Palestinian statehood: A reward for terror

The Jerusalem Post ^ | Dec. 13, 2002 | GARY BAUER and MORTON A. KLEIN

[yonif]

Gary Bauer is president of American Values; Morton Klein is national president of the Zionist Organization of America.

[My2Cents]

The Palestinians have a homeland; it's called "Jordan." Let the immigrants who settled in the West Bank and Gaza emigrate to Jordan, or let them return to their other roots: Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, or other Arab nation. 100 years ago "Palestine" was the back side of the desert in the Ottoman Empire. No one had an interest in the land, and it was largely empty. Only after the Zionist immigration into the land, and after the Jewish settlers made the land produce, and after Israel created a growing and relatively affluent society, did Arabs show any real interest in the area. For the most part, the "Palestinians" are invaders. Let them go home.

[My2Cents]

Read my previous post. Who are the "Palestinians"? Most are immigrants from other Arab nations. Arafat himself was born in Egypt.

[js1138]

If a Palestinian state is created, its western border will be just a few miles from Ben-Gurion Airport, and terrorists carrying shoulder-launched missiles will be able to aim at every plane taking off from or landing there.

I have no illusions about the motives of the Palestinians, but being a "state" carries with it certain risks and obligations. Once Palestine is a state, Israel can declear war on it. That has a legal sttatus that even the U.N. can't trump.

[steve50]

Read my previous post. Who are the "Palestinians"? Most are immigrants from other Arab nations. Arafat himself was born in Egypt.

Aren't a large number of Isrealis recent immigrants to the area also?

[stanz]

Both Israel and Palestine are barbaric.

This is probably the reason for all the bloodshed. No one knows anymore where the blames lies. Israelis bulldoze homes...Palestinians send suicide bombers...Israelis fire on innocent civilians....Palestinians return the fire. Until there is a Palestinian state the violence will continue and both sides are to blame.Israel got her statehood with continuing huge support from America. The Palestinians deserve their right to autonomy, too.

[Tai_Chung]

....but didn't God give them that land?

[pgyanke]

I can't presume to take sides in this conflict based on media accounts. They editorialize beyond the facts to further their own agendas.

One thing that has stood out to me from the beginning, however, is the unmistakeable fact that the only party acting with restraint is Israel.

If Israel's goal was genocide on the Palestinians, they have the power to carry it out. Recently, in their incursions into Jenin and Gaza, they used ground troops and went door to door in a surgical attempt to get the terrorists while minimizing loss of innocent life. The Israelis put their own people at risk in an operation where they could have chosen to use helicopter gunships or F-16s.

Meanwhile the PA has made it clear that they have resorted to using human weapons against civilian targets because they can't match Israel's military prowess. They are "throwing everything [they] can" at their enemies to accomplish their goals. No one doubts that they would use better weapons, given the opportunity.

Israel has the power to expand its borders and hasn't done so except in self-defense.

The PA has stated time and again that their goal is not the establishment of a Palestinian state in coexistance with Israel but the destruction of Israel and death of its Jewish population.

To call both sides barbaric in this war is to ignore the hard facts. If the tables were turned and the PA had the overwhelming force the Israelis wield, Israel would already be a distant memory.

Israel hasn't created the Palestinian plight. These people have been displaced from their Arab neighbors. They sought to take the land of Israel and found themselves on "occupied" territory. Their leaders take the funds contributed by the world for the betterment of the Palestinian people and buy weapons, spread hatred, train terrorists and amass personal wealth.

Lastly, Arabs make up a sizeable population in Israel and even participate in governmental affairs. Those who abide by the laws aren't oppressed, they thrive. Can the same be said for any Jew in any Arab country?

Putting aside the biased reporting of the press and reviewing the hard facts makes this anything but an even conflict between equally barbaric people.

[richardtavor]

You have bought into the lie that the Palestinians spread (and agreed to by EU, US and others.) Palestine was created by the British in 1921 (as was the rest of the Middle Eastern countries.) They coined the phrase "Palestine" from the Latin word Palestina. This was a region east of Nablus, but it was a region, not a sovereign nation. Many people assumed that the name Palestine refered to Philistia-it did not. Gaza is the land of the Philistines. Jews have occupied Israel continuously for 3000 years. Having spent a lot of time in Israel, it is apparent that the whole situation is a title problem. The Arabs believe that they are entitled to the land because they are the descendants of Ishmael, the first born slave son of Abraham. The Jews believe they are the rightful heirs because they descended from Issac--Abraham gave the land of Israel to the Jews and he gave the rest of the Middle East to the descendents of Ishmael and Esau (Saudi Arabia.) Therefore, neither side can compromise. There will never be a two state solution that will last. Ultimately, the Palestinians will kill or expel all of the Jews, or the Jews will deport all Palestinians to Jordan (where they already make up 70% of the population.

[Abar]

Yhey have commited just as many atrocities as hamas.

You must be a very learned man. A historian perhaps?

[My2Cents]

Well, this is obviously true. Israel would not exist except for the fact that Jews immigrated to the area and created a nation. But, again, the fact is that 100 years ago, when the Zionist movement began to bear fruit in what is now Israel, the area that is now Israel was largely empty. It was still under Ottoman rule, but it was vacant land, mainly, other than cities such as Jerusalem (which had a population that was relatively small). There have always been Arabs in the area, but not many. And there have always been Jews there too, of course. But the biggest whiners for their "Palestinian homeland" are recent immigrants to the area themselves.

Note this comment posted on another FR thread today -- it highlights my point: "Almost a decade and a half after the first public endorsement of the Palestinian Charter, on March 31, 1977, Muhsin made the following declaration in an interview with the Dutch daily Trouw: 'There are no differences between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. We are all part of one nation. It is only for political reasons that we carefully underline our Palestinian identity, because it is in the interest of the Arabs to encourage a separate Palestinian identity. Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only tactical purposes. The founding of a Palestinian state is a new tool in the continuing battle against Israel.'"

[MoGalahad]

That is absolutely false. The Palestinians were not there first and they have NO legitimate claim to that land at all. You have bought in to a lie. The Israelis have merely defended themselves and if as you say "they have to settle it sometime" then let the Israeli military fight all the Palestinians who want to fight with the winner taking it all. I think we all know who would win that one. The Palestinians only continue to exist because they are protected by the world community; including America ironically.

[tessalu]

Islamics in Palestine have been savages, and there may be no cure for this. They would have no idea of what to do with a state, except to perpetuate more hostility. They have been taught this hatred for generations, and there is no sudden cure.

[tessalu]

I have never yet seen an Israeli send a child out to throw rocks or do other hostilitis against Palestinians. Any one who believes that Palestinians will be peaceful with a new state is just not realistic.

[yonif]

Furthermore the jews at the time were called Palestinians as well, cause they were living in the Palestinian colony of Britain.