John,
You are right kicking people out from their land is wrong. But Israel didn’t do that.
Before WWI, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire and home to Jews, Arabs, Druze, and more.. but there weren’t that many of them and Palestine wasn’t even a place in political terms. While Jews had always lived there, they began immigrating in the 19th century en masse. Land was purchased for settlements; most of the land was in fact owned by men who lived in what we now call Turkey.
When the Ottoman empire collapsed with WWI, the British took control of the region and what was called Mandate Palestine included what is today Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. ALL nations that currently exist in that region were created by European powers at this time.. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt. The boundaries were all set by Europeans. Britain promised to set aside part of Palestine for a Jewish homeland and segmented the rest off (77%) into Transjordan (eventually to become Jordan) for Arabs.
Again and again, the promises to make a Jewish nation were denied and delayed. Jewish immigration was severly limited under British rule though Arab immigration was not. How many Jews could have been saved if not for the British?
Eventually, after many Arab massacres of Jews (unpunished by the British), the UN did declare the creation of Israel and Palestine. So that little 23% set aside for Jews was split once again. Of course, Israel’s neighbors attacked, asking Arabs in the region to flee. Tiny Israel won and began to thrive.
Poor Palestine was absorbed by Jordan and Egypt; those who had fled during the war were put in refugee camps built by Jordan and Egypt rather than allowed to settle in established communities. Agencies from around the world were put in place to assist the refugees. Of course, mind you those so-called refugee camps today are cities really with sewage and services, paved roads and strong buildings like anywhere else. At the same time, Jews from around the Arab world were kicked out, their possessions taken and had no place to go but Israel.. who absorbed them and provided for them without ANY international help outside the Jewish community.
IF you think that Israel’s creation by the UN was invalid, then the borders of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt are just as invalid… as all were created by Europeans.
