[Sayed Zakerya]

Although there are important differences between the French-Algeria and IsraeL, the similarities are striking. In both cases Arabs were the victims. The slogans of the newcomers are identical from the popular racist phrase "a good Arab is a dead Arab" to the claims of democracy & civilization spread. While the main Israeli stream depart the possibilities of the Zionist project failure & the deletion of the Jewish Identity of the state, the Algerian experience prove that such radical changes may be fulfilled even with absence of balanced military powers .
The French settlers - the "pied-noirs" - had been in Algeria since the 19th century. France treated it as a province, rather than a colony, and the assertion that "Algiers is as much a part of France as Province" echoes Zionists attitude towards Palestine. Generations of French settlers were born and bred in Algeria.
Another crucial similarity is the futility of using military force to try and crush the Palestinians rights of equal citizenship, secular state & right of return . The French in Algeria, like the Israelis today, used increasingly brutal methods in their efforts to keep control: collaborators were recruited, suspects tortured, houses demolished. Just like Israel, France tried to present itself to an increasingly impatient international community as a victim of terror. When resistance grew, France also resorted to violent "crackdowns".
The French response to the Algerian struggle was based on overwhelming force and the Algerian resistance were temporarily defeated. In 1957, French general Raoul Salan also resorted to the construction a security wall on the Algerian borders with Morocco and Tunisia. But the French military victory could not be translated into political success, and just increased popular support for the Algerians freedom fighters. Some Israelis argue that the French used even more brutal measures in Algeria. Yet besides being illegal and immoral, these methods simply did not work.
Algerians, like the Palestinians today, argued that terror against civilians was their last resort. "Give us tanks and aircrafts and we'd abandon terror," said Ahmed Ben Bella.
The Palestinians should be inspired by the Algeria example of how a poorly equipped movement could beat a superpower