I recently observed that in the face of the undeniable fact of Israeli’s existence — a country that is a member of the U.N., with embassies around the world, universal health care, 8,419 millionaires (2,519 new ones since 2008), nuclear weapons, and billions of dollars in aid from the world’s largest military power — the real question should be whether the Palestinians have a right to exist.
Today, according to the Associated Press, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman answered that question: “As an optimist, I see no chance that a Palestinian state will be established by 2012.” In other words, not yet.
Grave Error 
They are just Arabs, so, why don’t they settle their affairs with other Arab nations and just find places to settle down.
It’s wrong for America to want to have a national identity by all accounts of this blog, yet for the Palestinians, who are nothing more than an Arab ethnicity … they are “entitled” to a sovereign state and a national identity.
It ain’t daisies I’m smelling.
I don’t think it is wrong for a nation to necessarily have an identity. That identity can be based on a variety of different factors. I often criticize how we try to define those factors.
I think a lot of people like to look at identity as preceding nationhood. In other words, you have identity X so you belong in nation X. Consequently, as you argue, then because the Palestinians are Arab, they should surrender their homes, and simply relocate to another “Arab” country. I guess this would be like telling Mexicans that they should move from Mexico for Colombia, and there shouldn’t be a problem because they both speak Spanish. Or that the Swiss should give up their land to say the French and happily move to Germany. Or what we could do is set up a few reservations, like we did with the Native Americans and tell people they can all live happily ever after with their common identity.
The problem is that, as I understand it and I may be wrong, the entire concept of Arab identity amongst the Palestinians (both Christians and Muslims) came into being only after they lost their land.
I wouldn’t argue that far too often, identity does abolish nationhood; because humans are just pathetically self-absorbed, so, well said.
As far as the Palestinians “losing” their land, do the research; their leadership sold off the largest portion of it; Europe finished the rest. I’ll agree with you on the Native American issue, whole heartedly; if they ever decided to go on a rampage for what was theirs, likely the only option for me and my family would be to find a new home, elsewhere.
The Palestinians haven’t had an identity for more than 1500 years; genetics don’t lie. So that part, isn’t even a matter of opinion any longer, they just aren’t, and haven’t been, distinguishable from the rest of Arab world for far too long.
Then of course, we could open up the argument that what “divides” one hominid from another, within our species, is only .4% of the genome information ~ so exactly what grain of sand are we going to argue over next?
The real issue for Palestinians isn’t genetics or land; it’s culture. Which they also gave up/had taken from them; but then we go hurtling down the slippery slope of subjectivity in trying to take ownership of the intangibles that we “assume” make up culture.
Might as well start talking “psychology” at that point.
Here is an example of the present situation:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/opinion/01kristof.html?_r=1&ref=nicholasdkristof
Well, I’ll start with two things: moralising any war/occupation/military action is stupidity. Humans are built with the exact same brain as any other animal; built to discriminate, morality is the most laughable delusion of sociality. Again, Game Theory will explain it.
On the other note, certainly, it is cruel, barbaric, hard to stomach, etc., etc., but the reality is two sided: this is how we, as animals have always behaved, and the biggest hypocrites, as usual, is the Arab nations themselves.
So, as tearful as he may want to make the situation, it’s time for the those worthless, shiftless nations of the Middle East to grow a pair ~ either get involved and work, logically and reasonably, to effect positive change and aid their “Palestinian brothers” OR STFU and stick to the same lies, moral hypocrisy and senseless depravity that they have for the past 1400 years.