That said, I don't understand the whole reason Israel is in the area.
Why weren't they given part of Germany as war reparations instead of where they are now?
Because the Zionist movement was not a response to Nazi genocide, it was a response to earlier European anti Semitism. As such, by 1945 there was already substantial momentum behind a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
How can they lay claim to the area they currently reside,
Needs must. The Jews needed a homeland. Because of the historical links, the only realistic option was Palestine.
It's tough on the Palestinians, of course, and what the last 50 years have proved is that the Palestinians also need a homeland.
Why wasn't the area Israel that currently resides on become a neutral territory? That whole area is the nexus of several religions and should belong to no single group.
Jerusalem was supposed to be. As part of the partition plan, Jerusalem was designated an international city, not part of either the Jewish or Palestinian state. Neither side accepted that, the British wanted their troops out because they were fed up of getting shot at by both sides, and the rest of the international community weren't prepared to send troops to ensure a peacefull transition.
Reminds me of the original people of the North american continent.
They no longer live as a nation, a new race of people and a new country took them over.
The difference is the new race of people eventually gave them citizenship, and equality under the law. For most Palestinians, the new nation (Israel) has given them military occupation)
Today 95% of the Palestinians live under Palestinian Control, under the direct administration of the Fatah party (Now hamas a terrorist organization with one objective the destruction of israel) and the PLO, which renamed itself the PA (Palestine Authority).
No. Most of the Palestinians (nowhere near 95%, though) live under some level of civil control by the PA, but still under Israeli military control. The PA is not a national government, not even the equivalent of a US state government, more like a US town administration.
This was simply a trick by Arafat to try to claim territory which has always belonged to Israel.
How has it "always belonged to Israel"? Did it belong to Israel 200 years ago? A thousand years ago? Not even 2000 years ago, in fact.
Some Arabs did settle there in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and they have been given the chance to integrate into Israel.
Some Arabs settled in Palestine in the late 1800s? Who exactly lived there before that?
The first truly reliable census of Palestine was the British one of 1922.
Moslems ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 590,890
Jews ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 83,794
Christians ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 73,024
Druzes ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7,028
Samaritans ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 163
Bahais ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 265
Metawallis ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 156
Hindoos ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,454
Sikhs ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 408
However, most of the Palestinians who claim to be “Palestinian:” have jordanian, syrian, lebanese, and egyptian Passports. In other words, they are imports and illegals. The goal is to overwhelm Jews by Immigration and population transfers.
Most don't have passports at all. Those who do have foreign passports because Israel won't accept them as citizens, nor allow them to form their own country.
In other words, they are imports and illegals.
I do find it strange that in attempts to rewrite history people claim the Arabs of Palestine were "imports", when in fact the Jews of Israel really are "imports". For example, Arafat is labelled an Egyptian, despite his family being from Jerusalem. The first four Israeli prime ministers came from Poland, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine. The sixth, seventh and eighth came from Russia, Poland and Poland. But of course, it was Arafat who was the foreigner.