Your Ponder Hour: Think!

Nurit Greenger

The "Right of Return" To Where

The descendants of the Arabs who chose to run away from Israel at the outbreak of the War Of Independence, when the Arab countries attacked the newly born Jewish state, keep on claiming to be refugees. Sixty-two years later, the descendants of the runaway Arabs still claim to be refugees who have the "Right of Return" to where their ancestors ran away from, by their own free choice, as no one told them to leave nor have expelled them.

We need to carefully examine this "Right of Return" adage.

Though the original Arab refugees' descendants, now living in many countries, still call themselves refugees, their ancestors however came to the land, now known as the State of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish Nation, from many Arab countries. They were not the indigenous inhabitants of the land.

We can all agree that they have the "Right to Return" if so they choose. But not to Israel, rather to the countries where their ancestors came from, be it Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, etc.

The State of Israel is the Homeland of the Jews, not the Arabs. Therefore, the only people who have the "Right of Return" are Jews who are still scattered in many countries in the world. They have been 'refugees' since their ancestors were expelled from their Homeland, in Judea and Zion-Jerusalem, over 2,000 year ago.

The Arabs, who became refugees at their own whim, in 1948, have the "Right to Return" to any Arab country of their choice.

Let us call a spade a spade: Arabs have the "Right of Return" to 22 Arab counties and Jews have the "Right of Return" to the one and only one Jewish Homeland, the State of Israel.

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Shalom,
Nurit Greenger