Opinion
There will be no return
Nahum Barnea
Published: 16.05.11, 12:57
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1. Barnea's problem: he attempts to use logic
Brian Cohen ,   Judean Peoples Front   (05.16.11)
Feh! Barnea is wasting space trying to trump up what is probably the number one issue that prevents peace from happening. We all know they aren't going "home" (even though most of them were born in Arab countries, not in Israel). The issue is loaded because Arab countries like Lebanon have violated the civil rights of "Palestinians" for the past 63 years by denying them citizenship and civil rights. Admitting that these Arabs are staying where they are will spark an upheaval that countries like Lebanon and Jordan may not be able to handle. Thus, the issue is swept under the rug for now, especially by the Obama administration, which is simply too weak or too ignorant to deal with the issue head on.
2. It's not happened in 63 years? Ain't gonna happen!
Talula ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
3. "We shall return our settlers to our country"
Raphael ,   Netanya   (05.16.11)
And PA will return islamic radicals with israeli ID cards into their territory? Otherwise, it would be double standards.
4. to the writer
Christian ,   Beirut   (05.16.11)
i know how frustrated you are and i know how afraid u were yesterday seeing unarmed civilian facing ur coward soldiers and yeah i know that u were thinking about ur future so i advice u to find a new job abroad because the liberation of Palestine is so near, what happened yesterday was a small "prova ".
5. Mr Barnea is fooling himself.
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (05.16.11)
More wishful thinking, an arguement for the two-state blunder. It pretty much sounds like the arguments in favour of a peace treaty with Egypt. It pretty much sounds like the arguments in favour of Oslo.It pretty much sounds like the arguments in favour of a retreat from S. Lebanon. And, it sound pretty much like the arguments in favour of the Gaza disengagement disaster. All sounded ''reasonable'' at the time. But, as usual, we were just talking to ourselves. Then, reality came & punched us in the face. The results were a total failure. Sometimes the failure took a few years (Egypt). The other failures were more immediate (Gaza). What makes Mr Barnea think that a Palestinian state will be an end to the conflict? This is only an assumption, and an unsupported assumption when all evidence points to the contrary. But, for the sake of argument, let's say Abbas publically gives up the fictitious Right of Return. Just who does Abbas represent? Certainly not Hamas. Certainly not Arab public opinion. Abbas doesn't evedn represent a majority opinion within Fatah. I can guarantee you that within a day of the Declaration of an independant Palestinian State, every issue, including the right of return, will be denounced, rejected, reneged upon. Every faction will use this pretext (and others) to justify continued ''resistence'' (also known as terrorism). A new phase of the conflict will begin, this one involving the Israeli-Arab population & the ''liberation'' of ''historic Palestine'' ....... And, every concession we make will be forgotten. The best example from history is that of the Suedetenland Ethnic Germans. The people who hate us will not stop hating us because of the creation of a Palestinian state. Quite the contrary - the next stage (which in many ways has already started) is the final end to ANY Jewish state. The Israeli-Arabs will demand national rights. They will demand open borders, family reunification, unrestricted immigration. I'd really like it if Mr Barnea would take the time to reply to my talkback.
6. Our settlers
g.e.   (05.16.11)
Our "settlers" are already in our country. The country our forefathers dreamed and remembered three times a day, after meals and before going to bed at night. Can Ehud Barnea even envision would would transpire if no Jews lived in Judea and Samaria. The marchers would be marching to Petach Tikva, Netanya, Kfar Saba etc.. Besides, doesn't he watch TV, the ones I saw interviewed were talking about going back to Acco, Tel Aviv, Haifa, their villages near Ramla etc. They were talking about the Arab continuity from Yaffo to Beirut. Get real Mr. Barnea, it's not about establishing borders, it's about getting rid of the Jews.
7.  what’s in the past is in the past!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Salma ,   Palestine   (05.16.11)
my dear cousin, Nahum Barnea Jewish People " returned" to Palestine after 2000 years of Diaspora, Why can't we return to Palestine after 63 years?!!!!!
8. next time
Abul Haija ,   3mman   (05.16.11)
They hold up Palestinian flags and demand to return to the villages that their grandparents lost in 1948. We will play again before 2020 and decide who would lose this time, your faithful cousin...
9. Civil war is coming and all leftists and arabs will be
expelled! period!   (05.16.11)
10. #7 - salma: why not ? easy...
eporue ,   europe   (05.16.11)
because the jews didnt come back on a "right of return", they got a state. end of. you wont come back to israel, because you will get also an own state, or, well, you are now ready to accept one... the settlers will leave, and you will stay... what would you do, salma, if this is the solution supported by the intl community, and your government (and israeli) would agree on it ?
11. #7 deaaar salmon
Ester   (05.16.11)
we returned because it was OUR land.. and her name is: ISRAEL... aint such a state with a name that starts with pppp... sliha bbe..
12. Tiger
michael Pielet ,   boca raton, Israel   (05.16.11)
If there is anyone riding the back of a tiger it is Israel. Right of return? What do you call the 1,500,000 arabs already living in the state of Israel.
13. Right of Return is a psychosis
yonatan silverman ,   tel aviv israel   (05.16.11)
Nahum Barnea needs to take the silk gloves off. The Palestinian desire for the Right of Return isn't just a desire to return to old locales and old homesteads. It is a desire to obliterate the Jewish state. The Muslim Palestinians hate Jews from the Koran and long to murder us. They are psychotic. The RIght of Return is an idee fixe - an obsession to obliterate Israel and cannot be talked away in polite language Mr. Barnea
14. Israel better "muslim brothers" in Syria & Lebanon
Au. ,   Jerusalem   (05.16.11)
Salma why the "palestinians" want to come & live in Israel? Is it better for them than living among their "muslim brothers" in Syria, Lebanon et al countries? Oh yes? Well I'm glad we solved that unanswered question :-p
15. illusion and legendary
wael ,   Palestine , Hebrom   (05.16.11)
This means the end of Israel , i cant see they speak the truth. legendary tales prevail and endorse illusion
16. Tell them thre won't be any Two State Final Solution either.
Chaim ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
There are a few things Israel must tell "Palestinian" poseurs. The first is that there will be no "Palestinian return" to our land. Secondly: there will be no Two State Final Solution either. Judea and Samaria legally belong to Israel. They have belonged to Israel for thousands of years and always will.
17. Return to sender
Jacob Edelman ,   Burke, USA   (05.16.11)
Dear Mr. Barnea: "Your Letter to Palestinians" is stamped "RETURN TO SENDER" , as it goes in Elvis Priestley's famous song!
18. Maybe not in Barnea's lifetime, but we shall return (end)
John ,   Al Quds   (05.16.11)
19. #7 Why Salma? I'll tell you why
Talula ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
because you can't even answer the following simple questions, posed in another news item today: 1. Who was the president/prime minister of Palestine before 1948? 2. What was the currency of Palestine before 1948? 3. What was the capital of Palestine before 1948? You can confer with your parents and grandparents if that helps you.
20. No return
Rachel ,   US   (05.16.11)
If Abbas admits no return to his people he would be dead.
21. palestine/myth who controlls the ground controls reality
meir kohan ,   hevron   (05.16.11)
israel is in power that is all that matters arabs can call israel palestine thats ok i dont care... but when you land at ben-gurion air port and you go to tel aviv , haifa, hevron, jerusalem you see israeli flags. people speaking hebrew and you are not in mythical palestine you anymore but ISRAEL, israeli arabs know it israeli jews know it, other arab leaders know it but they feed there people lies because they are sheep and there leaders are wolves
22. Re: TB #4: "Christain"
Wiser Savta II ,   Hadera Israel   (05.16.11)
Hey Christain! When they come again (not you, oh no, you will be hiding in some cistern somewhere), tell them to bring a pair of brown pants/robes to change into before they run back to thier women. It aint gonna be pretty.... ;)
23. So have said your colonialist predecessors
sohaib ,   Uk   (05.16.11)
With no exceptions history proved them wrong, and you will be proven wrong also, 63 Years, 100 years…. Millennia if needed, the right of return will not be forgotten, as you rightly say so we are cousins and each one of us know of which metal the other is made of. we just need a little unity and some dimocratic head of states accountable to their people and will see major chift in balance, you may call me a dreamer but it will happen no doubt.
24. To My Dear Cousin Salma
Gabriel ,   Montreal, Canada   (05.16.11)
My Dear Cousin, Salma, Jewish People returned to the Land of their Forfather after 2000 years of exile. I was a Jewish People in a Jewish Land. Palestinian can return to Palestine Now!!!!! The arab Muslim Palestine. NOT the Jewish Israel. That is exactly the reason that Israel asked the Palestinian Government to recognize Israel as a Jewish State. I hope my Dear Cousin....and I mean it... that now you understand.
25. 2 states is stepping stone for return of refugees
Eddie ,   UK   (05.16.11)
Barnea and his fellow lefties, who endorse the 2 state solution are deceiving themselves as well as their readers. The so called refugees, who will move to the west bank state, will include terror cells form everywhere, including Iran, Hizbollah, Al qaeda, and all of the Palestinian terror groups. For them to attack Israel with missiles will be a piece of cake. Unlike the smalish Gaza strip, the new palestine will be emboldened and embittered. Israel will not be allowed any retaliatory raids, and world opinion willbe with the young palestinian state, and not the "goliath" israeli state. the Israeli arabs who now are a minority will side with the 5 million occupants of the west bank - their own brothers. Just like Egypt is reneging on the peace treaty, so will Palestine. And the government will not be PA, but hamas or al qaeda.
26. One day we’ll return to our home and land ,Palestine
Salma ,   Palestine   (05.16.11)
What has kept us Palestinians alive since Al Nakba is the dream of returning to our land. your occupation will never stop up to the end of life .
27. To state this we would need leadership!
David ,   Karmiel, Israel   (05.16.11)
Instead we have a Government and a Prime Minister which is totally obsessed with its own survival and is not running the country but crippling it by failing to make critical decisions! Netanyahu, a so called right winger, wiggles and jiggles between the extreme right and the Non Zionist Ultra-Orthodox and the ex-Laborites blinded by the ego of Emperor Ehud Napolean Barak! This very hard work so, I suppose, our poor Bibi just hasn't got the time to make decisions which just might be linked to the survival of our country!
28. #5: Terry, Gaza withdrawl a failure?
David ,   Karmiel, Israel   (05.16.11)
While I agree with you and your TB is certainly valid, I would like make the point that rockets and whatnot were being fired at Sderot and the Negev long before Sharon's Gaza Withdrawal thing. The one thing that has changed though, and this applies to Lebanon as well, we are not scrapping up the bloody remains of our soldiers blown to bits in that cesspool called Gaza and we aren't bringing our soldiers from Lebanon in flag draped coffins! The rest has not changed and never will. There will never be Peace. The Arabs, call them Palestinians if you like, don't want a state. They want OUR State from Metulla to Eilat and they will never be satisfied by anything less than the destruction of Israel. So, whether we left Gaza or Lebanon or if we even go back to the '67 borders, nothing will change. Terror, rockets and killing children in their beds, holding Israeli soldiers hostage and blood libeling the Jewish people is and always will be the order of the day and the only thing we can about it is kick their bloody butts each time they commit heinous crime against us. The one thing that we cannot count on is any assistance from the USA, Republican or Demoncrat, the Antisemitic UKstan the UN, the EU and Jew hating Jews like Goldstone and Barenboim! Not a happy picture, but these are the facts of life and we shall triumph with our Jewish determination, obstinacy and a lot of help from Tsahal (the IDF)! We have because we don't have a plan B and the only plan the Arabs have is to send us back to Auschwitz.
29. Red lines
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (05.16.11)
Back in 1992 Israel had many red lines shared by Left and Right (including Barnea): no surrender of the Golan to Syrian occupation, no division of Jerusalem, Israeli control of Jewish holy sites and no ethnic cleansing of Jews. The Israeli government has crossed its own red lines so that nowadays anyone who says these things is called "extreme Right" or "a donkey". The Arabs are right in assuming that Barnea's new red line "there will be no return" will also be crossed. In fact, Olmert's negotiations with Abbas failed because Olmert agreed to some, but not enough, "return".
30. My Dear Cousin Salma
Yitzhak ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
No. There is but one Jewish state. There are 22 Arab states, some of which displaced and dispossessed non-Arabs (Kurds in particular) at the time of their independence. The Arab states evicted nearly 800,000 Jews, most are living here, along with their grandchildren, many of whom are mixed Ashkenazi-Mizrahi heritage. They are not going back to live as a minority in a second-class existence as dhimma. Your Palestinian leadership in World War 2 sided with Nazi Germany and supported the genocide of my people. The same leadership sought to bring a "naqba" onto the Jews of the Yishuv with Nazi help, but failed. After the war, the same Palestinian leadership sought to destroy Israel before it was established, and then recruited the Arab states to invade and destroy Israel. You lost. Aggressors don't get to reverse the losses their aggression brought upon themselves. Germany doesn't get back the Sudentenland or any of the territories east of the Oder and Neisse Rivers, nor East Prussia. Palestinians don't get to "return" so as to undo their aggression. Do as Germany did. Live with it. Move on. Grow and prosper. Salaam. Peace. Out.
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