[ml/nj]

Lots of words. This article says it more concisely:

Who Are Palestinians?

By Yashiko Sagamori

If you are so sure that "Palestine, the country, goes back through most of recorded history", I expect you to be able to answer a few basic questions about that country of Palestine: When was it founded and by whom? What were its borders? What was its capital? What were its major cities? What constituted the basis of its economy? What was its form of government? Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat? Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation? What was the language of the country of Palestine? What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine? What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date. Have they left any artifacts behind? Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967? And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur? You are lamenting the "low sinking" of "once proud" nation. Please tell me, when exactly was that "nation" proud and what was it so proud of? And here is the least sarcastic question of all: If the people you mistakenly call "Palestinians" are anything but generic Arabs collected from all over -- or thrown out of -- the Arab world, if they really have a genuine ethnic identity that gives them right for self-determination, why did they never try to become independent until Arabs suffered their devastating defeat in the Six Day War? I hope you avoid the temptation to trace the modern day "Palestinians" to the Biblical Philistines: substituting etymology for history won't work here. The truth should be obvious to everyone who wants to know it. Arab countries have never abandoned the dream of destroying Israel; they still cherish it today. Having time and again failed to achieve their evil goal with military means, they decided to fight Israel by proxy. For that purpose, they created a terrorist organization, cynically called it "Palestinian people" and installed it in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. How else can you explain the refusal by Jordan and Egypt to unconditionally accept back the "West Bank" and Gaza, respectively? The fact is, Arabs populating Gaza, Judea, and Samaria have much less claim to nationhood than that Indian tribe that successfully emerged in Connecticut with the purpose of starting a tax-exempt casino: at least that tribe had a constructive goal that motivated them. The so called "Palestinians" have only one motivation: the destruction of Israel, and in my book that is not sufficient to consider them a "nation" -- or anything else except what they really are: a terrorist organization that will one day be dismantled. In fact, there is only one way to achieve piece in the Middle East. Arab countries must acknowledge and accept their defeat in their war against Israel and, as the losing side should, pay Israel reparations for the more than 50 years of devastation they have visited on it. The most appropriate form of such reparations would be the removal of their terrorist organization from the land of Israel and accepting Israel's ancient sovereignty over Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. That will mark the end of the Palestinian people. What are you saying again was its beginning? You are absolutely correct in your understanding of the "Palestinians'" murderous motives. I am afraid however that you, along with 99% of the population of this planet have missed the beginning of WWIII (the enemy call it Jihad) quite a few years ago. The siege of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, an event to which the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner had so miserably failed to respond, can be very well used as the day WWIII stepped out of the pages of the Koran and into the current events. I pray the United States and Israel lead the world to victory in this war. Come to think of it, there is no choice, be you a Christian, a Jew, or even, believe it or not, a Muslim. http://www.middleeastfacts.com/Articles/Yashiko/Palestinians.shtml?p=Yashiko/Palestinians

[Eternal_Bear]

National and ethnic identities are purely a mental construct. If enough people believe that they are a nation, they probably are. For instance, English national identity didn’t exist before Alfred the Great. The Irish, Scots and Welsh never referred to themselves as “celts” until the 18th century when a Scotsman popularized the term as a reaction to English supremacy. Even in the 19th Century, some Americans believed that they were Virginians or Texans before they were Americans. National identity is a malleable thing and is constantly being redefined and invented.

[marron]

Historically, Palestine was divided into two territories. A sliver for the jewish palestinians, which was renamed “Israel”, and the remainder for the arab palestinians, which was renamed “Jordan”.

Jordan is arab palestine, and Israel is jewish palestine.

In other words, there already is a two state solution; the two states already exist. The only question is what to do with the arabs on the land that Israel won from Jordan during the 1967 war. The answer is not another independent arab state; such a state sandwiched between Israel and Jordan is not viable as an independent state. There will never be an independent arab west bank, quite simply because it is not viable. It has no independent economy, no markets, no jobs, no nothing that allows it to exist separate from Israel or Jordan.

Its future needs to be worked out between Jordan and Israel. No one else has any standing in the question. Israel should not treat the PA as a national entity, nor should anyone else, because it is not and never will be.

[Para-Ord.45]

bm

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

I’d like to hear Netanyahu’s reasoning, why he thinks that a 2-state solution (as currently envisioned) would gain peace. Why Israel has to dance backwards all the time.
Why he doesn’t demand — or even suggest — that Jordan provide the Palis with a state. Or Egypt.
He’s morphing.
Reminds me of an old saying, about how if you pound on something living, it gets tougher, but if you pound on something dead, it gets softer.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ventanax5.