France is a country, not just a nation. Their borders are internationally recognized, regardless of inhabitants. The same can be said for the large swaths of unpopulated Newfoundland in Canada and Siberia in Russia. The land isn’t forgone due to being uninhabited. The same is not true for Palestinian territory.
Palestine is an internationally recognized nation-state. A nation because they are a group of people that share a common culture, and a state because they govern themselves. It is not a country according to the UN. The 1949 armistice line, or “Green Line,” made up the boundaries of Israel, the West Bank (the area west of the Jordan River) and the Gaza Strip. It only determines where Palestine isn’t, not where it is. Palestine’s border is only determined by an Israeli agreement, and not internationally recognized by the UN. Therefore, if Palestinians leave an area, it is no longer considered Palestinian territory.
That’s exactly why Netanyahu is trying to coerce evacuation of regions. Once uninhabited, he can legally begin occupation of land that is no longer considered Palestinian territory.
Why would the name of the place change just because Palestinians weren't living there?
Huge numbers of places in the U.S. are named after Native American groups that were driven out. Why would Palestine be any different? Because Netanyahu says so? Why would you be on his side?
The borders of a country do not change due to occupation. Palestine is not a country. It is a nation-state. The UN recognizes Palestine as a self-determined people. Palestine is where the Palestinians are.
The Palestinian Territories are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They are not called the country of Palestine. If they leave the West Bank, it will still be the West Bank, it just won’t be Palestinian territory anymore.
Of course I’m not on Netanyahu’s side. I’m saying this is a large part of the problem. It’s one of the main components in Israel’s ability to drive out Palestinians and expand.
Cool. We're not talking about a country or a nation-state, we are talking about a location.
A location that has been called Palestine continuously for thousands of years. It is a location that has multiple names which are still used today including the Levant, Judea, Israel and Palestine.
So, again, why would the name of that location change no matter who lived there?
So far, the answer seems to be "because that's what Netanyahu wants" and, again, why do you care what he wants?
I'll give you one last chance to answer both of those questions since I've asked both of them more than once, the first one multiple times, and then I'll give up. I think you realize you're just doing Netanyahu's PR work for him and you've dug yourself into a hole.
You’re being dismissive and accusational. I’m not defending the lack of recognized Palestinian borders. Just the opposite. For a platform full of pro-Palestinian people, I’m very disappointed in the ignorance I’m encountering. Their lack of recognized borders is a massive factor in this conflict, and I’m surprised it’s not only virtually unknown, but is considered scandalous to even point out. No matter how many nations recognize Palestine as a nation, they won’t have their own borders until they are recognized as a country.
"You see, Ukraine is not a location because if the Russians kick out the Ukrainians and then rename it, it's no longer called Ukraine. Because... the Russians currently don't recognize Ukraine and that that means it doesn't exist right now!"
That sure seems to be the argument. And now they have the gall to ask me what question they left unanswered. Amazing. I think I'll let them try to figure that one out on their own.
I didn't think you would ever answer my questions.
I can't bear people who just stubbornly refuse to even acknowledge they were asked questions they won't answer. Just be honest and say you won't answer the question and save everyone some time.