<p>Hi parents,
I am a freshman at NYU majoring in business. I am very interested in the history of middle east. I am trying to be open-minded and as objective as possible towards all the conflicting views.</p>
<p>So somebody please inform me on this question I have:
As much as I try to understand, I don’t quite see what is “Israel’s right to exist.” And this is a genuine question. Could someone explain to me, with reasons other than religious ones, why Israel should be granted existence when the land was originally occupied by palestenians?</p>
<p>Please excuse my lack of knowledge on this matter, but I would like to hear from both sides.</p>
<p>Is there some conflict about this? Must be recent. I’ve been watching Britney and Anna Nicole.</p>
<p>(Yes. I know you are serious, but you aren’t going to solve that problem on this board. And if you just want to argue, well…maybe somebody will come along. )</p>
there have been Jews living there in the land since even before the palestinians
the land was never ruled by the palestinians, at the time before it became israel it was a brittish colony
israel has built up the land and made it into a civilized democratic country
Jews conquered the land and the UN acknowleged it
it is known around the world as the Jewish state- it exists
Israel just replaced the government- arabs and muslims still live there today</p>
<p>I personally don’t understand why Israel wouldn’t have the right to exist. They did conquer the land, they have been aknowleded. look at a map, it says israel. its just as silly as saying why does america have the right to exist, we took it from the indians… the land was conquered, it switched hands, from the ottoman empire, to britain, to israel, why would it not have the right to exist.</p>
<p>This is a contentious question, because it implies that the answer might be no. Israel exists. It is recognized by the U.N. People live there as citizens. That is enough justification. Does Korea have a right to exist? Does the U.S.? Does Egypt?</p>
<p>Biblical reasoning is that God granted Israel to the Hebrews. That’s simple enough.</p>
<p>Modern history is a bit more problematic. It gets caught up in Western support (mostly for their own selfish reasons) for Zionism, Jewish emigration fleeing from Russian pogroms, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and how the Western powers carved things up, the Holocaust, the foundation of the UN, etc.</p>
<p>I recommend “A Peace to End All Peace” as a starting point. It’s extremely detailed.</p>
<p>hupkorea - you only need to look at the date that Israel was formed as a nation to figure that out.</p>
<p>BTW, I’m not trying to stir up anything…you have already done so with posting that here and my hat’s off to you. Hope you are able to get some unbiased responses.</p>
<p>The history of nearly all modern states is complicated and “problematic.” But we don’t question the right of any European country to exist, or any middle-eastern country, either for that matter. Whatever the sordid complications of history, Israel, like Jordan, like Egypt, like France, like Korea exists. That is enough. There are not two sides the the question.</p>
<p>the zionest movement started way before 1948 and there have been jews living there since before the palestinians. whether there was more insentive after the hollocaust, could be… the point is that it wasn’t a random decision on a random piece of land.</p>
<p>A very interesting book to read if you’re interested in this issue is Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths by Karen Armstrong.</p>
<p>After reading it, I came away with the feeling that no one seems to have a legitimate claim to Jerusalem. I’m not sure if that feeling really does me any good, but the history is certainly very thought-provoking. Lots and lots of people conquering other people and oppressing them in the name of (the same) God. Sad.</p>
<p>I think you see the problem here. I spent part of the late 80s in Israel and Lebanon, doing research with the Golani Brigade on the behavioral effect of its unusual military practices. I avoided this kind of discussion like it was a plague. You’ll notice that even my use of the word “problematic” elicited an attack from someone who insists there can be no other angle on the issue.</p>
<p>hup - here’s a question for you: why should the United States be granted existence when the land was originally occupied by indigenous non-Europeans?</p>
<p>The thread should have stopped here, as this about sums it up. If someone is able to prove to you that Israel has no right to exist, the same can be said for the United States, which was occupied previously (and for many years) by Native Americans. I don’t really feel like moving.</p>
<p>EDIT: AHH KLUGE that’s hilarious. I just finished my post and yours appeared above it. Neat.</p>
<p>^^ and why did the various native tribes have a right to their lands when they just took it from another tribe?</p>
<p>Usurping land from others and calling it one’s own has happened forever and will continue to do so. It’s difficult to identify any land where this isn’t so.</p>
<p>The whole question of ‘right to exist’ is just a moral one in a particular individual’s mind (assuming they’re considering the question) and different people will reach different conclusions.</p>
and my hat’s off to you. Hope you are able to get some unbiased responses.</p>