Free Republic

Unconscionable. Offensive. Hurtful. Bigoted. Terrible. Hateful. These are the words being used to describe Helen Thomas' recent comment about Israel and Palestine. Editorialists across the country have condemned her statement that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go back" to Europe. If, however, it is unacceptable to say that Israeli Jews don't belong in Palestine, it is also unacceptable to say that the Palestinians don't belong on their own land. Mainstream politicians, civic leaders, university presidents and others in this country routinely express their support for Israel as a Jewish state, despite the fact that such a...

The late King Hussein of Jordan wanted Israel to bomb Syrian forces during the Black September crisis of 1970, according to British Government documents released on Monday. The documents, disclosed under the British Government's 30-year rule and featuring in a special BBC New Year's Day documentary, reveal the king feared that the Middle East would slide into all-out war if Jordan fell into the hands of Syrian-backed Palestinian guerrillas. That fear, at the height of an international hijacking and hostage crisis which came to define a decade of terrorism, led the King to approach the British Government and ask it...