“That’s how the call for a free Palestine ‘from the river to the sea’ gained traction in the 1960s. It was part of a larger call to see a secular democratic state established in all of historic Palestine. Palestinians hoped their state would be free from oppression of all sorts, from Israeli as well as from Arab regimes.”

Remember, she is talking about the people who elected Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is dedicated to eradicating Israel in the name of Islam. The Palestinian Authority that rules Judea and Samaria is likewise given to annihilationist Islamic rhetoric regarding Israel, particularly from its Fatah arm. If the “Palestinians” want a “secular democratic state,” why haven’t they established one in either Judea and Samaria or Gaza?

“And notwithstanding the extreme rhetoric of some leaders on both sides, a recent joint poll shows that only a small minority of Palestinians see “expulsion” as a solution to the conflict – 15%…”

Maybe, but those “Palestinian” people aren’t in charge. And Mahmoud Abbas has said that no Jews would be allowed to live in a “Palestinian” state, as has Sheikh Hammam Saeed, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. Fatah has also called upon Jews to leave the area.

The Forward should be ashamed for publishing this grotesque attempt to whitewash a clearly genocidal call. Maha Nassar is an Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona; the Forward follows this piece with the announcement that “the views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.”

Well, all right, but notice that you seldom see op-eds in the Forward by those who don’t reflect its editorial stance.

“‘From The River To The Sea’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means,” by Maha Nassar, Forward, December 3, 2018: