But why does ONE group "need a homeland"?

Because they were driven out of their homeland, and therefore they deserve to have at least a portion of their homeland back. One where they can control their own destiny and have autonomy.

That's what makes the situation in the Middle East so fraught. There is a general recognition that the Palestinians do need a homeland, as most other groups have. Japan for the Japanese, France for the French, Egypt for the Egyptians, and on down the line - virtually every square inch of the planet is allocated to the homeland of one group or another. There's no reason why the Palestinians should be different. And without a homeland, their lives are both fraught and entirely dependent on the suffrage of other groups.

So that's the need. They can't continue to live in refugee camps, either within the old Mandate borders or in Jordan and Lebanon. They have to have a homeland at some point. Accommodating that, though, is incredibly complicated.

Albaby