There's a Reason for Empty Horizons

In a report on the newly approved contruction plans of Maaleh Adumim in the New York Times, reporter Greg Myre describes for us the town's panoramic view, noting that

"to the west is the skyline of Jerusalem, and to the east are stark desert hills dotted with Palestinian villages",

("Israel to Expand Largest West Bank Settlement", Marc. 22).
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/22/international/middleeast/22mideast.html

The eastward view would have also included Jewish villages if not for the aggression of the Arabs in 1947-1948.

During that period of intra-communal fighting, Jewish communities in that area, such as Kibbutz Bet Ha'Aravah, near Jericho, and Neveh Yaakov and Atarot closer to Jerusalem, were overrun and ethnically cleansed of its Jews.

If the Arabs had accepted the UN partition proposal of compromise, Jews would still have benn living in those areas and others the world now knows as the "West Bank and Gaza". After all, despite the fighting, Arabs live in Israel.

Why is it that a skyline empty of Jews is something "natural"?