4. Geographical Distinctions

The motivations for the exodus, as well as the way in which the exodus occurred, varied as much by region as by time phase. A comprehensive analysis of the flight of the Palestinians must take this distinction into account as well.

The Childers article is the most specific in this regard, dealing with individual cities and towns. The author discusses the events leading up to the flight and the process by which it took place in specific locations throughout Palestine. Unlike others who are inclined to make blanket statements, Childers carefully documents the particulars of each major exodus, citing numbers of civilians and the methods employed to cause their flight. These ranged from prolonged siege and psychological warfare as in Jaffa and Acre, to outright expulsion, as in Lydda and Ramleh. [41] The differences in location are important to note, for a favourite trick of apologetic writers seems to be to focus on one place where the train of events followed the author's description and then attempt to pass this off as representative of the situation throughout Palestine.

An example of the latter is Schectman's tendency to cite statements (irrespective of their value) without qualifying them by specifying what region, town or city they are applicable to. Rarely is a location given at all, and when one is given, there is no reason to believe that the author intends the example to be limited to that location. [42] Another example is provided in the writing of Leo Kohn, a former political adviser to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He essentially repeats the same arguments as does Schectman, quoting from the same statements, and like the former, he refuses to draw any distinction between experiences in various places. [43] On the Arab side, the analysis offered by Fayez Sayegh totally ignores geographic details as well. [44] 

Before leaving this category, special mention should be made of the work of Nazzal. Although the study sought to deal only with the situation in the Galilee, the author did an extremely thorough analysis of many of the towns and villages in this region and the facts behind the exodus in each. In discussing specific places, Nazzal shows that the population responded in different ways, based largely on the nature of the Zionist assault. In some villages indirect psychological pressure or war conditions were sufficient to cause an exodus; elsewhere attacks on villages and enforced expulsion were employed. [45] 

Once it is determined that circumstances and results varied from place to place, we can appreciate the value of a work which deals with geographic distinctions. Indeed, with such a work, one can hope to search accurately for true patterns, rather than be condemned to a simple statement which does not indicate how common or how relevant the occurrence described therein really was.

41 Childers, "The Wordless Wish," pp. 188-94. 

42 Schechtman, pp. 6-10.

43 Kohn, pp. 872-73.

44 Fayez Sayegh, The Palestine Refugees (Washington, D.C.: Amara Press, 1952), pp. 7-16.

45 Nazzal, pp. 219-25. Examples of villages where the population was attacked and/or expelled are Saffuriyya, Safsaf, al-Tabigha and al-Sanakiya.

4. Perbedaan Geografis  

Motivasi eksodus, serta cara eksodus itu terjadi, bervariasi tidak hanya menurut fase waktu, tetapi juga menurut wilayah. Analisis komprehensif tentang pelarian orang Palestina harus memperhitungkan perbedaan ini.  

Artikel Childers adalah yang paling spesifik dalam hal ini, karena membahas kota dan desa secara individual. Ia menelusuri peristiwa yang mendahului eksodus serta proses terjadinya di berbagai lokasi di Palestina. Tidak seperti penulis lain yang cenderung membuat pernyataan umum, Childers dengan hati-hati mendokumentasikan rincian dari setiap eksodus besar, termasuk jumlah warga sipil serta metode yang digunakan untuk memaksa mereka pergi. Cara-cara itu berkisar dari pengepungan panjang dan perang psikologis seperti di Jaffa dan Acre, hingga pengusiran langsung seperti di Lydda dan Ramleh. [41] Perbedaan lokasi ini penting dicatat, karena salah satu trik favorit penulis yang bersifat apologetik adalah berfokus pada satu tempat di mana rangkaian peristiwa sesuai dengan deskripsi mereka, lalu mencoba menyajikannya seolah mewakili situasi di seluruh Palestina.  

Contoh dari kecenderungan ini terlihat pada Schectman, yang sering mengutip pernyataan (tanpa mempersoalkan nilainya) tanpa menjelaskan kota atau wilayah yang dimaksud. Jarang sekali ada lokasi yang disebutkan, dan ketika ada, tidak ada alasan untuk percaya bahwa penulis bermaksud membatasi contoh itu hanya pada tempat tersebut. [42] Contoh lain terdapat pada tulisan Leo Kohn, mantan penasihat politik Kementerian Luar Negeri Israel. Ia pada dasarnya mengulang argumen yang sama dengan Schectman, mengutip dari pernyataan yang sama, dan seperti pendahulunya, menolak membuat perbedaan antara pengalaman di berbagai tempat. [43] Di sisi Arab, analisis yang ditawarkan Fayez Sayegh juga sama sekali mengabaikan rincian geografis. [44]  

Sebelum meninggalkan kategori ini, patut disebutkan karya Nazzal. Meski studinya hanya berfokus pada situasi di Galilea, penulis melakukan analisis yang sangat mendalam terhadap banyak kota dan desa di kawasan itu serta fakta-fakta di balik eksodus di masing-masing tempat. Dengan membahas lokasi-lokasi spesifik, Nazzal menunjukkan bahwa penduduk merespons dengan cara berbeda, sebagian besar bergantung pada sifat serangan Zionis. Di beberapa desa, tekanan psikologis tidak langsung atau kondisi perang sudah cukup untuk memicu eksodus; di tempat lain, serangan langsung dan pengusiran paksa digunakan. [45]  

Setelah dipahami bahwa kondisi dan hasil berbeda-beda dari satu tempat ke tempat lain, kita bisa menghargai nilai karya yang benar-benar memperhatikan perbedaan geografis. Melalui kajian semacam itu, seseorang dapat berharap menemukan pola yang sebenarnya, ketimbang terjebak pada pernyataan sederhana yang gagal menunjukkan seberapa umum atau relevan suatu peristiwa tertentu.  

[41] Childers, *The Wordless Wish*, hlm. 188–194.  
[42] Schechtman, hlm. 6–10.  
[43] Kohn, hlm. 872–873.  
[44] Fayez Sayegh, *The Palestine Refugees* (Washington, D.C.: Amara Press, 1952), hlm. 7–16.  
[45] Nazzal, hlm. 219–225. Contoh desa yang diserang dan/atau diusir adalah Saffuriyya, Safsaf, al-Tabigha, dan al-Sanakiya.