Our MÄori author give a perspective that compares her people's return to their homeland, with that of the Jewish people in Israel.
9. āIf an ethnic group like the Arabsāwho colonized Israel in the sixth century and imposed their language and religion on the conquered peoplesācan claim indigeneity based on long-standing presence, then so can other colonizing groups. The rights and status of all indigenous peoples would be threatened by such an approach. In New Zealand, a few pÄkehÄ (New Zealanders of European descent) have sought to claim indigeneity. This effectively undermines any indigenous rights MÄori might have, such as those articulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
ā¦according to Article 26 of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, āIndigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.ā Preventing an indigenous people group from building in their indigenous homeland is a breach of indigenous rights.ā
A Light for the Indigenous Nations
Arabs have been in Palestine since long before Islam. See Akkadian Empire.