India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers, are on the verge of war…again. Perhaps a brief history lesson is in order.

• India was one huge nation when the British left in 1947. Hindus were the majority, and most of them wanted one nation. But the Muslim minority wanted their own nation, and Gandhi, the Hindu leader, reluctantly agreed. For this he was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist.

The Muslim nation was called Pakistan, a made-up   name composed of Punjab, Afghanistan, Kashmir, India, Sindh, and Baluchistan. The capital was Karachi, later moved to Rawalpindi, later moved again to Islamabad. Each time, the world obediently moved its embassies to the new capital. No one questioned the ability of a nation to name its own capital. No one questioned the ability of a nation to exist on land formerly owned by another nation.

• One year later, in 1948, the British left what was called Palestine. The UN proposed splitting the land between the Muslims and the Jews. The Jews accepted the partition plan, but the Muslims rejected it. Several wars ensued. Israel established its capital in Jerusalem, but most nations insisted on maintaining their embassies in Tel Aviv, until Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem. Most nations kept their embassies in Tel Aviv, denying the ability of Israel to name its own capital.

Most nations show parts of Israel, or even the whole nation, as disputed territory, denying the ability of the nation to exist on land formerly owned by another nation. Most nations refuse to recognize the Bible as a deed for the Jewish people to their homeland.

So there you have it: Pakistan a recognized nation with its capital; and Israel, a “stolen” land without a capital. Can we strike at least a glancing blow at fairness? Can we at least pretend not to be motivated by the anti-Semitism that permeates many of our universities?