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Notably, the Nuremberg court never bothered to try Soviet officers for similar Red Army war crimes. Katayn, for example. Has "international law" ever been much more than vae victis?
Under vae victis, America could force Israel to hand back Palestinian land tomorrow. Vae Victis does not legislate that the winning power must act without morality, it merely states that the winner’s dictates are the established reality. America could simply dictate tomorrow that Israel hand the land back to Palestinians, which would satisfy the feelings of the global hegemon while promoting regional stability. That is also Vae Victis. Why shouldn’t the winning nation opt to feel good and promote peace?
Would you mind identifying what land is "Palestinian land"? Does it include Gaza City? Hebron? Ramallah? Tel Aviv?
Also, how did that lend get to be "Palestinian land"? Was it just a matter of ethnically cleansing it and occupying it for a while? Or was more involved?
An international body of third-party experts should decide what constitutes Palestinian land, based on informed estimates of the areas depopulated due to the terror campaign. In the same way that one person didn’t decide the outcome of Germany after WWII, it would be silly to speculate the exact parameters of what is owed to Palestinians. A solid rule: if Israelis used terrorism to cleanse the land, that land should be returned to Palestinians.
At least around the Iron Age, based on DNA. The Christian Palestinians even have a Biblical claim to the land, being descended from the agriculturalists who “converted” to Christianity, and staying put as the Jewish community migrated to Babylon and then dispersed globally to pursue higher wages. There is no reason to think there is significant Arab admixture given how close their DNA is to Samaritans.
Ok, and I guess you agree that any area depopulated of Jews due to a terror campaign is Jewish land?
Just so I understand this, you are claiming that
(1) DNA analysis of Palestinian Arabs connects them to what is now Israel going back thousands of years; and
(2) DNA analysis of other groups, including Jews, does not do so?
Sure, and that happened with WWII reparations, with Germany paying some high number of billions. What’s wrong with that? If there is some ancestral quarter for Jews in Baghdad and the government made them flee through terrorism, they should have that back or be offered compensation.
I provided some links in this comment. The Palestinians (particularly the Christians) show direct continuity with DNA of Ancient Israel. Samaritans show the closest link of course, which makes sense, and then there’s the Iraqi Jews showing a close link. Ashkenazim are somewhat far away in terms of genetics.
Perhaps nothing, perhaps a lot.
And the same applies to Gaza City, Hebron, and the eastern part of Jerusalem? That's all Jewish Land in your view, or at least the neighborhoods where Jews lived prior to being ethnically cleansed?
I am a little confused. Are you saying that Palestinian Arabs (and only Palestinian Arabs) have direct continuity with DNA of Ancient Israel?
Okay, so it sounds like by your definition, Israel sits on "Jewish Land." Right?
What is colloquially called “Palestinian Arab” encompasses the descendants of the House of Israel who stayed in the land and converted to Christianity and later Islam. They have the strongest direct continuity to ancient Israel according to available DNA distance tools. One study in Nature found that Ashkenazim are majority Italian in ancestry, but all available comparisons show that they are further away than the indigenous Palestinians.
I'm not totally sure that I understand your argument.
It seems your position is that any area which was depopulated of Palestinian Arabs due to terror campaigns is "Palestinian Land."
Logically, it follows that any area which was depopulated of Jews due to terror campaigns is "Jewish Land." Presumably, this includes Hebron, the eastern part of Jerusalem, and Gaza City.
Do you agree? Or does your position apply only to Palestinian Arabs?
Additionally, you say that what is now Israel has been "Palestinian Land" because some subset of Palestinian Arabs has can be shown to have genetic continuity with those who were there thousands of years ago. At the same time, you seem to agree that at least some subset of the Jews also has such continuity. Therefore, it follows -- based on YOUR reasoning -- that the whole area is Jewish Land.
If I have misunderstood you in any way please let me know.
Otherwise, I have a question: What should Israel do about attempts of the Palestinian Arabs to steal Jewish Land?
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