Are you claiming the "occupied territories" are not actually "occupied" but are now within the boundaries of the country we call "Israel" and the people inhabiting those lands, including those of Palestinian origin, are now Israeli citizens? How interesting....
Nothing of the sort... They are, or more appropriately were, "occupied" after Oslo, for the purpose of making a final determination as to the future of the West Bank and Gaza..
What you have to remember is that Palestine, as a state, has never existed before. Those people who now refer to themselves as "palestinians" were calling themselves Jordanians prior to 1967. They were Jordanian citizens until the territory was conquered RIGHTFULLY in 1967 as a result of defending their country from hostile Jordanian attack.
In 1989, Jordan renounced all claim to the West Bank, since they didn't to have to deal with Arafat and a nascent Palestinian state being carved out of Jordan, and removed it as an obstacle to Jordan and Israel signing a peace treaty (no need for a "land for peace" transaction).
Thus, Israel became the "administrator" of the West Bank and the past 13 years have seen the process of arriving at a determining the final status of the West Bank and Gaza.. (Gaza having been occupied by Egypt prior to 1967). The Israelis granted autonomy to the Palestinian Authority, which emcompassed nearly all the population living in the West Bank, while maintaining control over unoccupied and "select" areas (settlements) of the West Bank and Gaza, pending further negotiations to grant more land to the PA as peace negotiations progressed.
However, Arafat, not getting what he believed was equitable, opted to declare "war" upon Israel (Intifada) and attempt to coerce them to grant all of his territorial demands, while providing little to no security concessions in return.
So the term "occupied" is a relative statement. It is no longer the same "occupied" Jordanian or Egyptian territory that it was prior to 1967, but from the perspective of Palestinians who believe they should have a state created out of this territory, it is occupied.
Hawk |
