Palestinians

One could argue that Israel has a historic claim to Judea and Samaria (what the world calls the West Bank) – and I would agree. However, there are over a million Arabs in the area.

A biblical viewpoint agreeable to both
Jewish and Christian fundamentalists

The Arabs want the Jews out of Judea and Samaria

The Arabs claim Judea and Samaria (which they call the West Bank) is their historical Arab homeland. The Arabs claim International Law supports them, and the Israelis should retreat to pre-1967 borders (which are actually 1949 Armstice borders).

The Jews say Judea and Samaria was given to them by the League of Nations Mandate in 1920, at the San Remo Conference of 1920, when the Mandate was created to make a homeland for the Jewish people.

The Arabs say that European powers had no right to give away Arab lands.

The Jews will reply that the Arabs cannot cite International Law only when it suits them. If the Arabs don’t want to acknowledge the validity of International Law regarding San Remo, they then they Arabs can’t cite International Law regarding the ownership of Judea and Samaria, now.

Both sides ignore International opinion when it suits them.

And the dance goes on. No one will agree.

Let’s ignore International Law for a second

Before we even discuss whose claim is better, we had better settle whether evacuation of the Jews from the contested areas is even possible.

At this point does it matter who is right or wrong?

No  one will agree who is right or wrong in this struggle.

But this we can agree on:  Any evacuation will have severe consequences.  If we put aside morality, for a second, the severe consequences of evacuating Jews to make way for a Palestinian state may determine our solution.

We are going to concentrate on those Settlers who are violent

Not all settlers are violent; but enough are, and their numbers are growing. Some of these have been known to go ballistic and kill innocent Palestinians when they feel threatened in any way, even if the threat comes from the Israel state seeking to enforce an evacuation.

We aren’t we concentrating on Arab violence?

The Arabs are indeed very violent; but in this case, Arab violence is mostly ineffective and counter-productive.  Israel contains it.  Israel does not really contain settler violence; and often does not attempt to contain it.  In the end, the violence of the Israeli settlers will prove to be more organized, better armed, and more effective.  It certainly will have more of an effect on the final outcome than Arab violence.

This first in-depth look concerns the Jewish Settlers of the contested areas (what the world calls the West Bank). We do this not because we prefer the Jews or the Arabs, but simply put, because it will be the Settler’s violence which will be determinative, not the Arab violence which, while brutal, is undisciplined, and ultimately counter-productive.

Posted on YouTube: Jun 3, 2013
ISRAEL’S NEXT WAR
Frontline – 2005

---

Settlers are known to get violent when threatened!

A) Baruch Goldstein shot up a mosque in Hebron and kiled 29 Arabs in 1994.

Results: Baruch Goldstein became a hero to many radical settlers; and believe it or not, the Palestinians were punished by having Hebron’s chief market place, Shuhada Street closed.

Officially, the given reason was to prevent Palestinian reprisals; however the result was that Palestinians were punished for the actions of a crazed Jewish activist.

---

B) Yigal Amir assassinated Ytzhak Rabin for signing Oslo.

---

C) Eden Natan-Zada killed 4 Arabs in a bus inside Israel to protest the withdrawal from Gush Katif, in 2005.

Results: Amazingly, Israel prosecuted the Arabs who stopped Natan-Zada, for killing him.

Officially, the given reason was that the Arabs killed Natan-Zada after he was disarmed.  In reality, there are cases where Arabs have died under Israeli custody, and no questions were asked: The Notorious Bus 300 Affair.   So how come, when an Arab is killed, no questions are asked, but when a Jewish murderer was killed, the Arabs are prosecuted?

---

D) Asher Weissgan killed 4 Palestinians to stop the withdrawal from Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, in 2005.  He later committed suicide in prison.

What should be clear from all of this is that there is a very violent segment of Israeli society who would kill massive amounts of Palestinians should a two-state solution ever even come close to implemention.

Judea and Samaria are the Jewish heartland

If you crack open a bible, most of the cities mentioned are in Judea and Samaria (the Palestinian territories).   The Jews will never give this up.  Jerusalem is more dear to them that Tel Aviv.   Bethlehem was David’s birthplace.

To these settlers, they must take the land and possess it to hasten the redemption of the world.

If you think the settlers are violent now, wait until they are told to evacuate Judea and Samaria.   It cannot be ruled out that some would attempt mass murder of Palestinians before government was able to effect any evacuation at all.  

As awful as it may be to consider, an Israeli Jewish equivalent of Einsatzgruppen murder squads may start killing Palestinians to stop any withdrawl from the contested areas.

Strongly Orthodox Jewish Nationalist influence is growing in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). The IDF cannot be relied on, even now, to contain Settler violence. A good part of the IDF would look the other way.

I am not even taking sides. I am just making an observation.

Price Tag attacks are common now

Even now, it is common practice among some radical settlers to commit Price Tag attacks on innocent Palestinians, whenever something does not go their way.

No one denies Arab violence, but the violent Jewish settlers are better armed; with some having military training, and some are capable of organized murder.

Any attempt at removing settlements will result in mass violence.  At least 8 Palestinians were killed over the Gush Katif withdrawal. The settlers are even more radicalized now.

An attempt to evacuate settlements in Judea and Samaria would result in major violence.  It does not even matter who is right in this struggle. Violence is going to occur.

So what can be done? 

Read the following posts in this series.

1) The Land and the Settlers
2) Cost to Uproot Settlers
3) Real Arab Populations
4) Cost Effectiveness
5) False Hopes
6) South America Assimilates Arabs
7) Paying Palestinians to Leave

May 12, 2017 – Edited: Added series list at bottom.
April 15, 2020 – Edited: Corrected some dead video. Made a correction in text.
April 15, 2020 – Edited: Made mobile friendly. Corrected errors.