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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-840509
Truth vs. Narratives
(Jerusalem Post) Marc D. Angel - It simply is not true to say - as some Palestinian spokespeople say in their narrative - that the Land of Israel is the historic homeland of Palestinian Arabs. It isn't a "Jewish narrative" that Israel is the Jewish homeland; it has been true since biblical times. It is true that through nearly 2000 years of exile, Jews prayed facing Jerusalem and yearned for the return to their holy land. For there to be peace between Israel and its neighbors, it is essential to seek truth, not "narratives." When the Muslim Ottoman Empire controlled the Land of Israel for hundreds of years, the thought never occurred to them to establish Palestine. Jerusalem was an old, decrepit city that no one (except Jews) cared very much about. Between 1948 and 1967, Jordan controlled the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem, while Egypt controlled Gaza. Neither suggested the need for a Palestinian country nor took any steps in the direction of creating a Palestinian state. Israel is the only country in the world to have given territory to the Palestinian Arabs. The writer is director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, and rabbi emeritus of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City.