(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Robert L. Meyer - False Arab claims attempt to nullify Jewish historical and legal rights to the Land of Israel. As a historical and legal fact, there is no such thing as "Palestinian land" inasmuch as a Palestinian state does not exist and never has. The claim of "illegal occupation" is empty inasmuch as a situation of "occupation" is a legitimate component of the laws of armed conflict. Annual nonbinding and nonauthoritative UN General Assembly resolutions repeating accusations of the illegality of Israel's presence in the territories have no authoritative status that match the international treaty status of the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, which encapsulated the international recognition of the rights of the Jewish people to establish their national home in the area. False claims also prevail regarding the status of the areas of Judea and Samaria, with the manufactured term "Occupied Palestinian Territories" appearing repeatedly. The issues of the permanent status of Judea and Samaria, as well as the status of Gaza, are negotiating issues between Israel and the Palestinian leadership pursuant to internationally acknowledged agreements. This negotiation is ongoing and has not been completed. Similarly, the term "colonization by the Jewish people" is a politicized phrase with negative connotations that is intended to mislead. A more accurate description of the aim of the Mandate instrument would have been the "reconstitution of the Jewish people" through the League of Nations' decolonization of the land from the 400-year Ottoman rule.
2024-06-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive