Settlements are not the issue!‏

Chana Givon

One must know the history of the region in order to give opinions:
1. Palestine is only a geographical territory; there was never an Arab country here. The only legitimate nation was that of Israel before several foreign conquests.
2. Two thousand years ago, the Roman conquerors gave the name ''Palestine'' to the area in an effort to erase the Jewish tie to the land. Thus, Jews, who have had a presence in the territory continuously since that time, were called ''Palestinians'' until 1948 when they became "Israelis".
3. With the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, that large area was divided between France and Britain; the latter was mandated by the League of Nations to facilitate a Jewish homeland; the original plan was for both sides of the Jordan River. That was changed by Churchill and the section east of the river - close to 80% of the land -became Trans-Jordan -where no Jews could live. (WE WOULD CALL THAT APARTHEID!)
4. Today's "Palestine'' was to remain for the Jewish homeland; that is the whole area that is being disputed again. The British permitted immigration from surrounding Arab countries while limiting Jewish immigration at the demand of the Arabs. Even during the Holocaust, those fleeing Europe were turned back to the death camps because the Arabs sided with the Nazis.. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a Muslim religious leader, was a cohort of Hitler's in the "final solution" - the eradication of Jewry.(ETHNIC CLEANSING!)
5. For more than 100 years - long before the State of Israel was recreated - when there was nothing called a "settlement" - the Arabs in Jewish Palestine were terrorizing and massacring Jews.
6. The Arabs in the land referred to themselves as members of the Arab people - such as "Southern Syrians" , for example, rather than use the name "Palestinians". Even in 1948 they did not do so. When it became politically expedient for them they adopted that name.
7. "Palestinian'"and "Arab" are not synonymous as one can see from the info above (Jews had been called that long before Islam became a religion in the 7th century.)
8. After WWll, the failed British Mandate was turned over to the U.N. and again Jewish Palestine was partitioned. To this day, the Arabs have not accepted the existence of Israel and are sworn to annihilate her. The British appeasement of the Arab population in the area has continued; the Brits abstained in the UN vote to create the State and the terrorism against the Jews in the region - uncurtailed- has spread to all corners of the globe.
9. Today's enemy is radical Islam (this endangers peace-loving Muslims who are fearful for their lives as well) and terrorism is the weapon whose stated goal it is to destroy Western civilization and create an Islamic caliphate worldwide with strict Islamic law - sharia - as the rule.
10. Back to the beginning: the issue is not territory but a radical ideology. The effort to force Israel to stop providing homes for its population is part of that 'land grab' - nothing more. The Arabs could long ago have had a state had that been the goal. A smaller Israel would make the country more vulnerable to enemy attacks.
11. Unfortunately, the UN has been hijacked by many nations that would like to see democracy eradicated and their votes have resulted in condemning Israel more that any other country,
12. A Middle East without Israel would bring Iran in control of Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan - a paradise for the worldwide network of terrorism from which to attack Europe and the West - including the U.S.
13. History must be understood not only as it appears today but with its background. The free world should remember that although 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, many millions more lost their lives as well; it only begins with the Jews but does not end there.
Those are the facts of the Middle East conflict - the history of the region. As Santayana said, "Those who do not learn from history will be doomed to repeat it". We are already in the throes of WWlll and refusing to recognize this and stand up to the forces of radical change now while we have the chance will have to deal with it later when it may be too late. Think about it ....and ACT!

Footnote: I was informed this evening that there would be a BBC program tonight about the Israel's "settlements" and a link was provided. I went into the site and, following an introductory paragraph, there was a place for comments. I submitted the above and received the response that 'moderation was needed'.
It was, no doubt, my having told the historical truth about the part that the British played in the M.E. Apparently, there is no room for anything other than saying what the BBC wants its listeners to hear. Some of the other comments were against Israel and the language and suggestion less than courteous. That was o.k. We should not be surprised - given the continued British appeasement even today.