The world does not seem to need very much advice on  how to cover up massacres.  People are good at creating masks of indifference, unknowing, denial and distortion of evidence without needing much training.

A thoughtful and extensive review of a documentary on the catastrophe for the Arab people in the course of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 is edifying reading.  For decent Israelis, the truths of the Nakba or catastrophic disaster for the Arabs does not take away from the heroism and beauty, let alone justice, of the young Israeli state standing up in self-protection against the Arab populations refusal to accept the United Nations partition of Palestine into two states, one for the Jewish people and one for the Arabs.  The war was an absolute survival necessity for the Jews who had nowhere else to go –  including so many of them who had literally just arrived having survived amazingly the vicious death camps of the Nazis.  But for decent Israelis the war is also a reminder that in the course of fighting for the good, we human beings seem invariably unable to maintain a tight policy of decency and avoidance of non-military losses.

Alon Schwarz is the Director of a film, Tantura, which is a location on the shore of the Mediterranean facing the town of Zichron Ya’akov in Israel.

To this day, a complex controversy rages as to whether or not the conquering Israeli troops committed an outrageously cruel slaughter of the resident Arab population.

Schwarz’ point is that once we recognize the Nakba and educate about it honestly, it will be infinitely easier to launch a dialogue with the Palestinians about the continuing conflict between the two peoples to this day.  “It would be better for us all if we understood that we must take responsibility for the massive planned expulsion that took place here, for which the current correct term is ‘ethnic cleansing.'”

Schwarz, Alon (August 12, 2022). How to Cover Up a Massacre: Zionism must evolve in order to survive, writes the director of the documentary ‘Tantura.’ Israelis should be strong enough to acknowledge the suffering of the other side. Recognizing the Nakba is a first step toward a future of peace.  Haaretz English Edition. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-08-12/ty-article-magazine/how-to-cover-up-a-massacre/00000182-9271-d9bc-affb-f3ff387f0000