Since I did not say, nor do I believe, that the right of conquest is paramount, you seem to be mistaken. To make clearer the situation I am talking about: suppose that I am the first man on Mars, and that I claim it all for me, and make those who come after pay tribute or leave, why in the world would anyone respect my claim? Mow, suppose I am a couple of hundred people camped out on Mars, and want to claim all of the rest of the planet. Does the fact that I have a tribal society or am nomadic make my claim to everything more credible? If some come in and create alternate colonies, and eventually a global government to administer the territory, they are not despoiling me of my rights, they are telling me to wake up.
As applied in the specific case of the Palestinian Arabs, they had the option of following the rules laid down by the UN, which the Jewish authorities accepted. The Arabs chose to make it a contest of arms, and despite their overwhelming numerical advantage could not prevail. Thus, they terminated their rights under the UN plan, and lost to Israel the right to administer the territory under dispute. |
