Dates and Events Relevant to a Discussion of the Israeli - Arab Conflict
Dr. Harry Mandelbaum
Copying, re-publication, translation, and distribution are permitted and encouraged.
This article is a supplement to the following articles:
"The Arabs in the Holy Land - Natives or Aliens?"
"Who Owns The Land of Israel?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following time line is not intended to show the complete history of the area known as the Land of Israel / Holy Land/ Palaestina/ Palestine. Only dates and events which may be relevant to a discussion of "Who Owns the Land" are presented.
Early dates may be approximate. Some of these dates are subject to disputes. However, the exact early dates are usually not that important. What is important is the historical sequence of events.
Dates BCE are preceded with a "-" sign. Dates CE/AD are preceded with a "+" sign.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF KEY RELEVANT DATES
-2104
The Canaanites settled in and near the area now known as the Land of Israel. The Canaanites are extinct since approximately 2500-3000 years ago.
The Canaanites settled in and near the area now known as the Land of Israel. The Canaanites are extinct since approximately 2500-3000 years ago.
-2000 to -1800 approx.
The Philistines arrived from the Mediterranean islands near Greece and invaded the coastal land near the southern coast of the Mediterranean sea. The Philistines are extinct since approximately 2400 years ago. They have no heirs and no ancestral or historical relationship to modern-day Arabs who call themselves "Palestinians".
-1675
The forefather Abraham purchased the land of Hebron from the local Canaanites as a burial site for his wife Sarah - the foremother of the people of Israel. Only the descendants of Sarah were given rights to this land. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to Sarah.
-1712 to -1532
The forefather Yitzhak (Isaac) settled on never-inhabited land in the southern area of the Land of Israel, between Beer-Sheva and the Philistines. This area was never inhabited, because of lack of water. Abraham and Isaac were the first ones to dig water wells in this area, which made it possible for them to settle there.
-1555
The forefather Israel/ Yaakov (Jacob ), the son of Yitzhak, purchased the land on which Shchem (Nablus) is now built, from the local Canaanites. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to Jacob.
-850 approx.
King David purchased the land on which the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem was later built. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to King David.
-422 (some historians date it as -586)
The Babylonians destroyed the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The people of Israel were exiled by the Babylonians from the Land of Israel to Babylonia.
-352 to -348 (some historians date it as -516)
The people of Israel returned from Babylonia to the Land of Israel and constructed the Second Holy Temple on the site of the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
+70
The Romans destroyed the Second Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The people of Israel were exiled from the Land of Israel and spread around in many countries.
+132 to +135
The Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of the Land of Israel and called it "Syria Palaestina". "Palaestina" is a Roman/ Latin name. it is NOT an Arabic name.
The Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of the Land of Israel and called it "Syria Palaestina". "Palaestina" is a Roman/ Latin name. it is NOT an Arabic name.
+610 to +632
Muhammad invented the Muslim religion and composed the Quran. The Quran refers to the Land of Israel many times as the Land of the Children of Israel.
Muhammad invented the Muslim religion and composed the Quran. The Quran refers to the Land of Israel many times as the Land of the Children of Israel.
+621
Muhammad had a dream about an unknown "far distant place of worship (mosque)". This dream is the one and only source for the Muslims' claim to Jerusalem and to the site of the Holy Temple. This "far distant place of worship" could not have been in Jerusalem, because in Muhammad's time there was no worship taking place at the site of the Holy Temple; there was no Arab presence in Jerusalem; and there was not even a single mosque in Jerusalem.
+634 to +638
The Arab Islamic Empire under Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattฤb conquered Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. This was the first time ever in history for an Arab to gain control of land in the Land of Israel, more than 2000 years after the Jewish forefathers settled and purchased land there.
The Arab Islamic Empire under Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattฤb conquered Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. This was the first time ever in history for an Arab to gain control of land in the Land of Israel, more than 2000 years after the Jewish forefathers settled and purchased land there.
+1099, +1291, +1517
The Crusaders, the Mamluks, and the Ottomans conquered the Land of Israel.
+1918
The British conquered the Land of Israel. Following the British conquest of the land, Arabs from neighboring countries started a massive 30-year invasion of the Land of Israel, to look for jobs and to fulfill their religious obligation to capture as much foreign land as possible. These Arabs came from other countries, none of them had any historical connection to the Land of Israel.
+1918
The British conquered the Land of Israel. Following the British conquest of the land, Arabs from neighboring countries started a massive 30-year invasion of the Land of Israel, to look for jobs and to fulfill their religious obligation to capture as much foreign land as possible. These Arabs came from other countries, none of them had any historical connection to the Land of Israel.
+1947
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to terminate the British Mandate for Palestine and to partition the territory into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Surrounding Arab countries initiated a joint war against Israel, on the day following the UN resolution.
+1948
The Jewish state of Israel declared its independence.The Arabs lost the war. Israel liberated part of Jerusalem and the area known as "the borders of 1948" or "within the green line". Many of the Arabs who invaded the Land of Israel during the past 30 years, escaped and returned to neighboring Arab countries. These Arabs are NOT refugees - they are invaders who went back to where they came from.
+1967
The "Six Day" war. Jordan decided to attack Israel on day 3 of the war. Jordan lost the war and Israel liberated the remainder of Jerusalem, the area of Temple Mount, and the area known as Judea and Samaria - the "West Bank". Israel also liberated part of the Golan Heights.
+1994
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries and resolved territorial disputes between them. They agreed that in the "West Bank" area, the border between the two countries will be the Jordan river. There never was and there is no other country in the area between Israel and Jordan.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries and resolved territorial disputes between them. They agreed that in the "West Bank" area, the border between the two countries will be the Jordan river. There never was and there is no other country in the area between Israel and Jordan.
DETAILED TIME LINE
The Biblical Period
-2104
The Great Flood. After the flood, Noah's descendants initially settled in Babylonia (Iraq). From there, they spread around the world. The Canaanites (the descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah) settled in and near the area now known as the Land of Israel. During their presence in the area, the land was called The Land of Canaan. The Canaanites are extinct since approximately 2500-3000 years ago. They have no heirs and no ancestral or historical relationship to modern-day Arabs who call themselves "Palestinians".
-2000 to -1800 approx.
The Philistines arrived from the Mediterranean islands near Greece and invaded the coastal land near the southern coast of the Mediterranean sea, an area which now includes Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gaza [1]. They were also known as "The people of the sea".
Discussion: Modern archaeology shows that the ancient Philistines migrated to the area from Greece [2]. The English name "Philistines" is derived from their Hebrew name "Plishtim" which means "Invaders". The Philistines were decimated by the Babylonians who conquered the Land of Israel and also destroyed the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They are extinct since approximately 2400 years ago [3]. They have no heirs and no ancestral or historical relationship to modern-day Arabs who call themselves "Palestinians".
-1737
The forefather Abraham traveled to the Holy Land.
-1726
Abraham's son, Ishmael, was born.
-1712
Abraham's son, Yitzhak (Isaac), was born.
-1675
Abraham purchased the land of Hebron from the local Canaanites as a burial site for his wife Sarah - the foremother of the people of Israel. In addition to the Cave of the Patriarchs, which is the actual burial site, Abraham also purchased a large area of land surrounding it, and paid for it with 400 silver coins. The details, the name of the seller, and the witnesses to the transaction, are recorded in the Bible [4].
Discussion: Abraham purchased the land as a burial site for his wife Sarah - the foremother of the people of Israel. Only the descendants of Sarah were given rights to this land. Indeed, later on, only Sarah's son Yitzhak (Isaac) and grandson Israel/ Yaakov (Jacob), and their wives, were buried there. Abraham's other children, not from Sarah, were sent away by him to the Far East and were not given any rights to this land. Abraham's other children have actually left the "Land of Canaan" and settled elsewhere. Since the land of Hebron was purchased and paid for, as opposed to being acquired by war, there can be no further dispute as to who owns this land. The only heirs to this land are the people of Israel - the descendants of the foremother Sarah. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to the foremother Sarah.
-1712 to -1532
The forefather Yitzhak (Isaac) settled on never-inhabited land in the southern area of the Land of Israel, between Beer-Sheva and the Philistines. He made a land covenant with Avimelech - the king of the Philistines - after they reachd an agreement on who lives where [5].
Discussion: The desert area surrounding Beer-Sheva, and all the way north-west to the border with the Philistines, was never inhabited (because of lack of water) before Abraham and Isaac settled there. The Canaanites did not live in this area; they lived predominantly in the mountains of Judea and Samaria and in the north. Abraham and Isaac were the first ones to dig water wells in this area, which made it possible for them to settle there. Isaac's son - Yaakov/Israel (Jacob) - also settled on this land. Isaac's other son, Esav (Esau), did not settle on this land. He left the area and settled in the Edom desert south-east of the Dead Sea.
-1555
The forefather Israel/ Yaakov (Jacob ), the son of Yitzhak, purchased the land on which Shchem (Nablus) is now built, from the local Canaanites. The transaction, the sellers, and the purchase price, are recorded in the bible [6]. This area was later used as the burial site for his son Yosef (Joseph).
Discussion: Since this land was purchased and paid for, there can be no further dispute as to who owns this land. The only heirs to this land are the Jews - the Children of Israel. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to the forefather Jacob.
The Jewish forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were extremely careful not to settle on land which was owned or inhabited by others. If they wanted land owned or inhabited by others, they purchased it.
The Jewish forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were extremely careful not to settle on land which was owned or inhabited by others. If they wanted land owned or inhabited by others, they purchased it.
-1522
Jacob and his children leave the Land of Israel because of a heavy famine, and travel to Egypt.
-1312
The Jewish people - the Children of Israel - get out of Egypt and travel back to the land of their forefathers - the Land of Israel.
-1272
The people of Israel re-entered the Land of Israel after a 40 year journey out of Egypt.
Discussion: The Canaanites who inhabited the Land of Israel practiced extreme sexual and social immorality (brother-sister; father-daughter; mother-son; and paganistic human sacrifices). God commanded the people of Israel to kill all the Canaanites when they enter the Land of Israel because of their extremely immoral lifestyle. The people of Israel did not obey this commandment, and the Canaanite later went extinct on their own.
When the people of Israel approached the Land of Israel, they proposed to the local inhabitants a peaceful passage through their land into the Land of Israel. Those who refused and did NOT attack the people of Israel (e.g. the Edomites), were respected and avoided. Those who did attack the people of Israel, lost their war and lost their land with it [7]. Those who start a war and lose, have no right to complain about their loss.
When the people of Israel approached the Land of Israel, they proposed to the local inhabitants a peaceful passage through their land into the Land of Israel. Those who refused and did NOT attack the people of Israel (e.g. the Edomites), were respected and avoided. Those who did attack the people of Israel, lost their war and lost their land with it [7]. Those who start a war and lose, have no right to complain about their loss.
-850 approx.
King David purchased the land on which the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem was later built. King David paid for the land with hundreds of gold coins. The deed, the name of the previous owner, and the purchase price were recorded in the Bible [8].
Discussion: King David purchased this land for the people of Israel. Since this land was purchased and paid for, as opposed to being acquired by war, there can be no further dispute as to who owns this land. The only heirs to this land are the people of Israel. The Arabs have no ancestral or historical relationship to King David.
| The kingdom of King David. His son, King Solomon, "reigned over all the kingdoms from the (Euphrates) River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt... and he was at peace with all his surrounding neighbors." (Kings I, ch.5, v.1, v.4) |
-832 to -825
King Solomon constructed the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem, on the land purchased by his father King David.
-422 (some historians date it as -586)
The Babylonians destroyed the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The people of Israel were exiled by the Babylonians from the Land of Israel to Babylonia.
-352 to -348 (some historians date it as -516)
The people of Israel returned from Babylonia to the Land of Israel and constructed the Second Holy Temple on the site of the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
| An artist's view of Jerusalem and Temple Mount at the time of the Second Holy Temple |
The Hellenistic Period -332 to -63
-332
The Greeks conquered the Land of Israel
-169
The Greeks defiled the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and robbed it of its treasures.
-167 to -161
The Hashmonaim, under the leadership of Yehudah HaMakabi (Judah Maccabee, Judas Maccabeus) revolted against the ruling Greeks, liberated Jerusalem, and re-consecrated the Holy Temple. The Jewish holiday Hanuka was established to commemorate this victory against the Greeks.
The Roman/ Byzantine Period -63 to +638
-63
The Romans conquered Syria and later conquered the Land of Israel.
+6
The Romans renamed the Land of Israel, and called it "Iudea". Before that, the land was known by the Hebrew/Jewish name "Judea". The name was changed to "Iudea" to show that it is now part of the Roman empire.
+70
The Romans destroyed the Second Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Romans completely demolished the city of Jerusalem. The people of Israel were exiled from the Land of Israel and spread around in many countries.
+132 to +135
The Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of the Land of Israel and called it "Syria Palaestina". He also renamed the city of Jerusalem and called it "Aelia Capitolina".
Discussion: "Palaestina" is the Roman/Latin name for the Land of Israel. When the Romans/ Byzantines lost control of the land to Muslim conquerors in +638, the name "Palaestina" was no longer in use. The Muslim conquerors did NOT call the land "Palaestina". When the Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered the land in +1517 they did NOT call the land "Palaestina". When the British conquered the land from the Muslim Ottomans in 1918, they revived the old Latin name, changed it to give it an English appearance, and called the land "Palestine". Never in history did Arabs/Muslims use the Latin/ English name "Palaestina" or "Palestine". Arabs cannot pronounce this Latin/ English name. After 1918, when the British called the land "Palestine", Arabs/Muslims started calling the land "Falesteen" - a mis-pronunciation of "Palestine". The land does not have an Arabic name in any of the Arabs' native languages.
+610 to +632
Muhammad invented the Muslim religion in southern Saudi Arabia and composed the Quran (the Muslim bible). He studied the Jewish Bible in order to be better equipped in his attempts to persuade the Jews to follow his newly invented religion. When the Jews refused, he murdered most of them; dictated the stories of the Quran to his students; and filled the Quran with his own imaginary accounts of Biblical events. (Muhammad himself did not know how to read or write.) He also took the liberty to change the God-given day of rest, Saturday - the Sabbath. Since Sunday was already taken by the Christians, he picked Friday as the next-best Muslim day of rest.
Discussion: Some Arabs consider themselves the descendants of Abraham - the forefather of the Jewish people, and of his son Ishmael. Ironically, before Muhammad studied the Jewish Bible, the pagan Arabs did not even know of the existence of Abraham and Ishmael. Muhammad invented this ancestry for them, and they believed him. Muhammad never visited Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, and did not consider them important enough to mention their name in the Quran even once. By comparison, Mecca and Medina, the only two Muslim holy cities, are mentioned in the Quran hundreds of times. Even though the name of the Land of Israel is not mentioned in the Quran, the Quran refers to the Land of Israel many times as the land of the Children of Israel [9]. For example: "And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: Dwell securely in the Promised Land."[10] "Moses said to his people ... O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you."[11] "We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place, and provided for them sustenance of the best."[12].
+621
Muhammad had a dream about an unknown "far distant place of worship (mosque)"[13].
Discussion: This dream is the one and only source for the Muslims' claim to Jerusalem and to the site of the Holy Temple. This "far distant place of worship" could not have been in Jerusalem, because in Muhammad's time there was no worship taking place at the site of the Holy Temple; there was no Arab presence in Jerusalem; and there was not even a single mosque in Jerusalem. The first mosque in Jerusalem was built 94 years later; 83 years after Muhammad died. In Muhammad's times, this dream was NOT associated with Jerusalem. Only after the Muslims conquered the Land of Israel and built the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem in year +715, they invented the idea that the "far distant place of worship" in Muhammad's dream was the Al-Aqsa mosque. They hoped that over time, no-one will remember that Muhammad had his dream BEFORE the Al-Aqsa mosque was built. Muslims call Muhammad's dream "nightly journey".
The Islamic Period +638 to +1099
http://www.danielpipes.org/84/the-muslim-claim-to-jerusalem
+634 to +638
The Arab Islamic Empire under Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattฤb conquered Jerusalem along with the lands of Mesopotamia, Syria, Palaestina, and Egypt. The Byzantine (Roman) Empire lost control of the entire Mideast to the Muslims. The name "Palaestina" was no longer in use.
Discussion: This was the first time ever in history for an Arab to gain control of land in the Land of Israel, more than 2000 years after the Jewish forefathers settled and purchased land there.
+691/692
The Muslim conquerors built the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Jewish Holy Temples. The Dome of the Rock is NOT a mosque.
Discussion: Under Muslim religious law, anyone who dwells on land for three years becomes the owner of the land. The Muslims consistently built structures on conquered and stolen land in order to "prove" their claims to the land.
The Quran commands Muslims to take land away from non-Muslims, including land which they have never trodden on before [14]. The Quran explicitly encourages lying and deception if it helps Muslims achieve a desired goal [15][16][17][18]. The most common Muslim practice for rewriting history is to build a Muslim structure over existing holy sites which belong to other religions. The Land of Israel is full of Muslim structures constructed over Jewish holy sites. The mere fact that Jewish archeological findings are found UNDER the Muslim structures, is sufficient evidence to prove who was there first.
The Quran commands Muslims to take land away from non-Muslims, including land which they have never trodden on before [14]. The Quran explicitly encourages lying and deception if it helps Muslims achieve a desired goal [15][16][17][18]. The most common Muslim practice for rewriting history is to build a Muslim structure over existing holy sites which belong to other religions. The Land of Israel is full of Muslim structures constructed over Jewish holy sites. The mere fact that Jewish archeological findings are found UNDER the Muslim structures, is sufficient evidence to prove who was there first.
+715
The Al-Aqsa mosque was built in Jerusalem, at the southern side of Temple Mount.
Discussion: This is another Muslim structure constructed over a Jewish Holy site. All mosques in the world have minarets for calling Muslims to prayer, except the Al-Aqsa mosque. There is no minaret on the Al-Aqsa Mosque because there were no Muslim inhabitants in Jerusalem and there was no-one to call to prayer [19]. This mosque was not constructed for Muslims to pray in - there were no Muslim inhabitants in Jerusalem. This mosque was constructed by the Muslim conquerors, like the Dome of the Rock, in order to "prove" Muslim claims to the land.
The historian James Parkes wrote: "During the first century after the Arab conquest [640-740 CE], the caliph and governors of Syria and the Holy Land ruled entirely over Christian and Jewish subjects. Apart from the Bedouin in the earliest days, the only Arabs west of the Jordan were the garrisons."[20]
+985
The Arab writer Muqaddasi wrote: "the mosque is empty of worshipers... The Jews constitute the majority of Jerusalem’s population."[21]
| A current aerial view of Temple Mount The Dome of the Rock is visible at the center The Al-Aqsa mosque, without a minaret, is visible at the left |
+1099
The crusaders entered the Land of Israel. There were Jewish communities all over the country. Fifty of them are known and include Jerusalem, Tiberias, Ramleh, Ashkelon, Caesarea, and Gaza. Jews fought side-by-side with Muslim soldiers to defend Jerusalem against the Crusaders. When the crusaders entered Jerusalem, they proceeded to massacre the Jewish and Muslim civilians and destroyed the city. This marked the end of 460 years of Islamic control of the Land of Israel.
+1209 to +1211
A wave of Jewish religious scholars from Europe returned to the Land of Israel.
The Mamluk (Mameluke) Period +1244 to +1517
+1244 to +1291
The Egyptian Mamluks (Converted Egyptian Muslims) conquered the Land of Israel. They destroyed most towns on the flat coastal plains in order to rid the land of the Crusader presence and make sure it never returned. Jaffa, Gaza, Lydda and Ramle were not destroyed. The last major crusader stronghold, Acre, was conquered by the Mamluks in +1291.
+1377
Ibn Khaldun, one of the most creditable Arab historians, wrote: "Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel extended over 1400 years... It was the Jews who implanted the culture and customs of the permanent settlement."[22]
+1492
A wave of Jews who were expelled from Spain returned to the Land of Israel.
The Ottoman Period +1517 to +1918
+1517
The Ottoman Turks conquered the Land of Israel. The country became part of the Ottoman Empire.
+1695/1696
The Dutch scholar and cartographer, Adriaan Reland (Hadriani Relandi) , wrote reports about visits to the Land of Israel. (There are those who claim that he did not personally visit the Land of Israel but collected reports from other visitors.) He was fluent in Hebrew and Arabic. He documented visits to many locations. He writes: The names of settlements were mostly Hebrew, some Greek, and some Latin-Roman. No settlement had an original Muslim-Arab name with a historical root in its location. Most of the land was empty, desolate, and the inhabitants few in number and mostly concentrated in Jerusalem, Acco, Tzfat, Jaffa, Tiberius and Gaza. Most of the inhabitants were Jews and the rest Christians. There were few Muslims, mostly nomad Bedouins. The Arabs were predominantly Christians with a tiny minority of Muslims. In Jerusalem there were approximately 5000 people, mostly Jews and some Christians. In Nazareth there were approximately 700 people - all Christians. In Gaza there were approximately 550 people - half of them Jews and half Christians. Um-El-Phachem was a village of 10 families - all Christians. The only exception was Nablus with 120 Muslims from the Natsha family and approximately 70 Shomronites.[23]
+1777
The students of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov returned from Europe to the Land of Israel.
+1809
The students of the Gr"a (Rabbi Eliahu) returned from Europe to the Land of Israel.
+1810 to +1830
A wave of Jews from the Arab countries in northern Africa and from Persia returned to the Land of Israel.
+1845
The Chabad chassidic Jews bought land and buildings in Hebron to start a Chabad-chassidic community and a Rabbinical seminary.
+1855
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore purchased land outside the borders of Jerusalem's old city to construct a new Jewish neighborhood - "Miskenot Shaananim".
| An artist's view of the Jewish neighborhood, Mishkenot Shaananim, constructed by Sir Moses Montefiore circa +1860.
At a dinner party Montefiore was once seated next to a nobleman who was known to be an anti-Semite. The nobleman told Montefiore that he had just returned from a trip to Japan, where "they have neither pigs nor Jews." Montefiore responded immediately: "in that case, you and I should go there, so they will have a sample of each."
|
+1881/ 1882
A wave of Jews from Yemen returned to the Land of Israel.
+1882 to +1903
The "first" wave of Zionist Jews from Europe returned to the Land of Israel.
+1882 to +1934
The (Jewish) Baron Edmond James de Rothschild purchased sufficient agricultural land in the Land of Israel to found and support 30 new Jewish towns and villages.
+1904 to +1914
The "second" wave of Zionist Jews from Europe returned to the Land of Israel.
The British Period +1918 to +1948
+1918
The British army, headed by General Allenby, conquered the Land of Israel and the area east of the Jordan river now known as the country of Jordan. The British revived the old Latin name "Palaestina", changed it to give it an English appearance, and called the land, on both sides of the Jordan river, "Palestine". "Palestine" also included the area east of the Jordan river, now known as the country of Jordan. Britain governed the area west of the Jordan river under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1947.
Discussion: Following the conquest of the Land of Israel by the British, Arabs from neighboring countries started a massive 30-year invasion of the Land of Israel, to look for jobs and to fulfill their religious obligation to capture as much foreign land as possible [14]. These Arabs had no historical connection to the Land of Israel. Their sole motivation was to find jobs and to capture as much foreign non-Muslim land as possible.
The following accounts describe the local conditions before the British conquered the Land of Israel and the massive Arab invasion that followed:
The following accounts describe the local conditions before the British conquered the Land of Israel and the massive Arab invasion that followed:
- From the beginning of the Islamic period (+638) to the beginning of the British period (+1918) many Arab and foreign visitors wrote the same descriptions of the Arab/ Muslim population in the Land of Israel [24]. "The caliph and governors of Syria and the Holy Land ruled entirely over Christian and Jewish subjects."; "the mosque is empty of worshipers... The Jews constitute the majority of Jerusalem’s population."; "Most of the land was empty, desolate, and the inhabitants few in number"; "The Arabs were predominantly Christians with a tiny minority of Muslims."; " In Gaza there were approximately 550 people - half of them Jews and half Christians. Um-El-Phachem was a village of 10 families - all Christians."; "Outside the city of Jerusalem, we saw no living object"; "Much of the country through which we have been rambling for a week appears never to have been inhabited, or even cultivated"; "A desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given over wholly to weeds. A silent, mournful expanse... A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action."; "for miles and miles there was no appearance of life or habitation."; ""In the portion of the plain between Mount Carmel and Jaffa one sees but rarely a village or other sights of human life".
- In 1913, a British report, by the Palestinian Royal Commission, quotes an account of the conditions on the coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea: "The road leading from Gaza to the north was only a summer track, suitable for transport by camels or carts. No orange groves, orchards or vineyards were to be seen until one reached the [Jewish] Yabna village. Houses were mud. Schools did not exist. The western part toward the sea was almost a desert. The villages in this area were few and thinly populated. Many villages were deserted by their inhabitants."
- In 1930/31, Lewis French, the British Director of Development wrote about the Arabs in Palestine: "We found it inhabited by fellahin (Arab farmers) who lived in mud hovels and suffered severely from the prevalent malaria... Large areas were uncultivated... The fellahin, if not themselves cattle thieves, were always ready to harbor these and other criminals. The individual plots changed hands annually. There was little public security, and the fellahin's lot was an alternation of pillage and blackmail by their neighbors, the bedouin (Arab nomads)."
- The British Hope-Simpson Commission recommended, in 1930, "Prevention of illicit immigration" to stop the illegal Arab immigration from neighboring Arab countries [19].
- The British Governor of the Sinai (1922-36) reported in the Palestine Royal Commission Report: "This illegal immigration was not only going on from the Sinai, but also from Transjordan and Syria."
- The governor of the Syrian district of Hauran, Tewfik Bey El Hurani, admitted in 1934 that in a single period of only a few months over 30,000 Syrians from Houran had moved to Palestine.
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted the Arab influx. Churchill, a veteran of the early years of the British mandate in the Land of Israel, noted in 1939 that “far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied till their population has increased more than even all world Jewry could lift up the Jewish population.”
| Muslim-Arab population and growth in Jerusalem before and after 1918 [25][26]. The break point between the two straight lines shows the exact point in time when the massive Arab invasion of the Land of Israel started. |
+1922/ 1923
The British separated the areas west and east of the Jordan river. The area east of the Jordan river was given a new name: "Trans-Jordan".
Image curtsey of www.masada2000.org
www.masada2000.org/historical.html
Discussion: Never in history did Arabs/Muslims use the Latin/ English name "Palaestina" or "Palestine". Arabs cannot pronounce this Latin/ English name. After 1918, when the British called the land "Palestine", Arabs/Muslims started calling the land "Falesteen" - a mis-pronunciation of "Palestine". The land does not have an Arabic name in any of the Arabs' native languages.
The local Arabs never called themselves "Palestinians", not even during the British mandate. Both Arab and British leaders referred to them only as "Arabs". For example: The Hope-Simpson report [19] published by the British in 1930, contains the phrase "the number of Palestinian unemployed, whether Arab, Jew or other...". "Palestinian" was used only as an adjective in reference to the location and also included Jews. The Arab inhabitants were always referred to as "Arabs". A computerized search of The Hope-Simpson report shows that the word "Palestinians" does not appear anywhere in this report. "Palestinian Arabs", "Palestinian Jews", and "Palestinian Christians" were common terms. But, the term "Palestinians", as a noun, before 1948, was not yet invented.
The name "Palestine" and the adjective "Palestinian" were used without any ethnic connotations. For example: a) "The Jerusalem Post", a Jewish newspaper, was called "The Palestine Post" from its founding in 1932 until 1950. b) In 1923, Pinhas Rutenberg (Jewish) founded the Palestine Electric Company, later to become the Israel Electric Corporation. c) There was a Jewish "Palestine Symphony Orchestra". d) In World War II, the British assembled a Jewish Brigade, to fight the Axis powers, that was known as the Palestine Regiment. e) As late as 1974, Immanuel Kant referred to European Jews as "the Palestinians living among us" [27].
The local Arabs never called themselves "Palestinians", not even during the British mandate. Both Arab and British leaders referred to them only as "Arabs". For example: The Hope-Simpson report [19] published by the British in 1930, contains the phrase "the number of Palestinian unemployed, whether Arab, Jew or other...". "Palestinian" was used only as an adjective in reference to the location and also included Jews. The Arab inhabitants were always referred to as "Arabs". A computerized search of The Hope-Simpson report shows that the word "Palestinians" does not appear anywhere in this report. "Palestinian Arabs", "Palestinian Jews", and "Palestinian Christians" were common terms. But, the term "Palestinians", as a noun, before 1948, was not yet invented.
The name "Palestine" and the adjective "Palestinian" were used without any ethnic connotations. For example: a) "The Jerusalem Post", a Jewish newspaper, was called "The Palestine Post" from its founding in 1932 until 1950. b) In 1923, Pinhas Rutenberg (Jewish) founded the Palestine Electric Company, later to become the Israel Electric Corporation. c) There was a Jewish "Palestine Symphony Orchestra". d) In World War II, the British assembled a Jewish Brigade, to fight the Axis powers, that was known as the Palestine Regiment. e) As late as 1974, Immanuel Kant referred to European Jews as "the Palestinians living among us" [27].
+1919 to +1923
The "third" wave of Zionist Jews from Europe returned to the Land of Israel.
+1924
Rabbinical students and their Rabbis from eastern Europe returned to the Land of Israel and founded "Yeshivat Hebron" - A Rabbinical seminary in Hebron.
+1924 to + 1929
The "fourth" wave of Zionist Jews from eastern Europe and from Asia returned to the Land of Israel.
+1929 to +1939
The "fifth" wave of Zionist Jews, escaping antisemitism in Europe, returned to the Land of Israel.
+1939 to +1948
Waves of Jews escaping from Europe during world war II returned to the Land of Israel.
+1946
The British requested that the United Nations approve an end to British Mandate rule in Trans-Jordan. Following the British request, the Trans-Jordanian Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah as the first ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Trans-Jordan. The kingdom of Trans-Jordan did NOT include the areas of Judea and Samaria, also known as "the West Bank".
+1947
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 181. The resolution recommended the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the partition of the territory into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Surrounding Arab countries initiated a joint war against Israel, on the day following the UN resolution.
The State of Israel
+1948
The Jewish state of Israel declared its independence. The Arabs lost the war. Israel liberated part of Jerusalem and the area known as "the borders of 1948" or "within the green line". Jordan occupied the area of the West Bank (between the green line and the Jordan river), which it continued to control until 1967. Many of the Arabs who invaded the Land of Israel during the past 30 years, returned to neighboring Arab countries. These Arabs are NOT refugees - they are invaders who returned to where they came from.
Discussion: Following the end of the British mandate and the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948, the local Arabs invented for themselves a new name in English which they cannot pronounce - "Palestinians". They try to call themselves by the English name but they mis-pronounce it "Falesteenians". It is important to emphasize that the concept of a "Palestinian" as a noun to describe the local Arab residents was invented by the Arabs AFTER the declaration of the state of Israel. This group of Arabs, who started calling themselves "the Palestinian nation" after 1948, does not have an original name in their native Arabic language. None of these Arabs know what is their name in Arabic.
If there is anyone who believes that a "Palestinian" nation ever existed before the end of the British mandate and the founding of the state of Israel, would they please be kind enough to answer when was it founded and by whom? What was its name in Arabic? (not in Latin/ English) What was its form of government? What were its borders? Name one top "Palestinian" leader before Arafat? Which country ever recognized its existence and when? In which library or museum can we find any of its literature, coins, or historical artifacts? The answer to all these questions is "nil".
If there is anyone who believes that a "Palestinian" nation ever existed before the end of the British mandate and the founding of the state of Israel, would they please be kind enough to answer when was it founded and by whom? What was its name in Arabic? (not in Latin/ English) What was its form of government? What were its borders? Name one top "Palestinian" leader before Arafat? Which country ever recognized its existence and when? In which library or museum can we find any of its literature, coins, or historical artifacts? The answer to all these questions is "nil".
+1949 to +1961
About 820,000 Jewish refugees have relocated out of the Arab/Muslim countries. About 560,000 of them returned to the Land of Israel and 260,000 moved to other countries.They left behind all their property - land, houses, and personal belongings which were confiscated by the Muslim governments and by their Muslim neighbors.
+1956/1957
About 35,000 Jews from Poland returned to the Land of Israel.
+1958
Yassir Arafat founded the Al-Fatah terror organization, the precursor to the PLO, in Kuwait.
Discussion: Yassir Arafat, the leader of the PLO, was not a native of the Land of Israel. He called himself a "Palestinian refugee" but spoke Arabic with an Egyptian dialect. He was born in 1929 in Cairo, Egypt. He served in the Egyptian army, studied in the University of Cairo, and lived in Cairo until 1956. He then moved to Saudi-Arabia. How exactly does that constitute a "Palestinian refugee"? Being born in 1929 in Cairo, he cannot even be considered a son of Palestinian refugees (there were no refugees in 1929).
+1967
The "Six Day" war. Jordan decided to attack Israel on day 3 of the war. Jordan lost the war and Israel liberated the remainder of Jerusalem, the area of Temple Mount, and the area known as Judea and Samaria or "the West Bank". Israel also liberated part of the Golan Heights.
+1969 to +1973
More than 150,000 Jews from the Soviet Union returned to the Land of Israel.
+1994
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries and resolved territorial disputes between them. They agreed that in the "West Bank" area, the border between the two countries will be the Jordan river. There never was and there is no other country in the area between Israel and Jordan.
Jews continue to return to the Land of Israel from all over the world. The exile of the Jews from the Land of Israel by their enemies, following the destruction of the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in year +70 has spread the Jews all over the world. Now it is time for the Jews to return to their ancient homeland - The Holy Land - The Land of Israel. Now, it is only a matter of time until the third Holy Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt on the site of the first and the second Holy Temples - the site which was purchased for that purposed by King David.
References
- http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Philistines - http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Mycenaean_p eriod - Eric M. Meyers, American Schools of Oriental Research, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 313.
- Genesis, Ch.23
- Genesis, Ch.26
- Genesis, Ch.33, v.19
- BaMidbar - Numbers, ch.20-21; Judges, ch.11, v.12-33.
- Samuel-B Ch. 24, and Chronicles-A Ch. 21-22
- WHAT THE QUR'AN REALLY SAYS, by Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi. THE QUR'AN SAYS THAT ALLAH GAVE THE LAND OF ISRAEL TO THE JEWS AND WILL RESTORE THEM TO IT AT THE END OF DAYS.
http://www.templemount.org/quranland.htm l - Quran, 17:104 : "And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: Dwell securely in the Promised Land."
- Quran, 5:20-21: "Moses said to his people ... O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you."
- Quran, 10:93 : "We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place, and provided for them sustenance of the best."
- Quran, 17:01 : "Glorified be He who carried his servant by night from the inviolable place of worship (mosque in Mecca) to the far distant place of worship (far distant mosque)." See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra_and_Mi %27raj - "And He made you heirs to their land and their dwellings and their property, and to a land which you have not yet trodden." (Quran 33:27). "See they not that we gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders?" (Quran 13:41).
- "Muhammad said: '... for war is deception.' " (Tabari 8:23) . "Allah's Apostle said, 'War is deceit.' '"(Sahih Bukhari:4.268). "When the Prophet (peace be upon him) intended to go on an expedition, he always pretended to be going somewhere else, and he would say: War is deception.". (Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2631 Narrated by Ka'b ibn Malik). "war is deception" (Ahmad, 6.459).
- http://www.islam-wat
ch.org/Warner/Taqiyy a-Islamic-Principle- Lying-for-Allah.htm - http://www.islamrevi
ew.com/articles/lyin g.shtml - http://www.thereligi
onofpeace.com/Quran/ 011-taqiyya.htm - The Hope-Simpson report, (London 1930)
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsou rce/History/Hope_Sim pson.html - James Parkes, "Whose Land? A History of the Peoples of Palestine"(Harmondsw
orth, Great Britain: 1970), p.66. - Muqaddasi, quoted by Erich Kahler who cites this statement from Knowlege of Crimes, p.167, in The Jews Among the Nations (New York: F. Ungar, 1967), p. 144.
- Ibn Khaldun, quoted by Yahya Armajami, Middle East Past and Present (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1970), p. 143.
- Hadriani Relandi, "Palaestina ex monumentis veteribus illustrate" written in Latin, Published in 1714, Utrecht, ex libraria Guilielmi Broedelet (Trajecti Batavorum)
- The Arabs in the Holy Land - Natives or Aliens?
http://hm-holyland.blogspot.com/2011/12/arabs-in-holy-land-natives-or-aliens.html - A) Jerusalem population estimate of Dr. Schultze, Prussian consul in 1845: 7,120 Jews, 5,000 Muslims, 3,390 Christians, 800 Turkish soldiers and 100 Europeans. B) "The sedentary population of Jerusalem numbers about 15,500 souls, of whom 4,000 are Mussulmans (Muslims) and 8,000 Jews. The Mussulmans forming about a fourth part of the whole, and consisting of Turks, Arabs, and Moors..." (Karl Marks, new York Daily Tribune, 15 April 1854). C) Population estimate of 1868 in the Jerusalem Almanack: 9,000 Jews, 5,000 Muslims, 4,000 Christians . D) Population, Ottoman subjects 1905: 40,000 Jews, 10,900 Christian Arabs, 8,000 Muslim Arabs. Total Population 58,900. By 1914 the Jewish population was 45,000. E) "Out of about 60,000 inhabitants some 40,000 are jews." (Miss Freer, Inner Jerusalem, 1907). All are quoted in: "Jerusalem: Illustrated History Atlas", Martin Gilbert, Macmillan Publishing, New York, 1978
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19551586/JERUS ALEM-Illustrated-His tory - Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry, by Darrell G. Young. Muslim population numbers and growth are consistent with the previous Ref. and follow the exact same pattern.
http://focusonjerusalem.com/jerusalempop chart.html - Kant, Immanuel. Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Translated by Mary J. Gregor. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, cited in Chad Alan Goldberg, Politicide Revisited. University of Wisconsin-Madison, (1974)
