The Right To Destroy Jewish History

[Sixties Fan]

Thanks for the rant.
The British and French forces fought for the zionists, you say.

That would be news to them.

Thanks for the clear example of destruction of Jewish history.
And the right you seem to think you have to destroy that history.

Well they fought more for the zionists than for anyone else. Why? Well they were helping to create a Jewish state.

The French were not involved in the Mandate for Palestine. They had two other mandates to deal with.

And what is wrong with recreating the Jewish State on the ancient Jewish homeland?

Did it become a crime at some point in history, especially as the Ottomans lost that whole territory and more?

Well, I'd disagree. I'd say the French were involved in the fact that they and the British did a deal. The British get this, the French get this and they'd leave each other alone. There were times during the whole empire building of the two nations where they rubbed up against each other massively. Like in Sudan where the British turned up at some fort and found the French there, not many of them, just a few, but enough that they'd have to start a war in order to get them removed. It happened all the time, but as German strength increased and Wilhelm II wanted to use Britain as an "enemy" in order to push for military ship building, the French and British became allies. It was inconceivable a few decades before, but there you are. Now they were allies, they shared things. And with the decline of the Ottoman Empire, they were dividing up the spoils.

So, the French let it happen. Oh, just to let you know, one of my direct relatives was posted to Palestine at the end of WW2 as one of those soldiers.

What is wrong with recreating a land where other people already live, and where all surrounding countries are going to be massively hostile? A lot, that's what. Jews were offered other potential places to move to that would have been far less hostile.

Is it a crime to displace a people? Well, some would call that ethic cleansing. Others might call it Genocide. Would you say ethnic cleansing is a crime?

The War Crimes Court in the Hague is trying people from the former Yugoslavia for doing just what the Jews did with Israel. But hey, if you have the power behind you, you don't get tried.

What books or sources do you read?

You say you know what the Mandate for Palestine was. You do not.
You do not seem to be aware of the other three Mandates and why they ended up divided between the British and the French.

What is wrong with the Jews not accepting any other place in the world as their homeland?

Because the Land of Israel IS their homeland, their ancestral homeland, one which they were never absent of. That is why.
Because that land has always been important to them, even if living somewhere else. That is why.

Because even if living far away, they always faced Jerusalem and prayed that one day they would return to it and set it free and live on it again as FREE people.

The region of Palestine, including TranJordan is the Ancient Homeland of the Jews. One where they have ALWAYS lived on, no matter how many times they were invaded or conquered during the ages INCLUDING the Muslims who invaded and conquered in the 7th Century.

You can cry for peace all you like, but do it with facts and not all the nonsense you seem to have learned from I don't know how many sources.

What you are doing with your posts IS the destruction of Jewish history.

Do you have the right to do it?

Who gave you that right?

In your mind, if Israel is surrounded by so many Arabs, then "gosh forbid" she better just pick up her luggage and run for her life.

You have no understanding AT ALL of how Indigenous people feel about their ancient lands.

Jews are on THEIR ancient land. The Land of Israel, as much as the Maoris are on THEIR ancient land, now known as New Zealand.
Just as one example.

Jews are not giving up their homeland. They are not going back to being wandering Jews, treated as inferior, spat on, attacked, murdered or expelled at anyone's whim.

That is exactly why Israel exists today. For Jews to have a save place to go to if they have nowhere else to go, as evidenced by the number of Jews immigrating to Israel because IT IS THEIR ANCIENT homeland.

You are reading too many comic books where the Jews are the boogie man.

Try reading history. And stop attempting to destroy our history.

You are even more of an example why Jews must protect their country and defend all of its population and all Jews around the world.

It has never been about Israel.

It is about being Jews.

(Read the endless accusations in the New Testament and the Quran about Jews for the past 1950 years and then tell us that it is because of Israel and how Jews have no right to their land and should not have the right to defend themselves against all of those "enemy countries" all around it and all of the destruction of Jewish history so many Muslims have already accomplished in order to convince the world that the Jews have no right to that land. )

I'm sorry, I'm not playing this game.

Have we lost you?

Historical facts got to be too much for Mr. "I want peace in the world, NOW, so stop mistreating the Palestinians and give them their land back" ?

 

[frigidweirdo]

Well they fought more for the zionists than for anyone else. Why? Well they were helping to create a Jewish state.

The French were not involved in the Mandate for Palestine. They had two other mandates to deal with.

And what is wrong with recreating the Jewish State on the ancient Jewish homeland?

Did it become a crime at some point in history, especially as the Ottomans lost that whole territory and more?

Well, I'd disagree. I'd say the French were involved in the fact that they and the British did a deal. The British get this, the French get this and they'd leave each other alone. There were times during the whole empire building of the two nations where they rubbed up against each other massively. Like in Sudan where the British turned up at some fort and found the French there, not many of them, just a few, but enough that they'd have to start a war in order to get them removed. It happened all the time, but as German strength increased and Wilhelm II wanted to use Britain as an "enemy" in order to push for military ship building, the French and British became allies. It was inconceivable a few decades before, but there you are. Now they were allies, they shared things. And with the decline of the Ottoman Empire, they were dividing up the spoils.

So, the French let it happen. Oh, just to let you know, one of my direct relatives was posted to Palestine at the end of WW2 as one of those soldiers.

What is wrong with recreating a land where other people already live, and where all surrounding countries are going to be massively hostile? A lot, that's what. Jews were offered other potential places to move to that would have been far less hostile.

Is it a crime to displace a people? Well, some would call that ethic cleansing. Others might call it Genocide. Would you say ethnic cleansing is a crime?

The War Crimes Court in the Hague is trying people from the former Yugoslavia for doing just what the Jews did with Israel. But hey, if you have the power behind you, you don't get tried.

What books or sources do you read?

You say you know what the Mandate for Palestine was. You do not.
You do not seem to be aware of the other three Mandates and why they ended up divided between the British and the French.

What is wrong with the Jews not accepting any other place in the world as their homeland?

Because the Land of Israel IS their homeland, their ancestral homeland, one which they were never absent of. That is why.
Because that land has always been important to them, even if living somewhere else. That is why.

Because even if living far away, they always faced Jerusalem and prayed that one day they would return to it and set it free and live on it again as FREE people.

The region of Palestine, including TranJordan is the Ancient Homeland of the Jews. One where they have ALWAYS lived on, no matter how many times they were invaded or conquered during the ages INCLUDING the Muslims who invaded and conquered in the 7th Century.

You can cry for peace all you like, but do it with facts and not all the nonsense you seem to have learned from I don't know how many sources.

What you are doing with your posts IS the destruction of Jewish history.

Do you have the right to do it?

Who gave you that right?

In your mind, if Israel is surrounded by so many Arabs, then "gosh forbid" she better just pick up her luggage and run for her life.

You have no understanding AT ALL of how Indigenous people feel about their ancient lands.

Jews are on THEIR ancient land. The Land of Israel, as much as the Maoris are on THEIR ancient land, now known as New Zealand.
Just as one example.

Jews are not giving up their homeland. They are not going back to being wandering Jews, treated as inferior, spat on, attacked, murdered or expelled at anyone's whim.

That is exactly why Israel exists today. For Jews to have a save place to go to if they have nowhere else to go, as evidenced by the number of Jews immigrating to Israel because IT IS THEIR ANCIENT homeland.

You are reading too many comic books where the Jews are the boogie man.

Try reading history. And stop attempting to destroy our history.

You are even more of an example why Jews must protect their country and defend all of its population and all Jews around the world.

It has never been about Israel.

It is about being Jews.

(Read the endless accusations in the New Testament and the Quran about Jews for the past 1950 years and then tell us that it is because of Israel and how Jews have no right to their land and should not have the right to defend themselves against all of those "enemy countries" all around it and all of the destruction of Jewish history so many Muslims have already accomplished in order to convince the world that the Jews have no right to that land. )

I'm sorry, I'm not playing this game.

Have we lost you?

Historical facts got to be too much for Mr. "I want peace in the world, NOW, so stop mistreating the Palestinians and give them their land back" ?

Typical fucking response from people like you. You think you've won because you irritated the other person so much with bullshit.

Again, I don't come on here to pretend to be a high school kid. I don't need to do that. Why you need to do that I have no idea, I'm sure some shrink could give you an answer.

I come on here to debate, to learn things, to use my brain, to give my opinion which I try and make as close to the truth as possible. I simply don't need to debate with people who are playing childish games on a constant basis.

I told you before I'd stop talking to you if you kept this shit up, and you kept it up, so I'll stick to my word. It's just not worth it. If I want to mess around with children, I can do that with real children. I don't need you to substitute for one.

 

[fncceo]

I told you before I'd stop talking to you if you kept this shit up, and you kept it up

Promise?

 

[Sixties Fan]

I told you before I'd stop talking to you if you kept this shit up, and you kept it up

Promise?

I hope so

 

[Shusha]

Well I've done some of that already and you rejected it because it doesn't meet with your agenda.

You have brought up unrelated topics in order to confuse and conflate the issue. You have shown absolutely nothing to indicate that Israel is deliberately destroying Palestinian history -- which is the topic of the thread.

If you recall I mentioned the camps, moving Muslims out of Israeli territory etc.

Ah, and see here you make a subtle shift in your argument. Its not really about the camps or the loss of culture. Its about ethnic cleansing.

Okay. Gotcha. Ethnic cleansing is a method of destroying history. Let's look at that.

How many Arabs are there in Israel? How many Arabs visit the Temple Mount each year?

How many Jews are in Gaza? The 'West Bank'? Jordan? The remaining nations of the ME? How many Jews are permitted to visit the Temple Mount annually?

Who is actually destroying culture here?

Further, let's look at where the Arab Palestinians are. The vast majority of them are still in Palestine. They haven't been removed from their country.

No, I brought up different views of other topics that you did not want to address because it goes away from your agenda.

As for the rest, I'm not in the mood for your semantics right now.

Oh, give me a break, I have addressed every one of your posts with lengthy responses.

You wanted to talk about how cleansing people from their homeland removes their culture. Let's talk about that.

Why aren't the Jewish people permitted to pray at their own most Holy site? Why, the few who are permitted to access the holy site, must they remove all cultural symbols? Why must they make their culture invisible to the usurpers of their holy site?

Further, you wanted to talk about the return of the Arab Palestinians to their homeland -- including the part under the sovereignty of Israel. Are you also willing to allow the return of the Jewish people to their homeland in Judea and Samaria? Why or why not?

If the Arabs are to return to Israel, perhaps in a one State solution, how will the Jewish culture be preserved in that environment? What evidences do you have that the Arabs will permit the Jewish culture to exist, let alone thrive? What guarantees would you give the Jewish people?

Let's talk about the subject matter. Or did you just want to find reasons to bash Israel?

Yes, you could have written a lengthy response about the 1789 Super Bowl, that doesn't mean that it's necessarily relevant.

What you're telling me is either that I stick to the parts of the topic you want to talk about or else I'm off topic. Which would basically mean that I'm not allowed to disagree with the whole premise of your view of the topic.

I've tried to engage with you on every topic you've brought up. You refuse to discuss anything. You just move the topic onto something else.

Basically you are saying that Jews are not permitted to pray in the Temple Mount because the Muslims are pissed. Do you think that is a good reason to deny people their rights?

 

[frigidweirdo]

Well I've done some of that already and you rejected it because it doesn't meet with your agenda.

You have brought up unrelated topics in order to confuse and conflate the issue. You have shown absolutely nothing to indicate that Israel is deliberately destroying Palestinian history -- which is the topic of the thread.

If you recall I mentioned the camps, moving Muslims out of Israeli territory etc.

Ah, and see here you make a subtle shift in your argument. Its not really about the camps or the loss of culture. Its about ethnic cleansing.

Okay. Gotcha. Ethnic cleansing is a method of destroying history. Let's look at that.

How many Arabs are there in Israel? How many Arabs visit the Temple Mount each year?

How many Jews are in Gaza? The 'West Bank'? Jordan? The remaining nations of the ME? How many Jews are permitted to visit the Temple Mount annually?

Who is actually destroying culture here?

Further, let's look at where the Arab Palestinians are. The vast majority of them are still in Palestine. They haven't been removed from their country.

No, I brought up different views of other topics that you did not want to address because it goes away from your agenda.

As for the rest, I'm not in the mood for your semantics right now.

Oh, give me a break, I have addressed every one of your posts with lengthy responses.

You wanted to talk about how cleansing people from their homeland removes their culture. Let's talk about that.

Why aren't the Jewish people permitted to pray at their own most Holy site? Why, the few who are permitted to access the holy site, must they remove all cultural symbols? Why must they make their culture invisible to the usurpers of their holy site?

Further, you wanted to talk about the return of the Arab Palestinians to their homeland -- including the part under the sovereignty of Israel. Are you also willing to allow the return of the Jewish people to their homeland in Judea and Samaria? Why or why not?

If the Arabs are to return to Israel, perhaps in a one State solution, how will the Jewish culture be preserved in that environment? What evidences do you have that the Arabs will permit the Jewish culture to exist, let alone thrive? What guarantees would you give the Jewish people?

Let's talk about the subject matter. Or did you just want to find reasons to bash Israel?

Yes, you could have written a lengthy response about the 1789 Super Bowl, that doesn't mean that it's necessarily relevant.

What you're telling me is either that I stick to the parts of the topic you want to talk about or else I'm off topic. Which would basically mean that I'm not allowed to disagree with the whole premise of your view of the topic.

I've tried to engage with you on every topic you've brought up. You refuse to discuss anything. You just move the topic onto something else.

Basically you are saying that Jews are not permitted to pray in the Temple Mount because the Muslims are pissed. Do you think that is a good reason to deny people their rights?

You've tried to engage and seemingly you want me to come to the conclusion that you want. I've answered whatever has come up. Sometimes these topics are complex and you have to understand more than just the surface of what is there.

No, I'm not saying Jews aren't permitted to pray there because Muslims are pissed.

As for rights, I don't think there is a right to pray wherever you like. But hey, that'd just be ME moving on to another topic, right? Seeing as YOU brought it up.

I've said before, this is about POWER. Both sides trying to get the power, both sides using different arguments of different levels of validity to impose their power on the situation.

I don't like the situation, but that is the situation. It'd be great if all people could just get along, but they won't because of politicians who know they can gain a good life for themselves as politicians by playing these cards.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Official Palestinian Authority TV - Oct. 18, 2017

Official PA TV, broadcast of the film Kiryat Arba with guests and explanations interspersed with the film

Official PA TV narrator: “You are in the first place where humans settled, the ancient Palestinians. They began history here, and built a city where they continue to develop their identity and put down roots, and it continues to oppose forgery. This is Hebron. Six thousand years ago the first brick was laid here, and a city that has had different names throughout the years was established. These are names that, if we check their true essence and history, the original identity of the city will appear before us, despite the attempt to give a Hebrew characteristic to some of its names in order to impose an artificial history on the city of Allah’s prophet Abraham…
Scientifically proven history undermines all of the legends that were created in the minds of the invaders. H istory decisively says that this is a city that preceded the religions, and testifies that the first Palestinian built a city here and dwelled in it 6,000 years ago (sic., there is no historical evidence for these claims)…

(full article online)

PA TV claims Hebron’s “original identity” is Palestinian, despite attempts to give “Hebrew characteristics” and an “artificial history” to the city - Jewish history in Land of Israel erased | PMW

 

[Sixties Fan]

[ My #1 favorite appropriation of Jewish History ]



A Palestinian university lecturer taught during a recent Palestinian Authority TV program on religion that Moses, a Muslim, brought "the Muslims of the Children of Israel out of Egypt." He refers to the subsequent Israeli conquest of the Land of Israel as the "first Palestinian liberation... of Palestine." This conquest, he taught, was led not by Joshua, as the Bible tells, but by Saul (Talut) who is also said to have slayed Goliath.

While some of this is retelling of Islamic tradition, some of it is a distortion of even the Quran for political purposes. The Quran refers to the "Children of Israel" in their land in many chapters (e.g., Sura 5), but it never refers to them or anyone else as "Palestinians." Likewise the Quran never refers to Israel's conquest as a "Palestinian" conquest. The lecturer on PA TV, however, deviates from Islamic tradition, and calls the nation of Israel's conquest of the Land of Israel "the first Palestinian liberation through armed struggle to liberate Palestine."

(full article online)

Moses was a Muslim who led Muslims in Exodus from Egypt, says PA university lecturer on PA TV - PMW Bulletins

 

[Sixties Fan]

[ My #2 Favorite appropriation of Jewish History ]


Source: Al-Bawaba, Egyptian news website, Sept. 1, 2017

Headline: “Fatah leader: The [Eid Al-Adha] holiday prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque are a challenge against the occupation”

“Fatah Movement Central Committee member and [Fatah] Commissioner for Arab and China Relations Abbas Zaki emphasized… in a statement to [the Egyptian news website] Al-Bawaba News today, Friday [Sept. 1, 2017], that… Israel is moving in the direction of unprecedented extremism, which makes it necessary to leave the deceptive illusion of peace and prepare to confront the occupation on all levels. He explained that Ibrahim (i.e., the Biblical figure Abraham), the father of the prophets, was a monotheistic Muslim (sic., in Jewish traition Abraham was the first Jew and lived over 2,000 years before Islam began), which refutes the Zionists’ claims about the Ibrahimi Mosque (i.e., Cave of the Patriarchs) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., the Temple Mount). Therefore, the Arab and Islamic nation must have an active presence in order to deter the occupation and its steps against the Palestinian people, its land, and its holy sites.”

Jewish history in Land of Israel erased | PMW

 

[Sixties Fan]

Source: Official Palestinian Authority TV, Mar. 16, 2017

Official PA TV program Palestine This Morning, on the launching of the National Flower of Palestine – Gilboa Iris campaign, hosting Green Life Association Chairman Faisal Zakarneh

Green Life Association Chairman Faisal Zakarneh: “This is a flower that grows in the Gilboa Mountains (i.e., in northern Israel). At this opportunity, let me explain that Gilboa is an ancient Palestinian-Canaanite-Arabic word, and not Hebrew-Israeli. This needs to be clear. In our minds [the name Gilboa] is connected to the Gilboa Prison... but the occupier has always made us used to him using our language and stealing it and its Arabic-Canaanite-Palestinian names.”

Mount Gilboa has been the Hebrew name of the location since Biblical times, and notably appears in Samuel 1 Chapter 31 as the location where Saul, the first king of Israel, died in battle.

Jewish history in Land of Israel erased | PMW

 

[Sixties Fan]

Girl recites poem denying Jewish history, encouraging violence, claims Israeli cities are Palestinian

Source: Official Palestinian Authority TV, Feb. 24, 2017
Official PA TV program The Best Home, episode with students from Jenin and Hebron

A young Palestinian girl, Gharad Qassem, recites the following poem:
Gharad Qassem: “I am a Palestinian boy
Who are you, foreign boy? And from where did you come? And what is the stone that is in your hand?
I am a Muslim Arab, a free person forever
You do not have the right to ask
I did not come here, but rather you are the one that came
I was born here long ago,
Before you
Before you came to my land
I am a Muslim
My roots are in the depths of history
I am a Palestinian, my roots are in Safed, Ramallah, El-Bireh, and Gaza
I am a Palestinian, my roots are in Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Nablus
I am a Palestinian, my roots are in every grain of soil
A rock in my hand, my head and my heart –"

Jewish history in Land of Israel erased | PMW

 

[Sixties Fan]

Source: Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, Feb. 21, 2017

Headline: "Shtayyeh briefs an ALECSO delegation about the developments in the Palestinian cause"

"Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner of the Treasury and Economy] Muhammad Shtayyeh met with an Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization ALECSO delegation led by Director General of the organization Abdullah Muharib…
During the meeting Shtayyeh welcomed Dr. Muharib and his entourage… and briefed the delegation on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause. He reviewed the historical background of the Zionist project in Palestine since 1650 (sic., 1850) and until present times, what is called the 'global Zionist plan,' and the historical connection between the Zionist project and the Western colonialist project… Shtayyeh emphasized that the Zionist project is colonialist and has no connection to Judaism and the myths that the occupation invents."

 

[Sixties Fan]

Source: Official Palestinian Authority TV, Feb. 13, 2017

Official PA TV program Panorama of the Hour, hosting geography lecturer Jihad Abu Tawileh of Al-Azhar University in Gaza

Official PA TV host: "Dr. Jihad [Abu Tawileh], what are the foundations by which the areas are chosen for settlements?”

Geography lecturer Jihad Abu Tawileh: "The foundations and data, or the considerations on which they [Israelis] depend for establishing the settlements in the West Bank are financial considerations. Also the most important consideration is not a historical consideration because the history is falsified. They do not have a history, and they do not even have a Torah and a Talmud. Israel is attempting to create a falsified history, or to invent [history]. I will call it copying biblical and Talmudic history in the West Bank, thinking that it is the land of Judea and Samaria. Of course this is falsified distorted history, but the foundations depended upon [for establishing] are financial, and especially water."

 

[Sixties Fan]

[ I am confused.....are you? ]

Listeners then heard an egregious distortion of history that likewise went completely unchallenged by the BBC presenter.

Abu Zayyad: “It’s based on the fact that 650 years ago…in 650 years BC Palestinians arrived to this country and they have been here while the Jewish people arrived actually 350 years BC. They have been living in this land for a long, long time and at the moment at 2017 if you look at the population that is living in East Jerusalem you’re talking about 350,000 Palestinians living in it, working in it and trying to get their rights. We want equality on rights so like any other people we want either sovereignty or equality. Either you give us a state of our own – with East Jerusalem which is part of the Palestinian lands that were occupied at 1967 when Israel went into war – or you simply go to the other option which is one state with equality and basic rights that include voting and a democratic system for everyone on the historical lands of Palestine from the sea to the river.”

(full article online)

Fatah disinformation goes unchallenged on the BBC World Service

 

[Sixties Fan]

Source: Official Palestinian Authority TV, Feb. 13, 2017

Official PA TV program Panorama of the Hour, hosting geography lecturer Jihad Abu Tawileh of Al-Azhar University in Gaza

Official PA TV host: "Dr. Jihad [Abu Tawileh], what are the foundations by which the areas are chosen for settlements?”
Geography lecturer Jihad Abu Tawileh: "The foundations and data, or the considerations on which they [Israelis] depend for establishing the settlements in the West Bank are financial considerations. Also the most important consideration is not a historical consideration because the history is falsified. They do not have a history, and they do not even have a Torah and a Talmud. Israel is attempting to create a falsified history, or to invent [history]. I will call it copying biblical and Talmudic history in the West Bank, thinking that it is the land of Judea and Samaria. Of course this is falsified distorted history, but the foundations depended upon [for establishing] are financial, and especially water."

 

[Sixties Fan]

El Badil, also in Egypt, has an article that denies that Jews in Israel are Jewish, saying that anyone who says that Zionists are cousins of the Arabs is engaging in an attempt to normalize relations with Israel. One of the fun facts that author claims is that the debunked book The Thirteenth Tribe claiming that Ashkenazic Jews are European Khazars is no longer available in the United States at all, and even the copy in the Library of Congress has mysteriously disappeared.(Perhaps the Library should get it from Amazon.)

(full article online)

Today's explicit Arab antisemitism that not one Arab or Muslim will condemn publicly in Arabic ~ Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

 

[Sixties Fan]

PA official: UNESCO proves that Jews have “no religious or historical connection to Jerusalem” - Jewish history in Land of Israel erased | PMW

 

[teddyearp]

Sigh.... you're really on the offensive now, aren't you.

Milestones: 1945–1952 - Office of the Historian

"
The Arab-Israeli War of 1948"

Israel was founded on 14th May 1948 and the fighting started almost immediately. True or not true?

Sigh. Off topic, but did you even read your linked article? Right in the first paragraph it states, "five Arab armies invaded".

How does that prove the Jews came in guns blazing?

 

[Sixties Fan]

Sigh.... you're really on the offensive now, aren't you.

Milestones: 1945–1952 - Office of the Historian

"
The Arab-Israeli War of 1948"

Israel was founded on 14th May 1948 and the fighting started almost immediately. True or not true?

Sigh. Off topic, but did you even read your linked article? Right in the first paragraph it states, "five Arab armies invaded".

How does that prove the Jews came in guns blazing?

One poster who will not return.

 

[fanger]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told NNC Pierce Morgan on March 18, 2011 that he might agree to a Palestinian state through negotiations. And he added, “We will make territorial concessions although it is very painful to do that in our ancestral land.” Netanyahu was not talking about Poland where his ancestors lived. He was talking about Palestine where generations of its indigenous population ancestors lived, cultivated the land and are buried.

By the end of the nineteenth century, Zionism created a new Jewish identity of blood and soil. To mobilize their followers and supporters and appeal to their emotions, the Zionists created myths. Zionism started as a tribal religion without god, but in order to fulfill its function as a unifying force, Zionism required external religious and race symbols, not inner content. Its leaders regarded metaphysical religious belief and purity of race as having value in itself. They created a divine paradisiacal state of merger with the gods. Despite his non-religious ideology, Herzl’s writings were replete with religious references. The Jews should settle in Palestine because, in his words, “the Temple will be visible from long distance, for it is only our ancient faith that has kept us together”.

The Zionists and their supporters have invested tremendous financial and scholarly resources to work within the Hebrew Bible historical narratives to affirm the links between the intrusive Zionist population and the ancient Israelite past, and by doing so assert the right of that population to the land. The political end-game shaped the investigation and the outcome. Tracing the roots of Israel’s ethnic state in biblical antiquity is effectively to silence the indigenous Palestinian claim to the past and therefore to the land. The Biblical scholarship employs a bewildering array of terms for the region: “the Holy Land”, “the Land of the Bible”, “Eretz Israel”, “the Land of Israel”, or “Judah and Samaria.” To the casual reader these names appear interchangeable, but they all imply connection to ancient Israel.
Continued