The various sides claiming to be the rightful owners of the land of Palestine, or Judea, have their sharp arguments at the ready
Who has the superior right over Palestine or, say, Judea? Hamas per se is an authorised organisation but it does represent the Arab point of view. Just as the Israeli forces are acting on behalf of virtually Jewish sentiment the world over. Who provoked the current clash and why or how, is a matter of detail. If only one side were to get the whole of Palestine, which side has a more valid right to the ownership of that land?
I had an opportunity to discuss this fundamental issue with a few educated Jews as well as Arabs and, believe it or not, also with an Israeli Christian couple when we were visiting Jerusalem a few years ago. The Arab viewpoint was that we have lived in Palestine for centuries and the fewer Jews who were here were treated well by us. There was no tension, no rioting and no fighting. Even when we saw shiploads of Jews arriving in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th, we did not resist. We might not have welcomed them warmly but we took them as people of the Book or ahl al-kitab. They call our first prophet Abraham, we call him Ibrahim; their biggest prophet was Moses, whom we call Musa and respect him. So we were cordial.
It was the Balfour Declaration of 1917 which gave us Arabs a jolt. Britain then was a big imperial power and Prime Minister Lloyd George had blessed the declaration which promised the Jews a homeland, by implication, in the Holy Land. As the 20th century progressed, more shiploads of Jews started coming in. That is when the tensions started between us and the Jews. In due course, we came to know that they were also importing arms and ammunition. That left us no choice but to get military help from the neighbouring Arab countries. After all, Palestine belonged to the Arabs who had been in a majority for centuries; it is our homeland. Where else could we go and resettle, and why should we? Remember our Prophet, riding Barukh the horse, ascended to Heaven to meet Allah the Merciful from Jerusalem and returned at the same place in two days. That also makes the city one of our holiest ones. Until a few decades ago, our namaz used to be read facing Jerusalem. Only recently the mehrabs in the masjids point to Mecca. Above all, the whole of Palestine is ours legally by adverse possession for centuries.
Quite accidentally, soon after listening to these Arab gentlemen, I bumped into a Christian couple at the hotel who claimed that their family always belonged to Palestine and, since 1948, the parents became Israelis. They said they were happy in Jerusalem which should belong to Christians, if at all, not to Muslims just because of the Al Aqsa Mosque which celebrates Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Heaven and back. On the other hand, Jesus, the son of God, was born at Bethlehem, a few miles from Jerusalem. The Lord spent his life around here, preached in Judea, was betrayed and crucified on Calvary Hill. The lady was more articulate and she pleaded fluently. She asked me: “So, you judge, is it an Arab area by right or more Christian? The Jews are nice to us Christians here.”
The several Jews I got to talk to on the subject were clear that they had the first right to Judea. They belonged here before they went to Egypt for employment but, unfortunately, the Pharaoh trapped and enslaved us. When Prophet Moses after long years liberated us, he brought us back to Judea. He was a great soul and wrote the five books of the Torah. In fact, there were no Islam in this world until 14 centuries ago whereas the Jewish right to this land is thousands of years old. Jerusalem was founded by us, we believe. Our temple on the mount was built by our ancient kings but demolished by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. We rebuilt it and it was destroyed by another invader. Now only the mount is there on whose Wailing Wall local as well as visiting Jews pray, often break down and weep.
Please remember that we have no other country that we can call our homeland and go to. We have had to roam all over the world like gypsies since we had no place of our own. Muslims have nearly 57 countries; they have no problem, why harass us with bombs and missiles from time to time? At present, it is the Hezbollah; tomorrow it could be the Hamas and the day after another group. Palestine should have been reserved for us Israelis. That would have averted so much of our suffering, anti-Semitism, pogroms and all that. It has been nice of us to let others stay in Israel and be happy. Half of Palestine is still theirs. “What more, sir?” one of them asked.
When I raised the issue of adverse possession they have enjoyed in Palestine for centuries, the answer was ready and reflex. You mean that because I stole your grandfather’s watch 30 years ago, it is legitimately mine now? You have no right over it? How would you feel?
(The writer is a well-known columnist and an author. The views expressed are personal.)
