The people we now call Palestinians are the indigenous people of
the Holy land plus a few more mixed in. Most
are not Arabs. When I worked in Jordan
there was a big difference between the Arabs and the Palestinians. Both groups
would let you know about it.
The base group for the indigenous people in the Holy Land is the
Canaanites who were residents in the Holy Land
long before Abraham arrived about 2000 BC. They were not one nation but many
city states that fought each other. When out numbered their plan was to join up
with the attacking nation. They did this with the Hebrews, Philistines,
Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians Greeks, Romans and Arabs. They intermarried
with everyone, Jews included. Doing this they became a melting pot in the Holy Land .
It is correct to say that they have never ruled themselves after
their city states fell but they stayed in the land. They did not care who ruled
them as long as they could live in peace. They have had a continued presence in
the Holy Land for over five thousand years and
never gave up their claim to the land.
The Hebrews did have a kingdom for almost five hundred years
before they were hauled off to Babylon
for seventy years. When they came back they were ruled by Persia and then
the Greeks. Around 135 BC they rebelled against the Greeks but were taken over
by the Romans. They rebelled against Rome in 68
AD and were destroyed by Rome
in 70 AD. Some Jews returned to Judea around
130 and rebelled again. This time the Romans rooted our every Jew in the area
and would not let them return. They renamed the place Palestine . The Arabs invaded around 800 AD
when all of the Palestinians were Christian and many Palestinians are still
Christian. As you know the Jews began sneaking into the Holy Land after WWI when
the British took control of the Holy Land from
the Ottomans. After world war two they swarmed into Palestine and at first purchased land from
locals who were willing to sell. After 1948 they just took what they wanted. Is
it any wonder the Palestinians are upset?
There is enough blame on both sides. I pray for a just peace
between the two nations of peoples. It is not an easy thing to do because there
are those on both sides who a hate the other and want them destroyed. Neither
side can do that to the other. When I worked on a dig in Israel I
discovered that 90 percent of people on both side want a just peace with two
states it is that ten percent on each side that stirs up hate and discontent.
SAD! I pray for peace in the Holy Land every
day.
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