re:Many, if not most, of the Jews who escaped Hitler's Germany and the Nazi occupation in Europe were quite literally running for their lives, not unlike refugees.
yeah, but the 'diasphora' of the jews didn't take place in the middle of the last century.. jews leaving eastern europe were refugees.--it might be called a 'modern diasphora' but most don't see it that way.
the diasphora took place long ago, when jews were driven out of traditional homeland on eastern mederterranian. (and end up in places like spain, eastern europe, parts of north africa and else where)
Jerusalum was a capital city of 'jews'(some 3000 to 4000 years ago! --but go back 200 years in times, and area today know as 'isreal' -Jews were in the minority.
there were some jews, many christians, and more muslams. the area was part of turkish (Ottoman) empire.
its a hard case--i know, i have irish citezenship, because irish goverment felt, many irish left ireland not by choice but by economic nessecity.. and they felt they, and their children and their childrens children should not be 'punished'. many jews were forced out of what is now isreal (under threat of death)--many generations ago.
how many generations of force emmigation are needed before the 'forcers' of emigration can say, 'all of the X are gone, and gone for X generations, and now this land is mine, for me and my people(forever!)'?
(a question that could also be asked about northern ireland!)
that's a good deal of what is at the heart of the conflict in mid east. Is the land of Isreal a jewish homeland? or did they 'forfiet it' when they were forced to leave? (and does the group or groups that forced them to leave get to call the land theirs forever? or do they too have to forfiet it if someone forces them out?
same question come up in americas (especially north america)all the time. who owns the land? do the displaced 'first people' have rights to it? and to how much? and can they dislodge current residents (occupiers!) or not?
Many of the first people on north america are gone (intentional and unintentional genocide)--but does that that mean their children, and their children's children still have to forfiet rights to their homelands?
the questions raised by middle east conflict are by no means unusual, or limited to that place! and there are no easy answers--in North america, or in mid east.
(one might say, no matter what happened in past, isreal won right to land in 1948, and has continued over the years to maintain the 'right of ownership'. previous 'owners' aquired the land buy sword, and later generations lost by sword.. and that's the way it goes--basicly, that is what US government/people have done in north america.)
who are the 'rightful people' of UK? picts? are there any left? celts? Angles? Saxons? Danes? 'french Normen'?--(in the future will it be the Pakastanis'? the Jamacains? )
I haven't read article.. and i don't know what is behind Morrccan's leaving (are they being forced, by gun, or economic nessicity, or on religious grounds? or are they chosing to emigrate.? (and what is choice? how bad do things have to be economically to be called force? stavation? or just lower middle class existance?)
