The Palestinians are marking the 72nd Nakba anniversary this week. “Nakba” means catastrophe in Arabic. At around the same time Israel is celebrating its modern rebirth and independence, the Arabs commemorate the catastrophic emigration of tens of thousands of Arabs from the Land of Israel to neighboring states.

Looking back now, the question is, could this trauma have been avoided?

We have to actually go back in time in order to decide.

From 1936 to 1939, a great Arab revolt broke out in Israel. It included terrorist activity by the Arabs against both the British presence and the Jewish presence in this land. This was real terror aimed at tipping the scales in the question of whom this land belonged to. The Arabs were supported by the Axis countries, receiving funds and even weapons from Germany and Italy. This was a part of the World War II conflict of Superpowers, that was carried out on the ground of Mandatory Palestine. Even Arabs who opposed these violent activities themselves became targets for Arab terror.

The revolt included a workers’...