Does Israel Have a Right to Exist?

Does Israel have a right to exist? Did Jews returning to their homeland displace millions of Palestinians who were already living there? Was the creation of modern Israel a compensation for the Nazi holocaust, at the expense of Palestinian citizens already living there?

Short answers:

• Yes, Israel has as much of a right to exist on the land it occupies as does any other nation with longstanding ties to its homeland. How many other modern nations can trace their connection to their geographic home as far back as Israel can?

• No, Jews did not displace millions of Palestinians. Jews began returning to their homeland centuries ago. Their return increased during the 19th century and early 20th century, at a time when the area was sparsely populated. (Read Mark Twain’s description when he visited there in 1867: “a desolate country…a silent, mournful expanse.”)

• No, the restoration of Israel is not a response to Hitler’s terror. The formation of modern Israel was well under way several years before Hitler’s rise to power. The international community had already formally recognized Israel’s right to exist several years before anybody had heard of Hitler.

Read Michael Medved’s excellent essay on this topic here: “Does Israel have a right to exist?”