The state of Israel has been under attack since the Balfour agreement allotted them the mandate land. The allotment was a legitimate "spoils of war" arrange the Brits had every right to do.

Irsrael has been under seige since that time. The Palestinian population had no government in this area, everything was under control of the Ottoman Turks. Founding a state in the barren land given them at the end of WWII was a bold and forbidding venture. One that should have failed and would have if not for the tenacity and courage of the jews that emigrated to this barren land, founded a nation, and made it bloom in the wilderness.

Ethnic cleansing had no part in this calculus. Jews of all stripes, nationalities and backgrounds lived together with non-jews and Christians in building Israel. The land in the Gaza strip should be considered "spoils of war" paid for in jewish blood in the 1967 war. (Remember we got Texas this way.)

But, maybe you have a point. Israel should give back Gaza and the US should give Texas back to Mexico---and Bush should become a Mexican citizen.

Publius