Palestine - The twice-promised land

Great minds and all that
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Perhaps it's time to 'think the unthinkable' and imagine a Jewish national home somewhere else other than the Middle East.

"The British left the country because more and more of them had come to realize that the Balfour Declaration had been a mistake - something various officials had said twenty years earlier...This was a widespread feeling. In both Jerusalem and London once again many thought that Jews had influence on American policy, just as in World War I. Then the feeling had spurred the British to conquer Palestine; now they were inclined to leave it. 'The American press and American Zionists are responsible for the present troubles in Palestine,' Chief Secretary Gurney wrote in his diary, adding 'The sooner we go the better'"[489-490]

Tom Segev, One Palestine Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate, 2000, Metropolitan Books, New York.

I would like to see the proof that Palestine was promised to the Palestinian Arabs, from what I have read in the past freedom for the Arabs from Ottoman control was promised but Palestine was not specifically named. Although as I understand it the Arabs expected Palestine to be included.

I find it peculiar that the Jews who were also living in Palestine, and had been for a lot longer than the Muslim Arabs, didn't seem to be addressed as people of Palestine.



The root cause of Palestinian aggression against the Jews. (ignoring previous occasional Arab violence and Pogroms against the Jews in Palestine) began many years earlier (around the mid 1850s) when the none Arab Ottomans removed the curse of being a Dhimmi from the Jews. That meant that the Jews were then free people in their own land (again), having the right to buy property and land. An Arab delegation had a meeting with the Ottomans where they complained about Jews buying land in Palestine, they were told that the Jews were allowed to buy land and property anywhere except in Mecca and Medina. That did not go down well with the Palestinian Arabs who thought of Palestine as being theirs.



Thus, the seeds of violence were sown.

I think it should be remembered that the Negev Desert makes up a large part of Israel.

"The statement “the Negev desert dominates its southern half” is true. The Negev occupies over 55% of Israel’s land area (over 4,700sq miles) 3. It is an inverted-triangular shaped region whose eastern boundary is in the valley of Arabah and western border is contiguous with the Sinai Peninsula".

Yes, and months before the mandate ended the Palestinians and 5 Muslim armies threatened to destroy any Israeli state that made an appearance. 

"I think it should be remembered that the Negev Desert makes up a large part of Israel."

The Israelis don't seem to see this as a problem. After all, aren't we always being told they've made the desert bloom?

Israel made the desert bloom

Correct, they did by using their initiative, their know how and their intention to improve matters, all of which which they had offered to share with the Arabs if a friendly two state solution had been accepted.

"Wastewater undergoes secondary biological and tertiary soil aquifer treatment and is sent to the Negev Desert, where more than 60% of the agriculture is irrigated by Shafdan (reclaimed) water.

There is the reality that Jews have lived and remained living in Palestine for thousands of years, their numbers were kept low by Muslim Arabs who took control some 1500 years ago.  
It is ridiculous to dismiss any and all claim to some area of Palestine by the Jews. Your what if, is just your imagination running wild.

Palestine was not a country it was a remnant of the Ottoman control.

While you are using your imagination, try this one. The Muslims, while some are still living in Mecca and Medina were forced out of the area 1500 years ago and are still denied any Jurisdiction over any part of these areas. Do you think the Muslims would ever settle for second best in that position?