Israel has no right to claim others' land

http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,951331,00.html

In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour declaration, stating: "The Government views with favor the establishment of Jewish national home in Palestine, provided that this doesn't prejudice the civil and religious rights of the other inhabitants of the country."

At that time the Jewish population was only 10 percent of all inhabitants. The British opened the floodgates to European Jews, who came with a religious zeal, before even Hitler was in power. The Palestinians became worried about the Zionist expansion and their Arab neighbors felt threatened by the expulsion of the Palestinians into their own lands. Also, the Arabs were worried about the religious basis for establishing a Jewish state, since the Bible says God promised Abraham's seeds the land from the Euphrates to the River Nile, meaning that a powerful Jewish state could conquer Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Until now Israel is the only country in the world that refuses to define its borders.

Five million Israelis live on 78 percent of the historical Palestine while 4 million Palestinians live on the remaining 22 percent. Since 1967, Israel expropriated 60 percent of this 22 percent where it built settlements for 400,000 Jewish immigrants on the most fertile land, with its aquifers that support the life of the Palestinians who are being squeezed into the remaining desert.

In 2004, President Bush made another declaration allowing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to annex those settlements. In the meantime, Sharon plans to bring an additional 5 million Jews to live in Israel.

Balfour and Bush have no right to grant what they don't own to those who have no legal claim on other people's land.

Hassan Mahmoud
WESTFIELD