Q: What is a Palestinian?



A: One who lives in Palestine.



Q: What is Palestine?



A: A place where Palestinians live.




I have been tempted to pose these questions to advocates for the "Palestinians" for some time. I wonder how the narrator for a Public Broadcasting Service special on Israel would respond to them. She persisted in employing the term "Palestinians" and dubbing Israel's territories "occupied land."



There are far graver questions: What led to the construction of the security barrier? What minor detail was discovered in Jenin? What did Suha Arafat tell her hubby's lieutenants when Yasser was on his deathbed a year ago?



The PBS documentary, called Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, offers a reasonably decent recounting of the conflict in Israel starting with failed negotiations with Syria and then the Camp David summit in 2000 until Yasser Arafat's death, on November 11, 2004. However, in its attempt to educate viewers, PBS omits details that would have added depth and context. In addition, one must wonder if the producers are stretching things, in one sequence, to make Israel look like the bad guy.



The narrator's use of "Palestinians" is a relatively minor point compared to the larger omissions. I admit that I have frequently called them Palestinians and even Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon employs that term.



In Israel's invasion of Jenin in the West Bank, where a large United Nations-run refugee camp is located, the documentary includes film in which Arab leaders accuse Israel of a massacre, with hundreds of civilians killed. In concluding this segment, the narrator reports that it turns out that not so many Arabs were killed, but 49 bodies were later recovered, 14 of whom were civilians. Meaning? Israel still killed civilians.



Since the producers reported on the aftermath, it is too bad they neglected to mention that Israel discovered an armed stronghold at Jenin. The fact that this stronghold was located in a refugee camp meant that United Nations rules were blatantly violated. Military activity in a refugee camp is illegal and United Nations officials could not have possibly missed that kind of activity.



In reporting on the security barrier, the producers employed a "he said, she said" approach to explaining the conflict. Israeli officials said that the barrier was needed to prevent the murderous bombings and those "Palestinians" claimed that the barrier was intended to appropriate their land. The producers neglected to mention that the public was clamoring for a barrier. In fact, many Israelis of all political stripes were on the same page on this issue. Jerusalem Report magazine reported that leaders of individual municipalities started a drive to build a barrier themselves. Settler advocates opposed the barrier, because they feared it would set pre-determined boundaries that would eliminate many existing settlements.



Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dragged his feet on the fence, probably because of pressure from settler leaders. Soon after the Jerusalem Report article appeared, Sharon took control of the situation and built the barrier on his terms.



By the time Arafat died, it was well documented that the number of bombings plunged, nearly to none. While the film ended with Arafat's death, the producers did not see fit to mention that minor detail. In mentioning Arafat's death, they also omitted the spectacle of Suha Arafat bickering with "Palestinian" leaders over the billions of dollars that her husband kept for himself. Initially, she would not tell them anything about the money, but apparently they ultimately made a deal so she could continue living her lavish lifestyle in Paris - while the poor "Palestinians" remain impoverished.