re: "There Was Never a Country Called Palestine"

Jerrold L. Sobel at American Thinker ("a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans") examined the historical question of Palestine in a quantitative fashion.

Money quote(s):

"There is no Palestinian land, plain and simple. If there were, when would it have been founded, and by whom? What would its borders have been, and what about the name of its capital? What would its major cities have been? What would have constituted the basis of its economy? What form of government would it have lived under?

Was Palestine ever recognized as an entity by another country? By whom? What was the language of the country called Palestine? What was Palestine's religion? What was the name of its currency? Since there is no such country today, what caused her demise?"

I got nothin'.

"Pose these same questions regarding Israel and Jewish connection to this land, and except for the willfully blind and delusional -- of which, admittedly, there are many, each can be factually answered.

At no time in history has there ever been a nation called Palestine. During the Ottoman Empire, which lasted from 1299-1922 CE, the land dubbed by the Romans as Palestine was controlled by the Turks; there was never an outcry for a Palestinian State then. During the illegal annexation of Judea and Samaria by the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan subsequent to the 1949 Armistice and prior to 1967, there was never talk of "occupied territory" or a Palestinian State."

Still, the list of "nations" which have never had their own states is not a particularly short one. A further question would be under what conditions may (or should) such groups acquire their own nation-state?

2/12

re: "Exposing the Palestinian Narrative Gingrich-Style"

Jennifer Hanin at Big Peace refutes criticism of Gingrich's Palestinian remarks by St. Thomas (Friedman) of Globalism.

Money quote(s):

"Gingrich delivered some bold comments about Palestinians being “invented people”. Low and below the belt? Absolutely not. Let’s be honest, Gingrich had the courage to refute the Palestinian narrative and tell the truth. History shows there has never been a “Palestinian people” and the notion of one only gained popularity around 1967 — nearly two decades after Jews re-inhabited their homeland of Judea and Samaria (now Israel) in 1948. More facts Friedman and Kuttab will likely ignore is that in 1947 the UN already par­ti­tioned the same land in question into two states: one Arab and one Jew­ish."

Facts not in dispute.

"Gingrich also knows historical evidence confirms Israel existed as nation as early as 1300 BCE, some two thousand years before Islam. Yet there has never been ANY evidence of a Pales­tin­ian nation. Simply put, if there is no historical evidence to separate Palestinians from Arabs then Palestinians ARE Arabs. The fact is there has never been an authentic Pales­tin­ian lan­guage, a dis­tinct Pales­tin­ian cul­ture, Palestinian currency (except while under British Mandate) or even land once ruled by Palestinians. These facts would give any historian pause, and it did with Gingrich, who used it as an opportunity to set the record straight. Gingrich had to address the Palestinian narrative head-on. For that he should be applauded not ridiculed."

One of the Palestinians interesting projects has been to systematically seek to destroy the archeological record of Jewish history in areas under their control.

"The only people being ignorant about whether Palestinians history is “real” versus “invented” are Palestinians and their supporters, including those keeping lies alive like Friedman and Kuttab. There is nothing racist about calling Palestinians Arabs."

Except, of course, for those Palestinians who are now called Israelis. They can be either Arabs or Jews.

"These self-proclaimed “Palestinians” upset about Gingrich’s comments are the same group that has repeatedly denounced the Oslo Accords and tried to make it null and void. They are also the same group that is responsible for launching a global boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) campaign against Israel, and an ongoing terror campaign that has blanketed the Jewish State with well over 12,000 missiles from Gaza. They are the same group that has refused making peace with seven Israeli administrations. The Oslo Accords, much like Camp David, came about with American intervention to end Arab (Palestinian) violence towards Israelis. It was an attempt to end the missiles and suicide bombings targeting Israelis while helping Arabs (Palestinians) lead more productive lives.

It’s palpable to notice how Friedman and Kuttab never mention the immense violence propagated by “Palestinians” against Israelis. Since 2000, 1,218 Israelis have been killed from Palestinian violence and terrorism."

And:

"Truth be told, Palestinians have engaged in erratic forms of ethnic cleansing against Jews and Israelis for decades. If their missiles were more precise and their bomb attempts didn’t experience occasional hiccups, Israelis would more to worry about.

Honestly, if displaced Arabs had called themselves Transjordanians instead of Palestinians the peacemaking strategy on the American side as ally would be no different. It must be noted that the 22 Arab countries in the region have done nothing to assist “Palestinians” in any way. By refusing to grant them citizenship, they have used them as pawns to continue the conflict."

None of them want the Palestinians out of the refugee camps and polluting their cities and cultures with the pathologies that have been inculcated into them for decades. And in an Arab zero-sum attitude culture, the last thing you do is invite additional competitors for jobs, benefits, &tc.

12/24