Very interesting Tamar, but I learned in history that from the year 587 BC (wasn't that when the Jews were exiled to what is now Iraq?), the land was ruled by many including the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Islamic and Christian crusaders, the Ottoman Empire, and the British Empire. There were many Arabs living there throughout these periods yet the area was ruled by others. Based on the information I have now (which granted may be lacking and then my opinion may change) both have equal rights to the land. In that sense, it hardly seems that passing over the control of the land to the Jews was a just action. I am not saying that they are not deserving, just that land that has passed through many hands via conquest does not get passed back to its original owner. If that were the case, people all over the world would have to relocate. Somehow it seems that the land should be shared amongst the Jews and the Arabs and the Christians and the Agnostics or whoever resides there. Since the world powers (pretty much) agreed that the Jews should reside and maintain control of that area (or a portion thereof), everyone must know more about the history of that land (and not just the Jews) than I.

Just to add something here, I understand that it was the UN that proposed (in 1947?)the separation of the land into two states: one Palestinian Arab and the other Jewish. The Jewish section created their state of Israel and in the war in 1948 expanded to occupy 77 per cent of the territory of Palestine. It would be interesting to actually see the original plans of the UN for the two states and the area each occupies now.


>>This I have to agree with. I'm not sure the Jews should have received their own land, regardless of who originated there first (afterall, that in itself is debateable). I think they should have been integrated into their birth countries instead and given equal rights and equal treatment.
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>I think a little history is in order here. The area that's now called Israel was never an independent country in the modern era until 1948. It was part of the Ottoman empire until WWI, after which it was part of the British empire under a form of control called a mandate. The mandate meant that the British were to supervise until the locals were ready to govern.
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>Jews had lived in what was then called Palestine continuously under the rule of many different empires. In the late 1800's, with the rise of Zionism, many more Jews immigrated to that area. With financial help from Jewish organizations in other parts of the world, they drained swamps and reclaimed deserts to make the land arable.
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>The British decided very early in this period that Palestine should become a homeland for the Jews, issuing the Balfour declaration:
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>"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."
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>In 1947, following Hitler's attempts to extinguish all Jews, the British asked the UN to resolve the situation of this land. The UN proposed a partition of the land into Jewish and Arab states. The Jews accepted the plan; the Arabs rejected it.
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>As I noted elsewhere, you do not have to be Jewish to be a citizen of Israel or to serve in the government.
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>Tamar