Quora: Why Yes I Can Express My Opinion
Varda Epstein
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Sometimes I have time to fight the good fight for Israel on Quora and sometimes I don’t. And sometimes, well, I just make time. Especially when the question is asked in a thoughtful way as this one was:
Can you express your opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict here?
Hmm. I can do that, I thought. And so I did. Here is my response, hopefully “polite and precise” as requested:
I am Jewish and that, according to all three major world religions IS my nationality. The Quran and the bible both reference the Jews as the “Children of Israel.” See, for instance: Surat Al-‘Isra’ – The Noble Qur’an – ?????? ??????
My opinion is that the term “Palestinian” is a propaganda term used to further a false narrative that the Arab refugees who flooded pre-State Israel, hoping to ride the coattails of Jewish prosperity, are actually the indigenous people of the territory. See: Israel is Engaged in a War of Words
It is sad when a people has no homeland, but this is not true in the case of the “Palestinians.” There are 22 Arab states and there is plenty of land in these states where these “refugees” might reside and call their homeland, were these states to open their hearts and borders to these people. Just as a single example of how these people are marginalized by their brethren, see:Palestinians in Syria
On the other hand, if you look at a map of Israel, you can see how tiny is this land “mass.” See: ???? Google
Several time, the Jews gave way and ceded their territory for the sake of peace. The Balfour Declaration which promised to create a National Jewish Home in the British Mandate for Palestine, was followed by the White Paper, which then carved off 4/5 of this land to create Transjordan, which became Jordan. Jordan’s population is 80% “Palestinian” and 20% Hashemite, which is the tribe the British installed in Transjordan as an artificial monarchy. See:
The Balfour Declaration: Table of Contents
The British White Papers
Map of Palestine and Transjordan (1922)
Jordan Is PalestinianIn addition to Jordan, the Jews ceded Gaza to the “Palestinians.” To do so, 8,500 Jews were expelled from their homes. Instead of receiving peace in exchange for this largess, Israel has had tens of thousands of rockets shot into its civilian territory, leading to rampant PTSD and a high miscarriage rate in the citizenry of Israel, in particular in Southern Israel, where 1 million Israelis, 1/7 of the total Israeli population, reside.
See:
Gaza Disengagement Plan | Jewish Virtual Library
Day View
NATAL’s research in Sderot
40% of Israeli children in Gaza border town of Sderot suffer from anxiety, PTSD
Report: Missiles on Sderot increase miscarriagesCritics say that Gaza didn’t give Israel peace because it was a unilateral move. This is an illogical idea. Israel made tremendous sacrifices to cede this territory. It was a gift. The fact that it was unilateral means only that it was an UNCONDITIONAL gift. Instead of being reciprocated by an offering of calm and quiet, we got rockets. Lots of them. Unilateral is right. We expelled 8,500 people from their homes and destroyed those homes and for that, we got rockets and dead people.
See: Rocket Attacks on Israel From GazaThe aim of the “Palestinians” is not peace, but a total land grab. They want to rid the territory of Jews and take it over. They don’t hide this fact.
See: 1974 PLO Phased PlanThe refugees, as they call themselves, became refugees only because the leaders of the surrounding Arab states, in 1948, told them to leave Israel so they could wage war and destroy the Jews. They told the refugees it would take only a short time and then they could return to their homes in Israel.
See: Myths & Facts: Refugees (Chapter 12)They lost. But the refugees aren’t refugees. They should have been taken in by their brethren. Instead, a specific agency was created by the UN to perpetuate their refugee status, the UNRWA. Now, the children of these “refugees” are still considered “refugees” and live in camps, provided for by this organization.
See: How UNRWA Perpetuates the Palestinian Crisis (REVIEW)It’s ridiculous and outrageous and here is why: in wars such as the one that occurred in 1948, there are often population exchanges and that is what happened here. 711,000 Arabs voluntarily became refugees as a result of that war while 850,000 Jews were EXPELLED from their homes in Arab states, and forbidden to take most of their money and possessions with them. The UN created no agency to help them.
Israel took them in. Jewish and Arab Refugees Must be ComparedWhy didn’t the 22 Arab states take in their brethren? Because they preferred to use them as political pawns to try to take Israel from the Jews.
The Jewish claim on the territory of Israel is backed by the bible, the Quran, and by archaeological artifacts. The Jews are the indigenous people of the territory. That does not mean they were the first people to live there. It means they are the oldest extant people to live in this territory who kept their culture, language, and dreams of return alive. For an explanation of what the term “indigenous” means as regards a people and its territory, see: Israel Palestine: Who’s Indigenous?
Israel has several times agreed to cede territory and to resettle the refugees. Israel agreed to Partition, for instance, which meant a huge loss of territory as well as a loss of secure borders. See: UN Resolution 181 – The Partition Plan. The Arabs have refused to allow the refugees to leave the camps or take Israeli citizenship. See: Myths & Facts: Refugees (Chapter 12). The land that was ceded did not bring peace, but increased the violence by the Arabs against the Jews. Peace negotiations always foment an uptick in violent terror attacks against the Jews. Page on israelnationalnews.comThe violence by Arabs against Jews precedes the State of Israel and was not caused by the creation of the state. See, for instance: THE HEBRON MASSACRE OF 1929:
The situation of the “Palestinian” refugees is grave, and made graver by their leaders and by the 22 Arab states. Jordan, for instance, revoked the citizenship of its “Palestinian” population several years ago, disowning them, though they comprise 80% of the Jordanian population.
Refworld | Jordan: Stop Withdrawing Nationality from Palestinian-Origin Citizens
Jordan to revoke citizenship of PA, PLO officialsIt is also important to know the tactics of Hamas, the ruling party of the “Palestinians” against Israel. They place rocket launchers in schools, mosques, hospitals, and private homes. When they launch rockets into Israel, the IDF must target the source, and the result is that Gazan civilians lose their homes and lives. They are being cynically used by their leaders as human shields. See:Hamas Caught Using Human Shields in Gaza
Israel is asked to negotiate with the leader of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, but he holds no office, having lost a democratic election for Prime Minister, 9 years ago to Hamas. He has NO POWER, whatsoever. He cannot make peace or war. To negotiate with him, is to negotiate with no one at all. See: Muzzled democracy
Last but not least, young children are inculcated with a deep and abiding hatred of Israel and Israelis from the time they are born.
See: Schoolbooks
Page on youtu.beThere is much more to be said. For instance, the world backs the “Palestinian” narrative and not the Israeli narrative because oil talks, nobody walks. And of course, because of antisemitism.
This has never really been about peace, but about coveting something that belongs to someone else, and yes, not a little about plain old garden variety Jew-hatred.
The bottom line: when it comes to the Arab war against the Jews (see: The Arab War Against the Jews), it is critical to review the facts and to consider the sources when presented with information.
I hope you have found this helpful and will follow the links wherever they take you in your journey to understanding!
And that is how it is done, Folks. Go forth and Quora. It’s one way to spread the truth.
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Varda Epstein
