At best, Ilan Pappe must be one of the world’s sloppiest historians; at worst, one of the most dishonest. In truth, he probably merits a place somewhere between the two.
He deliberately (or by incompetence) omits and changes details, mistranslates, and distorts historical documents. Not surprising that this ill-informed post leans heavily on his work.
Scholars have perceived an ideological shift in Morris’s work starting around 2000, during the Second Intifada. Morris’s perspective has been described as having become more conservative and more negative towards Palestinians, viewing the 1948 expulsions as a justified act.
Baruch Kimmerling
In an article in HNN, Baruch Kimmerling discusses Morris’ 2004 Haaretz interview in which Morris states:>
if he was already engaged in expulsion, maybe he should have done a complete job. I know that this stuns the Arabs and the liberals and the politically correct types. But my feeling is that this place would be quieter and know less suffering if the matter had been resolved once and for all. If Ben-Gurion had carried out a large expulsion and cleaned the whole country - the whole Land of Israel, as far as the Jordan River. It may yet turn out that this was his fatal mistake. If he had carried out a full expulsion - rather than a partial one - he would have stabilized the State of Israel for generations… Even the great American democracy could not have been created without the annihilation of the Indians. There are cases in which the overall, final good justifies harsh and cruel acts that are committed in the course of history.
Kimmerling describes Morrris’s views as “shocking” and says that Morris “has abandoned his historian’s mantle and donned the armor of a Jewish chauvinist who wants the Land of Israel completely cleansed from Arabs” He criticizes the analysis of Morris as misunderstanding the impact of the refugee problem on the current conflict, and the magnitude of an even larger refugee population.[35]
I encourage to read all of the “Praise and criticism” section in his wiki. Benny Morris is definitely not a reliable source.
Pappe is biased towards Palestinian emancipation. He explains his position and why in his introductions instead of hiding his bias like some Historians such as Benny Morris, who has justified the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948.
Here’s Pappe’s response to Benny Morris, where he debunks Morris’ claims:
“Ben-Gurion’s 5 October 1937 letter thoroughly vindicates Ilan Pappé’s reading; indeed, the Pappé quotes to which CAMERA objects seem almost mild when compared to the actual words Ben-Gurion penned to his son. The more literal translation of the Ben-Gurion direct quote (“Webmust expel Arabs and take their place”) is actually stronger than Pappé’s freer rendering (“The Arabs must go”), although the meaning is basically the same. As for Pappé’s paraphrase, it is as accurate and comprehensive as any so succinct a sentence could possibly be.”
There’s plenty of reputable historians praising Pappe’s work and credibility. The criticisms don’t hold water. Maybe don’t be so quick to discredit his works. His works use a wide variety of sources.
There is consensus that The Electronic Intifada is generally unreliable with respect to its reputation for accuracy, fact-checking, and error-correction. Almost all editors consider The Electronic Intifada a biased and opinionated source, so their statements should be attributed.
There is consensus that Media Bias/Fact Check is generally unreliable, as it is self-published. Editors have questioned the methodology of the site’s ratings.
According to fellow historians:
He deliberately (or by incompetence) omits and changes details, mistranslates, and distorts historical documents. Not surprising that this ill-informed post leans heavily on his work.
Source
Lol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Morris
I encourage to read all of the “Praise and criticism” section in his wiki. Benny Morris is definitely not a reliable source.
Pappe is biased towards Palestinian emancipation. He explains his position and why in his introductions instead of hiding his bias like some Historians such as Benny Morris, who has justified the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948.
Here’s Pappe’s response to Benny Morris, where he debunks Morris’ claims:
https://electronicintifada.net/content/response-benny-morris-politics-other-means-new-republic/5040
CAMERA criticisms are easily debunked as seen here:
https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/42571
https://mondoweiss.net/2012/03/we-must-expel-arabs-and-take-their-place-institute-for-palestine-studies-publishes-1937-ben-gurion-letter-advocating-the-expulsion-of-palestinians/
“Ben-Gurion’s 5 October 1937 letter thoroughly vindicates Ilan Pappé’s reading; indeed, the Pappé quotes to which CAMERA objects seem almost mild when compared to the actual words Ben-Gurion penned to his son. The more literal translation of the Ben-Gurion direct quote (“Webmust expel Arabs and take their place”) is actually stronger than Pappé’s freer rendering (“The Arabs must go”), although the meaning is basically the same. As for Pappé’s paraphrase, it is as accurate and comprehensive as any so succinct a sentence could possibly be.”
There’s plenty of reputable historians praising Pappe’s work and credibility. The criticisms don’t hold water. Maybe don’t be so quick to discredit his works. His works use a wide variety of sources.
Electrinic intifada:
From Wikipedia:
Mondoweis:
“Mondoweiss” is a hate site (UPDATED) from the Washington Post.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Perennial_sources
Even if you want to discredit those websites as a whole, it doesn’t change that those articles themselves are factual.
Mondoweiss is not a hate site. Anti-zionism is not Antisemitism.