"CHAIRMAN: Now, let us return to the Arab claim. You know well the Arab claim and the basis for it?

Mr. BEN GURION: Yes.

CHAIRMAN: It can be expressed very shortly. It is a claim based on the possession of the land for a considerable period of time and the right of self-government of the people of the land. What is your answer to this claim?

Mr. BEN GURION: My answer to that claim is the answer which was given not only by us but by human conscience almost in the whole world. The same claim was made almost twenty-five years ago. The reply was that you cannot judge this country which has a special history and special conditions which cannot be found anywhere else, and the relations of the Jews of this country cannot be judged by a rule applied to other countries not having the same unique conditions. Really, it is a unique case. You have first of all the people who were here a very, very long time ago; you know that. I can give you the Arab case. I understand the Arab case and I fully realize it. It is very simple. They state they do not care what happened, and nobody ought to care what happened fifteen hundred or two thousand years ago. We are here. We are not here from yesterday; we were here for centuries. We are the majority, and we have a right to self-determination. We will decide, just as the people in the United States or the people in Canada, whether to allow or not to allow immigrants. The fact that Jews were here some two thousand years ago is the same as the Roman legions having been in England some two thousand years ago, or when Arabs were in Spain fourteen or so many centuries ago. That is their claim. It is simple. Not one but many nations in the world did not accept that claim because they were faced with a unique case which is not as simple as that." (1947)

League of Nations rejected the Arab claim (1922)

Mr Singer Quotes Ben Gurion: "The fact that Jews were here some two thousand years ago is the same as the Roman legions having been in England some two thousand years ago, or when Arabs were in Spain fourteen or so many centuries ago. That is their claim. It is simple."
Yes, it is simple, and any Roman who today used that fact to claim the right to rule England, or any Arab that used that fact to claim the right to take over Spain would be laughed out of court.
Semitic Jews have a case, as do the Semitic Palestinians, as many of their ancestors have lived in the area forever, but the Ashkenazim Jews cannot claim any such heritage.

Ttbn you stated "Israel is the West's only ally in the Middle East. Rather than trying to save Muslim countries from themselves, our duty lies with Israel."

Why do we need allies in the Middle East, our proxy, the U.S. Is there trashing the place overtly and covertly with the full blessing of Israel, no need to provide links or evidence, it's blatantly obvious to anyone that this is the case.

I nearly stopped responding to this article when labelled an Antisemite, trotting out this old line just shows how pathetic and immature the pro-Isral lobbiest brigade has become.

I will repeat, "I do not hate Jews" I am friends with quite a few.

I just hate the hypocrisy of the current Isralei government efforts to murder, maim and generally kill men, women and children, to illegally steal land based on an archaic Zionistic doctrine so out of place in modern society, and all with the tacit approval of the U.S. And other western vassal states, too immature to stand up to Israel and finally say no, when is enough going to be enough, not anytime soon under the current Zionist regime in Israel.

#ybgirp

You state:

"Yes, it is simple, and any Roman who today used that fact to claim the right to rule England, or any Arab that used that fact to claim the right to take over Spain would be laughed out of court."

Ben-Gurion's answer to you:

"You cannot compare it with Spain and the Arabs. Can you find a single Arab in the world who cares to go back to Spain? Can you find a single Arab in the world who will spend a penny for Spain? Can you find a single Arab in the world who dreams of Spain? What has he to do with Spain? He has his own country. Many kinds of people come from many countries, but here you have a unique case without any parallel in history. Here is a people who for many centuries were dreaming of this country. They might have found a country anywhere else, but no, and they never gave up their claim. It is unique. Also, the case of Palestine is unique. It is not the same. We did not say it alone, but the entire civilized world said that while the Arabs were liberated in various territories there was room for the Jews in Palestine. The Jews are connected with this country. We recognize their connexion. They are coming back. They have a right to come back."

The more you carp at the entire civilised world's decision in 1922 that led to the Arabs ending up with sovereignty in 99.9% of the liberated Ottoman territories whilst the Jews got an entitlement to the remaining 0.1% - the more your Jew-hatred is exposed for all to see.

The Arabs have always coveted that tiny 0.1% - one third of Tasmania - and the Jews' entitlement to have their own country amoung 22 Arab countries. Look where it has got the Arabs - and the world in 2015.

Accepting the umpire's 1922 decision - as confirmed by the United Nations in 1947 after Ben-Gurion's appearance - would serve you well.

Game set and match.

David Singer,
So what if the Romans don't' want England, that wasn't the point. As Geoff has attempted to point out, disliking the policies of the Israeli government is not the same thing as hating Jews. A very large number of Israelis' agree with him, just as vast numbers of Australians despise our government for their treatment of refugees on Manus Island and Nauru, and also for their ongoing paternalism towards indigenous Australians. It doesn't mean we hate Christians. Did you get that point? Secular governments attempt to base decisions on things other than religious beliefs. It doesn't always work, but is better than living in a theocracy. It seems that Jews see themselves as Jews first, and citizens of a country last, which is one of the reasons they have been viewed with less than kind eyes by every country in which they resided. It's not uncommon to hear, I am a Jewish Australian. Why not an Australian Jew? Why mention religion at all? My only real problem with Israel is their attempt to justify atrocities by the use of historical/religious arguments. Compared to the evils of British and other empire building nations' mass murders, rapes, tortures, war, evictions, taking all the land, water, and all the other vile things they did to indigenous people while constructing their foul empires, Israel's behaviour towards their neighbours doesn't rate a mention.
The horrors committed past and present by the USA in Central and South America are much worse than anything Israel has done. Russian atrocities in Chechnya. The ongoing vile horror of the Congo... Israel is just a bit player doing what humans have always done when they want something. It's not new. If the Israeli government just said, 'We want this land, and we'll do what it takes to keep it' there might be less of a fuss.
And stop being so precious about your religion. I don't find Anglicans weeping and wailing that I'm Anti Anglican when I criticise them for not paying tax on corporate profits.

David Singer,
The feeling I get from the legal arguments of the creation of Israel is this:

Apparently there was an indiginous Australian woman somewhere in my family tree about 5 generations back on my fathers side.

- Lets say that her great great grandfather once took a crap on the property where your house now sits.

And I decided that because of this I have some historical right to go back there (your place).
I'll set up a big marquee on your front lawn.
I'll bring all my mates, we'll set up a big bonfire and bring the motorbikes.. we'll get a pig going on the spit and maybe when I'm half drunk I'll try to do some donuts on my trail bike on your lawn.. Kids running around the street swearing etc.. Be assured, were going to have a rowdy time.

And of course you'll probably object to this and call the cops, but it'll do no good because I already paid off the local mp's and councilman who are supportive of indiginous affairs.

So you'll be up on your balcony chucking things at us... (thats if you have one) at which point we'll have to take matters into our own hands...

For our 'inverted commas' safety...
We had to take over your house and force you to live down in your garden shed..

It's ok though, because we don't actually police your garden shed.
We allow you to have autonomous rule there....

It's stupid... Of course I don't have any claim to your land.
(Even if some distant relative of mine did set foot there)

That's about as strong as your legal arguments really are... On face value..
Like the Druids have a claim to rule England.

But I'm not completely unreasonable.
I DO think Israel does have SOME claim to the land.

But how can anyone recognise you, legally, when you haven't even defined your borders and you won't recognise the existing inhabitants of the land either?

And why should the Palestinians be nice after the way you treated them??