Right of return?
It is axiomatic to any liberal that the Palestinians have a right of return to a State in Palestine because "they were there first." The liberals, including many Jews, residing in London, New York and San Francisco are very adamant about this. But, this attitude flies in the face of reality. If it is a matter of principle then lets apply it to them.
Once Londinium was a Celtic area, that was conquered by the Roman imperialists and then the Anglo-Saxons. So by rights, since the Celts were there first, the current inhabitants of London should leave and give up their land to the Celts, who were pushed into the periphery of the British Isles, to Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland.
The Americans were of course imperialists who conquered (and massacred) the Indians (the "first peoples") and any self-respecting liberal should give up his land to them and move back to where he came from! After all, its a matter of principle! But, I don't expect any of them to do that, principle only applies to others when it means losing tangible rights. In fact there are no guarantees adhering to national rights, no "right of return." Ask the Kurds, the Maoris, the Aborigines, the Celts and the American Indians.
Actually the Muslims were among the most imperialistic groups in history. They started out in the Arabian desert and managed in a few hundred years to conquer an enormous Empire from India to Morocco. A small part of their conquest was the land that subsequently became part of the Turkish Empire known as South Syria, then under the British as Palestine.
Its not surprising that it was a rude awakening to the Arabs that the Jews wanted their land back, and took it back, and now intend to stay here. Too bad the Arabs lost and they don't like it, poor losers. They are the only people since WWII who still maintain their rights to their land, after having been repeatedly defeated, after over 60 years. When will they succumb to reality. The Jews displaced from Arab lands (mostly by force) don't try to exercise their "right of return" they have accepted that they can't go back.
There is no such thing as a "right of return" in international law. There is only the right of a refugee for one generation to be treated humanely by the host country where they reside. After that according to international law their offsping become permanent inhabitants of the host country. So it goes for everyone else, so it will go for the Palestinians. Eventually, that is the only solution, all else is posturing and pretense, no matter how many of them commit suicide.
Once Londinium was a Celtic area, that was conquered by the Roman imperialists and then the Anglo-Saxons. So by rights, since the Celts were there first, the current inhabitants of London should leave and give up their land to the Celts, who were pushed into the periphery of the British Isles, to Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland.
The Americans were of course imperialists who conquered (and massacred) the Indians (the "first peoples") and any self-respecting liberal should give up his land to them and move back to where he came from! After all, its a matter of principle! But, I don't expect any of them to do that, principle only applies to others when it means losing tangible rights. In fact there are no guarantees adhering to national rights, no "right of return." Ask the Kurds, the Maoris, the Aborigines, the Celts and the American Indians.
Actually the Muslims were among the most imperialistic groups in history. They started out in the Arabian desert and managed in a few hundred years to conquer an enormous Empire from India to Morocco. A small part of their conquest was the land that subsequently became part of the Turkish Empire known as South Syria, then under the British as Palestine.
Its not surprising that it was a rude awakening to the Arabs that the Jews wanted their land back, and took it back, and now intend to stay here. Too bad the Arabs lost and they don't like it, poor losers. They are the only people since WWII who still maintain their rights to their land, after having been repeatedly defeated, after over 60 years. When will they succumb to reality. The Jews displaced from Arab lands (mostly by force) don't try to exercise their "right of return" they have accepted that they can't go back.
There is no such thing as a "right of return" in international law. There is only the right of a refugee for one generation to be treated humanely by the host country where they reside. After that according to international law their offsping become permanent inhabitants of the host country. So it goes for everyone else, so it will go for the Palestinians. Eventually, that is the only solution, all else is posturing and pretense, no matter how many of them commit suicide.
posted by Jack Cohen at 7:56 PM
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