When Avraham goes to Ephron to purchase a burial plot for his wife Sarah, he makes a statement to Ephron: גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב אָנֹכִי עִמָּכֶם, “I am an alien and a resident among you…”. (Gen.23,4) The word עִמָּכֶם is translated “among you”, but it can also be translated “with you” or “as you are”. Avraham was telling Ephron that everyone living on the face of the earth at one time was an alien and after time became a resident. No one was a resident when the world was created.
This argument can be used today to support the claim of the Jews to the Land of Israel. The Jews were residents of this land centuries ago. Many conquerors tried to establish themselves in the land but none ever succeeded. The only ones who were able to settle the land were the Jews. The Arab’s claim today that they were living here is a myth. They did not settle the land and didn’t come to this land until the Jews started to return and built up the country.
The only people who have a legitimate claim to the Land of Israel are the Jewish people. The Torah promises it to them and they actually are the only people who ever settled it in the past and the only ones who were able to develop it in the present.
Torah Portion 