It is common knowledge that the ‘meanings’ of various words in languages change over the years and as the terminology differ and NEW WORDS get added, “What the original users of the words meant” also get ‘clouded’.
Hence, in order to understand as to ‘WHO’ really were the People involved and “What happened in the past, with regard to the Land that was called ‘Palestine’ then”, the following needs to be stated.
There was NO “ethnic group” of ‘PEOPLE’ who CALLED themselves ‘Palestinians’ in the PAST, WHEN THE LAND TRANSACTIONS TOOK PLACE.
The inhabitants of the Land at the time were called ‘ARABS’, as they had come from other ARAB nations, mainly from Saudi Arabia and ‘FELLAHIN’ who were the “Peasants”. There were also ‘BEDOUIN’, a nomadic group, who are still there. The ‘LAND’ was called ‘Palestine’ from AD 135, as described in previous articles, including the one mentioned below. But the ‘INHABITANTS’ were NOT called ‘Palestinians’ THEN.
In this regard, something that is stated in Wikipedia was quoted in the article entitled, “What is so strange about this Piece of Land called ISRAEL?” Uploaded on 8th June 2021, is appropriate to be reproduced here:-
“After becoming part of his empire (Nebuchadnezzar’s) and its successor, the Persian Empire, they (ancient Philistines) LOST their DISTINCT ETHNIC IDENTITY and DISAPPEARED from the HISTORICAL and archaeological record BY the late 5th century BC. The Philistines are known for their biblical conflict with the Israelites”.
The ‘claim’ that some of their leaders make saying, “Modern Palestinians are the ‘descendants’ of ancient Philistines” does NOT seem to have a sound basis, in the light of the above quote.
But WHAT really DISPROVES that claim is the FACT that NOWHERE among ALL the NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES can one find EVEN a ‘single reference’, to ANY group of People that were known as ‘Palestinians’ or even ‘Philistines’.
Also consider the fact that NO ‘Palestinian Leader’ can be found in the ENTIRE history of the Land. IF there was one, he definitely would have occupied the main city of the Land, which would have been the ‘Capital’. Until 1967, the word “Jerusalem” was not even used much in ‘Arab terminology’. IF a ‘Palestinian State’ existed in the past, there would have been some currency ‘bearing the portraits of the leaders and some sort of inscription’. There are NONE.
What the foregoing clearly PROVE is that there was NO ‘Palestinian State’ in the PAST and hence NO ‘Palestinian Leader’ either.
The current terminology of ‘Palestinians’ and ‘Palestinian Leader’ became ‘common words’ ONLY AFTER Yasser Arafat came into ‘prominence’. He was born in Cairo and graduated as a civil engineer from the University in Cairo.
It appears that the ARAB leaders themselves of the FIRST HALF of the last century did NOT want to CALL even the LAND ‘Palestine’, at least NOT the area disputed today. Below are some quotes:-
Resolution adopted at the First Congress of ‘Muslim-Christian Associations’ in 1919: “WE CONSIDER ‘Palestine’ as PART of ‘ARAB SYRIA’, as it has NEVER been SEPARATED FROM IT at ANY time. We are connected with it by national, religious, linguistic, economic and geographical bonds.” (Palestinian Arab National Movement: from Riots to Rebellion 1929-1939, Volume 2).
This is WHAT a local ARAB leader called Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi said TESTIFYING before the ‘Peel Commission’ in 1937, which ultimately suggested ‘Partitioning of the Land’: “There is NO such ‘COUNTRY’ as Palestine. ‘Palestine is a term the Zionists invented’ (Hadrian was a Zionist???) There is NO ‘Palestine’ in the Bible. OUR country WAS for centuries a PART OF SYRIA”. (Jerusalem Post; November 2nd 1991).
He is definitely RIGHT, on ONE point. There is NO country or land called ‘Palestine’ IN THE BIBLE.
Therefore it is astounding, as well as SAD to hear some Christian Preachers STILL referring to the Land as ‘Palestine’ in their ‘Sermons and Teachings’, in spite of the fact that even the normally hostile world media does NOT use ‘that’ name, in reference to the Land. Also one of the maps at the end the ‘Christian Bibles’ carries the heading, ‘Palestine during the times of Christ’, when there was NO ‘Piece of Land’ called ‘Palestine’ during HIS TIME.
The only other group of people who call that Land ‘Palestine’ at present are the terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah etc.
It is also on record that Arab/American historian Professor Philip Hitti testifying AGAINST ‘Partition’ before the Anglo-American Committee in 1946 said, “There is NO such thing as ‘Palestine’, absolutely NOT”. (Highlighting in all quotes added).
With regard to HOW the “LAND” was ACQUIRED, the MOST IMPORTANT question that NEEDS to be examined is the following one.
“DID THE JEWS REALLY ‘CHASE’ THE FORMER INHABITANTS AND ‘GRABBED’ THEIR PROPERTIES?
THAT is another ‘allegation’ promoted by most, including various media channels.
It is best to focus on written records, gathered from the EVIDENCE that was available FREELY at the time.
“The JEWS were PAYING EXORBITANT PRICES to wealthy land owners (who actually LIVED then in Cairo, Damascus and Beirut), for small tracts of arid land” – Michael Curtis in ‘Land ownership in Palestine 1880-1948’, page 25.
“In 1944 Jews PAID US $1000-1100 per acre IN Palestine, for ‘arid or semiarid’ land, WHILE in the SAME year, ‘rich black soil’ in Iowa was selling around $ 110 per acre”- same as above, page 13. (Again Highlighting added).
So the rich ARAB landowners who did NOT even LIVE in the Land made fortunes SELLING WHAT THEY OWNED, though they do NOT seem to have ‘passed down’ ANY of it to the fellahin who did the labour work, LIVING in the parched Land.
Here’s a quote from the ‘Memoirs of King Abdullah I’:- “It is made quite clear to all, both by the map drawn up by the Simpson Commission and by another compiled by the Peel Commission, that the ARABS (He does NOT state ‘Palestinians’) are as prodigal in SELLING THEIR LAND, as they are in useless wailing and weeping” (King Abdallah ‘My Memoirs Completed’ – pages 88 & 89).
“Jewish Land ownership in ‘Palestine’ by 1947 [That is BEFORE the Establishment of the Present ‘State of Israel’] amounted to 462,000 acres. 30,000 acres were bought from various churches and 387,000 acres were PURCHASED from ARABS and 45,000 were acquired from the Mandatory Government (British). Analysis of Land PURCHASES from 1880 to 1948 show that 73% of Jewish plots were PURCHASED from large landowners, NOT poor fellahin”. (Abraham Granott’s ‘The Land System in Palestine’ – published in 1952, page 278).
(ALL ‘Highlighting’ in the quotes have been added).
Even though there are many MORE, believe the above quotes are sufficient to show that ‘Plots of Land were NOT grabbed by ‘chasing the inhabitants’, but PURCHASED from RIGHTFUL owners, PAYING even exorbitant prices.
WORTH quoting Ezekiel Chapter 36:8-10, as ‘THAT’ WAS, WHAT WAS BEING FULFILLED:- “But you O Mountains of Israel will produce branches and fruit FOR My People ISRAEL, for THEY WILL SOON COME HOME. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favour; you will be PLOWED AND SOWN and I will MULTIPLY the NUMBER of People upon you, even the WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. The TOWNS will be INHABITED and the ruins REBUILT”. [NIV] (Highlighting added).
Let us see HOW, the most famous modern city in Israel, came into existence.
After PURCHASING 32 acres of sand dunes close to the port city of Jaffa in 1909, (that was even before WW I) under the leadership of Meir Dizengoff, a group of them started to build a ‘Totally Jewish City’, which once completed came to be known as ‘Tel Aviv’. Given below are some photographs that show the condition of the ‘plot’ purchased at that time, mode of transporting goods, which was the use of camels then and ‘how’ it looks in modern times.
Those photographs tell their own story of ‘HOW ARID DESERT LAND was turned into a modern city’, which IS the STORY OF THE ‘AREAS’ THAT JEWISH PEOPLE PURCHASED.
Even after the British conquered the area and WW I ended, the ARAB inhabitants continued to TRY and ‘drive out’ the Jewish Settlers. After WW II it became ‘too hot’ for the British to handle. So they passed the ‘issue’ over to the UN.
Here is a quote from Wikipedia regarding ‘Resolution 181(II)’ and its adoption at the UN:-
“In the face of ‘increasing violence’ after World War II, the British handed the issue over to the recently established United Nations. The result was Resolution 181(II), a plan to partition Palestine into Independent ‘Arab and Jewish States’ and the ‘Special International Regime’ for the City of Jerusalem. The ‘Jewish state’ was to receive around 56% of the land area of ‘Mandate’ Palestine, encompassing 82% of the Jewish population, though it would be SEPARATED FROM JESRUSALEM. The plan was ACCEPTED by most of the JEWISH population, but REJECTED by much of the ARAB populace. On 29 November 1947, the resolution to recommend to the United Kingdom, as the ‘mandatory Power for Palestine’, and to all other Members of the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with regard to the future government of Palestine, of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union was ‘put to a vote’ in the United Nations General Assembly”.
“The result was 33 to 13 in favour of the resolution, with 10 abstentions. Resolution 181(II): PART I: Future constitution and government of Palestine: A. TERMINATION OF MANDATE, PARTITION AND INDEPENDENCE: Clause 3 provides:
Independent ‘Arab’ and ‘Jewish’ States and the ‘Special International Regime’ for the CITY OF JERUSALEM, shall COME INTO EXISTENCE in Palestine two months after the ‘evacuation of the armed forces of the mandatory Power’ has been completed but in any case NOT later than 1 October 1948” (End quote- Highlighting added).
As can be SEEN in the quote above, THEY COULD HAVE HAD THE “TWO STATES”, they are vociferously asking FOR NOW, RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING.
As pointed out earlier, there was NO ‘ethnic group’ of “People” called ‘Palestinians’ at THAT TIME, meaning there was NO Palestinian Leadership”, in order to negotiate with.
In fact there NEVER has been throughout history. Therefore the ‘ARAB STATES’ DECIDED for the ‘Arab inhabitants’ of the LAND, which was called ‘Palestine’ then.
THAT is also ‘WHY’ the UN Resolution states “ARAB and Jewish States” and NOT ‘Palestinian’ and ‘Jewish States’, as can be seen.
The Jewish population back in 1948 was estimated to be around 600,000. The Arab population in the M. E. was of millions. Therefore the Arabs assumed they could easily ‘wipe out’ a “State of Israel”, even IF the ‘Resolution 181 (II)’ was passed in the UN, which at the time they did NOT expect to happen. The very NIGHT it was PASSED, it is on record that the Saudi delegate said, “We will DROWN THEM [Jewish People] IN the Mediterranean Sea”.
As most know David Ben Gurion “Declared the Establishment of the State of Israel” on the 14th of May 1948 and the very next DAY, 5 ARAB states ATTACKED the ‘Baby Nation’’.
ITS PRESERVATION IS A POIGNANT INDICATOR THAT “GOD OF ISRAEL” EXISTS.
Worth quoting Isaiah 66:8, “Who has HEARD of such a thing? Who has SEEN the like of this? Is a ‘LAND’ brought forth in ONE DAY? Or shall a ‘NATION’ be BORN AT ONCE?”
THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT HAPPENED, a mere 80 years after, Mark Twain’s comments and Captain Charles Warren’s discovery.