“Palestinian Claims About Israel’s Land
“NO PEACE ON STOLEN LAND!” read the sign. It was one in a collection of protest signs recently held by angry groups of protesters on US college campuses. They condemn Israel for even being in the Middle East, claiming it is Israel’s land. Even more anger about Israel displacing “Palestinians” drives these protests.
From the “Palestinians” perspective, they want things as they were before the Israelis came back.
The land has changed hands within a living generation’s lifetime, so there is the memory of that still living to testify to the change. And land disputes are still looming in the land. Everyone understands the difficulty of the situation—including those not protesting.
It would be helpful if the “Palestinians” would at least acknowledge Israel’s situation, but they are unwilling. And they are backed by domestic protesters equally reluctant to see Israel’s perspective.
List of Grievances Protesters Bring Against Israel
- Land Dispute – Israel stole the land they “occupy” from the “Palestinians”.
- Racism – Israel practices Apartheid against the “Palestinians”.
- Genocide – Israel is committing genocide of the “Palestinian” people.
Putting ourselves in “Palestinian” shoes, we understand how they could feel like these things are happening. They did occupy the land when Israel came back when they were displaced. Land disputes have led to Israel removing “Palestinians” from their homes and segregating them, which can “feel” like Apartheid. And Israel, in the process of eliminating threats and trying to get back hostages Hamas took on October 7, 2023, has killed “Palestinian” citizens indirectly as collateral fatalities Hamas deliberately put in harm’s way.
But things can appear to be something they are not. Let’s look into this…
Land Dispute—It’s A Difficult Dilemma
Land that Israel took back in 1948 was occupied by “Palestinians”, and they were displaced. We all understand displacement is challenging to face. Who wants to be uprooted from the place they’ve always called home? We certainly wouldn’t.
Israel understands being displaced is a tough thing. Given a choice, most people, Israel included, would not choose to displace anyone. They understand being uprooted well because the Ottoman Empire displaced them in the 13th century AD. And there were others before that. The Ottomans occupied and settled Israel’s ancient homeland, calling it “Palestine” for the first time.
That created “Palestinian” history in the land, which in turn created a bad situation for Israel coming back to that land.
Israel wasn’t simply “displaced”. They were expelled from their land by the Ottomans. Israelis are still displaced from part of their homeland today. It’s called the “Occupied Territories“, which are hotly disputed regions between Israel and the “Palestinians”.
Timeline of the Disputed Land – Israel’s Land
| Date | Established Occupants |
| 3500-1200 BC (Bronze Age) | Canaanites comprised Independent “city-states” of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. As recorded in Jewish Scriptures. They also fought the Philistines, who had invaded Israel from the south. |
| 2000-1700 BC (Iron Age) | Abraham and his family are told to migrate to the land of the Canaanites. He was the first one to be known as Jewish. He was the father of both the Jewish and Arab tribes. Abraham has two sons, Ishmael (father of the Arabs) and Isaac (father of the Jews). |
| 1500 BC | Isaac and his family enter Egypt looking for relief from drought and famine. His son Joseph saved Egypt from starvation and became favored by the Egyptians. Egypt turned the Jews into slaves after the original pharaoh died. Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery. After wandering in the Sinai Desert for 40 years, they entered Canaan to possess the land under the command of God. |
| 1100BC | Israel purged the land of all of the Canaanites and possessed the land without dispute, having left no others alive to claim the land. |
| 700 BC | The Assyrians conquered Israel, exiling them out of the land. |
| 601 BC | The Babylonians and then the Persians conquered the land. By 560 BC, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild their homeland. Consequently, Israel again possessed their land. |
| 330 BC | Alexander the Great conquered much of the Middle East, including areas to the north and east of Israel, consequently bringing Hellenization to those lands. Israel was still living in their land. |
| 290 BC | Hasmoneans conquered much of the Middle East, including areas controlled by Alexander the Great. Israel still lived in their land. |
| 63 BC | Rome conquered the land and occupied it. Israel still lived in their land. |
The Modern Era—Including Israel’s Land
The “Palestinians” dispute this timeline. Their timeline essentially ignores Israel’s existence in the land while orienting everything toward the “Palestinians”.
The “Palestinians” are Arabs from the Ottoman Empire who likely originated in the Aegean Islands off the coast of Turkey. They were invaders and conquerors who invaded and occupied present-day Gaza. They were known as the Philistines in early Israeli history, and Israel tried to repulse them from their land, but the Philistines were tenacious and remained.
Ottoman Involvement in Israel’s Land
The Ottomans (also known as the Turks) dominated the Middle East from 1299 AD until 1918 AD. (Note: 1299 AD is much more recent than 1500 BC when Israel established the land.)
When World War One broke out, the Ottomans fought on Germany’s side. Consequently, after that war, the Ottoman Empire, being on the losing side, was broken up and England controlled the region, divvying up the land to various people groups, including the “Palestinians”.
But England also issued the Balfour Declaration favoring “a national home for the Jewish people” in their ancient homeland.
That declaration acknowledged Israel’s ties to the land from yet another source. The Israelis mostly lived in exile from their ancient homeland that entire time—and beyond.
Imagine you were Jewish in 1918 AD and had established lives and history in hosting nations while in exile. You might appreciate the actions on behalf of Jews around the world. Still, you would not be eager to uproot and return to a land with hostile nations all around you—especially if you had no organized military for protection going in—and there were no guarantees of that. Most stayed in their homes of exile despite the declaration of Israel’s national home.
The “Palestinians” were and still are in a similar place—they were not eager to uproot from the homes and history they had built in the region. So despite the Balfour declaration, Israel felt safer staying where they were, in exile, for the time being.
The Factual Evidence It Is Israel’s Land
Various archaeological digs and hieroglyphs, Jewish Scripture, secular historians like Josephus, and the Roman Empire—all have written artifacts showing Israel occupied the land from 1500 BC with periods where they were exiled by conquering forces and later returned and rebuilt the land and their temple.
Those artifacts have been verified and certified accurate by scientists. They have been dated to the times suggested and found to be from the periods written about. That’s solid evidence of title to the land for Israel.
“Palestinians” have no such artifacts to corroborate their version of history until Muhammad founded Islam in 610 AD. Historical records agree that if an Arab wasn’t atheist, they either practiced Judaism or Christianity after Jesus was born. The earliest Christians were Jews from Israel and Judah, and there has been a lot of Christian presence in the land since the birth of Jesus.
From there, the Muslims wrestled over control of the Middle East until the Ottoman Empire took control of the entire region. Israelis lived in their land this whole time, and a small remnant remained in Israel during the Ottoman Empire.
Where “Palestine’s” Land Dispute Began Over Israel’s Land
That is until World War Two broke out, and Nazi Germany started killing Jews en masse. It was after that war, in 1945 AD, that the world, not just Israel, realized they had to have their land to defend themselves against enemies that would try to annihilate them.
Today, that international tragedy has faded into history and out of the minds of generations that were not there. The world no longer senses the urgent need to see Israel in their homeland. It was palpable around the globe at the time and for some decades afterward. Nobody disputed the genocide that Germany tried to commit against Israel.
Pictures and documents of that day were beyond dispute. They were all used in the trials after the war—another testament to Israel’s history. Everyone knew, without a doubt, that the genocide occurred. Many of us alive today have had or heard conversations with those who went through it. It was not part of a conspiracy theory that “Palestine’s” enemies contrived against them. Many of their stories are well-documented and certified.
The Rise of Opposition Voices Over Israel’s Land
Only since those who lived the Holocaust have diminished in voice, partly because most of that generation has passed, but also because those still living are struggling with advanced old age and unable to speak out, has a voice of denial arisen.
And those wanting to rewrite history have taken advantage of that by loudly proclaiming the Holocaust never took place. This tips us off about the character of those who want Israel out of the land—at least those who adamantly assert the Holocaust didn’t happen.
Responding to the near genocide of the Jewish people, the world realized they absolutely had to have land with borders they could defend and could gather from around the world to participate in government and the military. So, after WWII, in 1948, they began taking back their land.
Why Did Israel Take That Land in 1948?
- Israel was exiled from their ancient homeland and scattered across the globe.
- Some had already begun migrating back after the Balfour Declaration.
- They had no land, borders, infrastructure, government, or military to defend themselves.
- During World War II, Nazi Germany tried to annihilate the Jewish race.
- Near genocide was a Clarion call to the world that Israel needed land to organize a defense.
- No free land has existed for millennia, which created a problem. Where could Jews go to form a government and a military?
- Their ancient homeland was occupied by the Ottoman Empire from 1299 AD to 1918 AD, which they renamed “Palestine”. That was 1,800 years after Israel had established the land as their home.
- In 1918, at the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was broken apart and Israel was given the land that was occupied by the “Palestinians”.
- Beginning in the early 1920s, after many Jews began migrating back to their ancient homeland, sectarian violence between Arabs and Jews made that transition more difficult.
- The threat of genocide by a nation hosting Jews in exile was the motivation they needed to make their move back to their ancient homeland. So, in 1948, that is what they did.
Where is the Evidence Proving “Palestinians” Were In the Land First?
- Israel occupied the land from at least 1500 BC uncontested. The “Palestinians” migrated to the land when the Ottoman Empire conquered the land in 1299 AD. That’s almost 1,800 years later.
- Unlike the “Palestinians”, Israel didn’t completely push the “Palestinians” out when they came back. They were allowed to stay in the land and continue to call it home. This is a point that protesters today overlook or ignore in favor of a cover-up story that the “Palestinians” were there first. They were there when Israel came back to claim their land, but they were far from there first.
- Show records—of any kind: archaeological artifacts in the region, hieroglyphs, writings from historians or government officials—anything that proves “Palestine” was there first and that Israel took it from them and pushed them out. That evidence doesn’t exist.
- Israel has all of these—archeological artifacts, hieroglyphs, writings from historians and occupying governments, and their own religious writings, which mention historical figures, places, and events, all corroborating that Israel is the oldest occupant alive today.
Conclusion
Israel has copious evidence they inhabited their ancient homeland since 1500 BC with a few exiles from conquerors. They always returned and rebuilt their land. And that is how history unfolded until the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans renamed Israel’s ancient homeland “Palestine”, and that’s where history muddles Israel’s possession of the land.
The “Palestinians” didn’t exist before the Ottoman Empire, and they are the descendants of the Ottomans. In effect, the “Palestinians” invaded and conquered Israel, sending them into their most recent exile. And they have remained in the land since that time, fighting Israel’s presence—in Israel’s own homeland!
That’s the essential argument that the land is Israel’s. We don’t make that argument as a case to expel the “Palestinians”. It is, after all, their home since 1299 AD. Ideally, the land should be all Israel’s, but even they understand the “Palestinians” would have no place to go except back to their ancient homeland.
Charges of Apartheid
Israel now has a common gathering place to protect itself. If you’re in Israel’s place, the choice is a “no-brainer”. It would be the same for any of us. Put yourself in Israel’s shoes. Think about this honestly. They didn’t displace “Palestinians” for fun or enjoyment; they did it for their survival. And they took only what belonged to them from long ago—at least part of it.
With stories of Israeli abuses against the “Palestinians” in the Shiekh Jarrah development, which was made more infamous by a paper written at Amnesty International, South Africa has gotten involved at the UN to charge Israel with Apartheid practices and genocide against the “Palestinians”.
These charges also come from unverified reports that Israel is indiscriminately killing Gazan civilians in its war to purge the region of existential threats to Israel’s safety. The reports have since been investigated and are not what “Palestinians” have claimed. Israel has taken historically unprecedented measures to prevent civilian casualties, and has modified it’s procedures again, to be extra careful not to kill civilians. Clearly, this is not their intent.
The Occupied territories were also part of Israel’s ancient homeland. That includes the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. In 1967, Israel fought to gain those land parcels back and won. From that event, new land disputes arose, and even greater sectarian violence broke out.
Israelis held steady and didn’t respond to terror attacks and occasional rocket attacks that killed Israeli citizens by invading and taking control of those areas or pushing enemies out.
Interactions With “Palestinians” in Israel’s Land and the Occupied Territories
They did, however, begin going into regions of the Occupied Territories and ousting “Palestinians” who were occupying property owned by Israelis before 1948, like in the Shiekh Jarrah development. They also leveled properties of known terrorist activities.
Regardless of which nation, when people resist society’s efforts to correct issues, they can have force used against them. The more resistance, the stronger the force. That’s just a given in law enforcement, and we willfully give law enforcement the power to use deadly force to gain compliance—all for the public’s safety. It is universally accepted as a valid technique to ensure compliance.
By accepting citizenship into the society where these techniques are applied, you tacitly agree to law enforcement methods. They are the law for good reason. This can and often does bring about injuries to the resister and can even lead to death depending on how deadly the force used against law enforcement.
When grievances are redressed, the street and violence are not the way to handle things. A court of law is where those things are redressed. That’s just a given when you want to conduct a civil society in fairness and justice.
These seem like the actions of people who are trying to secure peace and establish law and order in the region—not people trying to commit genocide. But this kind of situation is where charges of Apartheid come from.
Seeing the Whole Picture—Israel’s and “Palestinian’s” Perspectives on Israel’s Land
We’ve heard all of the usual establishment media outlets proclaim the “Palestinian” viewpoint on this, but it’s rare to hear the Israeli side of it. According to Professor Avi Bell of the University of San Diego, “After the Six Day War of 1967 ended Jordan’s occupation of east Jerusalem, Israel adopted legislation that vindicated the private property rights
of persons of all ethnicities.”
Israel itself was proactive in seeing that lands went to the rightful owners without factoring in the ethnicity of the one(s) disputing private property rights. That doesn’t sound like intent to practice racism or Apartheid.
Israel is also responsible for the security and defense of its homeland. This sometimes requires police actions to control unruly and sometimes violent people in the land.
Did they get carried away on occasion? We don’t know—and neither do most protesters charging Apartheid. A summary report put out by the Biden Administration State Department seems to indicate they did. Lately, the Biden Administration has taken the side of “Palestinians” in these disputes—they aren’t being non-partisan.
Israel’s Blind Side Enemies
Amnesty International put out a paper condemning Israel for discrimination in land disputes. The Sheikh Jarrah property dispute is a defining point in that paper.
You hear the “Palestinian” argument all the time. This link gives Israel’s side of the dispute.
Amnesty didn’t take the time to investigate beyond what they heard from the “Palestinians”, who have a notorious reputation for skirting the truth to bad-mouth Israel.
In its opening salvo attacking Israel, Amnesty makes the statement, in bold type-face and large, headline font size, “Israel is not a state of all it’s citizens…[but rather] the nation-state of the Jewish people and only them“. This was a partial and edited quote of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, meant to signify to “the informed” that Israel is racist.
They began hunting for “other evidence” and found it in an Instagram post in Benjamin Netanyahu’s words, taken out of context.
Did You Know?
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is “not a state of all its citizens”?
In comments on Instagram, the prime minister went on to say all citizens, including Arabs, had equal rights, but he referred to a deeply controversial law passed [in 2018] declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people:
“Israel is not a state of all its citizens,” he wrote in response to criticism from an Israeli actor, Rotem Sela. “According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people – and only it. “As you wrote, there is no problem with the Arab citizens of Israel. They have equal rights like all of us and the Likud government has invested more in the Arab sector than any other government” he said of his rightwing party…“
Pavlov’s “Community Organizers”
To trained “community organizers” and “public agitators“, this comment, on its surface, “smacks of racism”. Such “organizers”, like Pavlov’s Dogs, reflexively respond to keywords or phrases used that exist within the halo of controversy when it’s in the context of “racism” and other abuses. The phrases may not connect at all to abuses or racism, but hasty interpretations with little to no research can lead to such false ideas.
So, of course, if we are to right social wrongs, we use these hasty but false impressions to alibi going hunting for “how” this is racism so we can justify our accusation. How often does this approach turn into a “witch hunt”—a “ghost story”— a “conspiracy theory”? It becomes a “social cause” when others react uninformed and emotionally – trusting the message sender instead of confirming facts.
Boom! They counted coups! Gotcha!!! (mic drop and head caulk). Only they didn’t have anything confirmed. To those who hold other facts, they just look foolish.
Beware of people who pull events and words out of context to make a point. Ask for credentials—ask for certificates of authenticity. Emotions, while meaningful human experiences and can lead to truth-seeking, are not trustworthy in place of evidence of facts.
We need to learn to see the whole truth and think Critically so we don’t hastily jump to conclusions.
Too Close to the Trees to See the Forest
The reason the approach used as Amnesty International has, is the phrase “on its surface”. Margret Huang, then CEO of Amnesty only needed Netanyahu’s comment (out-of-context) to write the paper and investigate Israel of Apartheid.
You can make anything sound like aggression if you word it right. “The angry player threw the ball at his teammate” sounds more aggressive than “The dismayed player passed the ball to his teammate” for example.
We miss the big picture when we key in on words or phrases that sound bad.
Conditioned Reflex Betrays Truth and Due Diligence
Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to respond to specific stimulations—a bell ring conditioned them to react with what dogs do if they anticipate food is coming—they salivated.
It’s called “Conditioned Reflex” or “Stimulus/Response”. Humans can be subject to this behavior, too. For example, suppose a “community organizer” sees things they typically associate with abusive behavior. In that case, they might reflexively use it—without any research—as an example and proof of that abuse being practiced, even if it’s not.
Amnesty set a false tone in their paper by accusing Israel of practicing Apartheid. The premise of the opening statement to their “Executive Summary” is out of context. Netanyahu was talking about Israel’s land—not to exclude people, but to define their national identity.
In other words, by posting this executive summary, Amnesty is saying, “Here is the situation, don’t bother looking into details; we have done that for you in this report”. By the way, an “Executive Briefing” is a summation of the problem being addressed for those who manage the response to save time becoming involved in particulars. If you want to control what and how information is disseminated, an “Executive Briefing” is pretty handy—even if the information is wrong. It only needs to be trusted, not truthful, to be acted upon.
Common Ancestry – Not Racism
To get at the whole truth, let’s look at some Israeli national context since Amnesty objects to the use of the term “nation-state” and “only us”. These are the phrases they are keying in on to investigate Apartheid to make their case.
All Jews are connected, not just by common ancestry, but also by experiences and their religion. Israel has been exiled from their ancient homeland and scattered across the globe to all of the nations of the earth instead of inside their common borders.
This is the same thing as saying all blacks are connected by skin color and shared experience. No difference. Netanyahu’s comments and Israel’s fundamental national law speak to their commonality. This is not wrong.
Israel has found itself subject to abuses and discrimination in all of the nations that hosted them in their exile, including one nation in particular, Nazi Germany, who tried to kill them all.
On top of that, since they have returned to their homeland, they have been attacked regularly by rockets and terrorism by “individuals “Palestinians” living in the Occupied Territories, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
Enemies of Israel, who are looking for anything they can find to persecute Israel with, might see the wording of this law as an “in” to charge them with Apartheid, but that is entirely out of context.
They weren’t declaring they were an exclusive nation. But they acknowledged their shared experiences, history, faith, and how that all culminates into the people called Israel. They are a nation to preserve their race—not to exclude anyone who wants to be a part of Israel.
Israel is Not Alone In Common Ancestry
Many nations around the world have common ancestry. Jews and “Palestinians” have a common ancestry. It is only philosophical and religious differences that separate the inhabitants of these nations into groups. Nobody complains about Germany consisting of Germanic people. England isn’t accused of Apartheid because they have a common identity of Anglo-Saxons. The French, Italians, Greeks, Scandinavians, and all other countries of homogenous origins are not being ridiculed for saying so.
This idea that we must be uniform around the world with people getting out pie charts to show what the distribution of ethnicities “should be” is not only ridiculous when you consider it, but untenable and very impractical.
A Short Excursion to Discuss Progressive Thought
Progressivism tends to fight for evenness. It’s how many progressives see fairness and justice. “Re-distribute wealth so everyone has a fair share”. Or “equally represent every minority and gender”.
Hypothetically, what would happen if you took inventory of every person on earth and found you can’t divide races and evenly distribute them worldwide? Kill the leftovers? “You go here, and you go there, and wait, you’re a leftover!” Bang! It certainly wouldn’t be fair to those killed for being “too many”, would it?
Of course, no progressive would advocate eliminating “leftovers,” and nobody is opposed to fair representation. But do you see the point we’re making here?
When someone is born or dies, what do you do? That would mess up your evenness. Life is messy and mostly random. Many things factor into a person’s life and where they feel happy to live. It’s better not to intervene for the sake of “evenness” or symmetry.
Example of This Fallacy
The number of blacks in sports and music compared to other races proves that they are just better athletes and have better rhythm. Nobody argues that there needs to be more from different minorities in sports or music. It shows that some are better at one thing, and some are better at another. Germans are better at math and science in general, and that happens to play into industry and innovation, which in turn could partly explain why the industrial age had more whites than other minorities.
The flip side is that each race has the full range of abilities and aptitudes. There are black brain surgeons and black auto mechanics. There are good white athletes and musicians with rhythm and some who never get beyond an entry-level, unskilled labor job. Asians, on the whole, are good at improving goods and services, and many have high IQs and excel in higher education. There are also Asians who wait on tables at restaurants all their lives.
To assume all of one race does well at one thing is a bias that stereotypes them.
It isn’t so much the race as it is the abilities that make us fit in. The realities don’t fit the methods progressivism want to implement in making everything fair and just and people representing their race.
A Point About the Extreme Mindset
In ensuring everyone is “properly represented”, you can easily carry things to extremes. And the other end to that is that you can view people in extremes. An idea is brought forward by leaders that isn’t good, and an entire nation is deemed to have that character. That’s extreme—not to mention hateful.
You see the impracticality of looking at things this way. We need to find better ways to express our desire for fairness and justice and ditch this concept that everything has to be even—that also applies to the world’s melting pot, the United States of America. Culture and personality—even tastes and desires—determine where a person wants to live or what they want to do for an occupation or career. Some places are more suitable than others. Things will be uneven and unevenly represented.
Each nation with homogenous origins allows people from other nations to live there and be citizens—including Israel. When you examine that fact, you need to rethink the idea that Israel is racist. It’s all the same thing. There is a context when such a focus is correct, but it’s an exception, not the rule.
The True Context
The Amnesty International paper has fueled strong but false accusations against Israel, which have led to terrible and false allegations of Apartheid in the United Nations and campus protests across the globe, like the protests with signs about Israel stealing the land. These false and egregious accusations have hurt Israel without considering what they’ve been through or how that history impacts how they want to treat others.
It only adds more burden to the already burdensome task of removing threats that Israel faces. It emboldens Israel’s enemies to attack, figuring Israel’s alliances are weakening.
Charging Israel with Apartheid is an insulting slap in the face after the Nazi holocaust. Falsely proclaiming Israel stole their ancient homeland from the “Palestinians” adds insult to injury.
Aren’t community organizers supposed to be trying to make the world better instead of going on witch hunts to condemn some and support others? How do you improve the world when you alienate and divide people? It seems like a destructive kind of tunnel vision that is so focused on helping someone that it ignores and hinders someone else—even putting them in lethal danger.
Sobering Questions and Suggestions
If Israel doesn’t belong in their ancient homeland, where do they belong? Germany? Russia? Are we going to make room for them in the US? Who is ready to let them have some of their land so they can defend themselves? And what about the religious and historical significance of the land to their faith—and Christians, too?
This is undeserved slander against Israel. Those with politically partisan ambitions are picking up on this false accusation and “piling on” Israel. Even Israel’s strongest ally, the U.S., is pressuring Israel to do the impossible because we have a politically partisan administration doing the pushing.
When Hamas is deliberately putting “Palestinian” citizens in harm’s way, asking Israel’s military to change how they attack Hamas so civilians are not killed puts them in harm’s way, too. Asking them to decide whether a citizen is a fighter or an innocent amid gunfire and bombs exploding at them is a very big ask while sitting safely on a high pedestal in the White House. It’s essential to do a deeper dive into these accusations.
Stolen Virtue Impacts Israel’s Land
There is a problem of “Stolen Virtue” with today’s organizations of trust. That includes NGOs like Amnesty International and the SPLC, establishment media outlets, and other information outlets.
Did you know that fifteen (15) billionaires own all of America’s media companies? Think of it. Fifteen wealthy elites control the information this country sees. They are buying the trusted credentials of these former news media outlets and turning them into propaganda outlets.
Where are the outcries for justice from community organizers who want to redistribute wealth? Why are they silent while wealthy elites are buying this country and enforcing their will on us? That second question is far more relevant to justice.
What is Stolen Virtue?
“Stolen Virtue”, in this discussion, is the abuse of credentials earned through ethical conduct in the public’s eye by an organization that gets taken over by a different group with less ethical intentions. They use the credentials earned by other people as a guise of having similar trust. The group abusing the credentials gains credibility through the assumed continuation of the previous ethical conduct. They have the credibility they didn’t earn because of “Stolen Virtue”.
Amnesty International is an organization abusing its credentials and stealing virtue, and we could list many more. Amnesty started with a “[commitment] to [create] a future where human rights are enjoyed by everyone”, without regard to politics. That’s not the case today. They are attacking Israel without cause, twisting the story in Israel to benefit the “Palestinians” and condemn Israel. They have no evidence. But they are a trusted organization, so people believe them without investigating their claims.
It was Israel’s land almost two thousand years before the Ottoman Empire took it by force from Israel. Today’s “Palestinian” ancestors were the Ottomans. So, zooming out and looking at the big picture, the “Palestinians”, by association, took the land from Israel. Evidence of the “Palestinians” settling in Israel’s ancient homeland makes them entirely attributable to taking the land.
Justice and Fairness Demand Considering Who Possessed the Land First
Where is justice, fairness, virtue, and ethical conduct in calling it “Palestinian” land without considering it was Israel’s land first?
How can you call it Apartheid when they are settling disputes with people of common ancestry?
How can you call it genocide when Hamas is the one holding guns on its citizens, expecting them to stay in place while Israel takes out enemy threats?
Amnesty International and others would choose a time in history when the Ottoman Empire had already expelled Israel from their land to argue “Palestinian” claims to the land. What does that say about their loyalty to truth?
Other Things To Consider
In addition to charges being leveled against Israel by its self-proclaimed enemies, we take a deeper dive into factual details related to this page.
The Ottoman Empire and the Exile of the Jews from Israel’s Land
The dark green on this map was the Ottoman Empire. The strip of land on the east side of the Mediterranean Sea (labeled “Palestine”) was Israel’s land before the Ottoman Empire exiled (displaced) them.
Israel fled to every European country in the 13th century when the Ottoman Empire invaded their ancient homeland and either killed them or exiled them. After displacing the Israelis, the Ottomans came in and settled their land, calling it “Palestine” for the first time.
Israel profoundly understands what it is to be displaced.
Think the Best of People Unless They Give Valid Reasons Not To
We ought to think the best of people rather than thinking people with a shared history, like Israel, would turn and displace others without thought or conflicted feelings after going through the same thing. Would you be conflicted under the same circumstances? Displacing people and relishing it would undoubtedly be vicious and evil. Israel is a nation whose faith teaches them not to engage in such things.
Anyone who has been through something terrible doesn’t want to go through it again or put people through it.
It is within the realm of possible behavior choices in the human mind and heart to enact evil against whole groups of people, but it is not likely. But in some cases, the human mind rationalizes, analyzes, and justifies all kinds of inhumanity toward their fellow human, thinking they are doing the world a favor.
Muslims in the Ottoman Empire executing Caliphate is an example of that. Israel taking back their ancient homeland for their protection is a far different thing.
Some People Require a Strong Arm of Deterrence
When is it ever a favor to the world to kill people? How would you even begin to decide that? Who, besides God, is qualified to make that decision? We might be able to see it would be justified if one group of people was intent on destroying other people groups and oppressing the world – like Nazi Germany or the former Socialist Soviet Republic (Russia). It might be justifiable under those circumstances.
A Real World-Example of How Killing Some Saves Many More Lives
Sometimes, taking lives can save many more lives. The reason we don’t see this and automatically agree is that, in taking those lives, we never know what might have happened if we let them live. We do have historical examples to study.
Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan is a good example. Upon surrendering, Japan told its victors they were prepared to continue fighting another year. They surrendered early because of the tremendous destructive power of the atomic bomb and realized they wouldn’t survive if they kept fighting.
The rate of people dying from WWII continuing after Germany’s surrender was a million per year, and by killing a few hundred thousand Japanese, the war ended a year early. Hence, the net number of lives saved was over half a million. That’s a lot of people.
And the Atom Bomb became a deterrent to people wanting to take over the world. Deterrence can be a very powerful tool to prevent bad things from happening. The problem with deterrence mechanisms is that they are only effective as long as generations are alive and remember the details surrounding the use of deterrence. Once those memories are gone from society’s collective minds, their importance tends to break down and lose their importance.
Policies of deterrence precipitate good and peaceful ends – sometimes even when they begin with killing.
Attacks Don’t Always Mean Saving Life
Attacks aren’t always intended to save lives. The Hamas attack of October 7th, 2023, was not committed as a deterrent. It was a surprise attack on civilians based on the philosophy that Israel is occupying a place they don’t belong, and Hamas wanted to kill all Israelis.
It takes force to convince some people not to be aggressive. To groups like Hamas, talking peace is seen as a sign of weakness. The threat of death is the only thing groups like Hamas understand as a deterrence.
Dire Lethal Event Signaled to the World Israel’s Need For Their Own Borders
Near destruction by a country hosting Jews in exile was the signal to the Jews and the rest of the world that they were in trouble – they needed their own country for protection and infrastructure devoted to their needs. They needed recognized borders for infrastructure and a military.
This picture is of German Nazi soldiers rounding up Jews to take to concentration camps for destruction.
They used to have a country until the Ottoman Empire took their land and tried to kill them all, sending them fleeing for their lives to other countries for protection.
We can speculate all day, but until we walk in their shoes, we don’t know how they would respond to the need to displace others. Do you think that if they were vicious like that, they would have stood up to the Nazis better? We look at Jewish conduct outside the context of land disputes, and Israel is more consistent with being a peaceful, well-meaning people of goodwill.
Displacing people – any people – seems like it was forced on them in dire, lethal circumstances, and they were backed into a corner and took action only to defend their very lives. How would you respond if you needed land and a military to protect yourselves and had to displace people to take back what was once yours without dispute?
Holocaust Deniers – Rejecting Israel’s Reason For the Need of Land
Some claim the holocaust never happened. They have ulterior motives. The “Palestinians” and other Muslim nations that aligned with the Nazis during WWII deny the holocaust. But we need to study and account for the whole truth.
The Breakdown of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire lasted between 1516 and 1918. By 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration during the First World War. It announced its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in “Palestine”. It was still an Ottoman region at that time.
During the late Ottoman period, the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, which consisted of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jaffa, Gaza, and Beersheba, and Ottoman districts known as the Sanjak of Nablus and Sanjak of Akka (Acre), formed the region that was commonly referred to as “Palestine”.
In 1914, the British declared war on the Ottoman Empire, and the British war cabinet began considering the future of “Palestine”. “A committee was established in April 1915 … to determine their policy towards the Ottoman Empire including Palestine.”
“…[After] fighting on the side of Germany in World War I and suffering defeat, the [Ottoman] empire was dismantled by treaty and came to an end in 1922″. Turkey is all that remained of the Ottoman Empire. But Israel’s land was still inhabited by mostly “Palestinians”. At the time, more Christians lived there than Jews.
Modern-day “Palestinians” are descendants of the Ottomans who exiled Israel from their ancient homeland.
Exiled Jews saw no reason to leave the host nations where they had settled and didn’t have the power or organization to lay claim to their ancient homeland anyway. In 1922, the population in their ancient homeland was only 3% Jewish.
The Jewish Return to Their Ancient Homeland Created Tension In the Region
Near extinction during WWII changed the number of Jews in the region. “Desperate times required desperate measures”, and Israel had no better option than to take back their land. Organization and protection are what brought on Israel’s push for their land. So, with the borrowed mechanization of the freshly ended war, they set out to take back their ancient homeland. And they did get some of it back in 1948.
With Israel back in their homeland, there was tension between Arabs and Israel. Attacks were conducted on Israel by fledgling Palestinian guerrilla groups based in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. This led to counterattacks by Israel.
The tension between Israel and the Arab nations lead to the “Arab-Israeli Wars“.
In 1967, this led to the Six-Day War in which Israel took control of the regions currently called “the Occupied Territories”, which include East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank.
In exchange for lasting peace, Israel gave the Sinai Peninsula back to the Egyptians, and they have enjoyed peace with their southern neighbors since that time.
The “Palestinians” want Israel out of the region altogether. They aren’t interested in a “land for peace” arrangement with Israel. That ensures trouble in the region until something major changes. The taking of the Occupied Territories is at the heart of land disputes today with the “Palestinians”.
Historic Progression Detailed So Far In the Region
So far, we have covered the History of the Ottoman Empire to the Present day. Below, we will talk about the long history of Israel in the land. What we have so far:
- The Ottomans expelled Israel from their homeland sometime around 1290 AD.
- In 1918, the Ottoman Empire was broken up after 600-some years of regional domination.
- “Palestine” was the 7th most traveled region in the Ottoman Empire, and after it was broken up, the “Palestinians” continued to occupy the region of ancient Israel.
- World War Two (1939-1945) convinced the world that Israel needed their land for protection.
- In 1948, Israel took back some of their ancient homeland.
- The Six-Day War in 1967 saw Israel defeat the Arabs, and they possessed the “Occupied Territories”.
- Israel returned the Sinai Penninsula to Egypt for a treaty of lasting peace.
- The “Palestinians” have fought Israel to this day, not demanding a peace treaty but demanding Israel to leave the region.
- Today, the “Palestinians” using “displacement” and “land disputes” as their rationale have convinced many in the US and around the world to support them in controlling Israel – without any guarantees of peace.
Not only does Christian Scripture document Isael’s presence as the sould possessers of the land, but Israel has much history in the region from before the Ottoman Empire. It is recorded in their Scriptures and dates back to as early as 1500 BCE. That is sound evidence of ownership.
Israel’s History in the Land Before the Ottoman Empire Took It From Them
Abraham, the first Jew, lived in Canaan in the 18th century BCE. It was called Canaan in those days because the Canaanites inhabited the land.
God considered Abraham righteous and promised him “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky“. God also gave Abraham the promised land which amounted to the boundaries of Israel before the Ottoman Empire.
These promises were important. In those days, property was a measure of wealth. If a man had land and livestock, he was considered wealthy. And it was this property that was passed down to the eldest son as an inheritance – at least by tradition. The inheritance played a big part in the division between Abraham’s sons, Ishmael and Isaac.
The Inheritance
When Abraham was promised a child, he was old and in his late 80s or early 90s. His wife Sarah was well beyond her childbearing years and in her 80s. They tried to have a child, but it wasn’t happening. Sarah thought the child would come from someone in their childbearing years, so she gave Abraham her servant Haggar, and Abraham conceived a child with her.
Haggar bore a son to Abraham called Ishmael. And God was angry with Abraham because He didn’t believe God would give Abraham a child by his wife. Abraham knew adultery was wrong but conceived a child in adultery anyway, attempting to make it OK by marrying Haggar.
God expected Abraham to conceive with his wife, Sarah. And they did. And Sarah bore Abraham a son named Isaac.
So Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn. He was a son born in sin. Isaac was Abraham’s son of promise, to whom God intended Abraham’s inheritance to belong. By tradition, Ishmael was the rightful son to inherit Abraham’s property.
But that wasn’t God’s plan. Isaac received the inheritance. And Abraham sent Ishmael and his mother Hagar out of their camp. God saw their sorrow and blessed Ishmael with many descendants anyway.
Ishmael became the father of the Arabs and the fact that Abraham gave the inheritance to Isaac even though Ishmael was the firstborn created enmity between the Jews and the Arabs that culminated in bad feelings since then.
Dated Historic Records Both Inside and Outside of Israel Title the Land to Israel
The “Merneptah Stele” is an Egytian stone carving dated to 1400 BCE that refers to Israel.
Hieroglyphics on a gray granite slab, “spotted in the storerooms of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin by University of Munich Hebrew Bible scholar and Egyptologist Manfred Görg”, which is older than the Merneptah Stele “by several centuries” also refers to Israel as a nation.
Scores of archeological digs have unearthed proofs of settlements referred to in Judaic Scriptures as part of Israel, confirming that Israel was a nation at least as long ago as 1500 BC.
The Judaic Scriptures are some of the most studied ancient artifacts in history. Their integrity continues to amaze researchers and scholars—the radiocarbon test dates them back to ancient times.
The Ottomans expelled Israel from their ancient homeland the last time they were expelled.
These all testify to the land belonging to Israel. They are as good as a land deed. The land was uncontested at the time these artifacts were carved or scribed.
The Earliest Reference in Judaic Scripture
Abraham lived in the land when God promised it would be his and his descendants would live on the land. And the Israelites, as accounted in Judeo Scriptures, came in and conquered the land, taking it from the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Girgashites, and the Philistines.
Those who oppose Israel will no doubt point out that it is a terrible thing that Israel killed the inhabitants and took their land. Is it worse that Israel did that and wrote about it than all their other contemporaries who did that (and worse) and didn’t write it down? That kind of thing happened in those days, and Israel is far from the only people who did it. At least when Israel did it, the one who created Israel’s enemies gave his command to do it. Otherwise, they would have continued to live as slaves in Egypt.
The point is that Israel ended up with sole possession of the land, which wasn’t disputed by anyone still living. That goes back as far as Israel’s records. The earlier oral record was confirmed by God Himself, who gave Moses tablets with the story of humanity going back to the creation of the earth.
You can choose to believe that or not, but the provable science on Israel’s claim to the land is solid and disputing that fact is ill-advised due to the weight of scientific evidence.
The Philistines Role in Israel’s Land
Theories are floating around that the ancient Philistines were the ancestors of the “Palestinians”. The Philistines settled along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea shortly after Israel arrived in their promised land. The Philistines invaded several nations in that time frame (around 1200 BC). They invaded parts of Egypt and were repulsed, forcing them to settle where they did.
It was known as Philistia (the Land of the Philistines) until the Greeks later called it Palestine, according to Britannica.com. So, when discussing the “Palestinians”, it is ancient invaders of multiple nations we are talking about. Their origins are the Aegean Sea and Aegean Island regions. The orange islands are the Aegean Islands. The Philistines were likely of Turkish origins. They were explorers and conquerors. The Philistines were never able to subdue Israel. They did manage to settle the southwestern shores of the Mediterranean Sea while Israel possessed the land.
If “Palestinians” have a claim at all to Israel’s land, it is the Gaza Strip. But, according to some sources, they arrived at the same time as Israel. According to Jewish Scripture, they came after Israel.
They already occupy the Gaza Strip, yet they are aggressive and hostile toward Israel, demanding the entire land. They continually attack Israel making themselves a constant lethal threat to Israel. Being a threat provokes Israel to eliminate that threat.
The question that needs to be asked is, “Why is “Palestine” continuing to be a lethal threat when they have the land they can make any claim at all to?” The answer, of course, is they should stop the attacks. But they have proven they do not intend to stop attacking until Israel is gone. Who is committing genocide?
As Things Stand Today – Modern Arrangements in Israel’s Land
An article titled, “Who REALLY owns the Land of Israel?” by Jewish Journal is a good description of how things are today.
Conclusion
Israel has the most ancient claim to the land and took it back the last time in 1948 to organize and form a military for defense. They have tried to extend peace to their neighbors – including the “Palestinians”. Some have accepted treaties with Israel, and some have not. “Palestine” has not.
“Palestinians” belonged to the Ottoman Empire, which expelled the Israelis from their homeland. Instead of accommodating Israel in their own ancient homeland and making a treaty of lasting peace like Egypt and Jordan have done, they have consistently fought Israel and tried to get them out of the land.
Israel is in danger as long as the “Palestinians” and their supporters are attacking Israel.
We believe that the “Palestinians” are wrong in this situation.
The question that begs an answer, especially when reading protest signs like “NO PEACE ON STOLEN LAND!” is, who stole the land?
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