JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

07/25/08 03:43 PM

Jews have a right to live in Hebron. Palestinians have a right of return. 
But there is a greater picture than just our rights. Its not right to return or live in hebron.

07/25/08 04:52 PM

The only right is the right of conquest. Arabs conquered the land in 8th century - so they took the right to settle there. Turks conquered the land in 13th-14th century - so it was their right to settle people there they wanted to settle. British conquered the land in 1917, and again - it was their right. So via Balfour, and League of Nations mandate they conferred the right to the Jewish people to settle in the entire mandate including the land now held by Jordan. When Israel was established on 17% of that mandate, Jews gained the right to settle in these 17%, and when Israel redeemed further parts of the real estate from the Jordanians, including Hebron, Jews gained the right to settle there.
Legally, there is no such thing as right of return without the right of conquest. Just ask the Germans thrown out of Poland, Czechoslovakia or East Prussia. Why on earth should Israel grant Arabs a right of return based on their conquest of the land in the 7th century if that right of conquest has lapsed???

07/25/08 05:21 PM

Mr. Kristof your arguments have no basis.  first of all Israel has not started any new settlements, they were just adding to existing ones.  I personally think that they should get out of most of them except those contiguous to Jerusalem. 
As for Hebron i don’t believe those settlers should be there but they have the right because of its religous significance to at least be able to visit, which was denied from 1948 to 1967.  As for the children killed on either side, that is a tragedy and before you discuss numbers I would suggest that you find out the conditions under which of these occurred.  Terrorists are known for being shielded by civilians and the Israelis were the vicitims of suicide bombs and rockets.  As for the fence sir i would submit that the fence will come down with a peace agreement.  No matter what Israel is willing to give up the Palestinians insist on the right of return.  Where sir in the history of the world have refugees gone back to their roots after War.  Israel is not perfect, however lets not loose sight of the Palestinians constant move towards violence without negotiations.  I would challenge you to refute my points.

Sincerely,

Irwin Bear

07/25/08 05:32 PM

What’s the difference between civilian victims of terrorism and bystanders killed in counterterrorist operations?

07/25/08 06:09 PM

Jews have more rights to Hebron than almost anywhere in the land of Israel.  Abraham bought the plot of land from Ephron the Hittite in Genesis, chapter 23, in order to bury his wife Sarah.  If Jews can’t live in Hebron, they really can’t live anywhere in the Land of Israel, forgetting about G-d’s promise in the Bible.

07/25/08 07:32 PM

Mr. Kristof is either deaf or uninformed..."Tough Love” Israel has experienced terrorism in one way or another since its birth 60 years ago..What abount the murder of its innocent people by The PLO, HAMAS, Hezbolla etc...And this young country only wants to leave in peace and grow its fields, its technology, its arts, its life without the murderous destruction of criminals& hoodlums that spawn in the Middle East… Kristof is only another liberal, Israel basher, uninformed and bordering on anti semitism....

07/25/08 07:43 PM

Mr. kristoff, as to your column of July 25 my comment is:

FEH!!!!!!

JEWROME L. RABINOWITZ.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW MAMA LUSHEN THEN THIS LITTLE PHRASE SHOULD HELP.

07/28/08 11:40 AM

The problem with Kristof is that he is as opinionated as he is ignorant. There is no “Palestinian” land; there never was a Palestine. The areas allocated to the Arabs was occupied by their “brothers” until Israel kicked them out in ‘67 and the remaining Arabs must firstly, negotiate with Israel for a share of Palestine and secondly, bear a cost for their terror and deceitfulness; they have not kept to a single agreement they signed! Jews have a right to settle in any area to which there is no clear Arab title. It is obscenely hypocritical that Arabs can yelp “no land acquisition through conquest” about land Israel won in a defensive war in ‘67, from one side of their mouths and yelp their demand from the other side of their mouths about the Etzion Bloc and the land on the banks of the Kinneret over-run by them in 1948. The best thing the USA can do is to desist from pressuring Israel, the only rational ME state, (no Arab regime honours its agreements) to yield to Islamofascist terror and duplicity, because, if it does, the West - of which the USA is part - will also pay a heavy price.

07/28/08 09:43 PM

Who “necessarily” has the right to live in Hebron?