(Jerusalem Post) Amb. Danny Danon - The continued use of the term "annexation" effectively denies the Jewish people the right to exercise sovereignty over our homeland and actually makes peace an ever more remote possibility. There is no peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians because the Palestinian Authority leadership refuses to acknowledge the Jewish people's indigenous claim to the Land of Israel. The Palestinians contend that the Jews are European colonists and must be expelled, like the British, French, Ottomans, and other colonial powers. Those who use the term "annexation" subscribe, in whole or in part, to this Palestinian narrative. However, as former prime minister Menachem Begin once stated, "You can annex foreign territory. You cannot annex your own country." Israel's historical claim to this territory dates back over three millennia. Ever since Moses led the Israelites to the Promised Land after the Exodus from Egypt, Jews have lived and exercised sovereignty in Israel. The return of the Jewish people and the creation of the State of Israel is not a story of a foreign people colonizing a foreign land, but one of a native people reuniting with their brothers and sisters in their ancient homeland. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the UN.
2020-07-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive