YOUR statement is a lie- I lived across the street from one family, and they had hundreds of relatives. All driven out of the cHRISTIAN town of Ramallah by the Moslims in the late 40's, when Israel did NOT have control of the area.

There are still Christian Palestinians in Palestine, beardedbruce. They suffer just as much under the occupation as the Muslim Palestinians do. I don't know the particular story of your neighbors, but Muslims and Christians (and Jews) were successfully living together in Palestine for a long time prior to the war of 1948/49 and the Nakba. Many Christian Palestinians fled along with the Muslim Palestinians during the Nakba, and ended up living in the same refugee camps. This website (an Arab Catholic site) explains some of the dynamics...

Palestinian Christians, an integral part of their society, suffered the consequences of the intensive Arab Jewish communal conflict in the first half of the twentieth century When the communal conflict came to a head in martial confrontation in 1948, Arab Palestinian society was forced to re-organise. Many Palestinian refugees, including Christians, established themselves in the newly emerging Amman capital of Jordan, as traders, professionals and businessmen. Others opted leave to North American and Arab Gulf destinations. Those who went to Arab Gulf countries eventually came back to retire in their hometowns such as B Sahour, the town best known for The Shepherds' Field. Others who opted to North America and further destinations established themselves and the families there and became diaspora communities with the usual sentiment attachments to the homeland and its fading memories.

So we can see that some of the Christians who fled ended up returning to Palestine and were not driven off by the Muslims. Maybe it was the Jewish paramilitaries who drove your neighbors off, but they were afraid to tell you that because they were afraid of possible repercussions if they did so.

The above linked page explains the higher rate of Christian Palestinians leaving. This is how it characterizes the traditional quality of relations between Christians and Muslims in Palestine...

Excellent Christian-Moslem Relations

In order to better understand or contextualise the Palestinian Christian response, there is need to reaffirm the traditionally excellent relations between Christians and their Moslem neighbours. This tradition of good Christian-Moslem relations has evolved through centuries of coexistence and exchange in the cities of Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Ramallah and in the rural areas such as Zababdeh, BirZeit and other towns and villages where Moslems and Christians live side by side and interact in their pursuit of daily pre-occupations and concerns. A number of factors have historically contributed to this tradition of excellent Moslem-Christian relations:4

First, the modem history of Palestine with the Arab-Israeli conflict affecting the entire population equally, with the experience of dispersal and loss of homeland.

Second, the contribution which Christian institutions, mostly Western, have made since the 19th century to the education, health and other needs of the population irrespective of religion.

Third, the presence of the Holy Places, and the recognition by Islam of the centrality of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth to Christianity. This recognition is best crystallised in Caliph 'Umar's "al-Uhda al-'Umariyya" which was his guarantee of the safety of Christians and their holy places in 638 when Islam entered the country.5

Fourth, the urban nature of the Christian population and its living in religiously mixed Christian-Moslem neighbourhoods, thus emphasising openness and neighbourly relations. In those instances where Christians lived in villages and rural areas, relations were always characterised by friendly co-operation and communal sharing.

Fifth, Christians take equal pride in their national and religious roots. Being a good Christian has never detracted from being a good Palestinian nationalist, and vice-versa.

Sixth, the Ottoman Miller system which recognised the autonomy of the Christian communities to run their own internal affairs, especially those related to religious and civil matters.

________________


" You are the one who is advocating that land should be set aside for the exclusive use of a particular group (Jews). "

No ISRAEL is the one country in the region where different religions are allowed to freely live together.

But you support the Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, beardedbruce? Or do you support opening up the settlements to anyone who wants to live in them?


"I am saying that all groups should be allowed to live on all of the land (with freedom and equality). "

Then YOU will agree that the greater part of Mandate Palestine (Jordan) should be opened to Jewish selttlement???

Settlement, beardedbruce? The kind of settlement that is ongoing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in which only Jews can live, that are accessed by roads that only Jews may drive on, with the apartheid being enforced by the IDF? Is this what you are suggesting when you use the word "Jewish settlement"?

Of course I don't agree with "settlement". And why should Jews want to "settle" an already settled country? Why can't they just live as equals amongst the people who already live there? Why do you feel that they should be allowed to drive everyone else out?


"And you would have no problem with allowing non-Jews to buy land from Jews in Israel."

True. MORE non- Jews own land in Israel than non-Muslims own land in Jordan.

Currently, no land in Israel may be purchased from a Jew by anyone other than another Jew. And with the rate of confiscations of homes and properties from Arab Israelis, the amount of land owned by non-Jews in Israel is shrinking fast. Do you support allowing non-Jews to purchase property from Jews in Israel?


"And you would have no problem with allowing any Palestinians who want to, to live in Israel (Israel within the 67 borders). "

True, with the caveat that it should be the MANDATE PALESTINE area, which includes the West Bank AND Jordan that should be open to settlement by Palestinians AND Jews. Provided, of course, that they disavow their stated intent to KILL all the Jews.

Well, I guess you're setting them up for failure then, beardedbruce (no surprise there), since they have NEVER stated ANY intent to kill ALL the Jews. This is nothing but a blood libel on your part against the Palestinians as a people.


No, again. YOU do NOT have any idea who I hate, except that I have stated a certain emnity against those who claim they want to kill me.

This is bullshit, beardedbruce, since you have not personally interviewed all of the Palestinians to know whether or not they have ever made such a claim. You hate all Palestinians (and all Arabs, and all Muslims) and you are just making up this libel against them so you can justify your racist hatred.