KorpDeath, thx for completing my ' All-Aqsua-intifada-thread

Allow me to make a couple of remarks...


1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C.E., two
thousand years before the rise of Islam.
True. The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 though. Mention the difference between 'nation' and 'state'.


3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E., the Jews have had dominion
over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the
land for the past 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 C.E. lasted no more
than 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital.
Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the
Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their
capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
None of those can be denied, but I'd like to add something that both parties - and the Christian university professor - seem to forget:

The Koran quite openly refers to the reinstatement of the Jews in the land before the Last Judgement, where it says:

"And thereafter We said to the Children of Israel: Dwell securely in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass, We will gather you together in a mingled crowd."(Koran, Sura 17:104, "The Night Journey")


13. The Arab - Israeli Conflict: The Arabs are represented by eight
separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish
nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended
itself each time and won.
1967: During the six-day war (here's a nice reading on who started it: http://www.yahoodi.com/peace/sixdaywar.html), Israel doubles the area of land it controlled (Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria). That's not defense anymore, that's offense...
This war displaced some 500,000 Palestinians (according to the UN).

1973: Israels revenge for the Egyptian and Syrian offensive leads to gains in the Golan Heights. In Egypt, Israeli forces even advance to the western side of the Suez Canal.
That's not just 'defense' anymore, that's offense...

1982: In an attempt to wipe out Palestinian guerilla bases near Israel's northern border, Israeli army launches a massive attack on Lebanon. Defence Minister Ariel Sharon pushes all the way to Beirut. PLO fighters are allowed to leave Lebanon thanks to a ceasefire agreement, leaving Palestinian refugee camps defenceless. The Phalangists, a Christian militia and allies of Israel, kill hundreds of Palestinians, encircled by Israeli troops, in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. In 1983, an Israeli inquiry concludes that Sharon had failed to act to prevent the massacre. Sharon resigns from his post as defence minister.

I guess the Christian professor doesn't call this a war...


14. The P.L.O.'s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State
of Israel.
Just one remark: there are two version of that charter: the original one in Arabic, and the English translation (translated/released by the PLO). The English version states in Article 15: the elimination of Zionism, whereas the original Arabic text states the liquidation of the Zionist presence. Neither of them talk about the destruction of the State of Israel - well, depends on how you interprete the original statement of course... Reading the entire charter gives you the impression though that all they're talking about is the Zionist presence in Palestinian cities...

Here's another quote from that charter:

Article 6: The Jews who had normally resided in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion will be considered Palestinians.


15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the
Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim
and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of
all faiths.
Hrmmmm.... Under Israeli rule (!), Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif - home of the al-Aqsa mosque) was only accessible to Muslims (strange, but true - you'd expect it to be open to Jew people only (credit where credit's due)) - I'm just argueing the statement that all Muslim and Christian sites have been made accessible to people of all faiths). Temple Mount is where, according to Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. To Jews, it is where Abraham prepared his son...