Palestinians Criticize Plans for Trip

New York Times reported As he prepares for his second trip this year to the Middle East, President Bush is facing mounting criticism from some Palestinians who are upset that he will go to Israel for its 60th birthday celebration without marking the flip side of that event: the flight of Palestinians from their homes.

Let us discuss the flight of Palestinians from their homes. Of the Arabs that lived there

• Some decided to stay in a Jewish country, and they have more freedom today than any Arabs living in the Middle East.
• Some were encouraged to leave temporarily by Arab armies planning to attack Israel. Those armies promised they could take over the Jewish property once the war was over, and the Arabs lost the war, and were not willing to resettle the Arabs in their countries
• Most of the land taken by the Jews was purchased from the previous residents
• Some may have felt they had to leave, but the other Arab countries refused to resettle them, while Jews forced out of all of the Arab countries were welcomed into Israel, which resettled them

. But I suspect tht is not the full discussions the Palestinians wanted to hear.