A revisionist at work.

No clients today, Master Seth?

The Arabs were the original usurpers of the 'Holy Land.' Your attempts to denigrate Jewish claims to the land of Israel speaks more about your anti-Israel agenda as much as your conceited leftist tendencies.

What an inconvenience it must be to you trying to reconcile a Jewish state in a Muslim region. Poor boy.

Oh come on. Today's Palestinians are descended from the original inhabitants of the Holy Land just as much as the Israelites. Both have a valid claim. And it's worth noting that a large portion of the "returned" Jews are ethnically European, being descended from Jewish converts, rather than from Israels early inhabitants.

I'm told there was even a Jewish kamikaze pilot.

He crashed his plane into his uncle's scrap metal yard.

Its always easier to maintain that Palestinians/Muslims are descended from the original inhabitants because there are far great numbers of them throughout the ME. But if we look at the basic premise that Judaism predates Islam by a considerable time, then there is no dispute to be had. Jews suffered various pogroms and massacres (ie. Roman, Crusader)throughout their time in Palestine. The is readily accessible information.
That is not to denigrate the fact that Muslims at various times have constituted the majority, but one should not consider the Jews as usurpers. Nb. European Jewry are themselves descended from exiled tribes of Israel.

Technically both Islam and Judaism are offshoots of the same religeon - both being Abrahamic faiths. Also the authenticity of the country of Israel, as a historical representative of ancient Israel is far from clear.

Palestine takes its name from a pagan donkey headed diety worshiped in the area in very ancient times, putting it on a par with Judea in terms of historical authenticity.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

OK, fine. But that is saying that because their ancestors were Jews and they are no longer, this invalidates their claim? They are ethnically the same and have lived there continuously, no matter what religion they now practice.

No question. You won't find me disagreeing. Though I don't see the connection to the debate.

Again, these Muslims are not new arrivals, they simply changed their religion at some stage. As a people, they have lived there continuously since day one.

The Arab and Turkish rules didn't much mix with and change the ethnic makeup of the people, it just converted them.

I don't consider the Jews as usurpers. But they have no greater historical claim to Israel than the Palestinians.

Not exclusively. As I mentioned, there were converts. But yes, European Jews are in the main descended from these tribes.

Both returned Jews and Palestinians have a claim to the Holy Land dating back to it's origins. The difference is that while Palestinians have lived there continuously, the Jews are relatively recently returned. I'm not saying that invalidates the Jewish claim to Israel. I'm just saying their claim is by no means the more valid.

I can understand that to a Palestinian, a tribe returning en masse after some 1300 years absence and claiming the region in it's entirety, might be seen as usurpation.