Palestine was a label created by the Romans after the name Phyllis Stein’s to insult Jews and try to diminish their heritage. Nobody has ever claimed to be Palestinian until Yasser Arafat came around in the 60s. It’s never been a people and it still isn’t as they all carry Jordanian passports and are legally Jordanian citizens..
The level of ignorance you’re showing is amazing. Please learn just a little bit about the history and the people and what’s going on.
I'm not sure what right wing Christian school you're getting your facts from about Palestine...
The peoples
Palestinians are an Arab national group native to the historical region of
Palestine, whose lineage traces back to the diverse populations that have inhabited the land for millennia. Their heritage is shaped by centuries of cultural, religious, and political evolution in the Middle East. [
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The history of the Palestinian people and the region is defined by distinct eras: [
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- Ancient Roots: The region was historically known as Canaan. Over thousands of years, the local populations assimilated with successive waves of empires, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- The Arab and Islamic Eras: Following the 7th-century Muslim conquests, the region's population gradually adopted the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It was ruled by various caliphates, followed by the Mamluks, and spent four centuries under the Ottoman Empire until World War I. [1, 2, 3]
- British Mandate: After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the region came under British administration (1922–1948). Tensions escalated during this time due to conflicting Zionist aspirations for a Jewish national home and the native Arab population's push for self-determination. [1, 2]
- The Nakba (Catastrophe): The 1947–1949 war surrounding the creation of Israel resulted in the displacement of over half of the Palestinian population, who became refugees. Palestinians refer to this pivotal event as the Nakba. [1]
- Modern Period: Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip came under Israeli military occupation. Since then, the Palestinian people have pursued statehood, self-determination, and the right of return, with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leading diplomatic efforts and armed struggles.
The country
The history of Palestine spans thousands of years as a pivotal crossroads of religion, culture, and commerce. The region’s modern trajectory was shaped profoundly by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the subsequent British Mandate, and the enduring territorial and national conflict between Arab and Jewish populations. [
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Ancient to Medieval Eras
- Early Inhabitants: The region, historically encompassing Canaan, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It saw rule by various empires, including the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. [1, 2]
- Hebrew Kingdoms: Ancient Hebrew/Jewish tribes arrived around 1200 BCE, later establishing the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. [1, 2]
- Roman Era: Following Jewish revolts, the Roman Empire renamed the province Syria Palaestina. [1]
- Islamic Rule: The region was conquered by the Muslim Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century, bringing Arab culture and Islam to the area. It subsequently fell under various Islamic empires, with a brief interruption during the Crusades. [1, 2, 3]
- Ottoman Empire: The region was part of the Ottoman Empire for roughly four hundred years, from 1516 until the end of World War I. [1, 2]
The 20th Century
- British Mandate: Following World War I, the United Kingdom administered Palestine under a League of Nations mandate. This period was marked by the British Balfour Declaration supporting a national home for the Jewish people, rising Arab nationalism, and increasing Jewish immigration, particularly amid Nazi persecution in Europe. [1, 2]
- 1947 UN Partition and 1948 War: Unable to resolve mounting violence between Arab and Jewish populations, the UK turned the region over to the United Nations. The UN proposed splitting the land into independent Arab and Jewish states. Following the end of the mandate, the State of Israel was established, leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The war resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians (a pivotal event known as the Nakba), with the remaining territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip) falling under the control of Jordan and Egypt. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- 1967 Six-Day War: In a major turning point, Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Rise of the PLO: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emerged in 1964 as the representative body of the Palestinian people. [1]
Modern Era (1993 - Present)
- The Oslo Accords: In the 1990s, mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, which was granted limited governing functions in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
- Gaza Disengagement: Israel entirely withdrew its military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Tensions escalated sharply, leading to Hamas seizing control of the territory in 2007.
- Contemporary Status: Today, Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by a majority of the United Nations. The territory remains at the center of a continuing, multifaceted conflict over borders, statehood, security, and the status of Jerusalem
HAMAS
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson has discussed the long-standing allegation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pursued an intentional strategy of empowering Hamas to weaken or prevent the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) or a broader, unified Palestinian state. [
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Johnson has frequently echoed observations from political commentators, such as Thomas L. Friedman, who argue that Netanyahu actively sought to strengthen the militant faction of the Palestinian national movement to avoid diplomatic negotiations for a two-state solution. The core premise of this commentary is that by allowing Hamas to govern the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu maintained a divided Palestinian leadership—complicating efforts for a viable, internationally recognized Palestinian state. [
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