In her comment Melanie Philips disputes the claim that there are seven million Palestinian refugees and then states the following...
"The seven-million figure is formed by adding the descendants of the Arabs who left. But the idea that subsequent generations are entitled to "return" to homes they never knew (and which therefore cannot be "their" homes at all) is ludicrous, and is, accordingly, unheard of anywhere else."
Now most of you will be as gob smacked as me but some may be a little slow so I will help them.
Where does that leave Israel and it's right of return and the homeland of the Jewish people stuff.
Do we now have to acknowledge that virtually all the Jews in Israel have not returned home since it is a home they never knew ( and which therefore cannot be " their " homes at all ) ?
The Arab refugees at least can claim to be very recent descendants of people for whom it was their home. How many Israeli Jews can claim the same ?
I personally find all these arguments irrelevant and entirely counter productive, we are where we are let's move on. But nonetheless a remarkable shooting of ones own foot by someone some bloggers on here claim has a razor sharp mind.
koff