The Big Lie

by Rabbi Berel Wein
Jerusalem Post
June 07 2002

One of the depressing aspects of the Six-Day War, the thirty-fifth 
anniversary of which is now being commemorated this week, is the 
reminder of the brazenness of the "Big Lie" which was employed by 
the Arabs then to justify their war and to excuse their crushing 
defeat. The Soviet Union was then still alive, posturing as a 
superpower and bristling with aggression and nuclear missiles. 
It was the patron of the Arabs, supplying its client states, 
Egypt and Syria, with enormous quantities of modern planes, tanks, 
artillery and other weapons of deadly sophistication. And the 
Soviet Union was then the chief perpetrator of the "Big Lie" in 
the world arena, using it as a most effective weapon in that 
fearsome era of the Cold War. Because of Kremlin political 
infighting, that remains still somewhat fuzzy thirty-five years 
later, the Soviets used deceit and deliberate misinformation 
to convince Syria and Egypt that Israel was going to invade 
Syria and topple its Soviet satellite Baa'th government. 
Once that "Big Lie" was spread, the unfortunate chain of events 
that led to that war - Nasser's boasts and bullying, 
the ejection of UNEF from Sinai, the cravenness of U Thant 
and the UN as well as of the European countries and the 
United States, the wild hysteria of the Arab street demanding 
the destruction of Israel and the Jews, Jordan's participation 
in the unholy alliance against Israel, the terrible three week 
waiting period, Israel's preemptive strike and finally its 
stunning military victory - unfolded with uncontrolled 
inevitability. And worst of all that original "Big Lie" 
led to further whoppers. 

The Arabs on the first day of the war claimed to have bombed 
Tel Aviv and destroyed Haifa. Nasser, continually mouthing 
his own venomous propaganda, fell into the trap set for all 
liars - namely, coming to believe one's own lies. He sold 
his lies to Hussein of Jordan and the Syrians. More importantly, 
even the Soviets believed him initially. By the time the 
revelation of the Arab debacle on the ground became apparent, 
the war was already lost, no matter what propaganda lies 
were still being advanced by the Arabs. It was then that the 
new and deadlier "Big Lie" was fabricated and spread throughout 
the Arab world - that it was Britain and America that defeated 
the Arabs and not the "Zionist gang." This "Big Lie" lies at 
the heart of everything that has transpired in the Middle 
East over the past thirty-five years. It is the Arab refusal 
(Egypt and Jordan somewhat excepted) to deal with the reality 
and permanence of Israel's existence, based on the "Big Lie" 
that Israel can and should be destroyed that thwarts all 
efforts at peace and stability in the region. 

Most of the Arab street currently still believes that it 
is possible, desirable and mandatory for the Arabs to destroy 
Haifa and Tel Aviv and to eradicate the "Zionist entity." 
The Arabs (even those in Egypt and Jordan) have been educated 
and raised to believe this "Big Lie." It is not the "Israeli 
occupation" that fuels the desire to become a suicide bomber 
martyr, as much as it is the "Big Lie" that the Arabs are 
somehow winning the war against Israel and that Israel and 
the Jews will soon collapse and disappear from the Middle 
East scene. Only when that "Big Lie" will finally be expunged 
from Arab belief and schooling, can there be true progress 
towards a solution to the Arab-Israeli struggle. 

For as long as the Arab and Moslem street believes that 9/11 
was a Jewish conspiracy, that suicide bombers are heroic 
martyrs, and that there never was a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, 
etc., there is little if any hope for discovering a "peace 
partner" among them. This sad realization has dawned upon 
most of Israeli society by now and also has wide recognition 
in American society as well. Europe has always traditionally 
swallowed any "Big Lie" about Jews and thus its society is 
harder to penetrate, even until today. "Big Lies" take on 
a life of their own, as witness, for example, the infatuation 
of nihilist and Leftist intellectuals of the twentieth century 
with the righteousness of the Soviet Union and its "progressive" 
causes. There are unfortunately Jews today who also believe 
in the "Big Lie" - that settlers are not real Israelis, that 
the IDF is unnecessarily harsh in its war against terrorism, 
that Arafat is after all the "democratically elected leader" 
of the Palestinians, and that we cannot choose our negotiating 
partners. These are the current and well-publicized small 
and painful lies that are all based on the one "Big Lie” 
- the belief that the Jews really never had any legitimacy 
in creating and nurturing a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. 
We should not despair because lies, no matter how big they are, 
do eventually fall of their own false weight. In that well-
founded belief is our hope for the future peace and security 
of Israel and the entire Middle East. 

Shabat Shalom. 
Rabbi Berel Wein