REASONS FOR THE CREATION OF A PALESTINIAN NATIONAL HOME

---NOW!

March 10, 1999

* The Palestinians have their own cultural and social identity, just as the U.S. has a separate identity from Great Britain. Palestinians wish to be able to celebrate and preserve their own traditions, history, and folkways and customs, much of it hundreds of years old.

* There are many thousands of Palestinian refugees living in substandard conditions in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and other places. These people have not forgotten their lands and homes from which they were displaced (starting in 1948 and still continuing). They would like very much to go back and raise their families in a place they continue to think of as home.

* The Palestinians were, in many cases, illegally evicted from their homes by the policies of the government of Israel and are due just compensation (the return of forfeited land or its fair market value), according to the dictates of international law.

* If the Palestinians had their own free, independent, equally autonomous state, they would be free to negotiate for and arrange their own anti-aggression pacts with surrounding states, as well as treaties for economic cooperatives and the return of refugee populations. This would greatly benefit the stability of the area, and would result in greater prosperity for all. Palestinians are the best-educated of all Arabic peoples, and their contributions to the economic development of the entire area could be tremendous. This is the path to a true and lasting peace in the region.

* The United Nations, among other international organizations, upholds the doctrine of self-determination, that is, the right of the majority population of a region to choose their own future political status. It appears to many observers that it is just a matter of time before the Arab population of some parts of Israel asserts their right to self-determination over the land, probably by appealing to the U.N. to uphold this particular doctrine. It would make more sense for Israel to allow the creation of a Palestinian state before this happens, since now Israel would have a more favorable bargaining position than it would under a U.N. mandate.

* Saying that Israel has a "God-given" right to the land because they are "God's chosen people" is absolutely bogus. Never did God give any particular land specifically to any particular group of people (the Jews included), without there being clearly-outlined responsibilities going along with that ownership. Among these responsibilities were obedience to God and His laws, adhering to the Ten Commandments and the worship of Jehovah as the true and only God, in the manner proscribed in the law by God Himself. Punishment for failing to live up to these responsibilities included the forfeiture of the right to inhabit the lands. Need I say more?

* The Zionists who set up the country we call "Israel" are largely Ashkenazim, that is, Jews whose origins can be traced to Central Europe. (North American Jews are also largely Ashkenazim .) Any student of world populations can tell you that these people do not represent the Jews (Hebrews) of the Bible, are not descended from Abraham, and indeed, have no link to the Middle East whatsoever. They are largely descendants of the Khazars, a rather mysterious group of Russian ethnics who converted to Judaism in the 1300’s as a way of foiling the advancement of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

* The idea of "Jew" and "Gentile" really has no place in the spiritual language of our time. The Apostle Paul himself stated that all were to drink of the same spirit, and all were to be one in Christ. (I Cor.12:13, Gal. 3:28). Indeed, the day that Christ was crucified, the "veil of the temple" (the heavy curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the building) was torn in two, meaning that the old way of worshipping and approaching God (through animal sacrifices and scrupulous keeping of the Law), was over and done with. All peoples of the earth were now on equal footing with God, their righteousness determined only through faith in Jesus Christ. "Even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (I Cor. 15:22).

* The Palestinians are determined to win back their lands, using whatever means possible to do so. They regard their struggle in much the same way as did the early Americans, that they are engaged in the effort to win their independence and autocracy. Many still hold onto the deeds to lands they once owned, the keys to houses that have been torn down. They are not going to give up! Even small children in the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan are taught that their true homeland is in Palestine, a land they have never seen. They sing Palestinian songs, wave the Palestinian flag. They are growing up with a burning desire to return and take possession of their home. It makes sense to begin to negotiate for this now, and avoid much future bloodshed on both sides.

* At some point, it seems likely that other Arab nations may become involved in the Palestinian cause, even more than they are now. It would make more sense for Israel to do its bargaining with the Palestinians for this land, who have sworn to uphold the principles of democracy, than to end up having to bargain with the regimes of such countries as Iraq or Syria. If war with other Arab nations were to result, it could be potentially very destructive to Israel, inflicting wounds that might never heal.

* Lastly, remember that the Bible asks us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem(Psalms 122:6). Jerusalem is a city loved by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Let us remember that the Palestinians loved and cared for the city after the Jews largely abandoned it after A.D. 70. They preserved and maintained Jewish shrines and holy sites during many years of Turkish occupation. (Remember that it was the Romans who destroyed Herod’s Temple, not the non-Jewish population of Palestine.) Access to the Holy City is of great importance to the Palestinians, whether they are Muslims or not. (NOTE: The population of Palestine is 75% [predominately

Sunni] Moslem, 17% Jewish, 8% other [including Christian]).