[MeanWestTexan]

The phillistines were proto-Greek, not arab.

Regular vikings of the mediterrian. Early mastery of iron smelting, which was one of their great military secrets.

Contemporary accounts from Eqypt of the “sea people” (as they called them) were not particularly flattering, either.

The “palestinians” are just arabs who occupy Judea.

[ZULU]

NOT “Phillistines”, Phillistinians.

I call the Jordanian arabs “Phillistinians”

[muawiyah]

More correctly the folks who call themselves Palestinians are "Arabic speaking people" who live in the Levant along with other Semitic-speaking people who are so closely related as to be genetically indistinguishible.

The difference between the modern Palestinians, Israelis and Lebanese is not particularly striking ~ and actually, there are millions of Italians, Greeks, Turks, Egyptians and Syrians who could easily "pass", if need be, for any of them.

The divisions are cultural, linguistic, religious, and historic.

The Druze are the only group that appears to have substantial exogenous elements.