Originally Posted by davidbach

Am I the only one to see a supreme irony here?

If land "ownership" is to be based on who was there first, then the bible tells us that the Israelites were the invaders led by Joshua.


David.

Originally Posted by Anduin

There is no legal basis to claim nationhood based on history. Should the United States give back its land to the Native American tribes because they were there first? Should Mexico be broken up and large parts of Mexico City be given to the descendants of the Aztec? Should all non-native Australians be driven out of their land and should it be given to the Aborigines?

Israel exists because it was created by the colonial powers at the end of the 2nd World War, just like many countries exist because of that historical quirk. It has no "historic" reason to exist any more than the Inca Empire has a reason to exist. It exists because of international law and custom, and because its existence has been recognised by the international community.