I maintain that Arafat did a BIG WRONG shortly before he moved (while under attack from the Israelis) from Beirut to Tunis. He then declared that Arab residents of the former British mandate and their offspring are THE Palestinians. IMHO, they do not warrant this exclusivity.  

Certainly, all Jews who resided in Palestine before the 1948 creation of the state of Israel are still Palestinians. Even after the declaration of the new state, that identity belongs to them and to their heirs and (geographically) to all citizens who now reside in the former British mandate. At any rate, the Arab P.R. did a fine job and everybody accepts Arafat's claim, including Israelis.  

The time has come that we initiate a change and refer to our stateless neighbors as Palistans (as in "Afghans") when discussing the Israel/Palistan negotiations, and so forth. Of course, Palestoids or any other identity would also be satisfactory. If this causes Mr. Arafat to turn over in his grave, he is welcome to spin 'til doomsday.  

Milton Franks-Lhermann,
Israel