The History and Meaning of "Palestine" and "Palestinians"

Tzemach Organization ^ | 04/05/2002 | oswegodeee

[oswegodeee]

This is very interesting information..

[Maelstrom]

Very nice.

[Map Kernow]

The Arabs, who had no name of their own for this region, adopted the Greco-Roman name Palastina, that they pronounced "Falastin".

There is no "p" sound in Arabic---hence foreign language words imported into Arabic have to substitute either "b" (as in "Boutros" for Greek "Petros" or "Peter"), or "f" as in "Falastin" for Palestine.

A very good article indeed---full of useful and incontestable historical facts about the artificial land of "Palestine" and its make-believe people, the "Palestinians."

[MinuteGal]

Great post, oswegodee. A MUST read for every freeper. This article really added to my understanding of the area's background.

Confucias Leni say, "People who don't read history, BECOME history!"

Leni

[LurkerNoMore!]

Thank you for this post.

[fire and forget]

No kidding! Fascinating. Thanks for the post. It clarifies much of what makes the Palestinian question so difficult for Western nations to grapple with.

[fire and forget]

Bump!

[rdb3]

Bookmarked and a Richter-scale bump!

[Pharmboy]

Nicely done, newbie...and welcome. I love history.

Great post--thank you.

[MissAmericanPie]

What land that was owned by Arabs was purchased by Jews at inflated prices, it is their land, it always has been their land and always will be. The Jews are not occupiers and never have been, the international community has no business sticking it's nose into Jewish affairs.

No matter what insanity might prevail to allow these vagabonds that call themselves Palestinians to establish a terrorist state, it will never be enough, and has never been their aim. Their aim is destruction of Israel, and the bannishment of the Jewish population. The international community ruined South Africa, by muddling in the affairs of the founders of that civilization that became overrun with migrants living off the need of the populace for cheap labor, much like is happening in the SW United States at the present time and is happening in Israel and has happened in the Balkins.

I destest the attitude that the capable must make way for the third world to take over their honest hard work and bring it back to a wasteland as seen in Afghanistan, when these people are so much easier to kill than to deal with.

[muawiyah]

As interesting as it might be, it is fair to appreciate that Egypt had no native born ethnic Egyptian ruler for aobut 2.5 millenia.

Then, too, virtually 100% of all the Arab and Jewish occupied areas in the Middle East were part of the various and successive Turkish empires for about 90% of a millenium.

It would be ridiculous to say that the Egyptians, the Arabs and the Jews didn't really exist because of these events.

Unfortunately, the article posted here comes to that conclusion with respect to the Palestinians.

It's time to give it up folks. Living human beings do not cease to be living human beings because someone else is able to misarrange words on a piece of paper.

[geaux]

Ping.

[fire and forget]

As interesting as it might be, it is fair to appreciate that Egypt had no native born ethnic Egyptian ruler for aobut 2.5 millenia.This does not diminish the fact that the land of Egypt is and has been the homeland of the Egyptians by any objective criteria. American presidents have come from a variety of ethnicities. That doesn't mean that the land became the homeland of different folks with every successive presidency.

[muawiyah]

The article does, however, do exactly all those things.

[traditionalist]

All this article shows is that the Palestinians did not develop a sense of national identity until recently and that it shares a language with other nations. Can someone explain to me why these facts are significant? The implication seems to be that Palesetine is less than a nation because of these facts, but I do not see how this conclusion follows.

Italian nationalism did not develop until the 19th century, and there was no independent political entity called Italy until then, yet Italy, even at its birth, was no less a nation than France, which had had its sense of national identity since the middle ages. There is no language called "Austrian," yet Austria is very much a distinct nation from Germany.

But I do grant the author of this article one thing: he is a good sophist.

[WFTR]

Unfortunately, the article posted here comes to that conclusion with respect to the Palestinians.

The article does not come to that conclusion. The article only points out that there is no traditional "Palestinian" state or culture. You mentioned the Egyptians not having a native-born leader for many years, but that fact did not change the fact that Egypt had a distinct land and culture. You mentioned that the Turkish empires controlled much of the Middle East for many years, but you don't tell what point this fact is supposed to support. The article says that while the Ottoman Empire controlled the land, no one actually lived in what people are trying to call "Palestine."

The conclusion of the article is that this land was uninhabited wasteland until the beginning of the last century. When the Arabs heard that it was to be given to the Jews, they moved there first to keep the Jews from having it. While I feel sorry for the descendants of the people who moved for such spiteful reasons, the notion that they have a traditional attachment to the land is silly. To the extent that they share the "don't give the Jews a place to live" attitude of their parents, they certainly don't have any moral claim on any land.

If you can refute the content of this article, you will have a point. As it is, your post doesn't seem to add much light to the subject.

WFTR
Bill

[traditionalist]

What land that was owned by Arabs was purchased by Jews at inflated prices,

So the Jews bought all the land west of the Jordan? Are you seriously asserting that all the Arabs living there now are renters?

Are you seriously asserting that Jews own all the land in Palestinian cities such as Bethlehem or Jerico? I'm sure that's news to the people who live there.

it is their land, it always has been their land and always will be.

If it was always their land, why did they have to buy it, as you claim?

[traditionalist]

The conclusion of the article is that this land was uninhabited wasteland until the beginning of the last century.

Before the British took over Palestine and began the process of colonizing it with Jews, there were approximately 700,000 inhabitants, a tiny poriton of whom were Jews. I must say that your usage of the word uninhabbited is quite unconventional.

[Dan Day]

All this article shows is that the Palestinians did not develop a sense of national identity until recently and that it shares a language with other nations. Can someone explain to me why these facts are significant? The implication seems to be that Palesetine is less than a nation because of these facts, but I do not see how this conclusion follows.

The significance is that today, the Palestinians (and the arab states in general) are peddling the myth that there used to be a "Palestinian" nation and homeland, and that the Israelis stole it. This myth is at the base of all arguments that the Israelis are "occupying" territory that allegedly rightly belongs to the Palestinians. It's why the arab world is so rabidly adamant about throwing out those nasty Israelis (or outright killing them all) and "retaking" the territory, as if it rightly belongs to the Palestinians.

No one's denying that the Palestinians have a national identity *now*, or that they'd like to establish their own nation somewhere. But the point is that what they can rightly do about those feelings depends heavily upon whether they have a historic "rightful" homeland, or whether they need to go off and find some land that isn't already someone *else's* homeland (e.g., Israel).