(Jerusalem Post) Melanie Phillips - The Jews are the only people for whom the Land of Israel was ever their national kingdom. That the Jews are the indigenous people of the land has been acknowledged by Arabs themselves. In 1918 Sherif Hussein, the guardian of the Islamic holy places in Arabia, wrote that the Jews streaming back to Palestine were "exiles" returning to their "sacred and beloved homeland." In March 1919 Emir Faisal wrote: "We will wish the Jews a hearty welcome home." In 1917 the Arabs living in Palestine did not identify themselves as Palestinians. They were either nomadic or identified with Arab countries, such as Syria. When people referred to Palestinians in the first half of the last century, they meant the Jews. The writer is a columnist for The Times (UK).
2016-10-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive