As readers of Jihad Watch know, the “Palestinian people” first came into existence in 1964, at the suggestion of the KGB, and then the phrase really took off after the Arabs’ defeat in the Six-Day War in 1967, when it was deemed necessary to reframe the Arab-Israeli conflict. No longer would that conflict be seen by the world as a gang-up by nearly two dozen Arab countries on a single, small Jewish state, hardly discernible on a world map. Now it was presented as a war of “national liberation” by the “Palestinian people,” who had been, so the Arabs insisted, cruelly dispossessed of their land by Jews. Zuheir Mohsen, the head of the “Palestinian” terror group As Saiqa, and a member of the PLO executive committee, famously told an interviewer for the Dutch newspaper Trouw in 1977 that “The Palestinian people do not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct ‘Palestinian people’ to oppose Zionism. Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity exists only for tactical reasons.”
David Feinstein recapitulates the history of the term “Palestinian people” here: “I am a Palestinian – opinion,” by David Feinstein, Jerusalem Post, May 2, 2024:
The term “Palestinian” today refers to the Arab population living in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. By adopting this name, there is an implication that these people have been linked somehow to this land for thousands of years; that is, these Palestinians have deep roots in the land – which is certainly not the case.
The term “Palestinian” is derived from the word ‘Philistine.” The Philistines (of whom Goliath was one) were a sea-faring people who likely originated in Crete and invaded the coastal strip [of what is now southern Israel and Gaza] around 1200 BCE. Their land included the Gaza Strip and extended north to around present-day Caesarea. The Philistines disappeared under the Babylonian conquest in the 6th century BCE and have not been heard of since.
In 63 BCE, the Roman army under Pompey the Great captured Jerusalem. The Roman goal was to destroy any vestige of Jewish attachment to this land, which was then called Judea and from which the term ‘Jew’ arose. The Romans then reinvented and modified the name by calling the land Syria Palestina — “Palestinian Syria” — that then was shortened as “Palestine.”
At the same time, and for the same reasons – to efface the Jewish connection to the land — the Romans renamed “Jerusalem” as “Aelia Capitolina,” a toponym that never gained traction.
Islam was founded in 610 CE, and spread rapidly by conquest and conversion. The Muslims reached and conquered ‘Palestine’ in 632 CE and the name ‘Palestine’ disappeared.
The Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 CE and drove out or killed thousands of Muslims and Jews. and repurposed al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock as Christian shrines. Jerusalem was later taken back in 1187 by the Muslim military genius Saladin.
In 1291, the Templars were defeated in the siege of Acre (the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the last major stronghold of the Crusaders) by the Mamluks. It was only a matter of time before the Christian presence in The Holy Land was extinguished. The land remained under the control of the Mamluks for 220 years until their surrender to the might of the Ottomans in 1516….
On April 25, 1920, the League of Nations gave Britain a Mandate over Palestine. The name ‘Palestine’ was resurrected by the map makers drawing up all the new country borders in the Middle East….
What the author does not mention is that the League of Nations established several other mandates to create Arab states out of formerly Ottoman territories. These included Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Jordan was established on land that were originally intended to be included in the Mandate for Palestine. Instead, the land east of the Jordan River out “to the desert,” that constituted 78% of the territory originally meant to be included in Mandatory Palestine, was instead assigned to a newly-created Emirate of Transjordan. This was done by the British in order to provide a country for the Hashemite Emir Abdullah to rule; it was feared that otherwise he would move into Syria to proclaim himself ruler, thus leading to a potential clash between the French forces in Syria and the British-backed Abdullah.
The Mandate for Palestine was meant to bring into being the Jewish National Home, that would in time become the nation-state of the Jews — Israel. The Mandate’s provisions expressly call on the holder of the Mandate — Great Britain — to “facilitate Jewish immigration” and to promote “close settlement by Jews on the land.” (Mandate for Palestine, Article 6) What land was that? It was all the land from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean in the west, and from just beyond Hermon in the north to the Sinai in the south.
Here’s a suggestion for those entering the lists on behalf of Israel. Be prepared to give a brief history of how, and when, and why, the “Palestinian people” came into existence. Note that between 1948 and 1967, when Egypt ruled over Gaza, no mention was ever made by Cairo about the existence of a “Palestinian people.” And during the same period, when Jordan possessed the West Bank, Amman, too, never mentioned the existence of a “Palestinian people.” At the UN, not a single Arab ambassador, in endless debates about the Arab-Israeli conflict, ever referred to a “Palestinian people” until after the Six-Day War. Make sure you mention all that.
Tell the story of how the KGB suggested to the Arabs the transformation of “Arab refugees” into the “Palestinian people.” Have at the ready for every debate on “Palestine” Zuheir Mohsen’s 1977 quote noting that the “Palestinian people do not exist,” but were created “only for political reasons.” That should flutter the dovecotes of those who insist that “from the river to the sea/Palestine will be free.”
truth says
1200 BC>1200 BCE
somehistory says
So many people are so willing to believe lies. And so many lies are being told, the wanna’ believers have their choice of which ones to believe and repeat, and repeat.
It takes effort to sift through everything and search for the Truth. So many don’t care to do that because they would rather be fooled into believing the lies.
Walter Sieruk says
It’s terrible that the press refuses to do research , as it should , and then expose the truth about the hoax of the “Palestine”people ” Therefore, the public as very unaware and ignorant of history . Also always gullible , are taken by the falsehood and lie that there is a distinct ethic group of race who are the “Palestines”
Even more terrible is the fact that so many university and college professors are so dishonest that they along with the “Palestine” farce .
As for why are they so dishonest ? With those different individuals there may be different reason , as they might fear harming or even losing if they speak the truth . With other it’s because they are anti- Jewish and anti-Israel.
Whatever the case,, the public is beguiled by that hoax of there being a specfic “Palestine people .”
Frank Anderson says
With almost complete agreement with the article, I suggest that “Arab-Israeli” conflict is more accurately described as “Muslim v. Infidel” conflict. And Infidel includes Muslims who are not of the same “brand”. Islam teaches and practices for 1400 years’ war, death, slavery, conquest, intolerance and misery. Its followers do not care. If one does not agree with them, they are in danger.
Peter Burrows says
+!
Walter Sieruk says
History reveals that the ancient Philistines recorded in the Bible and history came from the Greek Islands and some parts of the mainland Greece. They have no connection, at all, the to the Arab /Muslim of modern times who called themselves the “Palestinians.”
From those ancient people, the Philistines, the word “Palestine” .came into being.
There is no genuine ethic group or race who are the “Palestinians.”
Early in the last century a anyone living in that land, Arab or Jew, who lived in that land was called a ”Palestinian.”
Only after 1964 did the Arab/Muslims start to refer to themselves , exclusively , by the word “Palestinian.”
The reason for that is that they felt that by giving themselves that title they would appear to have some kind of valid claim on that land.
Indeed , there never was a “Palestinian state.”
Tony Rice says
What the article doesn’t mention is that as soon as then State of Israel was re-created by the United Nations in 1947?, no less than 5 Arab countries invaded It with the intent of destroying it, advising the then inhabitants to leave and get out of the way to allow them unhindered ability to destroy the new country, which is why thousands of Arabs left, hoping to come back and seize Jewish properties. Not all Arabs did flee which is why 20% of Israeli population are Arab and who prefer to stay where they know they are better off, indeed fight FOR Israel against Arab invaders. What the article also does not say is just under ONE MILLION Jews were FORCED out of Arab countries and not allowed to take anything with them, ie PENNILES . The United Nations has become a racist organisation, mouthpiece for anti semitic peoples. Thank goodness the English speaking nations in particular don’t fall for the bent aims of the U N. . .
Plus the land originally known as Israel ALWAYS had Jews living there after the Roman sacking of Israel/Masada etc , never was ARAB owned, but part of the Ottoman Empire
dunk says
Then again the Arabs a divided into 5 or 6 clans/tribes in the area who then are split up sunni/shia who fights among themselves and averse to positive work,being the most supported group in the world there is a lot to be said for inherited refugee status
Tony Rice says
Perhaps Guterres would like to explain why his UN publicly denounce the independently assessed the most moral army in existence whereas they say nothing re Russia which is using poison gas in Ukraine, plus killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, and whose army rapes women and BOYS. Sick, the lot of them, including Guterres, who must go.
tim gallagher says
The Palestinians seem to have, for many years now, become the fashionable darlings, the favourite cause, for lots of people, mostly from the left wing side of the political scene. I don’t think that they would give a damn about becoming knowledgeable about the actual history of the Palestinians. It is simply like the cause du jour for the trendy wanker brigade who have swallowed the indoctrination the left wingers have fed them.. I see the Muslim palestinians as a bunch of barbarians as shown by the support they have for the sadistic scum from hamas (70% plus supporting hamas after the atrocities committed back in October) and I support the Israelis who seem to me to be the only decent, civilised people, in a western sense, in the Middle East. The loony, evil Palestinians celebrating as hamas paraded bodies of israelis through the streets showed what scum the totally barbaric Palestinians are. I can’t muster any sympathy for them at all. Even other Muslim Arab countries won’t take them in.
chrissy01 says
some trivia about the “protests”:
in one rally, approx. 60 % of the folks shouting “from the river to the sea…” were not able to NAME the river…or the sea.
chrissy01 says
when I was small at school, invariably there were these small self-conceited pretties that hazzled the big boys, and inevitably were confronted with a response that they inevitably had been unable to foresee…
Well…just sayin’.
Patriotliz says
Very good article. There are no indigenous Palestinian people, just a varied group of Arabs. What’s not emphasized is that the Islamic conquest of the Middle East Arabs juxtaposed indigenous Jewish race and Christian converts. Jesus was Jewish. Then came this new “imperialistic” theo-political ideology called Islam starting centuries after Christ. Islam was the “Johnny come lately” religion of the Middle East and a copy-cat of the major pre-existing religions. It was hostile to any and all non-Muslims. It burst forth from the Arabian peninsula.
“Islam was founded in 610 CE, and spread rapidly by conquest and conversion. The Muslims reached and conquered ‘Palestine’ in 632 CE and the name ‘Palestine’ disappeared.”
I like Brigitte Gabriel’s short video of the history of the origin and spread of Islamic imperialism:
https://youtu.be/GioaAxPP0Xs?feature=shared
CalvinsLutheran says
2Thessalonians 2nd Chapter
Ephesians 6th Chapter
The Book of Obadiah
Then the entire Bible
No one in the West reads the Bible therefore plain truths in the face of the West are NOT PERCEIVED.
God sends prophets before He destroys a people.
Bat Ye’or
Douglas Murray
Mark Steyn
Robert Spencer
Usama Dak Dok
Christian Prince
Sam Shamoun
IQ Al Rasooli
Dr Bill Warner
David Wood
Hatun Tash
Wafa Sultan
et. al
The West is like a horde of lemmings headed for the precipice.
Hell from afar shines brightly like a celestial Paradise to the eyes of fools.