Who Is to Blame for the Creation of Palestinian Refugees?: "In an interview that caused an uproar in Israel, Mr. Morris told the newspaper Haaretz he now believed that 'without the uprooting of the Palestinians, a Jewish state would not have arisen here.' He also said, stunningly, that 'there are circumstances in history that justify ethnic cleansing.'
This is in stark contrast with what he argued 15 years ago after unearthing details of transfers and massacres by Israelis. At the time, he said that recognizing Israel's role in the creation of the refugee problem was central for peace to come. His work, coming on the eve of the 1990's peace effort, was highly influential.
Mr. Morris, speaking by telephone from Jerusalem, says he is not defending massacres or rapes. He is simply arguing that they were not on a very large scale, compared with many other massacres in history. And, in looking at 1948 and the ongoing violence today, he can't help suspecting that if more Palestinians had been driven away then, there would be greater peace today.
All this suggests that while Mr. Morris is an important historian, he is a less clear-eyed political analyst. It also shows just how far public discourse in Israel has moved in a few years."
- posted by geoff @ #