?Because the Palestinians have done nothing to deserve national or personal dispossession.?
Let us first discuss what a Palestinian is and then whether or not they had something to be dispossessed from. The Arab version of history which is so important to the current claim of Palestinian rights to Arab Palestine omits several relevant, situation-altering facts.
History did not begin with the Arab conquest in the seventh century. The people whose nation was destroyed by the Romans were the Jews. There were no Arab Palestinians then -- not until seven hundred years later would an Arab rule prevail, and then briefly. The short Arab rule reigned over Christians and Jews, who had been there to languish under various other foreign conquerors (i.e. Roman, Byzantine, Persian, to name just three in the centuries between the Roman and Arab conquests). The people who conquered under the banner of the invading Arabians from the desert were often hired mercenaries who remained on the land as soldiers -- not Arabians, but others who were enticed by the promise of the booty of conquest.
From the time the Arabians (and their non-Arabian mercenaries) entered Palestine and Syria, they found and themselves added to what was ethnologically a chaos of all the possible human combinations. Among the peoples who have been counted as "indigenous Palestinian Arabs" are Balkans, Greeks, Syrians, Latins, Egyptians, Turks, Armenians, Italians, Persians, Kurds, Germans, Afghans, Circassians, Bosnians, Sudanese, Samaritans, Algerians, Motawila, and Tartars.
?Because thousands of people are being kept away from their homes, their fields, their orchards, their history.?
The abuse of the refugees, their deprivation of real "human rights" from 1948 onward, and the true motive behind their rejection by the Arab world have all been buried by propaganda slogans and omissions. Humanitarian voices of concern for "human need" and dignity are now muted by the louder and increasingly prevalent trumpeting of the "rights" of the "Palestinians" to "return."
?Because there are a lot of people suffering from Israeli refusal to start the process of atonement, which could fairly easily be done by beginning the restitution of freeholders' property.?
The land belongs to Israel not the Arab Palestinians.
?Because the Israelis have nukes and are liable to use them.?
Israel is a strong and determined country that has been repeatedly attacked by their Arab neighbors. Although they profess neither to possess or not to possess nuclear weapons it is assumed by the International community that they have them and they would not hesitate to use them if threatened in like manor.
?Because the Israelis have started several full-scale wars, besides having a constant policy of terrorism against the exiles and others in the 1967 territories. ?
Having lost in battle what they could have had in the peace envisioned by the 1947 Partition Plan, Palestinian Arab terrorist groups, called "Fedayeen", began systematic raids against the Israeli civilian population. 1,300 Israelis were killed and wounded by Arab terrorists between 1949 and 1956.(1) The "Fedayeen" operated from bases located in and controlled by Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.
In September 1955, in violation of international agreements and in what amounted to an act of war, Egypt sealed off access to the Israeli port of Eilat, effectively stopping Israel's sea trade with much of Africa and the Far East. Then, on July 26, 1956 Nasser announced Egypt?s nationalization of the Suez Canal, most of whose shares were held by Britain and France. With diplomacy failing to reverse Nassers?s decision, Britain and France embarked on preparations to regain control of the Canal, and on October 29, 1956 together with Israel, launched a military operation in the Sinai Peninsula. Four and a half months later, on March 16, 1957, Israel withdrew her troops from the Sinai and Gaza strip after receiving international reassurances that Israel's vital waterways would remain open. Three thousand three hundred United Nations troops replaced them. Despite Israel's withdrawal, the Egyptians refused to open the Suez canal to Israeli shipping.
With tensions mounting, the Straits of Tiran blocked, and Arab armies poised to strike, Israel decided (on June 5th 1967) to launch a pre-emptive attack on the massive Egyptian forces aimed at her. Within 190 minutes the backbone of the Egyptian air force was broken, and by the end of the first day of war 298 Egyptian airplanes were destroyed. Backed by complete air superiority, Israeli army divisions then thrust into the Sinai desert approaching the bank of the Suez Canal. At the same time, Israel issued an appeal to Jordan to stay out of the war. (1) Jordan refused and opened a heavy artillery barrage on both west Jerusalem and the Tel-Aviv area which forced Israel to counterattack. By June 8th the Israel Defense Forces defeated the Jordanian forces and captured the whole of Judea and Samaria. On the morning of June 9th, Israel attacked the Syrians and captured the Golan Heights. From these heights, Syria had shelled and destroyed 205 houses, 175 acres of orchards and 75 acres of grain.
The six days of fierce fighting ended in Israel?s occupation of the Sinai desert and the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the West Bank, providing Israel?s cities with a much needed buffer zone and dramatically reducing the danger of extinction by a surprise Arab attack. Furthermore, victory had a special religious meaning because of the unification of Jerusalem and the return of Jews to Judea and Samaria which was part of biblical Israel.
Just before 2 p.m. on Saurday, Oct. 6,1973 222 warplanes took off from seven airfields and flew low on bombing missions against Israeli military targets in the Sinai. In the meantime , 60 warplanes took off from several air bases in Syria to bomb Israeli targets on the Golan Heights and guns opened a fierce and intense barrage.
?Because a state should not attempt to guarantee any church a majority in the state (this is also a reason to stop arming Sa'udi Arabia). Enough??
I would say yes. How about you?
