Why are the Gaza and West Bank called ''Occupied Territories" ?

To call the Israeli presence in OUR OWN ancient homeland an "occupation," is ridiculous. An occupation of what? There was never an Arab "Palestinian" nation or people there before. There are no "Palestinians." They are a made-up people for the sole purpose of political propaganda! They have no separate culture, language, or country of their own; even their leader -- Arafat -- is EGYPTIAN!!

Indeed, most of the Arabs living within the borders of Israel today have come from some other Arab country at some time in their life. They are all "settlers." Since 1967, the Arabs have built 261 settlements in Judea-Samaria and Gaza. We don't hear much about those Arab settlements. We hear instead about the number of Jewish settlements that have been created. We hear how destabilizing they are – how provocative they are. Yet, by comparison, only 144 Jewish settlements have been built since 1967,

If there is an occupation, it would have to be the Arab occupation of Jewish historical land! Jews have lived in Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank") for over 3,500 years. The only time Jews have been prohibited from living there was during Jordan's 19 year rule from 1948 to 1967. At best, the Arabs are desert wanderers and squatters. They are not "Palestinians." They are simply ARABS!

In truth, Jews choosing to live in the Judea-Samaria and Gaza are pioneers. They are returning to live in the heartland of Israel, the place which served as the cradle of Western civilization and the Jewish religion. These areas which Jews refer to by their original names of Judea, Samaria and Gaza were the scene of much of the drama described in the Bible. It is the place where King David walked and where the prophets of Israel gave the world a vision of peace and brotherhood. Ancient synagogues and archaeological sites attest to the long-standing Jewish presence in the region, a presence that is once again flourishing despite Arab opposition and terror.

Moreover, Israel did not “occupy” these territories, as the Palestinians and others would have you believe. The Kingdom of Jordan illegally "occupied" Judea-Samaria from 1948-67 following the first Arab war upon Israel. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Arab armies massed on Israel’s narrow borders, vowing to destroy the Jewish state. In a war of self-defense, Israel succeeded in overcoming its enemies and, in the process, "liberated" Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Under international law, territories are considered “occupied” only when they are taken in an act of aggression... something which clearly does not apply to Israel since the 1967 war was a defensive war.

It was 37 years ago that Israel prevailed in the 1967 war, returning to places such as Hebron, Jericho and Shilo. For two thousand uninterrupted years, Jews had lived in the ancient Jewish quarter of Hebron, near the Tomb of the Patriarchs where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried. Only in 1929, when local Arabs massacred them, was the Jewish community forced to flee the city. What could be more historically just than to rebuild the Jewish presence there?

One must also recall that prior to the beginning of the Jewish return and reclamation of their ancient homeland in the 1880s, there were BOTH Arab "Palestinians" and Jewish "Palestinians" living there. Neither group had a particularly significant numbers after centuries during which the land was ignore and neglected. Once the Jews began their Zionist movement to reclaim, beautify and resettle the land, Arabs from surrounding Arab areas also began returning. Unlike the early Jewish settlers who were willing to live in peace and share land, the incoming Arabs were bent on sharing nothing! The Arab motto then is exactly what it is now 120 years later... "we will shed every last drop of blood for every last grain of [what THEY consider] Arab land!"

The so-called "Israeli settlements" in the Judea and Samaria (a.k.a. the "West Bank") and Gaza have been blamed for all the Arab-Israeli ["Palestinian"-Israeli] conflict when, in Truth, these settlements were the result of a war brought to Israel BY these very same Arabs! The "West Bank" territories from which Jordan attacked Israel in 1967, the Gaza Strip territory from which the Egyptian Army attacked Israel in 1967 and the Golan Heights from which Syria attack Israel in 1967 are today's so-called "Israeli occupied territories." Had these Arab nations not threatened to destroy Israel in June of 1967, there would be no Israeli "settlers" on these "occupied territories!" Have you ever heard of the expression, "To the Victor Goes the Spoils of War?" This would seem especially justified when the victor was attacked! Incredibly, "Israeli aggression" and "Israeli occupation" is what the Arab world now claims is the reason why there is no peace!

The Muslim/ Islamic world is greatly oppressed but it comes not from tiny Israel or from the giant United States. The oppression comes from the Islamic world's own tyrannical, NON-democratic leaders, most of whom act as if they have a divine right to govern for life! The answer to this problem is not creating more illegitimate Arab and Muslim dictatorships and theocracies. And certainly not by creating a second Arab "Palestinian" state (Jordan being the first), a 23rd Arab-Muslim state and most definitely NOT by creating a terror Arab-Muslim state with a madman like Arafat at the helm!

Jews and Christians are the indigenous people of the Middle East in what is now referred to as Israel, Judea-Samaria and Gaza. Here Judaism and Christianity flourished for centuries BEFORE Islam even became a religion. It is Islam that is the "new-comer, the invader, the squatter, the illegal occupier... for Islam (and the first Muslim) never appeared before 622AD. The Christians had already been there for six centuries, the Jews for over FIFTY centuries!

Don't fall prey to the myth that the Arabs are merely seeking an end to "occupation" and "humiliation." If the Arabs truly desired peace and liberty, they could have achieved it years ago. They crave the destruction of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel! That supersedes all other of their concerns.

Palestine was a land which was home to muslims, christians, and Jews. The majority were muslims however power was given to the minority group (jews) and they created a state called Israel to which they excluded all other religions and created a logo for their nation stating that it was a jewish homeland.

The Palestinians were given gaza and the west bank however they are controlled by the Jewish nation. This is called oppression, the definition of the word oppression is to deny somebody of their natural habitat or something that is natural to them, what is rightfully theirs.

They control the every movement of the Palestinian muslims and christians in gaza and west bank and restrict their right as a nation by cutting their electricity, their water supplies, their imports of food and medicine. The controll their airspace and their cheakpoints, they choose who is allowed in and who is allowed out, they deny them the right to a military. No country in the world would aggree to live under such conditions!

The zionist Israelis do this in fear that one day the palestinians might become equal to the Jewish nation or even outnumber them and thus they will no longer be a jewish majority state.

Israel has not yet defined its borders because it is testing how long it can get away with taking more and more land from the Palestinians. Their ultimate goal is to make the whole land a jewish nation and drive the palestinians out. They do this by making their life hell and denying them of basic rights, however palestinians are determined to continue the struggle to gain their rights as a nation and they are continuing to fight back 60 years later regardless of the fact the Israel now has one of the strongest militaries in the world thanks to the ongoing support of the US of A and the american tax payer.

Palestinians are being killed every day fighting this oppression, hopefully the world will wake up soon and take action.

After the 1967 war Israel occupied more land than what was illegally given to them in 1947. Israel took control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan heights. About 3200 Palestinians were driven out during the war.

Palestinians since that day, live under Israeli military laws that closely resemble the apartheid laws of South Africa. Under military occupation Palestinians have no freedom of speech. They can be arrested and imprisoned indefinitely without charge or trial. Israel practice ugliest forms of torture against Palestinian people who are held in prisons.

Conquest gives military jurisdiction over land. Which means Israeli government does not own the land. Yet Israeli government has been building "settlements" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and has been giving financial incentives to any Jew to settle it. Palestinian farms, lands and homes are confiscated and demolished to make room for the new "Jewish only" settlements, along with the "Jewish only" highways to connect the settlements to each other. These settlements are placed strategically to divide, scatter, and abolish areas of Palestinian residence.

Realistically and historically, Israel is occupying land that belonged to the indigenous Palestinian people. Gaza is occupied by Israel, the borders are closed, the airspace and sea are both controlled by Israel. The West Bank has a wall around it, and settlements are being built, the IDF regularly kidnaps people there, and houses are confiscated and demolished for no legal or plausible reason.

That's why they're called occupied territories.

Because Israeli law does not apply within the territories and the population does not have Israeli citizenship. It it weren't ruled like a police state, it wouldn't be called the occupied territories.

I think that the palestinians are the real landlords and the jews are just like them tourists.

It's in the Bible son, God cursed the jews to leave and never look back.

Read it, it wont cost you a dime, I promise.

Steel

Because they are occupied.

Because they are occupied territories.