(Daily Pennsylvanian) Shlomo Klapper - When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas recently addressed the UN General Assembly, he noted the attachment of Christians and Muslims - but not Jews - to the Holy Land and received a standing ovation. I extend to Abbas an invitation to visit the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's extensive Canaan and Israel Gallery, which vividly illustrates that Jews have a history in the region. Mainstream scholars, based on extensive material remains, agree that the Jews settled in present-day Israel approximately 3,000 years ago, established independent kingdoms and, in historian Martin Gilbert's words, "for more than 1,600 years formed the main settled population." In 1919, Emir Faisal, a leader of the Arab movement, wrote, "The Arabs, especially the educated among us, look with deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement. We will wish the Jews a hearty welcome home."
2011-11-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive