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please help me,we have a debate class and the motion is
This house believes that there will be no peace in the middle east without the palestinian state..
im in the government side and i find a hard time to prove our motion. tnx
All this talk of my land your land our land their land. It goes on and on. This world has always existed. For millions of years man has lived on this tiny spot, dotted in an never ending universe. Earth two thirds water. Enough resources for Everyone. And yet…… Is it Israel or is it Palestine. What was it 3 Million years ago?. Exactly. In another 3 million years:? What then.
As non-religious European, I have no personal experience with Jews or Arabs. Despite of remote position I think there are enough sources available for a broader impartial picture.
Everywhere we have good and bad individuals within communities or nations, hence, which are better, is no issue at all. Conflict between Israel, Palestinian Arabs and the rest of Arab world has all elements of collective insanity triggered by malignant and orchestrated religious fanaticism, prevailing to one side.
So defined side is incapable even to consider such possibility and remains convinced in their righteous cause, no matter what. Worldwide-polarized opinion only maintains such attitude, not to forget partial and other handy political and business interests.
In spite of deep religious orientation, troubled sometimes with own orthodox fanatics, Israel remain modern, constitutional, secular technological society and typical representative of developed democracies. Arab world is pure contrast, with Palestinian Arab entity even worse. Incompatible as water and oil both has to dwell in one big vessel with same rights for existence.
Religious fanaticism and obsolete tribal primitivism are primaries of Arab world. Explicitly opportunistic Palestinians irrationally maintain hatred to Israelis, at same time hastily ready to use benefits of more advanced civilization. Netanyahu could not express better, “if the Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more war, but if Israel lays down its weapons there would be no more Israel”. I believe even opponents of Israel are aware of this fact.
Arabs have many countries with vast territories; Israel is one on very limited space. Israeli existence as Jewish state is in serious jeopardy by Arab extreme demographic expansion and paradoxical influx of other Arabs and black Africa opportunistic immigration waves.
I am terrified from this same massive immigration purring in Europe almost freely, thanks to incredible ignorance off local governments and shortsighted EU policy in general. Europe is huge in comparison to Israel and I can only imagine how Israelis feel about common problem. It is common, as demographically expansive Islam is evidently hostile to white Christian civilization and that is almost undisputable.
Naturally, my sympathies stick to Israel. Arabs and Islamic world have other values, much more worth of their attention, instead of sticking to religious fanaticism and archaic tribal retardedness.
Disregarding all above, I am convinced that all mighty Mother Nature, as response to our global demographic imbalance, triggers most of our animosities, on deeper subconscious level. If there would be few of us on Earth, we would be very happy seeing each other, under any circumstances. It seams as Nature is signaling, kill yourself hastily, as I will reduce you my way, or stick your heads together and find way to balance your numbers and behavior.
@ Feris; (“Netanyahu could not express better, “if the Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more war, but if Israel lays down its weapons there would be no more Israel”. I believe even opponents of Israel are aware of this fact.)
Feris, your reply summarizes the entire anti-Arab discrimination which is based on ignorance, self-denied racism against Arabs and middle-eastern people including the Jews, but which is now simply the turn of the Arabs to hate instead. It’s people like you who committed and applauded the discrimination and then the Holocaust against the Jews in the 2nd world war, people like you and Netanyahu. Stressing on the Netanyahu quote, which you advertise vividly like a clown, it is noteworthy to know the fact that Palestine is a land more than 90% percent owned by Palestinian Arabs, which was rifle looted from them by their Jewish compatriots and the massive fire power immigration during and after ww2, beginning skirmishes in the thirties and went totally ransacking after 1940s. If you publish an encyclopedia of deceiving scenarios on the subject, the facts will always be unspoiled, declaring the incidence as the greatest theft-attempt of national property of the civilized world. If the Arabs lay down their weapons it means they don’t give a damn about their country and identity, if the thieves lay down their weapons it will be the end of the bloodiest theft raiding in history. This incidence later echoed massacres in Lebanon between the Palestinians and the Lebanese, which is the direct responsibility of the zionist movement as well.
Conditions for Palestinians are deplorable in the occupied territories because every day they are brutalized, tortured; their homes taken away or demolished; their olive trees uprooted… this is also not good for the perpetrators of such evil. That many Israelis together with Palestinians, share a fierce desire for peace helps, but it is not enough. No one needs to be a scholar, Biblical, historical, political, to understand how skewed the violence is or has been for decades. All that is needed is common sense, concern for the planet, and having a heart. The rule of law, international laws, human rights all remind individuals and groups; countries and the world that justice is for everyone. Laws meant to protect all go broken each and every day in the region and somehow it is not okay to debate, to inform, to speak out against bad behavior in Israel; to debate these circumstances as they come to light? This is not simply a matter of opinion. As more information that heretofore was censored emerges, more of us are learning about injustices perpetrated by the Israeli government and the retaliation of angry extremists whether Israeli or Palestinian. The occupation should stop so that the harm it causes can cease. Palestinians and Israelis can and should live in peace without war, harm, paranoia.
i also love the argument that Palestine acquired the land by conquest n therefore should see the irony of loosing it in the same way! it might be true but its not rite to punish a people for what there ancestors did over 1500 years ago!
stop calling the guys getting there ass kicked the terrorists. its not fair its like Nazi propaganda in ww2
ISRAEL STOP GOING ON ABOUT A 2000 YEAR OLD BOOK GIVING U RITES AND ADMIT THAT U ARE JUST BEING PRAGMATIC!
this talk of isreal being ‘givin by god to the jews’ is annoying and means nothing to an athiest as my self who has no jew or arab friends
its just history reapeating itself, when a more advanced people come across a less advanced one the weaker of the two will likely end up with a loss.
ultimatly might is rite not morality and equality, unfortunatly. i guess we are still animals albeit very advanced ones.
the very idea of calling this a war is false, it was never a war with the native americans just a straight up invasion, there prospects were bleak the day the new settlers arrived. The native ammeriacans never stood a chance, much like the palestinions dont today.
its like putting a heavyweight boxer in the ring with a featherweight, its hardly a fight.
isreal has not occupied a whole country with puppydogs and rainbows, it has done so with brute strenght.
so.. good luck palestine because lets face it when ur fighting an occupation backed by the richest most powerful country on earth ur going to need it!
In a sense the world understands the Palestinian struggle but it’s time for the Palestinian leaders to step back and fully understand what’s against them and what’s for them. Leaders of the west and Israel will never give to Palestinians demands. So what Palestine needs to do is accept the land that is on their hands and stop all wars against Israel and concentrate on enriching that land and there people. Money is the power not religion not war. How much money has Palestinians loss in war with Israel? how many lives? This money could have bought you a government, Military and a foundation. to win a war you need a military Israel has a military Palestinians have rocks and that’s the reality. We all know not to bring a knife to a gunfight.
Exactly! I was just in the Middle East and was asking the same question. Why aren’t Arabs investing into their own towns and cities? Why aren’t Arab countries sending money and resources into Palestine? It shows a picture of what the priority is. Not its people. That’s what I saw. Many Arabs were trying to work in Jerusalem–waiting in long lines to cross borders, when, jobs could be created by Arabs for Arabs in Arab towns. I know there is more to this picture then that but if they want their own state, shouldn’t they start building up whatever they have now. If they are depending on Israeli jobs and even medical support (yes, Palastinians can come to Israeli hospitals and recieve care) will they expect Israel to help them from afar if they get statehood?
Better than moving Israel to the us Lets make Israel a us state. So every time a missile is shot into Israel it can be considered a act of war on the us. And we can intervene.
i totally agree….i am palestinian and ive been there. why cant we all just get along tho? have of the arabs there are scared of the jews and vice versa. War is not the key to peace.
Palestine should be liberated because they were not born to shed blood only. What about the history of Israel? They have no sovereignty in this world, they are gypsies. They make the world full of blood. How will we, who love peace & work for peace remain silent ???!!!
There is no palestine. How many times have the arabs had a chance to create a palestinian state and turned it down? Several! What about the history of Israel? It goes way back to Avraham moving into Canaan and establishing his son Isaac in the land. The ancient Israelites were instructed by HaShem to get rid of the Canaanites and Philistines for their pagan practices of burning their children on alters to their gods, orgies, & temple prostitution.
There has always been one Israel throughout history for the last 4500 years, unlike islamic countries of which we count 57 that were taken away from other nations in war and infltration in the last 1400 years since it was thought up in the minds of arab men. Since islam came on the scene, more people have been slaughtered by muslims claiming jihad. Jews never behaved as muslims do. Jews have always been persecuted and hated. Israel is their home, and you muslims are trying to take that away also. Isn’t it enough that muslims in islamic countries kicked Jews out and the Jews in Israel absorbed them at great cost. Why not the arabs absorb the arab refugees in the West Bank and Gaza? The arabs who call themselves palestinians came from those arab countries anyway. There were only a few who were actual residents of Israel, most were illegal immigrants who stole into Israel from the surrounding arab countries to get jobs from the Jews. Your government is lying to you. Your government is using you as a pawn to wipe out the Jews because of the age old hostility that started with Ishmael and escalated with muhammad. Arafat is the father of modern terrorism against Jews, you are not taught love and peace but hatred and violence against Jews. This is a fact!
Move Israel to the US since they are friends
When someone takes your home by force and lives in it as if it’s his own home, this seems to me, as a RATIONAL human being, unfair and inhuman. It’s is a matter of dignity and it has nothing to do with hatred. Can you accept to watch a stranger who kicked you out of your home enjoy living in it??
“When someone takes your home by force and lives in it as if it’s his own home, this seems to me, as a RATIONAL human being, unfair and inhuman.”
You mean how the Arabs did to the Jews after Islam was invented?
@ Jonathan.
no Jonathan, he/she means when the Jews took the lands of the Arabs at gun-point in the 1930′s-40′s and declared it their long lost country from 3000+ years ago. Islam is invented (by God) and we know it since 1400 years ago, not 3000+ years ago. before the Islamic conquest of Palestine, Palestine was under Byzantine rule and not the Jews.
Where could the Jews move to?
I propose, therefore, that we dedicate sufficient BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to form New Israel, and grant it special status as an independent territory. After a sufficient number of Israelis (and perhaps some American Jews) moved there, America could recognize it as a sovereign state. New Israel could either be a successor state to treaty and related obligations of Israel, or it could be a new state altogether, if some remnant of Old Israel survived.
Move Israel to the US!
Going back over a hundred years or so, it seems the Palestinians, who owned 97% of the land on which was called Palestine, accepted the Jew’s who lived there with them. The problems with the mass arrival of the displaced Jew’s, victims of the Nazi’s in WW2, compounded the problems with them forming the state of Israel. Had the West, ie. Europe and USA. accepted them instead of them going in droves to Palestine, the Palestinians would now be in a very stable country. The USA with small help from Europe, has transformed Israel into,probably, the most aggressive and war capable country in the Middle East. It is quite predictable, that unless Israel give back the Palestinians the land and homes they stole from them, ie.75% of the area, that nuclear weapon attacks will start from one or more southern Arabian countries within 20 years. Its a sad situation, and nothing now, can prevent a major conflict soon.
“palestinians, who owned 97% of the land” that would be a day, since for 400 years Ottoman Turks “owned” the land and did not recognize private ownership of land, except in the cases of royalty or nobility, or where land was granted like to Circassians or Albanians. Not to mention that 73 of British Mandate territory was given to Jordan and French created Syria, also gave them southern Lebanon, to which they never had a claim. So there you go, “palestinians” have the 90% of “palestine” split into 2 states of Jordan and Syria, and then a bonus of southern Lebanon I guess they don’t have a claim to Israel, West Bank or Gaza.
Palestine has never been a state. It’s historical name is Canaan which has been a part of Israel for over 4,000 yrs. No wonder there is so much fighting. No one over there knows the real history. There is no such nationality as Palestinians. The Romans gave them the name in the last century and they are a mixture of people. Israel has belonged to the Jews as long as civilization has existed, it was destroyed many times and the Jews had to flee so after WW2 the British gave Israel back to the Jews which has rightfully been theirs all along.
One definitive way to solve the conflict is to have the U.S. take over the area and annex it …then there would be separation of church (religion) and state and all nationalities\religions can live peacefully together pursuing their own faiths and freedoms governed by the same laws and restrictions. Religion has no business governing a country. It is a recipe for disaster as we have all seen in many Muslim countries ruled by improperly implemented Sharia law. If the Sharia law is followed in letter and in spirit, it is perhaps the most just system available, but any wrong doing makes it look very bad. Iran for example has a very strong Islamic philosophy and it really works well.
Do the Arabs have a right to a land of their own? Yes, they do, just as do other ethnic or national groups. Matter of fact, there is not just one Arab land but 21 of them (not including Palestine), covering 5,120,000 square miles and home to 345,840,398 Arabs.
Do the Jews have a right to a land of their own? Right now there is just one Jewish land — Israel — covering 8,000 square miles and home to 5,702,700 Jews (plus 1,423,500 Arabs). Seems proper that this little smidgen of land could be left to the Jews.
If the Jews didn’t have Israel, where would they go for a land of their own? No where in the world.
But if the Arabs in Palestine (the West Bank) had to leave — and so far no one is asking them to — they have a choice of 21 Arab lands to go to.
Yes, there are all sorts of claims to homes, buildings, farms, businesses, etc. But who besides the Jews (and some friends here and there) thought that these was much of an issue when the Jews were virtually exterminated in Eastern Europe during World War II.
The Jews said, “Yes, we share the land with the Arabs,” when the United Nations partitioned the land. But the Arabs (not just the Palestinians) said, “No,” and went to war with the Jews. The Arabs lost their chance then; they tried war again two more times and lost twice. Why can’t 345,840,398 Arabs live in peace and let 7,116,200 Israeli Jews live in peace, too?
the torah CLEARLY states that Jews are forbidden to have their own state, but I guess I can understand that no one really respects their religion anymore(including me).
So, to see why the Arabs hate the Jews, you have to look at what they have been taught ever since they were small. The Arabs are brainwashed and think all Jews are bad, just like how the KKK brainwashes their children saying those who aren’t white are inferior. That’s the nature of humans, we just do what we were told when we were kids.
Just like how the south has many hate groups, so does the Arab world. You can’t really force them to change their minds, just like how the KKK will never change their minds.
But besides the point, it doesn’t give Israel any rights to claim a part of land theirs. If you look through history, the Romans have talked about Palestine, and Palestine is even mentioned in the bible, do they not have rights to their own lands?
There are just over 18 million Jews in the US. There are more Jews in America than any other country. The US donates and supports the Jews in everything or by the matter of fact the Jews run and own all America so why don’t we give them America? another 7 millions is nothing to US and they can in peace forever and America does not have to waste money by sending it to Israel. at least the Jews will pay the US taxes for once!!!
How can you talk of a nation of Jews and then in the same breath talk about an Arab nation, surely the topic is over the Israeli encroachment of Palestinian land, The Brits in the 1820s offered farms to poor British people who ended up being in the frontline of the Xhosa tribes, Havnt the Israelis taken a leaf from the Brits and invited every poor eastern block Jew a home in the promised land …and put them in compounds (probably built with United States IN American $$s) on Palestinian land?
because arabs have an unreasonable innate hatred of jews….you have to live among both sides for a while to realise this but it is sadly true….let us not forget whose side the arabs of this area were on in WW2 – they were allied with the nazis….there are many muslim arabs happily living and working in israel – no one mentions this – who have a way better life and way better rights than the arabs living in the rest of the middle east…
In reply to Mr. Mohamed Wazit below (some coding error or some such is preventing me from replying directly to his comment):
The “Palestine” in Roman times was not the current Arab “Palestine.” It was simply a name given to another region the Romans conquered. It was a land inhabited mostly by Jews, as it had been for hundreds or thousands of years before, depending how you account for the years the Jews were in exile or under occupation from various foreign powers. The Romans called current-day France “Gaul,” old parts of Germany were called “Prussia…” so for that reason the only thing tying current-day Palestinians to Roman Palestine is the name. The land now called Israel and Palestine has been the ancestral home of the Jews for millenia, in addition to Arab families living there side-by-side with them over the years, at times peacefully (mostly before the invention of Islam). The vast majority of “Palestinians” today would have been considered something else entirely 100 years ago, much like “Jordanian,” “Syrian,” etc are all recent inventions due to the random border-drawing of the Ottomans, Britons, and French in the last few hundred years. Under the Ottomans they placed their allegiance with tribes and large extended families, not with nationalities. This can be easily seen in many of the current sectarian and ethnic tensions inside a number of Middle Eastern countries today.
As painful as it is to see people present arguments that are absent a factual basis, it is even more painful to see the English language butchered. Lack of proper syntax, a lack of spelling…for the sake of all that is good and holy, people, why would anyone accept an argument that is presented in such a manner?
btw Stosh, how is it that if an Arab is a semite, those who hate him are not anti-Semitic?
Joe from Boston…If your family was living on land for 50 generations, why would you want to share it with a group of people who were having a homeland invented for them, to quote Newt Gingrich? Of course the Jews accepted the proposal; they were getting something. The Palestinians were losing something, actually having it stolen from them. There is no do-over in play here. And if you accept the fact that Britain was in a position to dictate policy to anyone, would you accept China dictating policy to America?
John, interesting commentary. I agree that the Palestinian inhabitants were robbed and displaced. I feel for them but there are two things at play here. One thing is the factual definitive, the fact that Palestine was not a country/nation but an area and Israel as a nation was created with the worlds approval albeit not 100 percent. The second thing to deal with is the injustice that was forced upon the settlers/inhabitants of the Palestine area when they were forced out and lost their possessions.
A similar argument can be used to describe many nations today and how they were conquered peoples at one time or another. The young nation of America displaced many peoples, Mexicans and Indians mostly.
I guess the question I ask is since we all pretty much agree that a group of people were wronged in their forced displacement is was there ever any compensation? All the fighting that took place after the fact is a separate issue. Since we(world) agreed with Britain either implicitly or complicitly, we should find out who was robbed and compensate them. The other issues are emotional.
GOD gave Israel to the Jews. Never was their a Palestinian people, Yes, Arabs did lived in Palestine among the Jewish, however, that does not make Arabs Palestinians. Israel belongs to the Jewish People GODS gift to them.
Let the Arabs go live in Jordan where they belong with their people. This is not about not having a home, this is about hating the Jewish people as they always have.
Israel was given to the Jewish people by GOD what more do you need to know. Palestine is a place not a people, the people who call themselves Palestinians are ARABS and need to go home to JORDAN and beyond.
For the life of me, why is so hard for 2 humans to live side by side in 2011 regardless of the biblical history, why can’t 1 side just give up land for the peace of unborn future generation? Many have died in the course of fighting for statehood, land, border, right to existence, we fight for a land that we eventual get buried in, I just want peace between the Isrealis and the Palestenians.
i respect what u say can u accept some body take ur body leave in ur home steel the love of ur mum and say that he is better than u.So it’s not quastion of land however it’s palestine: no thing for every thing i hope to understand what i mean thank u Joe
“Why can’t 1 side just give up land for the peace of unborn future generations”?
I believe Benjamin Netanyahu said it best during a speech that “if the Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more war, but if Israel lays down its weapons there would be no more Israel.”
Israel has given up enough. The Palastinians have avoided any direct talks with Israel. Israel could give all of her land to the Palestinians and still the Palestinians, and other Arab countries, would want to kill them.
my friends the creation of israel as a state in 1948 represented a pattern of land stilling that european were used to do, it is not accepted that one people by the help of corrupt empire like the western colonial masters still land of palistinians by lies ,decit,fraued and military conquest. the history of the jewish people is mark by historical fraud , that jews are a race or nation if jews are anation why do they come from different racial and ethnic groups?. most of this jewish groups anthropologicaly they are not of semitic stock.
Is it possible to have to name of the author of this site so I can reference them?
Hi Victoria,
You can quote me. Sara Jones. I manage this site.
Thanks!
This post has been moved to palestine-facts.blogspot.com
this is a great website for facts and im learning this in socila studies now
Could you please provide a contact for the webmaster. Your website seems very interesting and certainly for any intelligent discourse on any topic you need to base it on facts, not opinion. I would be interested to know who the moderators are (not necessarily your identities) but your motivations, qualifications, prejudices, etc.(Often websites contain this kind of info: “Who We Are”.) I am not interested in wasting my time with either a pro-Palestinian or a pro-Israel web site, although I would be very interested in a web site that is trying to establish fact from fiction and opinion. After a quick reading of above commentary it would appear that this site is not moderated by a pro-Zionist outfit since there seems to a lot of negative commentary regarding your site.
Dear Tom
You are welcome to contact us at sara@palestinefacts.org. We try to be as neutral as possible. You can also interact with us at http://www.facebook.com/PalestineFacts.
It is amazing to me, how israel, the most tolerant, pluralistic state in the entire middle east, and zionism, one of the most liberal ideological movements in the history of humanity, are consistently maligned by those claiming to be “anti-racist.” Tell me, are the palestinians racist because their national charter demands a “palestinian ARAB state” that is part of the greater “arab nation?” What about all the non-arabs who live in the region? Please spare me the “zionism is racism” claim. States have a right to have ethnic identities, especially when that ethnic identity has been the cause of terrible persecution, as is the case with Jewish ethnic identity. The Jews have a right to have a homeland of their own, provided they give equal rights to non-jews living in it, as they do. The arabs also have a right to have a homeland of their own, and currently they have 22 such homelands. Jews have one. And it just so happens that that Jewish homeland is the ONLY country in the middle east where arabs are truly free. There are arabs in the israeli knesset, arabs in the israeli army, arabs on the israeli supreme court, and even a few years ago there was an arab “Miss Israel.” So get over this israel is “racist” claim. In addition, get over this idea that israel was created for “european” jews. Modern political zionism may have been started by jews living in europe, but israel is for ALL jews. More than half of israel’s jewish population today is made up of Jews from arab and persian lands in the middle east. The real racism in the middle east is arab racism against jews. Why is it that in israel, the jewish state, there are 1.5 million arabs, but in all 22 arab countries, you’d be hard-pressed to even find 1000 Jews.
Mike, what planet do you live on? Your comment that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arabs are truly free is so patently absurd that it’s insulting. Israel is the ONLY country that has a system of roads that are for Jews only, and if an Arab has the temerity to use them is liable to serve a mandatory 6 months in prison, and this is but one example of the racist policies that the Israeli Government uses to persecute the Palestinian people. South Africa was rightly considered an international pariah for this same sort of treatment of black Africans, and the ONLY reason that Israel is not treated the same way is the fear in the minds of other counties of the hysterical cries of “Anti-Semitism” that inevitably follow any criticism. Perhaps you should try to move around Israel with Palestinian ID papers and see how you are treated.
And to Abumiz, the land was Jewish a long way back, yes they “lost” it as did many others, but they managed to “gain” it back when the whole world was in termoil. And as in my reply to Mike, they should be resptected and be allowed to retain the ORIGINAL land given to them. There needs to be focus and maturity in this situation. It is agreed, Isreal and its government are the source and cause of many atrocites but using inflamatory language make you appear in the same form as the zealots you have issue with.
Isreal needs to be brought to account and the only effective way will be to record and present these atrocities on the world stage. ALL countries have a politcal goal, there is no affiliation unless there is political gain. If more of the atrocities could be shown (without retaliation) the peole of the world would stand up and say enough – hey, there is even a growing number of Isrealis that abhore the actions of their own Govt. and with enough evidence even the bullying, gun totin’ USA would step back and let there be reconcilliation.
Be strong, be true but take care you do not fall into the same trap.
Mike, there are lies and flasehoods on BOTH sides so there needs to be questioning and discusion on facts.
The problems wih your argument is that you do not have an argument (statement) rather you appear to be regergitating sound-bites of data thus coming across as biased and/or ill-informed. For example, it is not “the little strip of land” that was given to the protestors at the time by the British that is the cause for the current unrest and mistrust, it is the expansion of this original area and the Isreali control of (non-military) supplies that is the problem eg: this is why they are called the “Occupied Territories” (this means an area of land occupied by an agressor).
Irrespective of the position of others on this, you seem to be wanting to stand on one or other side as a reason to flail and beat the ‘enemy’ without having a true appreciation of the situation, or indeed needing it. I can see you doing exactly the same under another flag – whichever gives you the most mileage.
it’s also important to point out that when zionism was initiated, there was no concept of palestinians, jordanians, lebanese, or any other type of contemporary arab nationality. there was just one big giant territory populated mainly, but not exclusively by arabs. The arabs were given self-determination on 99% of the territory on which they were the majority. It was decided that self-determination would be granted to another people on one tiny little strip of land that was important to them. So if this land was “stolen” as the arabs allege, it is definitely not worth spending generations fighting over. However, instead of accepting this fate, the arabs have chosen to manufacture a palestinian identity, and to keep palestinian “refugees” in disgusting camps in their own countries, in the hopes of prolonging the conflict.
Julia had a great comment. We can delve into the history and morality of zionism and israel all we want, but that does nothing to solve the problem. The fact of the matter is, there are two peoples claiming one land today, and there is legitimacy of both claims. The best answer to this problem is to divide the land, as the UN rightly reasoned in 1947. Unfortunately, the palestinians rejected that, and continue to reject it to this day. They have to give up the fantasy that israel is a temporary presence (no matter how israel allegedly came into being, whether through sin or through good), and sit down and make peace with it. That includes giving up the fictitious “right of return.” All we hear about today from palestinians, and their supposedly more palestinian western friends (who are really just israel-haters) is that there needs to be “justice.” This is code for the end of israel. I’m sorry guys, but that’s a non-starter.
“it’s also important to point out that when zionism was initiated, there was no concept of palestinians, jordanians, lebanese, or any other type of contemporary arab nationality.”
My respond to this pathetic history and typical Zionist “facts”, that they are Arabs and the natives of the land including Arab Jews, and Christians, but the Zionists and based on their own documented confessions, which you ignored, wanted to have a “Jewish state” for European Jews in Palestine, and expel the Arab natives, See Plan Dalet.
Also it is up to the Arabs to call themselves what ever they want to based on their lands, provinces’ names, like Syria or Palestine, which been used for couple thousands of years, and the Zionist colonial settlers from Moldavia, Russia. Lithuania, US, Canada, Germany, Poland, England…. have legitimate claims in Palestine as much as the Indian Muslims have legitimate claims in Saudi Arabia, and these colonial settler thieves have no right to plan any thing in land doesn’t belong to them, but European racist colonialists had no respect for the natives, and their are still racists repeat the same old lies, and even dare to fabricate the natives’ history or even claim that they never existed!! No far back the apartheid of south Africa ended, the sister apartheid state to apartheid Israel.
Your problem, as any other Zionist, you can not see the racist core of your Zionist Ideology, and from history we can see that it was not a new thing, it is no different then the French colonialists in Algeria, who claims that Algeria is part of France, or the racist colonial settlers in south Africa, and again when Mandela calls the Israeli occupation state as an apartheid, Zionist propagandists need to zip it.
Also instead of agreeing with Julia who was honest about her little knowledge, just try to answer to the points I mentioned and try to back up your “facts” with some references, especially when stating that “The arabs were given self-determination on 99% of the territory on which they were the majority.” where did you get your info? And who beside the Arabs would have the right to give them rights or to govern themselves and their lands, your Zionists colonialists, like the Hungarian Herzl, the Russian Jabotinsky, or the other colonialists, the Brits and the French?!!!
And when you say: “it is definitely not worth spending generations fighting over.” again Ben Gurion, the criminal himself answered to your logic long time ago, and he also hoped the Arab would forget the Zionists’ theft, he said: “Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it’s true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? They may perhaps forget in one or two generations’ time, but for the moment there is no chance. So it’s simple: we have to stay strong and maintain a powerful army. Our whole policy is there. Otherwise the Arabs will wipes us out”.
“But how can you sleep with that prospect in mind,” I broke in, “and be Prime Minister of Israel too?”
Who says I sleep? he answered simply.” (The Jewish Paradox by Nahum Goldman, p. 99).
Regarding the refugees camps, it is apartheid Israel who created the refugees issue but based on the stupid logic of the Zionists, their Arab brothers need to take care of them, and no body need to talk about the Israeli occupation state and its documented ethnic cleansing crimes, and by the way the apartheid own archive tell enough about these crimes, also don’t forget that the other Arab states are the result of the European colonizations, and they are stil struggling against, the uprising in Egypt was not only against Mubarak, the puppet, but mainly against the US who maintains this apartheid among the Arabs, while controlling their resources of the region, simply if it were up to the Arabs, they won’t be 22 carved states, but again your logic is part of this racist colonial mind, and you seem didn’t learn from history.
mike u need to be corrected there are no two people claiming the land, please read,your argument does not make sense,because jews are not like palistinians because they are nor a one race or one ethnic group but religious group like any other groups but palistinians are an ethnic group sharing common culture,history,customs and with different religions, but this is not a case to jews they dont share the same history,language and customs. on this note we have to undestand that the creation of israel was a gross injustice by the colonial powers. on the other hand of the argument of holocust we all know that eouropean jews suffred in the hands of a european dectator then this tell us that european jews were supposed to be given part of europe not the middle east. bernard ury you must read the proper history of the middle east before you make statement that are full of fallacy and error.
Honestly I don’t know much about the whole situation, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life is that it takes two to fight a war. Both parties are at fault, and none of the comments have really bothered to mention that. Which to me is the most disappointing thing of all.
Maybe if everyone could just admit they were wrong, then maybe, just maybe we could come up with a solution civilly?
( “Oh sorry, I forgot! Both states are too tied up in their own religions -meaning the radicals are running the show. I guess coming up with a civil solution is impossible.” -cynical me. )
But hey! Here’s a suggestion! Instead of arguing over who is right and who is wrong, how about throwing some ideas on how to fix the problem?
Julia I am right there with you. The inference that the Jews are wanting to build a Zion nation is a sad misrepresentation at best. Perhaps they simply have lost the meaning of what Zion is all about. Zion was the name given by God to Enoch’s city which, because of their righteousness, was taken up into Heaven. To establish a Zion community all the people have to be of “one heart and one mind” meaning one in purpose and “dwell in righteousness” which means according to the laws of God.
Whilst ever anyone uses weapons of any description they are oppressors and the oppressed will fight against them.
As you state – unless they put their religions aside and begin to look at each other as neighbours and not enemies – they will never achieve a Zionist community.
When Jesus taught the well known parable of the good Samaritan, he knew what he was saying! All would do well to remember that the Jews and Samaritans were enemies – yet it was not until a humble Samaritan assisted the wounded Jew that anything constructive was done – and guess what? Loving they neighbour is not just a Christian thing!
So, in conclusion – I declare to all those who read this – no matter what religion there is one commandment we all have in common – love thy neighbour as thyself. I guess until people are willing to put aside their hatred and suspicion, Zion will never be established and neighbour will continue to fight against neighbour. Truly the words of Isaiah are coming true – there is no mystery here – they are coming true because people are blindly following whatever malice they choose. They hate their neighbour and therefore hate themselves. I guess they don’t sleep well at night either.
Sigh. Everyone should watch “The Grinch who stole Christmas”.
Read about the One Secular Democratic State solution. A state for all its citizens regardless of their religions, and backgrounds. That doesn’t work with the Zionists ideology who want to have Palestine as a “Jewish state”.
Also if you don’t know much about the situation, educate yourself about some basic history facts, and study a little bit about colonialism, Zionism, and the history of the region, because you are clearly mixing between European Zionist colonial settlers and the Arab natives population of Palestine which include Arab Jews, Christians, Muslims and non religious groups.
Also if you are interested of a solution find out first if your state is involved or assisting the Israeli apartheid state. And ask you government to stop aiding racist apartheid. Many European states, alongside, US, and Canada aided the racist colonial settlers in South Africa and their racist regime there, and used to call Mandela as a “terrorist”.
And to make it simple for you, when Mandela, who knows about apartheid very well, calls the Israeli occupation state as an apartheid, you need to stop and think about it, plus you already said that you don’t know much about the situation so don’t add misleading statement like: “Both parties are at fault” and make both, the occupier colonial settler and the native as equal in the crime, forgetting that Palestinians didn’t force themselves on the Russian and European colonial settlers who seek their “god promise land” it is the other way around, or maybe the Palestinians on their own wanted to be in refugee camps and the civilized colonial settlers had nothing to deal with it!!!
I already posted a comment before yours with documented quotes from the Zionist criminals themselves, they talked openly about their colonization to Palestine, go back and read them and try to answer to their racist ideology.
And here is what Mandela had to say, so you don’t need to say anymore that no body told me about apartheid Israel: “The Palestinian state cannot be the by-product of the Jewish state, just in order to keep the Jewish purity of Israel. Israel’s racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Palestinian Arabs have no place in a “Jewish” state.
Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.” From a letter from Nelson Mandela to Thomas Friedman.
See The Zionist Story documentary, you can find the full documentary on youtube and it is made by an ex Israeli soldier who served in the Israeli occupation forces.
Have you ever heard an israeli official admit that they are wrong. To them the Palestinians are always and the only ones at fault. If it wasn’t for the support and bullying of the United States and some europian countries, israel would have not been so strong. But you know what, those 22 useless arab states could have changed things a lot if they have known how to bargain better for their oil. Complete stupidity on their part.
I agree with Chris, Sept 22
“To the victor go the spoils”.
The Ottoman Empire sided with Germany in WWI. Germany lost; the British and French won, the Ottoman Empire fell. The League of Nations in 1920 gave France mandates over Syria and Lebanon, and gave Britain mandates over Mesopotamia and Palestine; in 1922 the Palestinian mandate was sub-divided to create Transjordan, leaving only about 22% of the original Palestinian Mandate as territory from which a Jewish national homeland was to be created.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“To the victor go the spoils” Maybe it wasn’t victory since there is still unrest there over 60 years later with out much improvement. A two state solution is the only answer I can see as of now. You can’t have a bunch of displaced Israelies. But Israel needs to return the occupied lands the are continuing to build settlements on. Thumbing their nose at the US and Britain because this was the agreed upon land that the Palestinians were to live on.
It almost looks like the segregated south in the Jim Crow era. No one whites wanted blacks in their neighborhood, schools, hospitals, grocery stores, etc. Terrorized them, bombed them, lynched them, created laws to oppress them in hopes that they would go away and live somewhere else. Seems like this is what Israel wants. Palestinians to go away when they have a right to the land they have lived on for thousands of years. Palestinians are not European transplants. They are the locals.
I urge the owners of this website to make themselves and their affiliations known. By refusing to do so, you raise questions about your real intent, and make the most open-minded of visitors doubt the veracity of your content.
Dear iwolfman,
We, at Palestinefacts.org just manage the website from a technical point of view. All the comments that come in are from the visitors and we only act as moderators by removing spam and hate comments. We do not influence the content in any way. By remaining anonymous we ensure that we do not get biased comments.
Thank you.
Perhapes Turkey should give Instanbul back to the Greeks. Maybe Poland should give Prussia back to Germany. We could go on and on throughout history. The Arabs won that land by conquest. And by conquest they lost it!
The Holy Mount was crafter by Jews 3-4000 yrs ago. To claim it is Arab and Muslim is wrong
It is that simple
How dare you calling your propaganda as “Palestine Facts”?!! You should call it apartheid Israel “Facts” and lies, and the Zionists criminals themselves, like: Herzl, Gurion, Weismann, Jabotinsky, Weitz, Ruppin, Ussishkin, Smilansky, Zuchovitzky, Zangwill, Epstein…. who started the movement and helped founding this apartheid and racist state in Palestine can give you the real facts about their crimes and ethnic cleansing.
In 1891 Ahad Ha’Am wrote: “We abroad are used to believe the Eretz Yisrael is now almost totally desolate, a desert that is not sowed. But in truth that is not the case. Throughout the country it is difficult to find fields that are not sowed. Only sand dunes and stony mountains are not cultivated.” (Righteous Victims, p. 42)
Israel Zangwill, who had visited Palestine in 1897: “Palestine proper has already its inhabitants. The pashalik of Jerusalem is already twice as thickly populated as the United States, having fifty-two souls to the square mile, and not 25% of them Jews ….. We must be prepared either to drive out by the sword the Arab tribes in possession as our forefathers did or to grapple with the problem of a large alien population, mostly Mohammedan and accustomed for centuries to despise us.” (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 7- 10, and Righteous Victims, p. 140)
And the Russian racist Ze’ev Jabotinsky advocated the colonization of Palestine under the protection of arms regardless of the Palestinian people’s objections. He stated in 1925:
“Zionist colonization, even the most restricted, must either be terminated or carried out in defiance of the will of the native population. This colonization can, therefore, continue and develop under the protection of a force independent of the local population –an iron wall which the native population cannot break through. This is, in to, our policy towards the Arabs. To formulate it any other way would be hypocrisy.” (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 28)
The same racist wrote in an essay, titled “The Iron Law”, explaining how Zionist colonization of Palestine should be done. He wrote: “If you wish to colonize a land in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison for the land, or find a benefactor who will maintain the garrison on your behalf. … Zionism is a colonizing adventure and, therefore, it stands or falls on the question of armed forces.” (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 45)
He also wrote: “There is no choice: the Arabs must make room for the Jews of Eretz Israel. If it was possible to transfer the Baltic peoples, it’s also possible to move the Palestinian Arabs.” (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 29)
As you see the Zionists didn’t have problem talking about their racist colonial settler project!
As you see the Zionists didn’t have problem calling their racist project as a colonial settler project, but ignorant like yourself says otherwise!!
Here is another criminal explains the Zionist story, Ben Gurion who was an atheist and knew that the myth of 2000 years is plain legend but he didn’t mind “believing” in “god promised land”, a typical Zionist hypocrite, he said:
“Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it’s true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? They may perhaps forget in one or two generations’ time, but for the moment there is no chance. So it’s simple: we have to stay strong and maintain a powerful army. Our whole policy is there. Otherwise the Arabs will wipes us out”.
“But how can you sleep with that prospect in mind,” I broke in, “and be Prime Minister of Israel too?”
Who says I sleep? he answered simply. (The Jewish Paradox by Nahum Goldman, p. 99).
BTW Gurion was an atheist, and knew that the myth of 2000 years is plain legend but he didn’t mind accepting “god promised land”, a typical Zionist hypocrite. Also you need to check the agreement between the Nazis and the Zionists to transfer European Jews into Palestine, and later the Zionist plan to transfer the Arab natives out of their land, Plan Dalet.
Moshe Dayan as quoted in Haaretz, 4 April 1969: “Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist, not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar Yehushu’a in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not one single place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population.”
Moshe Dayan said in 1956, just 8 years after Al Nakba, and before PLO or Hamas even existed: “Let us not today fling accusation at the murderers. What cause have we to complain about their fierce hatred to us? For eight years now, they sit in their refugee camps in Gaza, and before their eyes we turn into our homestead the land and villages in which they and their forefathers have lived.” -Iron Wall.
It is the occupation, stupid.
Learn from history, apartheid south Africa, which started in the same time as apartheid Israel, had its racist supporters who used “holy” books to steal the natives’ land and properties while calling them “terrorists” and “savages”, and it had nukes like apartheid Israel, but it is history now, and Mandela, who knows apartheid very well and called the Israeli occupation state as an apartheid, became a president in his own country and homeland, and the same with Palestine, the colonial settlers from Russia and Moldavia, like the racist thug Lieberman, don’t belong to Palestine and not any of the Zionists who started the movement belong to Palestine, check out their names and accents!!!
Nothing last for ever, especially a rotten racist apartheid.
Well well well, the jews are at it again, if u look back in history u will see its the palestinians who own the land what the jews did to them was disgusting. Why arnt Israel been held for war crimes against humanity.And most of the jews who have settled there are from America n they call it there home land. Im just stating the historicall facts.
I can’t believe that some think that this is right, seriously if you want to know a bit of Palestine’s history your going to have to go back 3000 years ago! Not 100 years+ I’m a Palestanian and I know
You’re right. 3000 years ago was when King David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of Israel. There has been a Jewish presence in the land ever since, in spite of foreign occupiers like the Romans, the Arabs, the Turks and the British. That presence, and 1000 years of persecution of Jews in both Christian and Muslim lands are the basis of moral right of the Jewish people to their own state in the land that the Romans named “Palestine”.
No UN, decision, no myth, nothing justify the slaughtering of a nation, to establish another because they belong to a religion that lived there 3 thousands years ago! claiming to be the descendants of the original Jewish Semites! Which is known to be a fabricated lie, the eastern European Jews came from the dissolved old Khazar kingdom which converted to Judaism in the 10 century! the real descendants of the historical Israelite are the Palestinians, read Shlomo Sands’s The invention of the Jewish people, I know this is not going to be published, because this is the truth that any independent researcher will find.
You discredit yourself with that Khazar nonsense. If the Ashkenazi (central and east European) Jews were descendants of the Khazars (a Turkic tribe), why is it that Yiddish, the language they spoke, is derived from medieval German with not a trace of Turkish words, grammar, etc.? On the other hand, there are plenty of Hebrew words in it and even a smattering of Slavic. Why was that language written with the Aramaic letters (Aramaic being the lingua franca of the Levant 2000 years ago). And why is it that DNA tests showed that the group of people most closely related to Ashkenazi Jews are the Sephardi Jews, who went around the Mediterranean by an entirely different route over those 2000 years. Finally, the presence among the Ashkenazim of kohens (descendants of the Jewish priests) and levites totally demolishes that theory, since none of those would have been present among the Khazars. The kohens, by the way, have been shown to share a DNA marker passed down through the male line that appears to have originated in the Near East about 3000 years ago.
Shlomo Sands? He’s a paskudyak. And you can look it up.
Why did the Arabs reject the original UN-plan from 1947?
Why do we see same things happen now after “The Arab Spring”?
Why do we see Turkey enchanting and blowing the fire in Egypt these days?
Simply because the Arab World want to blow the Jews into the sea as they always wanted too.
No surprise these nations said no to UN´s plan( United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) Future Government of Palestine) Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen.
Ups, same countries who still today want control over the region, weird no? No, its the same story and they will not give up until the Jewish State is gone.
Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Holy War Army, Arab Liberation Army and the Muslim Brotherhood attacked in the war 1948 and just wait, with the situation in Egypt and when The Muslim Brotherhood win the election we will see more attacks on Israel.
Palestine could have had their own state in 1948, but they refused!! Backed up by the Arab League they thought they could have all, but at least Israel had courage, specially in 1967 where 230.000 troops were knocking their borders.
All you Anti-Israel, just be aware, the future is on stake and seems like the world is going to be the loser.
my fellow human beings and brothers and sisters in humanity, looking at the question of palistine and the question of occupation of palistine by the supposed israeli nation who claim that they are the true occupants of the land refered to as israel,we find that this people refering to themselves as jews mojority of them are europeans who dont have any historical link to palistine anthropologically,historicaly,culturally and traditionaly, this tells us that the creation of israel by the british colonial empire represent european colonial crime that the empire is famous. most of people who comment negativelly agaist palistinian are people who are either ignorent of the history of judaism and its people. the claim over palistine by jewish groups represent injustice,fraud and dicit,becuase they claim to be a nation and not a religious group, but actually they are a religious groups that comes from different nations if i am incorrect then provide then provide proof agaist my argument.
So Liz H. says absolutely nothing negative about Jews–only calling into question the information on the site, which she correctly identifies as “propaganda”–but pro-Israel commenters, undeterred by the complete lack of evidence for the charge, slander her as a “garden variety anti-Semite” who “blindly hates Jews”. It’s a perfect example of the way in which groundless accusations of anti-Semitism are deployed as a tool by people like Anne-Marie and Mark to try to protect Israel from criticism. What they don’t realize is that every time they pull out their old standby slur in situations like this one where it’s so clearly unwarranted, they just demonstrate to more and more people how morally bankrupt and intellectually dishonest they are. The fact that they resort to these kinds of tactics rather than engaging in honest discussion and debate speaks volumes.
Thanks for the comment, Liz; you were spot on. More and more people are seeing through Israel’s hasbara (as embodied in sites like this one) to the plain fact of the racist treatment of Palestinians, and it’s only a matter of time before the tide turns decisively.
Fred, you’ve got it backwards. Liz H. calls the info on this site “propagandized BS” but then offers not a single rebuttal to any of the facts here. In addition, she bowdlerizes the term “anti-Semite” and is clearly unaware of its true origins. So add ignorance to malicious intent on her part.
As far as racism is concerned, you should know that an Arab state was set up in 1922 comprising over 75% of the original Palestinian Mandate, in which it is forbidden for any Jew to own land or become a citizen. That state is today called Jordan and its racist laws are still on the books. Today’s Palestinians have been open in expressing their desire for homeland that is also “judenrein”, as their envoy to the U.S. was quoted espousing such a position just a few weeks ago. By contrast, Arabs and other non-Jews make up about 20% of Israel’s population, are citizens with elected representatives in the Knesset, with the same rights as all other citizens. So who is the racist here?
And for the record, when Transjordan was hived off from the Mandate in 1922, there were several Jewish villages that were forced to move west of the Jordan River. That was better than the fate of the Jews living in Hebron during the Arab pogrom of 1929, or those living in the “West Bank” back in 1948, who were ethnically cleansed by the Arab Legion from east Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, etc. I guess its much easier to pretend to not be racist when you just get rid of all the “undesirables” up front, eh?
Anne-Marie says it all most eloquently. Garden variety anti-semites like Liz are always a mystery to me. Whilst I can understand the emotions however misplaced of an Arab Palestinian (as distinct from what were Jewish Palestinians) about what they think is a raw deal (I hasten to add that any raw deal they may think they have was entirely and remains entirely of their own making), but what drives someone to blindly hate Jews. Does she hate Tootsies over Hutus or one Somalian tribe over another without knowing anything about them. Why isn’t she angry about the 2000 Syrian civilians killed in the last few months by Assad or the thousands of Khurds killed by Turkey in Northern Iraq. Was she indoctrinated at a young age by anti-semitic parents or impressed by an equally ill-informed socialist boy friend along the way. Perhaps however it simply that she prefers to believe the lies and mis-truths that Arab media and even bigoted western media put out, After all she did quote Al Jazeera bastion of bi-partisan journalistic integrity as a source, which gives us a good idea of where her stance eminates from.
Cyril, after all the atrocities and terrorism the British empire has inflicted on the world, a Brit calling another nation a “terrorist nation” is a little hypocritical don’t you think? All I can say about the British colonial presence in the world is Good Riddance! Sorry, am I wrong in assuming you are British?
Before you charge me with being a Jew, please note: My mother was a WASP of German, Norman English and Scottish origin. My father was Serbian Christian Orthodox. I am an aetheist. Just because you don’t like the history, doesn’t make the history a lie. Every word on this website is historically verifiable and true. You have let your hatred of Jews cloud your judgment. And, Liz, you are a garden-variety anti-semite. What facts do you have to back up your comments? That you choose to believe Arab revisions of history without question or facts to back it up is telling. And, there was once a country called Phillistia thousands of years ago, but they ceased to exist before the Roman Empire ruled the area. They were the historical enemy of the early Jews, so the Romans renamed all of the Jewish lands “Phillistia” to make a point to the increasingly rebellious Jews they had just expelled from their lands. Remnants of the Jewish people remained and have been there for thousands of years. They have no less right to a little patch of that land than the Muslims they shared the land with. Just like Muslim Indians decided to break away with Hindu India and formed the state of Pakistan. Because they wanted to govern themselves. Why do the Jews have any less of a right to govern themselves than the Pakistanis? Or the Palestinians who now call themselves “Jordanian? Or the Albanians who severed Kosovo from Serbia?” READ YOUR HISTORY!
To Arnaldo Salles:
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 (dated 2 November 1917) was a letter from the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.
His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”[1]
Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Palestinian aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Palestinian people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Palestinians communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Palestinians in any other country”.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Palestinian National Authority.
Yours sincerely
Arthur James Balfour
Arnaldo Salles has a strange sense of humor.
The text of the letter of November 2nd 1917 says:
“His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
Not even a good try. Just a clear expression of BIAS.
Cyril Reynolds writes: “Duriung [sp] WW2 Jewish elements asked the Nazi Government of Germany for help.”.
What evidence do you have to support this assertion? Who were these “Jewish elements”? What makes you believe that the Nazi government of Germany would do anything to help Jews as they were murdering 6,000,000 of them? You are entitled to your opinion, but not to your version of fact or history.
Here is a fact: in the 1930′s the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was a known collaborator with Hitler and personally responsible for the death of 12,000 Bosnian Jews. This is a published FACT in the book “Icon of Evil”. So, the next time anyone says that Palestinians, Arabs, or Moslems had NOTHING to do with the Holocaust, think of this FACT. The Arabs had many things to do with the Holocaust and their Grand Mufti (may he NOT rest in peace) is personally responsible for the death of at least 12,000 European Jews.
i agree with liz and wakefield. israel propaganda is so transparent if you pay attention to the rest of the news.
If there was a country called Palestine and not just a terrority called Palestine before 1948, what was their currency, what did their the national flag look like, what did the seal of the ruler look like, etc, etc?! In other words where is the evidence!
Britain promised Palestine to both Jews and Arabs but the Jews had morer money. Duriung WW2 Jewish elements asked the Nazi Government of Germany for help. Soldiers of the Brtish Army Airborne Division who saved Jews in German Concentration Camp were later murdered by Palestinian Jews like at the King David Hotel. In 1946 30 percent of Palestine was Jewish and of these a half had been born in other countries. There will be no peace in the world as long as the USA supports a terrorist nation like Israel. I was in Palestine in 1946,
Just to play Devil’s Advocate:
Among the issues brought up, first of all the Balfour Declaration was repudiated, and in the first place was never intended to go being the mere settlement issue—not full blown nation-state as we see in Israel today. Next, even IF it had, the author points out that you can’t just muscle in on an area by the corrupt desires of the Brit Empire (what right did they have to the area that they could make deals) and the other problem was that they had PREVIOUSLY promised the whole region to the Arabs. As far as history, and race, and the issues surrounding who was where first, this argument is said to be tedious and hare-brained due to multiple problems:
First, just because your ancestors were there at some distant point in the past does not mean you can dig your heels in later on what someone has settled later. I am part Brit. Neither I nor my family have any territorial “recall” rights to Brit territory, nor any of Her Majesty’s remaining dominions. We would not like it if a group of Catawba Indians, who previously lives in what is now South Carolina, declared that “behold, we hold this sacred land for all Catawba”, and (like Palestine) the rest of us get kicked out and must flee by international decree to Florida or Georgia, due to some rather questionable—at best—authority due an edict from the UN.
Again, Britain aquired this region via conquest in the fallout of WW1, but that’s NOT the same as saying it had moral or legal authority to carve Palestine up like a roast.
As to the oft-repeated claim that “palestine” was never a nation, but a region, that is said to be a strawman argument. No one really disputes this, but is focused instead on the issue of displacement of the people forced out when Israel was created in 1947 after what had been mostly majority Arab presence in the region for hundreds of years.
The Pentagon and the SC National Guard might have something to say about this. No? So, does the overall size of Arabia matter in all the hoopla about “oh, we ONLY want so very little!”, as commonly seen on comparative maps of Israel vs. the rest of Arabia.
The claim that there is more legal authority for Israel than nations previously set up by mass displacement and force is threadbare if we look at history of morals and ethics. What went for 1500 does not go for 1947 and the force against hundreds of thousands of Arab Palestinians who’d lived there under VARIOUS regimes.
In any case, modern genetics and anthropology suggest strongly that the Jews evolved FROM the Hittites—they did not conquer them, nor the Canaanites, as the Bible said. Speaking of that, modern legal parlance has no brief of Biblical text as justification for nation-states that displace others. Or existing at all.
As to the notion
Those are the main points, I think.
very true, i would know since I’m from Palestine myself. Very devasting for how long Israel has been fighting them; and Israel was lieng to the world too. They owned big named shops and stores and with the money they got, they gave it to the soldiers to buy weapons. WE need to spread the word. It’s just horrible.
The Belfor agreement was1st imposed to stop Zionist terrorist attacking Arab villages and massacing the inhabitians. These Zionist terrorist are refurred to in TH Lawances book the seven pillors of wisdom. It was intended to make peace and allow the Zionist a homeland but it was used as a wedge to expand the Zionist settlements. This was why the Zionist attempted a pact with Hitler whom they met with for 2 weeks in the lead up to WW2 The British blocked it as a breach of good faith and the terror began again. They have not changed thier views and want to return of all of ZION. They are racist and terrorist!
It is a biblical issue. Read all of the prophets in the old testament and Romans 11 and Revelation and you will find that Israel will never be driven from their land again. And incidentally that is what Jacobs trouble and Armageddon is all about. All the Nations will be gathered together for judgment and will be punished for their treatment of Gods chosen. Just watch and see, you will see it with your own eyes and hopefully remember this post. It is very interesting.
I have a hard time taking criticism from a Brit (half or whole) because the British colonial policies are responsible for so many current conflicts including Northern Irelan, India and of course the Middle East. Jews stand out in this regard for several reasons, the most important of which is that 2000 years after our homeland was taken over, we are still targeted for violence based on our ethnic identification. This is true today in Venezuela and in Europe where it is viewed as a form of protest by Arabs in Europe for Israeli policy of existing.
As far as ancestry is concerned, modern genetic suggest that we are middle eastern – I think that it is harder to pin it down more specifically than that.
Frankly, I would gladly give South Carolina back to the Catawbas. Perhaps your hatred of Israel is covering up your guilt for living on stolen land.
This whole site is propagandized BS and it is apparent to almost everyone who visits this site. Additionally, the audacity it takes to name a website “Palestine FACTS” in such a context is atrocious. I am not of the Jewish faith, nor am I Palestinian/an Arab speaker. Yes you may be assured that I am no anti-semite (referring to its ORIGINAL root meaning, “semite” meaning Jew or Arab) I am merely just another unbiased observer that has taken the time to read through flawed rhetoric– a tool that, unfortunately, has been used to ruin lives for the past several decades. Though you probably will not publish this comment (why would you? it would be out of keeping with the new anti-boycott law mentality) I know it will be read. Therefore, as long as those that publish sites such as these are forced to reflect on how their actions may resemble those of a Motzi Sheim Ra, I am satisfied.
Liz,
I totally agree with you. What a crock to call this website PALESTINE FACTS! I’d like to know who is behind this website! Strangely enough, you don’t see any names on this website, except on a photograph. I am almost certain that this website has been put up by jewish individuals with a slanted view of reality! What a shame that historical distortions continue to drive a wedge between peoples of the world and the cause of peace and justice! Of all people, you would think that persecuted jewish people would be the most just and sympathetic in dealing with other persecuted people!
I just watched an Al Jazeera documentary (Witness: The Land Speaks Arabic) with interviews about the atrocities commited by the Hagana in the 30s and 40s in Palestine and how so many poor Palestinians were killed (including pregnant women) and tens of their villages were taken by force. There were eyewitness accounts of the brutal kilings of their Palestinian friends and families! They talked of merciless shootings of hundreds of peole at random! I saw newspaper headlines of the time, confirming these facts, including the bombing of the King David Hotel, train derailments, explosions and many other terrorist acts which were terrorist acts of the Hagana, designed to destabilize Palestine and send the poor, unarmed villagers and city dwellers running for their lives. Menachem Begin was one of the terrorists wanted for these crimes along with many others. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Menachem Begin, a wanted terrorist, who later became the prime minister of Israel? How could such a thing happen?
Thankfully most Israeli citizens are in favor of peace and a Palestinian state. Now if we could get rid of distortions like this website or any similar website, be they pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, the world would stand a better chance of finally seeing peace in the Middle East.
What audacity! PALESTINE FACTS!!!!
I totally agree wtih you Liz. What audacity! PALESTINE FACTS!!!! I suspect this website has been put up by certain jewish people with an agenda, disguised as “impartial providers of facts.” All you need to do is to watch the Al Jazeera documentary called “Witnes: The Land Speaks Arabic.” It talks about the many terrorits acts of the Hagana, merciless killings (including pregnant women), bombings and terror to create instability in Palestine and taking over many tens of villages.
The bombing of the King David Hotel in Palestine by Menachem Begin (who in those days was a wanted terrorist!!) and others…..
PALESTINE DISTORTIONS is more like it!
I disagree with Liz H (as does the historical record, which neither she nor i can make up at this late date).
UN Resolution 181 was passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one nation absent.
One of the provisions of Resolution 181 reads in relevant part:
Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem, set forth in Part III of this Plan, shall come into existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of the armed forces of the mandatory Power has been completed but in any case not later than 1 October 1948.
So way back in 1947, the Arabs had the UN approval for a state, which they REJECTED. Now they want a “do-over,” mulligan, second chance, etc.
Let’s look at some other historical events, which anyone can read about in old newspapers.
The population of Palestine was divided on accepting Resolution 181. The Jewish Palestinians accepted the Resolution. The Arab Palestinians were of two minds; some stayed in place as if nothing was happening, and some responded to the entreaties of the surrounding Arab countries to evacuate, so that a war could be fought and won against the Jews, and then the Arab Palestinians could return.
Although all of the surrounding Arab countries including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt attacked Israel (as did several other Arab countries), the Israelis were not defeated.
In the Fall of 1956, Great Britain and France became angry when Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. In the 1956 war, Great Britain, France and Israel all fought against Egypt. Although Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, it agreed to return that captured territory to Egypt.
In June 1967, in response to the Egyptian blockade of the port of Eilat, Israel fought the Six Day War with Egypt. Jordan was warned to stay out of the fight, but elected to participate anyway, as did Syria. Israel won territory on all fronts. Israel again handed the Sinai Peninsula back to Egypt.
In 1973, several Arab states began a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur. After several weeks, Israel again prevailed, and again turned captured territory back to Egypt.
How many other military victors have turned territory back to the vanquished? If you pick a fight and you lose, generally that is your tough luck, and you should take responsibility for your actions.
And how do you negotiate with someone who wants nothingmore than to kill you? Do you think the US could have negotiated with Osama bin Laden?
So please tell me what the “crock” is, when this web site reports events that did occur, other than your OBVIOUS BIAS.
Liz, the term “anti-Semite” was coined in the late 19th century by German philosophers and writers to describe those people who hated Jews. The term has nothing to do with Arabs, in spite of the fact that they are also Semites.
From your comment about not being an “antisemite in the original meaning of the term”, does this mean that you are following the part line of Arab anti-Zionists who use this semantic argument to cover their Jew-hatred?
One fact remains – Jews living today are of Semitic, middle eastern descent and historically come from the area of mandatory Palestine. The bulk of Israel’s Jews are of more immediately Middle Eastern descent, i.e., Yemenite, Syrian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Persian, Libyan, Egyptian, Iraqi, etc. Population exchanges have happened before and led to stable homelands. But in this case, the desire to keep Palestinian victimhood alive, they are denied citizenship in every Moslem country except Jordan, kept in refugee camps and even when they are permanently settled in other countries (such as the US), their status are refugees is maintained by the UN.
Are you people who disagree by any chance in or have been in college between the year 2000 up to now and taking history as a major or just as a general class because if not please don’t talk about things you know nothing about because people use this for research whether right or wrong and your confusing them and me.