Calling the West Bank occupied ignores several things. First, Jerusalem is part of the West Bank, and Jerusalem has as a Jewish presence for thousands of years. The 19th century Ottoman census indicated a Jewish majority. Second, a lot of land in the West Bank has been owned by Jews for generations. This isn’t a foreign people expanding into a neighboring area, this is two people who lived in an area that was part of the Ottoman empire. Now there is a struggle over partition. The Israelis aren’t foreign occupiers. Israel is the state of the Jews, and the Jews have a thousands year old connection with this area. Most people in the United States are aware that there was a connection (2000 – 3500) years ago. Fewer are aware of the Jewish presence in Israel during the last 1,500 years. One of my college professors was actually shocked when I produced sources noting the Jewish majoring within Jerusalem in the 19th century Ottoman census. He had to raise my grade to an A after the fact.
