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Basis of occupation is Nationalism not History.

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Written by Robert Farrell Robert Farrell
Published: 06 July 2002 06 July 2002
To the Oregonian

Israelis want too much Ken Cordler argues (Letters, June 28) that Israel should reject ceding the West Bank to the Palestinians and removing the settlers because there is a mix of Jewish and Arab historical roots in the area. But the same mixture of populations and histories is the rule in what today is Israel proper.

For from the 7th century A.D. until 1948 (when Israeli forces expelled between 700,000 and 900,000 Palestinians), Israel/Palestine was overwhelmingly Arab. In an attempt to obliterate that history and prevent the return of refugees, Israel, by her own count, demolished 234 Palestinian villages. Others were seized intact and given to Jewish settlers.

A real attempt to separate the populations based on their historical areas of settlement would allow a small number of Jewish settlements to remain in the West Bank and require a huge portion of Israel becoming Palestinian territory.

This is unthinkable to Israelis, who want everything occupied in 1948 and the choicest bits of what they took in 1967. Their motives have little to do with history and everything to do with nationalism, colonialist arrogance and a racist double standard.

Robert Farrell

Status: Published 07/06/02
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