The Root of the Discussion

"Jews who suggest that the recent settlements that comprise the state of Israel represent a return to the land where the Jewish people originated from are not far off once the cycle of settlers and indigenous people is understood. This is quite different than the claim of some Jews that the land once settled by the Jews millennia ago is by right for Jews only. The sin of twentieth-century Jewish settlements was less the desire or need for space and some form of autonomy than it was the uprooting and domination of the Palestinians inhabiting the land." (Ellis 301)


This quote from Marc Ellis's piece really showcases the opinion of many activists who are against the Israeli settlement of Palestine. Palestinians and others are not stripping Jewish people of their ability to want freedom, autonomy, space, and a place for their culture and religion. The heart of the argument comes when Jewish Zionists assert that their freedom and autonomy should come at the cost of the freedom and autonomy of others.

Every group of people deserves autonomy and a place from them to reside as a united culture if they so want - but this desire should not obstruct upon the rights of others. The land of Palestine should not be converted into a land "by right for Jews only", as Ellis describes. People should not be uprooted from their homes that they have owned for 50+ years; Children should not be forced to relocate because their United Nations school was shut down unexpectedly by the Isreali government.

When your actions infringe upon the livelihoods of others, these actions become immoral and, most times, illegal. Due to this, the Isreali occupation cannot be tolerated.

What about the need for space and autonomy for Palestinians? Were considerations of Palestinian residents even taken into account? The wants and needs of one group of people cannot be considered to be above another group. Domination should not be part of the equation for freedom.






https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-is-building-his-temple-in-palestine