it's news to me that even Christian Palestinians don't consider themselves Arab
It all depends on what argument they are trying to make..
They are Arabs when it comes to the Jews invading "their" land and calling for them to be eliminated,, but Palestinians when it comes to trying to convince someone that they deserve their own homeland just like the Jews have.
Personally, I think they don't quite know themselves what arguments to make, since so many holes can be found in their logic (such as Jordan logically already being the Palestinian state).
That's why I think the Israelis would be fools to permit a militarized Palestinian state on the West Bank.
As for the Phillistine argument, I read somewhere that in Arabic, Palestine and Phillistine are the same word, which may explain the attempt to draw their lineage.
Personally, I'm against all of this nationalistic fervor towards ethnic segregation and tribalism. Since the Jews are no longer just an ethnic grouping, but a religious creed with various races, I see far more diversity in that society. But Palestinians can't figure out exactly what makes them a Palestinian, and not an Egyptian.
After all, even Yassir Arafat was born in Egypt.
And the funny thing is, there have been some scientific studies I recall glancing at in the news over the past couple of years that claim that Israelis and Palestinians essentially have the same genetic DNA. But not too many Palestinians would be willing to accept that... :0)
Thus, logically, it seems to technically come down to a clash of cultures and religion.
Hawk |
