Responses | Dig Deep to Understand the Israel-Hamas War

The letter reads so well and the resources you added are very helpful. EW

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Thank you for this piece and the materials that explain the underlying history. Getting the story right is the basis for a solution and the antidote to the infections of antisemitism and Islamophobia. AM

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I wanted to thank you, especially for this particular missive, as I completely agree that everybody becomes very reactive, and does not fully understand the issues. I appreciate your explanation and references! EM

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My understanding is that before the 1948 much of the land occupied by Jews had been purchased, not seized. What muddies the water is that while the purchases were made in good faith, land ownership was often not clear. Under the Ottoman Empire one had a right to live on the land they had worked for years and generations, but there was no or little Western-style documentation of ownership. The purchases that didn't involve the people actually living on the land left a great many people bitter.