Jews owned land and lived in Judea/Samaria until they were massacred by Arabs in the 1920s

Jews owned land and lived in Judea/Samaria until they were massacred by Arabs in the 1920s

Jews owned land and lived in Judea/Samaria until they were massacred by Arabs in the 1920s. Those lands were not known as the West Bank until British imperialism made its presence there in the 20th century. Purely Arab Transjordan, created in 1922 from over 70% of the Mandate for Palestine that Britain received on April 25, 1920, annexed the west bank of the Jordan River after the 1948 fighting. Saying Jews have no rights in places like Hebron is like claiming that if China conquers the Vatican, then Catholics will no longer have rights there. Again, the world would not know of the significance of places like Hebron if not for the Holy Scriptures of the Jews. If one million Arabs can live as citizens without fear in Israel, then why is it Arabs insist lands where both peoples have historical ties must be made judenrein?

U.N. Resolution #242 emerged in the aftermath of the Six Day War. It did not call for Israel to return to those suicidal, pre-'67 armistice lines. Among other things, those lines had made Israel a mere 9-miles wide, a constant temptation to its enemies.

Notice, please, the vast majority of the settlements are built on strategic high ground areas designed to provide precisely what Israel is entitled to under Resolution #242... a slightly increased buffer from those who would destroy it. Furthermore, any eventual Israeli withdrawal was to be linked to the establishment of secure and recognized borders to replace those fragile lines. Many of those now demanding Israel to forsake this have conquered nations and acquired territories hundreds or thousands of miles away from home in the name of their own national security interests.

Legal experts such as William O'Brien, Eugene Rostow, and others have repeatedly stated that non-apportioned areas (the West Bank in particular) of the Palestinian Mandate were open to settlement by all residents of the Mandate, not just Arabs. That Arabs disagree is not a shock. They do not believe Jews have rights in any part of Israel. Keep in mind that most of the 22 so-called Arab states were themselves conquered and forcibly Arabized from non-Arab peoples like Berbers, Copts, Kurds, Black Africans, etc.

Lastly, at Camp David 2000 and Taba, Barak's Israel offered to end the occupation. 97% of the territories, half of Jerusalem, a $33 billion fund, etc. were offered to Arafat in a contiguous state, not disconnected cantons, as Arab spin doctors now claim. Dennis Ross was there as U.S. chief negotiator and confirmed all of this. I will take his word over Arafat's. So much for occupation being the cause of the problem.

Unfortunately, the predominant Arab vision of peace still has no room for a permanent Israel. Some have made a tactical decision to play the game to win as much concessions diplomatically from Israel as possible, making their end goal that much easier to achieve.

Arafat and others speak of the peace of the Quraysh. The Quraysh were a pagan tribe with whom the Muslim Prophet, Muhammad, made a temporary peace with until he gained enough strength to deal the final blow. Even the PLO's late model moderate, Faisal Husseini, called for a purely Arab Palestine "from the River to the Sea."

If one is really interested in seeing what Arab thinking is in these regards, all that is required is an online visit to the Palestinian Authority websites, or a look at its textbooks, maps, insignias and such. There is no Israel present. And these are the good cops. Go to the Hamas site and then understand why the sole, miniscule state of the Jews cannot be expected to commit national suicide so that Arabs can obtain their 23rd state - and second one in Palestine.

About the Author: Gerald A. Honigman is a contributing writer for Jewish Xpress Magazine [http://www.jewishxpress.com/], a monthly publication based in southern Florida.