For years after that, the term "Palestinian" was more frequently used to refer to the region's Jews than its Arabs. For example, the Palestine Post was founded in 1932 by a former editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. (The newspaper became the Jerusalem Post in 1950.) Jewish musicians organized the Palestine Symphony Orchestra in 1936. (Its name was changed to the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra twelve years later.) During World War II, the "Palestine Regiment" of the British Army had both Jewish and Arab battalions, with more of the former than the latter. Perhaps most significantly, U.N. Resolution 181, passed in 1947, referred to the founding of a "Jewish State" and an "Arab State" - and looked forward to peace and amicable relations "between the two Palestinian peoples."
Only in the 1960s, with the rise of Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization, did the term "Palestinian" begin to exclude Palestinian Jews. Many who employ the term also exclude those Palestinian Arabs who hold Israeli citizenship - about 20 percent of Israel's current population.
How large, by comparison, will the Jewish minority be in the Palestinian state that Abbas envisions? Zero percent - Jews will not be tolerated. The PA president has made that quite clear. And Hamas, which rules Gaza, has intentions toward Israelis that can only be described as genocidal.
The ASA has objected to none of this. Nor are they fretting about the fact that the Christian population of the West Bank and Gaza has been plummeting. Indeed, Christians are being persecuted and "cleansed" throughout much of the Muslim world. Meanwhile, by stark contrast, Israel's Christian community continues to grow and strengthen.
It is within this context that Abbas has been negotiating with Israel - doing so, apparently, only because President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry insist, and in exchange for tangible benefits - e.g., the release of scores of terrorists imprisoned in Israel.
To be fair, Abbas must wonder how anyone could seriously expect him to make peace with Israel at this moment. He knows that Iran intends to have a nuclear-weapons capability. He almost certainly doubts Obama's determination to prevent that. He understands that if sanctions are lifted and Iran can again sell oil at world-market prices, its economy is likely to boom. Iran's rulers will then use their new weapons and wealth to establish hegemony over the region.
They would not look kindly on any Muslim leader who had recently grasped an Israeli hand. They would, however, find common ground with a Palestinian leader who had attempted to erase Israel from history. That would be consistent with their more ambitious goal: to follow Hadrian's example and erase Israel from the map.
Let me end on a more encouraging note. In recent days, the Association of American Universities, the umbrella organization for 62 major universities and university-systems, and the Association of American University Professors have rejected the ASA's boycott, as have Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Chicago - a growing list of America's most prestigious schools. Action item for philanthropists considering giving gifts to educational institutions in the New Year: Those not on that list should not be on yours.
