(This by the way is one of the many pieces of factual inaccuracies and
distortions critics say is used in the work of supposed "New Historian"
Ilan Pappe. This "New Historian" research has been significantly criticized
as using slanted facts and not relying on first hand documentation of Arab
intent in 1948. And wouldn't you know it, this propaganda road show
including Pappe is now appearing at Harvard, see;
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/seminars/cw/2008/roger_owen_conf MG)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=203871&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

PA paid legal defense fees of 1948 Tantura affair historian

By David
Ratner

Former Palestinian Authority minister Feisal Husseini paid $8,000 for
the legal defense of historian Teddy Katz, the kibbutz member whose
master's thesis, "The Departure of Arabs from Villages on the Southern
Slopes of Mount Carmel," claimed that Arabs in the village of Tantura
were massacred in 1948, sparking a bitter legal fight with veterans of
the 33rd battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade. The PA's funding for
Katz was reported yesterday by Yedioth Ahronoth.

Responding yesterday, Katz said he will not comment until he submits a
revised version of his work to Haifa University. He indicated,
however, that he does not believe there have to been anything wrong
with taking money from Husseini.

The money, Katz said, did "not come from the Palestinian Authority,
but rather from the research institute that Husseini headed." A friend
of Katz's yesterday said the historian had no choice but to take the
money. "Katz, a kibbutz member, lacked means for a defense against the
NIS 17,000 suit against him by veterans of the Alexandroni Brigade ...
not to mention the legal fees he incurred in his defense."

The Katz affair began in 1998, when the historian submitted his MA
thesis at Haifa University on the departure of Arabs from Tantura.
Relying on oral testimony culled from Arab and Jewish sources, he
claimed several dozen villagers at Tantura were massacred by the
Alexandroni soldiers. His thesis received a top mark of 97.

After a report on his research was published in Ma'ariv, members of
the battalion sued Katz for libel.

During the trial Alexandroni veterans' lawyers pointed to
discrepancies between the taped interviews Katz conducted and
descriptions in his thesis. By June 2000, Katz knew he faced a
protracted legal battle and so approached Feisal Husseini for help.

In December 2000, Katz published an apology and retracted allegations
about the massacre. He has tried subsequently to revoke the deal with
the Alexandroni veterans.
------------------------------------------------------
Progchat_action is a non-partisan and progressive political news weblog,
chat, and action discussion alternative in cyberspace:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/progchat_action/
------------------------------------------------------
"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great
moral crises maintain their neutrality" - Dante

__._,_.___

Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

Messages | Members

Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___