Nadene Goldfoot
A disliked term for ancient Judea and Samaria, taken to erase the memory of who it belonged to, is West Bank, used by most Americans. Nicholas Kristof just wrote a scathing article about the area that needs an intervention of understanding history.
First, he calls Israel's living in much of the area, "occupation," which is inaccurate and distasteful. Israel took control in 1967 in a war of self-defense. Arabs continued to reject peace offers. The future of this area is still under negotiations and Israel has a claim to the territory as valid as that of the Palestinians, maybe better.
This is a territory in dispute, not an occupied territory. Under international law, true occupation happens when land has been taken from a recognized sovereign. The last one to fit that bill was the Ottoman Empire, not these Palestinians. Jordan and Egypt control was never recognized by the international community. There never has been a sovereign state of Palestine anywhere.
His sarcastic comments belie facts of history. Israel bought land, they didn't steal it. Israel was created by the United Nations, so it's real. Nobody gave Israel a rose garden for starters. They had to fight mosquitoes and swamps to make a state. What are the Palestinians doing?
Resource: The two sides of a barbed-wire fence by Nicholas Kristof at nytimes.com
Comment: Shaul Bloom 7/3/10-He writes that the Bedouin village of Umm-al-Khain is denied building permits and is off the grid…
Ummm… does he realize that this is how most Bedouin’s CHOOSE to live? In most cases, they do NOT own the land on which they place their “ramshackle tents and huts”. They are squatters! (referring to Kristof's first example).
Ummm… does he realize that this is how most Bedouin’s CHOOSE to live? In most cases, they do NOT own the land on which they place their “ramshackle tents and huts”. They are squatters! (referring to Kristof's first example).
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