Friday, November 11, 2011

Exactly What is "Occupied"?

What is going around the blogosphere is this:

Professor - Associate - Gil Anidjar teaches a class* at Columbia University at its Middle East Institute called "Theories of Culture in the Middle East".

In one of his recent lectures, he was reputed to have said (or maybe he didn't but the point still needs to be dealt with):

"The so-called Occupied Territories...I say so-called because the other areas are also occupied but they are just not called that..."

I can only presume that he - and his students - thought what was being referred to was the region of Judea and Samaria in the first instance ("occupied Territories"), and the rest of Israel, between the Green Line to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, in the second instance ("the other areas").

However, there is another interpretation:

Jordan, as we all know (we do, do we not?), is occupied by the Hashemite family who hail from Saudi Arabia.  Abdullah I, the current king's great grandfather, entered the territory and proceeded in a northernly direction in November 1920.  Here's one summary:

In November 1920 Abdullah, Faysal's brother, arrived in Ma'an (at that time claimed as part of Hejaz, based on the old Ottoman Vilayet of Hejaz) with 2,000 armed supporters intent on gathering together tribes to attack the French, who had forced Faysal to relinquish his newly founded kingdom in Syria. To defuse the situation - and with a bit of 'horsetrading' -, the British decided that Abdullah would take over as ruler of what was to become known as Transjordan

and here's a more official Jordanian version:

In November 1920, Emir (later King) Abdullah led forces from the Hijaz to restore his brother’s throne in the Kingdom of Syria. However, the French mandate over Syria was already well planted, and Abdullah was obliged to delay his pan-Arab goals and focus on forming a government in Amman. Since the end of the war, the British had divided the land of Transjordan into three local administrative districts, with a British “advisor” appointed to each. The northern region of ‘Ajloun had its administrative center in Irbid, the central region of Balqa was based in Salt, and the southern region was run by the “Moabite Arab Government,” based in Karak. The regions of Ma’an and Tabuk were incorporated into the Kingdom of the Hijaz, ancestral home of the Hashemites. Faced with the determination of Emir Abdullah to unify Arab lands under the Hashemite banner, the British proclaimed Abdullah ruler of the three districts, known collectively as Transjordan.

Once Abdullah made his aggressive move, parts of the country there were supposed to be part of the Jewish national home territory were transferred to TransJordan and Britain arranged the 'postponement' of the article in the Mandate decision concerning the right of 'close settlement' by Jews therein:

Article 6  -  The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.

Notice that the term "Arabs" does not appear.  The land that was to become a country and eventually a state was slated to be Jewish whereas the rest of the population was defined as "other sections" with no identity and that is because it didn't make a difference if they were Arabs for they had no claims.  They were "others": Arabs, Muslims, Christains, Europeans, and whatnot.  To the Jews, by a decision of international legality, and Jews only, belonged the political primacy.

Jordan, today, occupies parts of the historical Jewish national home.  Between 1948 and 1967, it occupied Judea and Samaria.  In April 1950, it illegally annexed those regions, an act recognized by England only.

Only at Columbia, I guess, could such a weird ideology be promoted and thought of as  academic truth rather than what it is - not quite an historical fact.
P.S.  Of course, if Anidjar denies expressing such sentiments, and I sent this post to him, I will retract.


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* maybe this one: Middle East W3000, Theory-Culture: Middle East/South Asia, Section 001, Call Number: 87097, Instructor: Gil Anidjar, Points: 4, Day/Time: TR 2:10pm-4:00pm, Location: 313 Fayerweather.

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UPDATE

After reading myself here, I realize there are a few spelling errors and syntax I needed to correct.

^

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