ed ▁" There ▁are ▁circumstances ▁in ▁history ▁that ▁justify ▁eth nic ▁cle ans ing . ▁I ▁know ▁that ▁this ▁term ▁is ▁completely ▁negative ▁in ▁the ▁disc ourse ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 1 st ▁century , ▁but ▁when ▁the ▁choice ▁is ▁between ▁eth nic ▁cle ans ing ▁and ▁gen o cide — the ▁anni h ilation ▁of ▁your ▁people — I ▁prefer ▁eth nic ▁cle ans ing ." ▁ ▁S ale h ▁Ab del ▁J aw ad , ▁Nur ▁Mas al ha , ▁Michael ▁Prior , ▁Ian ▁L ust ick , ▁and ▁John ▁Rose ▁have ▁critic ized ▁Z ion ism ▁for ▁having ▁been ▁responsible ▁for ▁violence ▁against ▁Palest ini ans , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁De ir ▁Y ass in ▁mass acre , ▁Sab ra ▁and ▁Sh at ila ▁mass acre , ▁and ▁C ave ▁of ▁the ▁Patri arch s ▁mass acre . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 3 8 , ▁Mah at ma ▁Gand hi ▁rejected ▁Z ion ism , ▁saying ▁that ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁a ▁Jewish ▁national ▁home ▁in ▁Palest ine ▁is ▁a ▁religious ▁act ▁and ▁therefore ▁must ▁not ▁be ▁performed ▁by ▁force , ▁comparing ▁it ▁to ▁the ▁Part ition ▁of ▁India ▁into ▁H indu ▁and ▁Muslim ▁countries . ▁He ▁wrote , ▁" Pal est ine ▁belongs ▁to ▁the ▁Arab s ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁sense ▁that ▁England ▁belongs ▁to ▁the ▁English ▁or ▁France ▁to ▁the ▁French . ▁It ▁is ▁wrong ▁and ▁in human ▁to ▁imp ose ▁the ▁Jews ▁on ▁the ▁Arab s   ... ▁Sure ly ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁a ▁crime ▁against ▁human