Opinion
There will be no return
Nahum Barnea
Published: 16.05.11, 12:57
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31. Answers
Ahmad ,   Ramallah, Palestine   (05.16.11)
Palestine was under mandate like many other countries, (who was the president of USA before 1870, who was the president of syria, Iraq, lybia...etc before 1940,s and 1950,s) who was the prime minister of Israel before 1948... 2nd the currency of Palestine was Palestinian Jeneh before 1948 but what was yours?? 3rd the capital of Palestine was always Jerusalem ... but tell me what was yours before 1948 you must know that u came from nowhere.. or just from history more than 3000 years like the pharohs and romans,aztecs, and mayyans. So dont be stupid and try to search in other directions.....
32. Where did these grandparents families originate?
JMK ,   NYC   (05.16.11)
Greater Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Arabia, Egypt. Remember when the old Arab men wore headscarves, they were different because they belonged to different identifiiable tribal groups from Syria, Iraq etc.
33. Right of return is a tool
Roey   (05.16.11)
The entire leadership knows it will never happen and the wealthier or educated Palestinians know they will never return but the right of return is used as a tool to stall peace efforts. The leadership can agree on everything in a peace deal but then back out claiming the right of return is a deal breaker. At this point it resonates strongly to incite the uneducated mobs to go crazy. The wealthier Palestinians are smarter and just hold out for compensation.
34. #4, Christian
Anna ,   Montreal, Canada   (05.16.11)
You didn't finish writing the last word of your sentence: "provocation". That's all. If you really believe there will be any military solution to conquer Israel you must be Muslim. Real Christians in Lebanon have their own problems with Islam. In this aspect Lebanon and Israel could live happily in complete tolerance, prosperity and economical cooperation without invading each other.
35. Wow realism from a lefty dreamer
Marc ,   Beit Shemesh   (05.16.11)
Good points about the right of return, but "Abbas is the most humane, lovely politician in the three governments currently serving in the Land of Israel. " come on now Nachum. The man is a holocaust denier, a planner of terrorist attacks and keeps his people down by promoting a fantasy. If you love him so much maybe you should move to Ramallah this way you can personally deliver your trash journalism to the Mukata everyday.
36. the past?
RM ,   Jeddah, KSA   (05.16.11)
What's in the past is in the past?? Then how do the Jews claim the right of return to the "land of Israel" 2000 years later?
37. #7 Salma
Devorah   (05.16.11)
To expand on Talula's comment, please answer the following questions: When was the country of Palestine founded and by whom? Where did the Palestinian people originate from? What were Palestine's borders? Who were its neighbors? What manuscripts or records did they leave whether written or engraved? What monuments attest to their existence? What was the name of their capital? Name its other major cities. What was their currency called? Are there any coins that attest to their economy? What was Palestine's form of government? Name its kings or rulers. What are their achievements? With which other peoples did the Palestinians interact? Where can one find any records where in the name of the country of Palestine or its people are mentioned? Since you are so sure of yourself, this should be easy for you.
38. no such thing as Palestinian Jeneh..
ita ,   israel   (05.16.11)
did a search and NOTHING came up.. but the Israelis have had the lira and then the SHEKEL..
39. #Salma
Daniel ,   Europe   (05.16.11)
You ask: "Why can't we return to Palestine after 63 years?!!!!! " The answer: Because you (your leaders) rejected the Partition Plan and started a aggressive war in 1948 with the clear intention to get rid of the Jews and to destroy their sovereign state. You could have a state too, but you preferred to attack the state of the neighbors. However, you lost your war and your properties as well, as many other peoples have lost in wars waged by them to conquer and destroy, which in the end resulted in a defeat. So the answer sounds quite clear: you extinguished all rights on these territories for ever through your own wrongdoing. There will be never a 'return', except in your wet revanchist dreams of conquest and destruction. Get over the false victimhood and start a new life in accordance with reality.
40. Ahmad & Salma
Kyle ,   Southpark, CO, USA   (05.16.11)
"Palestine" was never an independent country, it was always a territory occupied by various foreign conquerers. The only time the region of "Palestine" was an independent nation was when it was the nation of....The Jews.
41. #23, sohaib
Anna ,   Montreal, Canada   (05.16.11)
Jews didn't just return to Israel. They reunited with the Jews who NEVER LEFT her. It is all recorded in the history books which you deny. All the facts, archeological excavations defend Jewish claim for the Land of Israel and Jerusalem. But you won't find centuries old Palestinian or Arab artifacts in the same sand. Palestinian language doesn't exist. Palestinian distinguish from the Arab neighbors culture doesn't exist. Now your live in United Kingdom. Do you adopt the European Cultural and democratic values? I doubt it. Jewish past you see in Iraq and UAE, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, etc. Jews had to leave their past. and they don't want to go back there. They want only a tiny sleeve of the land that you deny them. It's your ideology who represent real Apartheid and colonialism. But do you have a mirror? You pushed Jews out of every Arab country, you pushing Christians and other minorities off of the Islamist ME. You came to Africa, Europe, Australia, USA and other countries only to impose Islam on the hosting you population. You are threatening Jews to return..... In this struggle against evil Jews are not alone like it was in the past.
42. Tell them also: Jerusalem will never be divided!
Gavriel ,   Budapestt, Hungary   (05.16.11)
43. 31: Ahmad - Don't be ridiculous!
Euriel ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (05.16.11)
Jerusalem has been the capital city of the Jewish people since 3000 years! The British Mandate of Palestine was created in order to re-establish the Jewish Home on the soil of ancient Jewish land. Jerusalem had Jewish ethnic majority already in the beginning of the 19th century. Before the British Mandate, the territory was a Turkish province with mixed population. It has never had an Arab majority in history like Syria or the Arab peninsula. Palestinians should finally understand that Israel will continue to be their neighbors and Jerusalem will be kept as the capital city of the Jewish state. Arab states expelled more Jews after 1948 than the number of Palestinian Arabs who left Israel.
44. To: No. 7
Sarah B ,   U.S.A.   (05.16.11)
Because you don't come from Palestine, sweet cheeks. You are an Arab -- you come from the Hejaz in the western Arabian desert. Moreover, you are not "refugees." You were voluntary quits, which makes you displaced persons. You have no "right of return." You didn't belong in Israel in the first place; you only came after the Jews had created something from nothing. It's ours; not yours. Do not presume to take credit for something in which you had no part. You are destroyers; not builders.
45. #31 Ahamad
Devorah   (05.16.11)
The "palestinian" currency prior to 1948 was the "palestinian pound" which was actually the currency of the British Mandate of "palestine" between 1927 and 1948. However, since there was no nation of "palestine," it was not "official" currency. Prior to 1948, the Jews were scattered in the diaspora, so when they returned to their rightful homeland, a new currency was required. It was called the "lira" at the time but was changed to the sheckel. Since Israel was a legitimate nation, both the lira and the sheckel were legitimate currency. Israel's capitol has been Jerusalem since long before you showed up after being thrown out of other arab countries, and you know it. We came from nowhere? I beg to differ. The Hebrews came to Israel from the east at the behest of Hashem via His promise. And where did you come from? Certainly not the fairytale land of "palestine." Why don't you look up the meaning of the word, "Hebrew." No one is searching in other directions. You make claims and are asked to verify them. Do these questions make you uncomfortable?
46. 7 salma
pablo benavides ,   mexico   (05.16.11)
you cantr return because you lost the wars that you started. Where would the jews be if the arabs won the 1948 war ? There are consequences when you start a war and loose. Israeli politiicans should have made this loud and clear years ago, but of course they didnt. I hope the jews will receive compensation of the ethnic cleansing from arab lands.
47. #4 Christian
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.16.11)
Did you really want the IDF to treat rioting civilians the way Syria, Egypt, Jordan & Libya do, by mowing them down in the streets ? What's the latest casualty count in Syria ?, more than 800 last I heard When Arabs rioted in Jordan, King Hussein killed more than 5,000 The IDF showed great restraint when the protesters started throwing rocks and Molotov Cocktails Remember one simple fact Christian, in the eyes of the Muslims, you are a Dhimmi, you Dummy, a person of lesser value, now acting as their stooge Palestine will come into being, just as soon as Hezbollah leaves Lebanon, which will be never in your lifetime or that of your great great great great Grandchildren--Your Lord will return before Palestine ever becomes a reality, ithat never existed in the first place
48. Salma @ 26
Moragh   (05.16.11)
You're NOT ON darling... you're just NOT ON!
49. Mr. Barnea is FAR OFF THE MARK !!!!!!!
Chris Rettenmoser ,   Bayerisch Gmain Germ   (05.16.11)
1.) There is NO right of "return"...!!!! 2.) NOT ONE "Jewish settler" must be removed from Israels ancient heartland in Judea and Samaria...!!!! 3.) The land of Israel MUST NOT BE SPLIT UP...!!!! 4.) There are already two states established in "Palestine"...Israel and Jordan...!!!! >>NOT ONE SQUARE INCH...!!!<<
50. Some "answers" for Ahmed
Yitzhak ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
Your first point is well taken. Every nation at some time in history has its first president, king or prime minister. When Palestine becomes independent, Palestinians will then have their first President and Prime Minister. But here is where you go off in an unfortunate direction because you then proceed to deny our history and make up one for your own people. Some facts: 1. The currency of Palestine before 1948 was the Palestine Pound minted by the British. It was in English, Hebrew and Arabic. The Hebrew letters on the note were aleph yod standing for Eretz Yisrael. The currency prior to that was a Turkish currency, not "Palestinian." There never was a Palestinian currency. 2. Yes, the capital of this land has always been Jerusalem. Who made it the capital? A Jewish monarch named King David. Jerusalem has served variously as the spiritual and political capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, even while in Diaspora. 3. The Hebrew word for Jew is "Yehudi" (יהודי) which is very close to the Arabic "Yahud." Translated directly "Yehudi" literally means "Judean" or a person connected to "Yehuda" (יהודה) or "Judea." The foreign words for "Yehudi" (Jewish, Juif, Jude, Yevre, etc) are derived from the original Hebrew, but lack any meaning in other languages. Ahmad, you need to not tear down Jewish identity to build up your own. And, my brother and sister Jews the same goes for we: we need not tear down Ahmad's people's identity to bolster our own. Let's all stop this zero-sum game and maybe we will finally get some peace going here.
51. To: No. 31
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (05.16.11)
You are a vanquished people. You don't even come from Palestine. You come from the Hejaz in the western Arabian desert. You people have tried to co-opt the identity of Jews as the true Palestinians, but you are fooling no one except yourselves. Six wars and seven decades of terror have been more than enough. Count your blessings that we haven't thrown you miserable lot out of our country. Keep it up, and we will. That's a promise.
52. #36
Eli ,   Yerushalayim   (05.16.11)
Because there were always Jews here together with some Bedouins even under Muslim rulers. How do you explain to yourself for example, why Jordanians destroyed the thousands of years old Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem and banished it population when they conquered the city in 1948? Only in order to create fairytales like there were never Jews here.
53. #36 the past and the truth
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (05.16.11)
How many times is "Palestine" or "Palestinian" mentioned in the Koran? None, because it was a word invented by the Roman occupier and resurrected by the British occupier. How many times are Israel and Jews mentioned in the Koran? Hundreds. The only past that matters is the eternal truth, and the eternal truth is that Israel is the land of the Jews. As for history. The Jews have always lived in their homeland, even after the Roman genocide, we were not gone for 2000 years as you hint.
54. #36 RM
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (05.16.11)
here are some very important historical facts and further relevant questions: Not even under the Ottoman Empire's 500 years occupation was the name of Palestine used for any part or section of the Holy Land for administrative purposes. If there were an entity called Palestine and its people Palestinians, it would beggar logic and belief that the Muslim Ottomans would not denote the area with their name
55. "abbas is the most humane leader"
Rich ,   New york   (05.16.11)
Why must you use such self-serving rhetoric. The truth is, if Abbas had the power he would likely use it to destroy the Jewish state. If you think not why does he refuse to officially recognize the Jewish state, a reality that has existed for the past 63 years.
56. #31, #43, #45, #50
solomon ,   bklyn   (05.16.11)
Before 1948, when one said Palestinian, they meant the JEWS. Palestine Post, Palestine....etc, were JEWISH institutions.
57. Right of Return already exercised by the Jews.
solomon ,   bklyn   (05.16.11)
58. #18. The last "Palestine" statehood fiasco beckons.
Chaim ,   Israel   (05.16.11)
The bottom line is simple. The last time "Palestinians" declared fictional statehood, conditions were far more favorable for them. There were only about 300,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria. Still their declaration was a laughable fiasco. Now the Jewish community of Judea and Samaria is a powerful, vibrant, fast growing 700,000, including Jerusalem. Virtually all of Israel supports Judea and Samaria as do our countless millions of friends worldwide. The last "Palestine" statehood fiasco beckons. After the dust settles, "Palestine" statehood will evoke only laughter.
59. bla bla bla ... wait 4 me ... i will take back my ashkelon
Jalal ,   Gaza   (05.16.11)
60. Nahum my friend, are you joking?
Donatus ,   Strasbourg, France   (05.16.11)
Your souvenirs date de 2.000 years and you believe the Palestinians have forgotten what you did to them, 63 years only ago ? You mus be kidding! Just listen to late Vittorio Arrigoni, murderd in Gaza (by whom ever...): Stay human, Nahum!
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