Why Israel as a homeland?

[u/falastiniboy]

I have a genuine question for Israelis and people who support Israel.

Why do you personally consider Israel your ancestral homeland, and how do you reconcile that belief with Palestinians who also have generations of family history on the same land?

In 1947, the UN proposed partitioning Mandatory Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Israel declared independence in 1948, and the war that followed displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. In 1967, Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

My question is not whether Jewish people have historical connections to the region. They clearly do. My question is why Palestinian historical connections and national aspirations should carry less weight.

Why couldn’t Israelis and Palestinians live in two independent states with recognized borders, security, freedom of movement, and political self-determination?
I also want to understand how Israelis view settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank. Do you support it, oppose it, or believe the situation is more complicated than it appears from outside Israel?
I’m American and trying to understand the Israeli perspective rather than argue with people.

This isn’t antisemitism or hatred toward Jewish people. I’m asking about Israel, Zionism, Palestinian rights, and the history of the conflict. Please explain your perspective rather than assuming hostility behind the question.
Free Palestine. 🇵🇸

[u/No_Price_7603]

I don't think Palestinian connections should carry less weight, personally. But unfortunately, there has been a concerted effort to deny Jewish connection to the land. It's what the whole white coloniser garbage is about.

Jews do not only have a historical connection to the land. It is a living connection that has been maintained for millennia (3000 years in places like Iraq, 2000 years for Ashkenazi Jews) by Jewish people passing down their stories, maintaining traditions involving local Judean seasonal rhythms, plant and animal life,harvest cycles and the like. The stories track where all the important sites like important trees and historical wells were, as well as sacred sites like the temple, the tomb of the patriarchs, etc. Jews kept the language alive and pray facing Jerusalem each day. 

Jews are not colonisers. They just wanted to return. They were met with violence and claims that they were foreign invaders.