.
Ask: “What border was crossed?”
Also, “Why are the ’67 cease fire lines less permanent than the ’48 cease fire lines?”
MERCAZ Israel AdvocacyWritten by Michael Perloff,
PhiladelphiaPrepared by Stan Greenspan, Toronto
©2012 Stan Greenspan