Libyan Leader Qadhafi Declare Willingness to Compensate Jews for Lost Property and Discloses a New Plan: "A Lobby, a Trojan Horse, and a Fifth Column" in Italy and Israel

The following are excerpts from Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi's speech on September 1, Libyan Revolution Day:

Qadhafi: Zionism is the Jewish national movement. They could have had a state in Alaska, Argentina or Uganda, as was meant to be. (Countries), which we no connection to us. If this had happened, we would not be enemies of Zionism. Today, Uganda's (President) Museveni is not an enemy of Zionism, because they did not establish the state there, but in Palestine. Had Zionism established a state for the Jews in Uganda, it is possible that Libya's relationship with the Jews would have resembled Museveni's relationship with the Jews, with the Israelis.

The Jews in Libya were wretched people, good people. There was no hostility between the Arabs and the Jews until '48, when they unilaterally established a state on the land of Palestine and changed its name to Israel. Then the hostility began. The Palestinians were expelled, and then the hostility began. They are the ones who unilaterally declared hostilities. Before that, the Arabs were the ones who protected the Jews. They protected them in Al-Madina, and gave them Wadi Al-Qura. It's called Wadi Al-Qura after the Jews. The Arabs protected them from the Byzantine persecutions, from the Russian persecutions, from the persecutions by Hitler. They protected them following their expulsion from Spain in 1493 (sic.), in the 15 century, the Arabs and Jews were expelled from Spain. Who took in the Jews? They had no homeland. The Arab countries took them in. A (Jewish) quarter in Morocco, a quarter in Tunisia, a quarter in Algiers, a quarter in Libya, a quarter in Egypt, a quarter in Syria, and a quarter in Palestine. Don't they say, the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Quarter… We protected and hosted them, and there was no hostility between us.

The Jews who lived in Libya, that's another story. Zionism enticed them and brought to their immigration. A Jew who sold coriander, henna, lentils, and sabra fruit, and built a house – it isn't reasonable to tell him, "This house isn't yours." If you, my brother Libyans, took a Jew's house, you must return it to him, or compensate him, whether this Jew is in Italy now, in Palestine, or anywhere else, unless he took Palestinian property in Palestine. For instance, a Jew in Libya… This should be clear. If there is a Libyan Jew from whom you took a house and he is its lawful owner and he immigrated to Palestine and took a Palestinian's house and expelled the Palestinian, he cannot take back his house in Libya or be compensated for it, unless he returns the house to the Palestinian or compensates him. This issue should be looked into and acted upon with logic.

These Libyan Jews are wretched. They are persecuted in Italy. Israel doesn't want them and the Italians don't accept them. In contrast, we want to embrace them. I am considering establishing a political party from among the Libyan Jews in occupied Palestine, or a political party from among the Libyan Jews in Italy, and a party from among the Italians who lived in Libya and support it. We will finance them and stand by their side, and this way we will have a lobby, a Trojan horse, and a fifth column there.