Israel has invaded Gaza...

[whell]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Mike, did the UN ever have the right to simply hand the Israelis control of Palestine and defend their efforts to take property from existing residents in the first place?

Who knows? That particular piece of geography has been tussled over for thousands of years. In its history its been claimed by everyone from the Persians to the Romans to the Christians to the Muslims. Over hundreds of years the Jews were either kicked out or left due to persecution. In all those years there never was a "Palestine" or an "Israel": they were recognized as geographic references rather than states.

Fast forward to more recent history when the Ottoman Empire lost it in WWI and the Brits controlled it. The Brits then invited the Jews to return with the Balfour Declaration. Thereafter, the Brits handed the area over to the new State of Israel. So, at least in terms of recent history, Israel has a more recent claim to the area than the Palestinians do, IMHO.