Throughout the ages, disputed land claims have been the source of perpetual conflicts, but nowhere have these conflicts been more acute and devastating than in the Middle East, between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

There is no doubt that the current out-and-out war between the Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza has its origin in land claims. It is well documented that in order to create a homogenous Israeli state, thousands of Palestinians were displaced. Since 1948, there has been a fiery debate about whether the Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes and land in Palestine.

The Israelis have always main-tained that the Palestinians left voluntarily at the urging of their leaders, who assured them of a prompt return after their anticipated victory over the Israelis. It is somewhat difficult to ascertain the accuracy of what really happened in 1948, but it would appear to be a combination of forcible expulsion and voluntary withdrawal in some cases.

'Right of Return'

Nevertheless, the fact remains that as soon as the Palestinians left, their land and homes were immediately taken over by the Israelis. Since that time, 60 years ago, over a million Palestinians have been living in refugee camps under extremely depressing social and economic conditions.

This agonising state of affairs has engendered a great deal of tension between the two rivals. The Palestinians have always asserted their right to return to their land and homes, but the Israelis have always denied this right. It may be said that the 'Right of Return' is probably the main bone of contention between the warring factions.

The ongoing problems were exacerbated by the Six-Day War in 1967 when the Palestinians were defeated and subjugated by the Israelis in Gaza, the West Bank, and the eastern part of Jerusalem. It may be said that by 1967, almost the entire Palestinian population was living in refugee camps, not only in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

The Palestinians have never accepted their subjugation, thus they developed their own form of armed resistance.

It is to be noted that the United Nations General Assembly Resolution, dated November 29, 1947, guaranteeing the Palestinians a state alongside Israel, has never been translated into reality because it was not a realistic solution in the first place. Partitioning Palestine into two sovereign states would still have uprooted thousands of Palestinians and probably some Israelis, just as millions were uprooted when the British partitioned India in 1947 - a partition that has resulted in perpetual conflicts between India and Pakistan.

Peace agreement

In hindsight, the Western powers, primarily the United States and Britain, should have brokered a peace agreement in Palestine wherein the Israelis and Palestinians would be encouraged to co-exist in one state.

The Western powers should have heeded the thoughtful words of Albert Einstein who said: 'I should much rather see reasonable agreement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish state."

I am, etc.,

RUPERT JOHNSON

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

Toronto, Canada

'There is no doubt that the current out-and-out war between the Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza has its origin in land claims. It is well documented that in order to create a homogenous Israeli state, thousands of Palestinians were displaced'