The Palestinians keep saying that the Jews have no history here. The've even said that the Temple never existed. They can't even get their lies straight. It's like the idiots who compare Israel to the Nazis but then say that there was no Holocaust.

Tell it like it is! Good for you! Yes!

EU Israel-haters always quote "Haaretz" to prove their hatred is "shared by progressive Israeli journalists"

Propaganda aside, what is so special about Israel to all those jews, mostly secular and non-Torah compliant who are living in Israel and beyond? is it all in the mind?, cultural conditioning? fear and total insecurity about what happened in the past and may happen in the future? or is there something more profound? and how do u see a just solution to the conflict with the palestinians because I guess they are not going anywhere in a hurry?

Just as we have seen the land of Israel flouresh due to the return of her people, so too shall we see the Temple rebuilt due to the efforts of people like Rabbi Richman despite anything El Sana has to say!

First of all - there is no such thing such as Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis. Jews are Israelis from an ethnic and racial point of view. Some people argue that Israelis are merely a citizenship - but that's not true. Jews and Israelis are one and the same - it is the same people. Arab Israelis do not exist. Arabs are merely citizens of Israel. Jews or Israelis are the same. There is a conflict between Israelis/Jews on one side and Arabs on the other side. What is so special about Israel to us Jews? It's our historical homeland - its our national homeland. Have you ever heard of nation states and nationalism? Zionism is Jewish nationalism. 4000 years of Jewish history in Israel my friend. There is no way you can talk yourself around it. Our history in Israel is real. Why do Arabs need land to begin with? And why do Arabs need 22 Arab states? Why do you need sovereignty and independence? The "Palestinians" don't exist - they are Arab speaking Moslems who came here in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Oh don't worry Ali, we will kick them out to Algeria and other Arab countries where you can argue with each other far far away from Israel and leave us Israelis alone and to keep your peculiar Arab culture, language and behavior away from us. What is so special about Algeria to you Arabs - besides that Algeria is an artifical state without history or identity and is literally a creation of French colonialism? Do you "Arabs" sleep well during the night knowing that most of you North African "Arabs" are actually Berbers?

Stop asking stupid questions. The prophets in Al Koran - who do you think they are? They are Jews. If you are a true Moslem you must consider Israel to be a Jewish land because Jews come from Israel. It says so in the Al Koran and it says so in the Bible. Also: read Arab history. We had the caliphate and we never once had any palestinians among us - only in your mind. Jerusalem never meant much to the caliphate or to the Moslems. Our power rested in Baghdad, Damasqus and Cairo. Go and learn history... Sorry Israelis. I apologize if many Arabs have hurt your feelings on Ynet. I have nothing against Israel.

Richman, you're a Rabbi but you're wrong. The Jews were NOT severed from their land. There was a strong presence in the Land even after bar Cochba. There is strong anecdotal evidence from Church figures, historians and travellers that there were hundreds of thousands of Jews there right until Arab infiltration from the eastern Desert, which ultimately spread down to what is today called Arabia. Eusebiue, at the turn of the 4th century wrote that there were over 30,000 Samaritans and 20,000 Jews in Caesarea alone. In everywhere except Jerusalem, which Hadriaan and succeeding Emperors had made forbidden. Except of course the Emperor Juloan who gave the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple, but died far too soon. Look up your facts Rabbi.

"what is so special about Israel to all those jews, mostly secular and non-Torah compliant who are living in Israel and beyond? " 1. it is their home. in most cases it was their parents' home and grandparents' home as well. Since the average age in Israel is ~28 most Israelis are 2nd and 3rd generation children of immigrants. Their relationship to the Baghdad or Warsaw of their ancestors is severed. They see themselves as being from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Kibbutz, etc. 2. most Jews in Israel see themselves as part of one people, a Jewish people, that lives in partial diaspora, but is moving towards being a majority in Israel. Most Jews also seem themselves as indigenous to Middle East based on DNA. Evidence proves them correct. Therefore, most Jews see their return to the land in the last 100 years as a return of an ancient people to its homeland. 3. Re solution to the conflict: many solutions have been offered in 1937 (Peel Commission), 1947-8 (UN Partition), 2000 (Arafat-Barak talks) and 2008 (Abbas-Olmert). There is no record of the Arab Palestinians agreeing to ANY of the above. You are asking the wrong side. Now how about a question for you: Why do you care? Wouldn't resolving the Berber/Arab question in Algeria be of more immediate importance? "Is it all in the mind? cultural conditioning? fear and total insecurity...or is there something more profound?"

Agree. My first reaction was: wow so they admit there was a Temple? Wouldn't that mean that they built their mosque on...No! Couldn't be!

What is so special about Israel is that it is our homeland, the place where we come from, the place that we commemorate in all of our festivals and their calendar, the place that we face when we pray, the place where our holiest people are buried, the place that is the centre of our civilisation and cultural imagination. As to the Palestinians, I guess they can either continue to spread hate propaganda and continue with the Arab apartheid regimes, or they can accept that we are human beings and take peace into their hearts. You are probably better off asking them!

You have no shame and no knowledge of history.

Israel must have a law, that ALL Members of Knesset, employees working in our administration and government are not against the Jewish State of Israel and not against its jewish citizens. Otherwise they loose the job or will be kicked out from our Knesset. This idiot is dangerous and must be removed from our Knesset.

I wouldn't be so upset about what he said. HE JUST ADMITTED THAT JEWS LIVED IN ISRAEL CENTURIES AGO. Whereas all Arabs have always denied that Israel is the historic homeland of the Jews, and especially that Jerusalem is NOT Jewish, he has just admitted to BOTH. So seize on this, make it go viral.

I understood Ali's questions different than some posters did. In light of the article, it makes sense when it is paraphrased; "Seeing as most Israelis reject much of the Torah, Shabbat, kashrut, etc., and according to the Torah, the land of Israel was given to the Jews as part of a deal to keep the Torah, I sincerely would like to know, what attachment do you hold to this land, besides you personally having been born there?" Now, the fact is that most Israelis are somewhat observant, so possibly his question is a non starter, but to me he sound sincerely interested as opposed to challenging. As my love for the land is based on observance of the Torah, I am not the one to answer him, but I hope that someone else, now understanding his question will!

With or without following the Jewish religion, with or without believing that God gave the land to the Jewish people and with or without the belief in God, it remains an undeniable fact that millions of Jewish men, women and children have lived in Israel for 4000 years and enjoyed sovereignty and independence for centuries in ancient Israel. Ancient Israel is real and the ancient Israelites are also real independently of their personal religious beliefs and the modern Jewish people's beliefs. Why is it that Jews must always prove themselves to everyone or explain themselves to everyone? And why is it that Jews must base their right to reclaim the land of their forefathers in the name of religion? That is what Ali from Algeria and many others don't seem to understand: First we are a nation - an ethnic group of people, our religious beliefs come second. We cannot separate the religion from our nationalism. Judaism does consist of Zionism and nationalism built into it. Judaism is based on a certain ethnic group of people.

Israel is first & foremost a nation. We have an ancient and beautiful national religion, but we were a nation leaving Egypt before we received the Torah at Mount Sinai. It is true that we were given the land of Israel on condition that we sanctify it by keeping the Torah, but that deal is between us & God. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Israel (from river to sea) is the ancient homeland of the Jewish nation, and thus belongs to the Jewish people. What we do with our land is not of their concern.

G D BLESS YOU Mohammed. I WISH THERE ARE MORE MUSLIMS LIKE YOU SAYING THE TRUTH. G D BLESS YOU & ALL YOUR FAMILY

Knesset should pass a law by which a member of Israel parliament who is disloyal to his country should be deprived from his rights and from his citizenship. One cannot be a representative of israeli citizens, enjoy all the benefits of a free and democratic country in order to achieve an agenda built on falsification of history, denial of reality and delegitimization of the country he bears the citizenship.

I just wish there were more PEOPLE like #10 in the world, Muslim or not. The value of self-educating about the issues is immense. The world could use a little more brotherly love, that's for sure.

Bless you brother....may Allah grant you and yours long, healthy, and prosperous lives. Thanks for setting cousin Ali straight.

Lets talk about other tragedies: The massacres of innocent Jews by Phillistine Arabs before the State of Israel ever existed. How do you mythical miscreants justify the taking of innocent Jewish souls; the rape of the women and girls, the plundering of property, the desecration of their bodies, the desecration of holy sites.... I could go on...but no need. The true Nabka is that the Phillistines are their own worst enemies. No one wants them!

Chaim Richman's article is excellent. The Temple, of course, belongs to Jewish religion at first, but also to all people that accepts the Sacred Alliance among God Unique and Abraham. It represents Peace and Union under divine basic Law. The refered disregard, from Palestinian leaders, because of "Nakba", is too sad and shameful. But some day in the future, earlier or later, they will recognize Israel and they will talk for a good agreement. While it does not happen, firmness and patience, from J'lem's government, are necessary. We, friends, are, and will be always at your side.

It's time to stop complaining about the disgusting attitudes and activities of Israels fifth column and make concrete plans to compensate them to leave our land forever.

in the sixth century an enemy from the south came to destroy the kaaba in mekka then the leader of mekka was asking about his cameles the enemy said what about the kaaba the leader said - i owned the cameles but -the bait has a god - ... so taleb is stupid in his comparison nakba is about people loosing the properties and lifes and lands it is not for tempels