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Khaled Ksab Mahamid, lecturing in Balata. (Limor Edrey)
Last update - 15:36 26/06/2008
Israeli Arab teaches Palestinians about the Holocaust
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Palestinians 

On the way to the Hawara checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Nablus, Khaled Ksab Mahamid says: "You remember that you are American, yes? How is your accent in English?"

Mahamid, whose family originates from a destroyed Arab village near what is now Megiddo, is the founder and director of a private Holocaust museum in Nazareth.

We are on our way to the Balata refugee camp, where he is scheduled to give a lecture. The tension at the checkpoint is rising.
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In general, Palestinians and Arabs try not to talk about the Holocaust. The distance between solidarity with the Jewish people and solidarity with the Jewish state is short, and is not usually up for discussion, especially in a refugee camp.

Mahamid has a unique perspective on this issue. He argues that the Palestinian people paid the price for the Holocaust during their Nakba - Arabic for "catastrophe" or the day of Israel's independence.

Mahamid says that Palestinians are still paying for the Holocaust, and will continue to do so, if it does not learn what happened to the Jews.

He has lectured in the Nablus area in the past, but this is his first time in Balata. He does not know exactly what to expect. The organizers of the lecture welcome him at the entrance to the camp, shake his hand.

The first stop: memorial for the fallen. Mahamid mumbles the fataha, the opening chapter of the Koran, within the palms of his hands extended upward like an open book.

After the memorial, we go down to one of the alleyways in the camp. It is exactly like in the movies ? the narrow alleyways of a refugee camp.

A dozen or so residents gather next to a clubhouse - which also serves as the headquarters of Al-Alqsa Martyrs Brigade commander and Fatah parliament member, Jamal Tirawi, who was arrested by Israeli forces last year.

Mahamid begins his lecture with the claim that the Zionist movement has failed, in a big way.

"Most Jews did not come to Palestine. Also today, there are eight million [Jews] in the world that are not here. Where are they?"

The crowd listens quietly. One of the guests gets up to serve juice and cookies. When he stands, the gun in his belt is evident

Mahamid raises his hands and warns that the Palestinians must not be like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This, he says, plays into the hands of the Zionists. Palestinians must remember the Jews' weak points. "Know your enemy," he says.

He does not exactly tell what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust; he hints at it. He shows pictures of Jewish prisoners in the death camps and says Palestinians must use "understand what the other thinks, not deny it."

"The Israelis believe in this, the Germans and the French believe in this. We also need to adopt this," he says. Addressing the crowd, he continues: "You, who live in Balata, could you tell somebody this is a lie?"

Mahamid insists that the Palestinians have to end the violent struggle against Israel, as given that they have lost six million of their people, the deaths of 25 in a terrorist attack will not deter them.

Another person attending the lecture, of local origin, becomes angry. There is no logic in making the occupation a five-star occupation, he says. He is also against Mahamid's claim that the Zionist movement has failed.

"If one Jew comes, if they took my father's orchard in Jaffa, it has not failed. Have you not read the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? They sit in a tent but want to control the entire world."

As we leave the refugee camp and head back toward Hawara checkpoint, the tension eases. The journalists are already chatting in Hebrew with the guests. At the checkpoint, Mahamid pulls out his ID for the woman soldier. With his ID, he always carries a picture of a Jewish child from the Holocaust - why not shame the soldiers a little? When the woman soldier expresses amazement, he produces more pictures of Jews from the Holocaust and tells her that he just gave a lecture on the subject at Balata.

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      1.   And what about Israel facing history? 13:48  |  W 26/06/08
      2.   Using the holocaust against Israel 14:17  |  Leslie Udwin 26/06/08
      3.   How in the world you can teach to a so deeply 14:29  |  JP 26/06/08
      4.   outsider 15:38  |  Di, the doubter 26/06/08
      5.   correction 16:04  |  khaled ksab mahamid 26/06/08
      6.   Second hand 16:20  |  xtime 26/06/08
      7.   A message of peace 16:23  |  Rami 26/06/08
      8.   Israel thrives. Thanks to G-d. 16:23  |  petra 26/06/08
      9.   Khaled, did you consider running for the Keneset? you got my vote 16:24  |  Rami 26/06/08
      10.   To Khaled 16:40  |  Nicole 26/06/08
      11.   I would vote for him too 16:41  |  Israeli 26/06/08
      12.   Paying the Price for the Holocaust 16:49  |  Eyal 26/06/08
      13.   from 8 to 17million 17:11  |  Dav 26/06/08
      14.   Shame, shame, shame: How about the real holocaust..the 17:13  |  Arab 26/06/08
      15.   W is for Whiner, Wussy, Weiner, and Who, Me? 17:34  |  Tex 26/06/08
      16.   Reply to W, no. 1 17:37  |  Sam C 26/06/08
      17.   Palestinians teaches about the Holocaust. Both sides have it wro 17:44  |  Scott L. Havsy 26/06/08
      18.   Arab perhaps looking at an older conflict 17:46  |  boxley 26/06/08
      19.   Is it really that hard to say thank you? 17:47  |  Aphemia 26/06/08
      20.   To Khaled 17:47  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      21.   protocols.... 17:53  |  realistic 26/06/08
      22.   Reporting 18:02  |  Avi 26/06/08
      23.   Pals CYNICALLY use the SHOA for their OWN PROPAGANDA 18:06  |  Alan SA 26/06/08
      24.   Khalid -- I`ve read a few articles on you and your work 19:15  |  Gina 26/06/08
      25.   response to Nicole 19:34  |  khaled kasab mahamee 26/06/08
      26.   I agree that a more in depth article would have 19:34  |  Gina 26/06/08
      27.   to Rami 19:37  |  khaled kasab mahamee 26/06/08
      28.   What about an honest approach? 19:40  |  B. Holle 26/06/08
      29.   to Ayal 19:43  |  khaled kasab mahamee 26/06/08
      30.   to Arab 19:48  |  khaled kasab mahamee 26/06/08
      31.   to proud Jew 19:57  |  khaled kasab mahamee 26/06/08
      32.   Proud Jew on "moral repugnance" 20:03  |  Ibrahim 26/06/08
      33.   Eyal, you are a fool 20:03  |  Marilyn 26/06/08
      34.   Palestinians were not in the Holocaust 20:04  |  observer 26/06/08
      35.   Does he teach about Grand Mufti 20:11  |  Jackie 26/06/08
      36.   Does Khaled Mahamid teach them about 20:14  |  Curious 26/06/08
      37.   Khaled Ksab Mahammid 20:15  |  DISRAELI 26/06/08
      38.   Khaled Ksab Mahammid 2 20:19  |  DISRAELI 26/06/08
      39.   # 37 you make a great point, but not all of it 20:31  |  Simon Mohammed 26/06/08
      40.   good one 20:35  |  curious george 26/06/08
      41.   To Ibrahim 21:01  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      42.   Seterate the issues/// 21:05  |  Joe 26/06/08
      43.   To Khaled 21:08  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      44.   To Khaled 21:18  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      45.   Proud Jew 22:04  |  Gina 26/06/08
      46.   To Joe 22:08  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      47.   Holocaust Delayed Creation of Israel and Weakened it! 22:28  |  Baruch Gold 26/06/08
      48.   khaled kasab mahamee 22:40  |  Philippe 26/06/08
      49.   Proud Jew is asking the wrong questions 22:43  |  Ibrahim 26/06/08
      50.   Notice Photos of Terrorist In backround 22:53  |  Baruch Gold 26/06/08
      51.   Baruch Gold 23:17  |  Gina 26/06/08
      52.   The proud Jew 23:29  |  khaled Ksab Mahameed 26/06/08
      53.   To Ibrahim 23:40  |  Proud Jew 26/06/08
      54.   to The Proud Jew 23:47  |  Khaled Mahameed 26/06/08
      55.   to # 7. Guess you think all the word harm you! this is a problem 23:52  |  Simon Mohammed 26/06/08
      56.   Israeli Arab vs Palestinian Jew 23:59  |  Mary 26/06/08
      57.   My point of views is: In general Arab & Muslim do not deny it 00:09  |  Simon Mohammed 27/06/08
      58.   WORLDS TRAGEDIES 00:24  |  Petr Vojta 27/06/08
      59.   The Palestinians are not... 01:13  |  ZS 27/06/08
      60.   #56 Mary -- It already happens 01:19  |  Slibovitz 27/06/08
      61.   I have lost all respect for this guy 01:25  |  Slibovitz 27/06/08
      62.   Circumstances justify Israeli actions, not the Shoah 01:28  |  Slibovitz 27/06/08
      63.   Regardless of the topic - this was poorly written! 02:58  |  DS 27/06/08
      64.   Mahamid has more sense than the average Palestinian 03:09  |  Akiva P 27/06/08
      65.   Re#46 03:33  |  Joe 27/06/08
      66.   W Here is proof of Israeli Arabs orderd to leave Israel by Arabs 04:57  |  PETER SM 27/06/08
      67.   W.Instead of just Arab immigrants a.k.a Palestinians 05:00  |  PETER SM 27/06/08
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