Commentor:
"The Palestinians are not an innocent peaceful people whose land has been stolen by the evil Israelis. These are people who have tried over and over again together with their other Arab brethren to destroy Israel and, in their words, “to throw the Jews into the sea”....
My response:
Alright, this is a problem. There will never, I mean, NEVER be peace for Israel unless the Nakba is recognized. The refugees didn't abandon their homes, and no amount of violent retaliation justifies Israel's refusal to let them return. I understand why Israel is a special case, but the right to return to your own personal property is an international right, and Israel is not exempt by any means. Yes, this is a challenge to the implementation of Zionism. It does not mean I want to throw Israel into the sea. It means Israel needs to recognize its responsibility in creating the refugee situation and consequently, the problem of terrorism against Israel.
Secondly, I just got back from the West Bank, and Israel is without a doubt continuing a policy of ethnic cleansing. Remember when Sharon said "we'll make a pastrami sandwich out of them?"
"Yes, we'll insert a strip of Jewish settlements in between the Palestinians, and then another strip of Jewish settlements right across the West Bank, so that in 25 years' time, neither the United Nations nor the United States, nobody, will be able to tear it apart."
Nothing has changed. When you drive from Area A to Area C, the highway signs turn back into Hebrew, to welcome Israeli settlers back to their suburbs. It's systematic, and it has nothing to do with security.
