The Gaza Strip and West Bank should be independent states from Israel. Arabs in the area are currently under the authority of the Israeli government regardless of the fact they have lived in the area just as long as Jews have.

The Arabs have the same legal claim to the land as the Jews do. It has changed hands more times than one can count. Not just the Jews and Arabs have had control of this land but also the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the British and much more.

The reason Jews are currently in control of the land is because after the Holocaust they started settling there. In 1939, over 30,000 Jews immigrated to Israel. This is almost three times the number of Jewish immigrants in 1920 according to jewishvirtuallibrary.org. There was definitely a need for Jews to find a safe haven after World War II. That safe haven should not have come at the expense of the Arabs though.

When the Jews began settling in Israel, the Arabs were forced by both Jews and other Arabs alike to leave their homeland. Refugee camps were formed and these refugee camps still exist today. They are called the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip are considered second hand citizens in Israel. The quality of life is also lower in those areas than in Israel.

There is no reason why Palestinians should have a lower standard of living than their neighbors who live mere miles away.

If they achieve independence then they can be in control of the quality of life they desire and not be under the jurisdiction of Israel.