--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not the right-wing Russians or the…" description: "\"It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting settlers who carried out the Nakba. The Nakba is the legacy of Zionism's putatively socialist wing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png" --- # It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting… ![“It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting settlers who carried out the Nakba. The Nakba is the legacy of Zionism's putatively socialist wing. It was the grandfathers and mothers of the "enlightened public" of today's Israel who literally drove tens of thousands of indigenous…” quote by Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png) > “It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting settlers who carried out the Nakba. The Nakba is the legacy of Zionism's putatively socialist wing. It was the grandfathers and mothers of the "enlightened public" of today's Israel who literally drove tens of thousands of indigenous Palestinians into the sea in 1947-48 all along the Mediterranean coast, or who marched them at gunpoint to Ramallah.” [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The displacement of Palestinians in 1947‑48 was driven by Zionist leadership, not by right‑wing Russians or settler militias. **In simple terms:** Zionist leaders caused the Nakba, not external forces. Key Takeaway Recognize the true historical actors. Themes history conflict colonialism nationalism memory Mood reflective critical somber Type historical political analytical When to use this quote - academic research - policy analysis - education - public discourse - human rights advocacy Key Concepts Zionism displacement colonial violence historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging Zionist responsibility change current debates? - What lessons can be drawn for preventing similar displacements? A Different Perspective The narrative may overlook other contributing factors or broader geopolitical context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Indigenous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian/) [Right wing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-wing/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Settlers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settlers/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Zionism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zionism/) ## Related quotes > [It's interesting to think about the history of Israel in relation to the history of the U.S.. There were Native Americans living here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/it-s-interesting-to-think-about-the-history-of-israel-in-relation-to/) [Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/) > [A worm is as good a traveler as a grasshopper or a cricket, and a much wiser settler. With all their activity these do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-worm-is-as-good-a-traveler-as-a-grasshopper-or-a-cricket-and-a-much/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The status of 'native' is a nervous condition introduced and maintained by the settler among colonized people with their consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-status-of-native-is-a-nervous-condition-introduced-and-maintained/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [While the focus in the landscape of Old World cities was commonly government structures, churches, or the residences of rulers, the landscape and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/while-the-focus-in-the-landscape-of-old-world-cities-was-commonly/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [The most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages, though it is apt to be also the most terrible and inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-ultimately-righteous-of-all-wars-is-a-war-with-savages/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The Achilles Heel of the Americas was the lack of cultural confidence typical of new settlers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-erickson/the-achilles-heel-of-the-americas-was-the-lack-of-cultural-confidence/) [Arthur Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-erickson/) > [“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [The settler and pioneer have at bottom had justice on their side; this great continent could not have been kept as nothing but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-settler-and-pioneer-have-at-bottom-had-justice-on-their-side-this/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There is, of course, a legitimate argument for some limitation upon immigration. We no longer need settlers for virgin lands, and our economy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-is-of-course-a-legitimate-argument-for-some-limitation-upon/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [On the Native American front, we have turned a new page in the 400-year history of the interface between the American settlers of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-salazar/on-the-native-american-front-we-have-turned-a-new-page-in-the-400/) [Ken Salazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-salazar/) > [It did not come naturally; in fact, it would be difficult to conceive of any more dogmatic and less tolerant people than the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harris/it-did-not-come-naturally-in-fact-it-would-be-difficult-to-conceive/) [Paul Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harris/) > [It's very hard, for example, to justify the thirty-four-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It's very hard to justify 140 Israeli settlements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/it-s-very-hard-for-example-to-justify-the-thirty-four-year-occupation/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [I am against the fact that a settler minority should impose an entire system of values on an indigenous people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/i-am-against-the-fact-that-a-settler-minority-should-impose-an-entire/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-history-of-the-united-states-is-a-history-of-settler-colonialism/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [When old settlers say 'One has to understand the country,' what they mean is, 'You have to get used to our ideas about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/when-old-settlers-say-one-has-to-understand-the-country-what-they/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More by Max Blumenthal > [After a few months you stop noticing every incarnation of radicalism and violence. It is so saturated into your reality that it practically fades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/after-a-few-months-you-stop-noticing-every-incarnation-of-radicalism/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [While I regard the Nakba as an ongoing crime that needs to be prosecuted and reversed...Shavit defends its necessity and lectures Palestinians trapped in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/while-i-regard-the-nakba-as-an-ongoing-crime-that-needs-to-be/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [I haven't seen American Sniper, but correct me if I'm wrong: An occupier mows down faceless Iraqis but the real victim is his anguished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/i-haven-t-seen-american-sniper-but-correct-me-if-i-m-wrong-an/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [It is depressing but not shocking to witness the liberal intelligentsia embrace Ari Shavit so enthusiastically. Shavit is someone who is as consistently wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/it-is-depressing-but-not-shocking-to-witness-the-liberal/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [I think we need to draw a contextual distinction between what the neo-fascists of Europe would like to do and what the state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/i-think-we-need-to-draw-a-contextual-distinction-between-what-the-neo/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [“A week later, a mob of assorted right-wing nationalists assaulted an anti-war rally in Haifa, bombarding the gathering of Palestinians and leftists with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/a-week-later-a-mob-of-assorted-right-wing-nationalists-assaulted-an/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [You can be a bigot in the US, but you can't come out and openly declare your support for racial nationalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/you-can-be-a-bigot-in-the-us-but-you-can-t-come-out-and-openly/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [My privilege as a white Jewish American in Israel is a major factor in getting me so much access to the key institutions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/my-privilege-as-a-white-jewish-american-in-israel-is-a-major-factor/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [There's still massive racism in the United States today that is rooted in sexual fears, but it's at least considered unacceptable. In Israel it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/there-s-still-massive-racism-in-the-united-states-today-that-is/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [There will be no Palestinian state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/there-will-be-no-palestinian-state/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [If we don't kill, we will cease to exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/if-we-don-t-kill-we-will-cease-to-exist/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [There are fewer Arabs in Tel Aviv, one of the largest cities in the Middle East, than there are in Chicago, the largest city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/there-are-fewer-arabs-in-tel-aviv-one-of-the-largest-cities-in-the/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [Only Zionists get to proclaim their fear of a brown planet while simultaneously maintaining a patina of liberal respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/only-zionists-get-to-proclaim-their-fear-of-a-brown-planet-while/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) > [“paper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israelis saw soldiers as “their children”—the loss of a single one was occasion for a national outpouring of grief. According to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/paper-yedioth-ahronoth-israelis-saw-soldiers-as-their-children-the/) [Max Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) [Explore all 15 Max Blumenthal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/) ## More Coast quotes > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [When you're "East Coast" person, you are so insufferable, and you have no idea. And I was. One, because I was miserable, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/when-you-re-east-coast-person-you-are-so-insufferable-and-you-have-no/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [The United States is filled with power places. The majority of them, however, are to be found either along the West Coast and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-united-states-is-filled-with-power-places-the-majority-of-them/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You don't have to come from Trinidad to really love Harry Belafonte, you don't have to come from the West Coast to appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-avett/you-don-t-have-to-come-from-trinidad-to-really-love-harry-belafonte/) Seth Avett > [I have a West Coast rhythm section and a New York rhythm section. I've got them spread out all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-mcpartland/i-have-a-west-coast-rhythm-section-and-a-new-york-rhythm-section-i-ve/) [Marian McPartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-mcpartland/) > [Since I was a kid, I've had an absolute obsession with particular kinds of American music. Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties, Chicago blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/since-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-had-an-absolute-obsession-with-particular/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [I feel like too many people on the West Coast, they're too needy. They feel they need Snoop or Game. I never did any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-feel-like-too-many-people-on-the-west-coast-they-re-too-needy-they/) [Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/) > [We loved getting married on the east coast of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cooper/we-loved-getting-married-on-the-east-coast-of-mexico/) [Alex Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cooper/) > [Along the coast the sea roars, and inland the mountains roar – the roaring at the center, like a distant clap of thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/along-the-coast-the-sea-roars-and-inland-the-mountains-roar-the/) [Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/) > [I sleep 75 percent of all plane trips I take. I love red-eyes from West to East. I take Ambien to make sure I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-dilfer/i-sleep-75-percent-of-all-plane-trips-i-take-i-love-red-eyes-from/) [Trent Dilfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-dilfer/) > [I think Chicago people are very special people, and the Midwest's confluence of East Coast-meets-Midwest sensibilities had to, on a formative level, inform me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-sunjata/i-think-chicago-people-are-very-special-people-and-the-midwest-s/) [Daniel Sunjata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-sunjata/) > [The final cover for 'Heroes Are My Weakness' feels exactly right. It reflects the cold, wintry setting of an isolated island off the coast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/the-final-cover-for-heroes-are-my-weakness-feels-exactly-right-it/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [From the top of a high rock, I obtained a good few of the most extensive and dreary wilderness I ever beheld. It chilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/from-the-top-of-a-high-rock-i-obtained-a-good-few-of-the-most/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [I met a genius on the train today about 6 years old, he sat beside me and as the train ran down along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-met-a-genius-on-the-train-today-about-6-years-old-he-sat-beside-me/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) Browse all 719 Coast quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting settlers who carried out the Nakba. The Nakba is the legacy of Zionism's putatively socialist wing. It was the grandfathers and mothers of the \"enlightened public\" of today's Israel who literally drove tens of thousands of indigenous Palestinians into the sea in 1947-48 all along the Mediterranean coast, or who marched them at gunpoint to Ramallah.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Max Blumenthal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-the-gun-toting-settlers-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-the-gun-toting-settlers-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/max-blumenthal-32607_coast_it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-th_2338296.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was not the right-wing Russians or the gun-toting settlers who carried out the Nakba. The Nakba is the…” — Max Blumenthal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Max Blumenthal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-blumenthal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was not the right-wing Russians...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-the-gun-toting-settlers-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-blumenthal/it-was-not-the-right-wing-russians-or-the-gun-toting-settlers-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```