There’s one thing I wanted to add, and this may be addressed to all, though I think particularly to Mr. Singer.

This whole debate as to whether Palestine exists or doesn’t and whether it has historical foundation or doesn’t ultimately misses the point.

The whole debate, in fact, serves as a distraction, if not an obstacle, to the human concern. Whatever you want to call them (i.e. Palestinians, Arabs, Canaanites…etc.) there is a large group of people that do not enjoy many basic human rights and experience a large degree of restriction in their daily activities. There were also a large number of people forced away from their homes, in which their families had lived for many generations. Many of those people, and their families, continue to live in varying degrees of refugee status and do not enjoy the same rights as many other international refugees.

What I’m arguing, in this regard, is that to debate the existence of a Palestinian group and then use that debate for political purposes, is ultimately to dehumanize the members of that group. It reduces those people to simply “an identity” and forgets that they are human beings dealing with oppressive conditions. While some might try to argue that the people in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the remaining refugees, do not live in oppressive conditions, I would challenge them to spend any significant time in the West Bank and maintain that opinion. Asserting that the non-Jewish residents of the West Bank do not experience repression is similar to American political pundits asserting that water-boarding is not torture; were they to experience it themselves, I’m certain they would change their minds.

Csteele, I also wanted to add my thanks for your comments as well.

With respect to all.