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The Coushatta went on to tell us that they felt a special bond with the Jewish people and Israelis, who, like the native Americans, have faced centuries of discrimination, relocation, and prejudice, all while feeling a strong sense of nationalism, and a desire to return to their historical homeland, a homeland to which they feel a strong spiritual connection. I am happy to say that just as the Jewish people returned to their historical homeland in 1948, the members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana returned to theirs in 1972, receiving state recognition, followed by US federal recognition the following year, in 1973.

desertdudeshj wrote:I'm sure the Palestenians also feel the same way

Palestine: The Country and the Climate.

Palestine is a small country generally stated to be about the size of Wales. There have been many estimates of its size and varied statements and arguments based thereon. The size of Palestine, and especially the cultivable area of the country, are so highly relevant to the matters under enquiry and to the deductions which must be made, that it is necessary to examine the more important of the statements and the estimates with some care.

shafique wrote:I can't see your sig dd - I thought you'd upgraded the 4x4 with a stealth mode!

Dillon, as for who are Palestinians - I'd use the simple definition of 'Inhabitants of Palestine' - and Palestine (as a country) is well defined in a British report to Parliament in 1930 which FD brought to our attention - the Hope Simpson report: ...

It really is quite simple.

Cheers,
Shafique

It will be a matter of great regret if the friendly spirit which characterised the relations between the Jewish employer in the P.I.C.A. villages and his Arab employees, to which reference was already been made, were to disappear. Unless there is some change of spirit in the policy of the Zionist Organisation it seems inevitable that the General Federation of Jewish Labour, which dominates that policy, will succeed in extending its principles to all the Jewish colonies in Palestine.

The present position, precluding any employment of Arabs in the Zionist colonies, is undesirable, from the point of view both of justice and of the good government of the country.

SIR JOHN HOPE SIMPSON, C.I.E.


MY LORD

In accordance with Your Lordship's instructions I proceeded to Palestine in order to examine on the spot the questions of immigration, land settlement and development on which you desired that I should report.

I reached Jerusalem on 20th May, 1930, and at once commenced my enquiry. I was in constant consultation with the High Commissioner, who was thereafter kept in touch with the enquiry as it proceeded.

2. Much information has been obtained from official sources, and, in addition, both Arab and Jewish authorities and organisations have been consulted. Material has been obtained from the most varied sources, and has often been volunteered. In addition, as many tracts and villages of Palestine have been visited as the time available permitted. On Map No. 1, attached to the Report, both the tours and inspection of the villages visited are marked.*

3. In addition to local enquiry in Palestine itself a visit was paid to TransJordan, where the British Resident, LieutenantColonel C. H. F. Cox, C.M.G., D.S.O., very kindly arranged a tour throughout the northern part of the territory. His Highness the Emir of TransJordan also accorded to me the favour of an interview.

Census of 1922.The last census was taken in 1922, and showed the total population as being 757,182, of whom 590,890 were Mohammedans, 83,794 Jews and 82,498 Christians and others. The division between the town and agricultural population was as follows :

Town areas

Population in 1930.There has been a very considerable increase of the population since that census was taken. In Appendix 4 are given the figures of population year by year, taken from the records of the Department of Health of the Government. The totals for mid 1930 may be accepted as approximately the following :

Mohammedans 692,195
Jews 162,069
Christians and others 91,727
945,991

shafique wrote:No FD - you're confusing the PICA colonists who did bring economic good to their Palestinian neighbours with the Zionist colonists (as described by Hope Simpson) who deprived the natives of the use of their land (as Hope Simpson goes into detail).

The point about the immigration (and the report also has numbers of Palestinians by religious grouping in the 1920s and 1930s) just reinforces the point that Palestine was a clearly defined country with borders and hence also clearly defined 'natives' of the country - in other words 'Palestinians' is a clearly defined term (and does not relate to religion).

After all, Dillon asked what the definition of 'Palestinian' was - and hence I referred to this report. Let me say thank you again for bringing this to our attention.

Cheers,
Shafique

Dillon wrote:p.s. I'm glad to see you've finally got rid of that silly picture signature!

Flying Dutchman wrote:I am stil scratching my head over how the hiring policy of a private company can constitue 'apartheid'. Anything to continue the libel I guess, over the dead bodies of those that suffered from real apartheid.

shafique wrote:a disaster

shafique wrote:And this was in 1930!

shafique wrote: 'Arab' agricultural land has been taken away from native Palestinians since the 1940s?

a disaster