Exactly What is "Occupied"?

What is going around the blogosphere is this:

Professor - Associate - Gil Anidjar teaches a class* at Columbia University at its Middle East Institute called "Theories of Culture in the Middle East".

In one of his recent lectures, he was reputed to have said (or maybe he didn't but the point still needs to be dealt with):

"The so-called Occupied Territories...I say so-called because the other areas are also occupied but they are just not called that..."

I can only presume that he - and his students - thought what was being referred to was the region of Judea and Samaria in the first instance ("occupied Territories"), and the rest of Israel, between the Green Line to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, in the second instance ("the other areas").

However, there is another interpretation:

Jordan, as we all know (we do, do we not?), is occupied by the Hashemite family who hail from Saudi Arabia.  Abdullah I, the current king's great grandfather, entered the territory and proceeded in a northernly direction in November 1920.  Here's one summary:

In November 1920 Abdullah, Faysal's brother, arrived in Ma'an (at that time claimed as part of Hejaz, based on the old Ottoman Vilayet of Hejaz) with 2,000 armed supporters intent on gathering together tribes to attack the French, who had forced Faysal to relinquish his newly founded kingdom in Syria. To defuse the situation - and with a bit of 'horsetrading' -, the British decided that Abdullah would take over as ruler of what was to become known as Transjordan

and here's a more official Jordanian version:

In November 1920, Emir (later King) Abdullah led forces from the Hijaz to restore his brother’s throne in the Kingdom of Syria. However, the French mandate over Syria was already well planted, and Abdullah was obliged to delay his pan-Arab goals and focus on forming a government in Amman. Since the end of the war, the British had divided the land of Transjordan into three local administrative districts, with a British “advisor” appointed to each. The northern region of ‘Ajloun had its administrative center in Irbid, the central region of Balqa was based in Salt, and the southern region was run by the “Moabite Arab Government,” based in Karak. The regions of Ma’an and Tabuk were incorporated into the Kingdom of the Hijaz, ancestral home of the Hashemites. Faced with the determination of Emir Abdullah to unify Arab lands under the Hashemite banner, the British proclaimed Abdullah ruler of the three districts, known collectively as Transjordan.

Once Abdullah made his aggressive move, parts of the country there were supposed to be part of the Jewish national home territory were transferred to TransJordan and Britain arranged the 'postponement' of the article in the Mandate decision concerning the right of 'close settlement' by Jews therein:

Article 6  -  The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.

Notice that the term "Arabs" does not appear.  The land that was to become a country and eventually a state was slated to be Jewish whereas the rest of the population was defined as "other sections" with no identity and that is because it didn't make a difference if they were Arabs for they had no claims.  They were "others": Arabs, Muslims, Christains, Europeans, and whatnot.  To the Jews, by a decision of international legality, and Jews only, belonged the political primacy.

Jordan, today, occupies parts of the historical Jewish national home.  Between 1948 and 1967, it occupied Judea and Samaria.  In April 1950, it illegally annexed those regions, an act recognized by England only.

Only at Columbia, I guess, could such a weird ideology be promoted and thought of as  academic truth rather than what it is - not quite an historical fact.
P.S.  Of course, if Anidjar denies expressing such sentiments, and I sent this post to him, I will retract.


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* maybe this one: Middle East W3000, Theory-Culture: Middle East/South Asia, Section 001, Call Number: 87097, Instructor: Gil Anidjar, Points: 4, Day/Time: TR 2:10pm-4:00pm, Location: 313 Fayerweather.

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UPDATE

After reading myself here, I realize there are a few spelling errors and syntax I needed to correct.

^

Columbia U. and George Lincoln Rockwell

Over here, in a wrap-up of the demo outside Columbia University, you can see a member of my former synagogue in Queens, now known as the Young Israel of Holliswood, Awi Federgruen. If you're too tired to pop over there, okay, here's the picture:-



Anyway, in December 1965, George Lincoln Rockwell was scheduled to speak at Columbia and in addition to Youth Against War & Facism, a Communist front-group, all the Zionist youth groups and movements were out in force.

Betar planned something special. Basically, we were going to end Rockwell's life on the stage of the hall. A diversion was fixed in the form of cherrybombs while on the other side of the stage, in a bathroom, about eight of us were to be waiting so that we could take advantage of the pandemonium. We even practiced a day before in the stalls, changing around the seating arrangements, two to a stall, so that anyone checking would see different pants in different stalls. Someone was to extinguish the electricity, another 3-4 were to physically attack the Nazi and at least I was one who was supposed to protect the inner circle from attempted police attacks. I was 18 at the time and so while I still think we were right, at least I can always say "there's a youthful experience for you".

As luck would have it, someone we never knew phoned in a bomb threat while we were on the way from the Manhattan Moadon by bus. The campus was shut down and even an attempt by us to enter the grounds through the underground passageways failed (with me and BR just avoiding arrest due a very quick retreat).

Betarim never giving up, we got in through the Morningside Drive entrance, attempted to rush the side entrance to the hall but were rebuffed by New York's finest. Eli Solomon was thrown to the ground and stayed there long enough for a reporter to ask him what he was doing on the ground in a snow bank and he replied: "I am representing my Jewish brethren killed in the Holocaust".

Oh, we never accomplished our mission as the Nazi was arrested trying to crossover the George Washingston Bridge.