Hmmm declaring the people of a territory you occupy to be less talented than your own people. Reminds me of something
Last I heard, the jury was still out on whose land it is.
I have no opinion about what to do with the West Bank, but by saying that it is 'occupied' by Israel, I feel you're implying that Israel's presence there is unjustified.
Israel captured it from Jordan in 1967, which had taken it in 1948. Jordan's occupance was recognized by practically noone. Up until that time, it had been part of the British Mandate of 1922, which was an international effort to create a Jewish state.
"The territory now known as the West Bank was a part of the British Mandate of Palestine entrusted to the United Kingdom by the League of Nations after World War I. The terms of the Mandate called for the creation in Palestine of a Jewish national home without prejudicing the civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish population of Palestine. During that time the area was called by the historic names of its two regions -- Judea and Samaria." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_bank#History
"Judea (from the Hebrew: יהודה, "Tribe of Judah") was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea
"Samaria (Hebrew: שֹׁמְרוֹן) is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank. [..] "Samaria" derives from an ancient city of the same name, which was located near the south of Samaria, and was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samari
Also, remind everyone, when was Israel created?
Furthermore, isn't the article about Gaza at least partially also, and, isn't Gaza some sort of prison? Finally, is Israel not actually occupying these territories? I mean, is West Bank Israel and by the same token is Gaza Israel too?
Jordan took the West Bank when the British Mandate was terminated. The international community had designated it to become part of the Jewish National Home. This is also why practically noone acknowledged Jordan's rule of the West Bank. Before 1946, Jordan itself was part of the British Mandate. It was separated to create a country where Arabs from the region could live, whereas Palestine would become the Jewish National Home. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Mandate_of_Palestine#Te...
"Also, remind everyone, when was Israel created?"
About 1000 BCE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Israel_%28united_mon...
"isn't the article about Gaza at least partially also?"
Sure, and Gaza was part of the British Mandate as well. In 1922 it was designated to become part of the Jewish National Home. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Gaza#British_Mandate...
Jews, Christians and Muslims all have their roots in the region. I believe they should all be able to live there, with a government that respects all faiths. For devout Christians and Jews, it's very difficult to live in Middle Eastern countries other than Israel.
Furthermore, you seem to use the term 'palestinian' as meaning a people originating in the region but different from Middle Eastern Jews and Christians. In reality, to be Palestinian is to have genetic roots in the Levant, it has nothing to do with religion. Many Jews and Orthodox Christians are Palestinians too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_people#DNA_and_gene...
I think it's pretty clear that the West Bank belongs to the people who live there, the people commonly referred to as the Palestinians. It certainly shouldn't belong to the people living next door in Israel or to whomever they allow under the protection of Israeli military force to establish settlements there.
Israel is open to all, it has freedom of religion, a constitution, and elected officials. Compare that to the other countries in the Middle East.
"I think it's pretty clear that the West Bank belongs to the people who live there, the people commonly referred to as the Palestinians."
- One quarter of the people living in the West Bank are Jewish.
- The majority of all people living in the West Bank have lived there for less than three generations.
- We can't even agree on the definition of what a 'palestinian' is.
What percentage of the population of the West Bank were Jewish in 1967? The proper term for what's going on is colonisation or perhaps plantation.
If you're correct about the the majority of the West Bank population being there for less than 3 generations, then I can give you 2 reasons for this. 1: The former residents of that part of Palestine that became Israel who upon the formation of the state moved to the West Bank. 2: The increase in the Jewish population.