The problem was not what others might say, since until the rise of international bodies like the League of Nations and the United Nations only a few generations ago, conquering someone else’s land was perfectly acceptable.
Who cared if the Jews conquered Canaan/Eretz Yisrael? The Jewish people cared. Torah and Jewish law have much to say about these practical issues, and apply a unique set of principles and values to them. The commandment to take possession (lareshet) is not only a statement of power but also a reflection of the legitimate right of inheritance – a legitimacy grounded in God’s promise and in the purpose of the act. Establishing one’s ownership and responsibility (reishut) is the basis for Jewish sovereignty (ribbonut).
Reshut implies law, the inherent right to taking control over one’s inherited property, the legitimacy of ownership and the exercise of authority. But lareshet means carrying out the act, thereby creating a new reality.
Unlike modern concepts of political self-determination, Jewish sovereignty is unique because it represents the national and religious focus of the Jewish people in an entity, a commonwealth and a civilization. Grounded in four millennia of history, Jewish sovereignty encompasses both the institutions of statehood and the dimensions of the destiny of the Jewish people.
Lareshet – taking possession of what belongs to you – means not only to occupy and extend authority but also to be mindful of what you do with that authority. As an expression of Jewish sovereignty, the state of Israel is consistent with this meaning.
The sovereignty of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael is not only a political act but also a moral and spiritual one. Jewish sovereignty, therefore, does not depend on what the international community decides, but on what Torah commands – redeeming Eretz Yisrael by returning it to the Jewish people, enacting a system of just and fair laws, chukim u’mishpatim, that express the values of human dignity and the concept that God is One.