Vanity - Need reference to resource on Palestinian history

this is only one of the things we argue about (but you probably guessed that).

Can youse guys help out here?

link

Why bother? He’ll probably counter argue with quotes from “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

Thanks!

Let him.

I do admit to a certain amount of satisfaction arising from refuting his lies. ;-).

Hourani’s “A History of the Arab People” is pretty good.

I’ll check it out.

The stuff at the link given isn't bad, but of course the Syrian friend will probably say that it is biased.

One does need to know what he means by "Palestinian" history, as before 1964 or so "Palestinians" were Jews. (See for example any of the old NY Times Index books from the early years of the 20th century.) I assume he means "Arabs."

For this one could do worse than just reading Mark Twain's description of the "Holy Land" that is part of The Innocents Abroad (which I was surprised not to see any reference to at the linked site). Twain's travelogue has the advantage of being completely apolitical. It is just a snapshot in time but does sort of destroy the Arab myth of millions of indigenous people being displaced by the merciless Zionists.

ML/NJ

The best book on the subject is “A Peace to end All Peace”, but it isn’t short.

The thumbnail history is this: The Eastern Mediteranian Area (called the Levant)has changed ownership many many times. This has always happened directly or indirectly by force of arms.

Prior to the British Mandate for the area after WW1, it was part of the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). The Turks were muslim, but are not Arabs. The Turks sided with the Germans in WW1. They lost.

Britain needed Palestine and Egypt to protect there “road to India”, the Suez Canal. When India gained independence on August 15th, 1947, their need to be there evaporated. Britain pulled out and Israel declared their state on May 14, 1948. All of the surrounding “nations” that had been created at the end of ww1 attacked Israel, including Jordan (which was originally named “The Hashemite Kingdom of Trans-Jordon because all of it’s territory was EAST of the Jordan river) attacked. Jordon even had British help.

When Israel had finally won, the state was within what is now referred to as the pre-1967 borders and is generally accepted as the true borders of Israel.

The truth is that Israel is a legitimate state. Unlike Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordon. Israel fought for and won their independence. The Saudi tribe actually drove out the Hashemite tribe to create the country of Saudi Arabia. The British were allies of the Hashemites so the created Trans-Jordon out of what was originally considered the Jewish homeland designated by the British. They gave another Hashemite Iraq.

The ONLY claim the Arabs have is through its conquest of the area in the beginning of the Arab Empire. They had lost it by conquest long before Israel became a state. Unfortunately for them, we no longer do the conquest thing. Even if you win, you don’t take over. The Arabs of the Palestine mandate therefore have to take the offer of a state in the West Bank and Gaza (something they have been offered, but haven’t won) or continue to be the bitches of every petty Muslim tyrant by dying for them so that the tyrants can stay rich and powerful. Egypt walked away from the Gaza Strip. Jordon turned their backs on the West Bank. NO arab nation wants these goobers.

The sad part is that if they could get over their racism and truely partner with Israel, they could be what Lebanon was in the 50’s— very rich.

How come you only notice misspellings after you post?

Good luck.

I can assure you the vast majority of writing on this subject is intended to provide ammo for one side or the other, not to provide people like you or me with unbiased analysis of the facts.

The facts are relatively easy to come by, and they aren’t totally flattering to anybody involved. What the facts mean is what’s in dispute, and as I said good luck there.

This has always happened directly or indirectly by force of arms.

This is not entirely true. The returning Jews (Zionists) purchased everything to which they acquired title. Nothing was taken by force. To be sure, during the war for Independence in 1948, and subsequent wars, some property was acquired through the use of force, though it could be argued that such acquisition was as the result of a defensive war. (E.g. the Golan Heights in 1967.) Even now the Arabs own plenty of land in Israel and except for roads and military purposes, the Arabs cannot lose this land unless they decide to sell it.

ML/NJ

I think you’re confusing private property title and sovereignty. The Jewish state acquired (or anyway kept) its independence and sovereignty by force of arms. This is quite a different issue from who owns a particular piece of land within the boundaries of the state thus established.

I need an unbiased and preferably short source to read to bone up on their history

This may help; it helped me.

Palestine (păl'əstīn) , historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, at various times comprising parts of modern Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and Egypt; also known as the Holy Land. The name is derived from a word meaning “land of the Philistines.”

In the Bible, Palestine is called Canaan before the invasion of Joshua; the usual Hebrew name is Eretz Israel [land of Israel]. Palestine is the Holy Land of Jews, having been promised to them by God; of Christians because it was the scene of Jesus' life; and of Muslims because they consider Islam to be the heir of Judaism and Christianity and because Jerusalem is the site, according to Muslim tradition, of Muhammad's ascent to heaven. The Holy Land derives its special character from being a place of pilgrimage. Shrines, shared in common by several religions, cluster most numerously in and about Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Hebron.

Geography

Palestine's boundaries, never constant, always included at least the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. So defined, the region is c. 140 mi (225 km) long and c. 30 to c. 70 mi (50–115 km) wide. Outside these bounds were such biblical lands as Edom, Gilead, Moab, and Hauran. The British mandate of Palestine (1920–48) included also the Negev, a c. 100-mile-long (160-km) desert stretching S to the Gulf of Aqaba.

From east to west, Palestine proper comprises three geographic zones: the depression—northernmost extension of the Great Rift Valley—in which lies the Jordan River, Lake Hula, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), the Dead Sea, and the Arabah, a dry valley S of the Dead Sea; a ridge rising steeply to the west of this cleft; and a coastal plain c. 12 mi (20 km) wide. In N Palestine the ridge is interrupted by the Plain of Esdraelon (Jezreel) and the connecting valley of Bet Shean (Beisan), the most fertile part of the region. The highland area to the north is called Galilee, its chief centers being Zefat and Nazareth, near which rises Mt. Tabor. To the south of the Plain of Esdraelon the broad ridge stretches unbroken to the Negev. First there are the hills of Samaria, with northward prongs (to the east Gilboa and to the west Mt. Carmel) fronting on the Bay of Acre. The center of Samaria is Nablus, which lies between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. The mountains of Judaea are W of the Dead Sea. In Judaea are Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron. Well to the south, in the Negev, lies Beersheba.

The towns of the coastal plain are Akko (Acre), Haifa, Netanya, and the twin cities of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Near Tel Aviv are Petah Tiqwa, Lod, Ramla, and Rehovot. To the south is Gaza. The various sections of the plain are named the Valley of Zebulun, or Plain of Acre, S of Akko; Sharon, S of Mt. Carmel; and the Shephelah, or Philistia, in the extreme south.

Agriculture in the Jordan valley centers around Lake Hula and the Sea of Galilee. The chief town is Tiberias. Farther south the valley is too narrow to be of much use, except for providing water power, and there is only one city, Jericho, E of Jerusalem. The surface—c. 1,300 ft (400 m) below sea level—of the Dead Sea, into which the Jordan empties, is the lowest spot on the earth's surface.

History

Ancient Palestine

The earliest known inhabitants of Palestine were of the same group as the Neanderthal inhabitants of Europe. By the 4th millennium B.C. Palestine was inhabited by herders and farmers. It was in the 3d millennium that most of the towns known in historical times came into existence. They became centers of trade for Egyptian and Babylonian goods. During the 2d millennium, Palestine was ruled by the Hyksos and by the Egyptians. Toward the end of this period Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, across the Sinai, and into Palestine.

Around 1200 B.C., the Philistines (“Sea Peoples”) invaded the southern coastland and established a powerful kingdom, Philistia. The Hebrews were subject to the Philistines until c. 1000 B.C., when an independent Hebrew kingdom was established under Saul, who was succeeded by David and then by Solomon. After the expansionist reign of Solomon (c. 950 B.C.), the kingdom broke up into two states, Israel, with its capital at Samaria, and Judah, under the house of David, with its capital at Jerusalem. The two kingdoms were later conquered by expanding Mesopotamian states, Israel by Assyria (c. 720 B.C.) and Judah by Babylonia (586 B.C.).

In 539 B.C. the Persians conquered the Babylonians. The Jewish Temple, destroyed by the Babylonians, was rebuilt (516 B.C.). Under Persian rule Palestine enjoyed considerable autonomy. Alexander the Great of Macedon, conquered Palestine in 333 B.C. His successors, the Ptolemies and Seleucids, contested for Palestine. The attempt of the Seleucid Antiochus IV (Antiochus Epiphanes) to impose Hellenism brought a Jewish revolt under the Maccabees, who set up a new Jewish state in 142 B.C. The state lasted until 63 B.C., when Pompey conquered Palestine for Rome.

Christianity and Islam

Palestine at the time of Christ was ruled by puppet kings of the Romans, the Herods. When the Jews revolted in A.D. 66, the Romans destroyed the Temple (A.D. 70). Another revolt between A.D. 132 and 135 was also suppressed, (Bar Kokba, Simon); Jericho and Bethlehem were destroyed, and the Jews were barred from Jerusalem. When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity (312), Palestine became a center of Christian pilgrimage, and many Jews left the region. Palestine over the next few centuries generally enjoyed peace and prosperity until it was conquered in 614 by the Persians. It was recovered briefly by the Byzantine Romans, but fell to the Muslim Arabs under caliph Umar by the year 640.

At this time (during the Umayyad rule), the importance of Palestine as a holy place for Muslims was emphasized, and in 691 the Dome of the Rock was erected on the site of the Temple of Solomon, which is claimed by Muslims to have been the halting station of Muhammad on his journey to heaven. Close to the Dome, the Aqsa mosque was built. In 750, Palestine passed to the Abbasid caliphate, and this period was marked by unrest between factions that favored the Umayyads and those who preferred the new rulers.

In the 9th century, Palestine was conquered by the Fatimid dynasty, which had risen to power in North Africa. The Fatimids had many enemies—the Seljuks, Karmatians, Byzantines, and Bedouins—and Palestine became a battlefield. Under the Fatimid caliph al Hakim (996–1021), the Christians and Jews were harshly suppressed, and many churches were destroyed. In 1099, Palestine was captured by the Crusaders, who established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Crusaders were defeated by Saladin at the battle of Hittin (1187), and the Latin Kingdom was ended; they were finally driven out of Palestine by the Mamluks in 1291. Under Mamluk rule Palestine declined.

Turkish Rule

In 1516 the Mamluks were defeated by the Ottoman Turks. The first three centuries of Ottoman rule isolated Palestine from outside influence. In 1831, Muhammad Ali, the Egyptian viceroy nominally subject to the Ottoman sultan, occupied Palestine. Under him and his son the region was opened to European influence. Ottoman control was reasserted in 1840, but Western influence continued. Among the many European settlements established, the most significant in the long run were those of Jews, Russian Jews being the first to come (1882).

Conflict between Arabs and Zionists

In the late 19th century the Zionist movement was founded with the goal of establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and dozens of Zionist colonies were founded there. At the start of the Zionist colonization of Palestine in the late 19th century, the rural people were Arab peasants (fellahin). Most of the population were Muslims, but in the urban areas there were sizable groups of Arab Christians (at Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem) and of Jews (at Zefat, Tiberias, Jerusalem, Jericho, and Hebron).

At the same time Arab nationalism was developing in the Middle East in opposion to Turkish rule. In World War I the British, with Arab aid, gained control of Palestine. In the Balfour Declaration (1917) the British promised Zionist leaders to aid the establishment of a Jewish “national home” in Palestine, with due regard for the rights of non-Jewish Palestinians. However, the British had also promised Arab leaders to support the creation of independent Arab states. The Arabs believed Palestine was to be among these, an intention that the British later denied.

In 1919 there were about 568,000 Muslims, 74,000 Christians, and 58,000 Jews in Palestine. The first Arab anti-Zionist riots occurred in Palestine in 1920. The League of Nations approved the British mandate in 1922, although the actual administration of the area had begun in 1920. As part of the mandate Britain was given the responsibility for aiding the Jewish homeland and fostering Jewish immigration there. The British stressed that their policy to aid the homeland did not include making all Palestine the homeland, but rather that such a home should exist within Palestine and that there were economic limits on how many immigrants should be admitted (1922 White Paper).

In the 1920s, Jewish immigration was slight, but the Jewish communities made great economic progress. In 1929 there was serious Jewish-Arab violence occasioned by a clash at the Western, or Wailing, Wall in Jerusalem. A British report found that Arabs feared the economic and political consequences of continued Jewish immigration with its attendant land purchases. Zionists were angered when a new White Paper (1930) urged limiting immigration, but they were placated by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald (1931).

The rise of Nazism in Europe during the 1930s led to a great increase in immigration. Whereas there were about 5,000 immigrants authorized in 1932, about 62,000 were authorized in 1935. Arabs conducted strikes and boycotts; a general strike in 1936, organized by Haj Amin al Husayni, mufti of Jerusalem, lasted six months. Some Arabs acquired weapons and formed a guerrilla force. The Peel commission (1937), finding British promises to Zionists and Arabs irreconcilable, declared the mandate unworkable and recommended the partition of Palestine into Jewish, Arab, and British (largely the holy places) mandatory states. The Zionists reluctantly approved partition, but the Arabs rejected it, objecting particularly to the proposal that the Arab population be forcibly transferred out of the proposed Jewish state.

The British dropped the partition idea and announced a new policy (1939 White Paper). Fifteen thousand Jews a year would be allowed to immigrate for the next five years, after which Jewish immigration would be subject to Arab acquiescence; Jewish land purchases were to be restricted; and within 10 years an independent, binational Palestine would be established. The Zionists were shocked by what they considered a betrayal of the Balfour Declaration. The Arabs also rejected the plan, demanding instead the immediate creation of an Arab Palestine, the prohibition of further immigration, and a review of the status of all Jewish immigrants since 1918.

The outbreak of World War II prevented the implementation of the plan, except for the restriction on land transfers. The Zionists and most Arabs supported Britain in the war (although Haj Amin al Husayni was in Germany and negotiated Palestine's future with Hitler), but tension inside Palestine increased. The Haganah, a secret armed group organized by the Jewish Agency, and the Irgun and the Stern Gang, terrorist groups, were active. British officials were killed by the terrorists. The horrible plight of European Jewry led influential forces in the United States to lobby for support of an independent Jewish state, and President Truman requested that Britain permit the admission of 100,000 Jews. Illegal immigration, often involving survivors of Hitler's death camps, took place on a large scale. The independent Arab states organized the Arab League to exert internationally what pressure they could against the Zionists.

An Anglo-American commission recommended (1946) that Britain continue administering Palestine, rescind the land transfer restrictions, and admit 100,000 Jews, and that the underground Jewish armed groups be disbanded. A plan for autonomy for Jews and Arabs within Palestine was discussed at a London conference (1947) of British, Arabs, and Zionists, but no agreement could be reached. The British, declaring their mandate unworkable and despairing of finding a solution, turned the Palestine problem over to the United Nations (Feb., 1947). At this time there were about 1,091,000 Muslims, 614,000 Jews, and 146,000 Christians in Palestine.

Good luck. The “Palestinians” were invented in 1967 by Yassar Arafat and his murderous gang. There is no historical record of any such group.

This is not entirely true

Are you suggesting thet if Israel had lost the war, they would have been allowed to keep the land thay had purchased?

ty for the summary.

Thanks. This helped also.

Descriptive Geography and Brief History of Palestine

Written in 1850, so no bias of "Zionism" or "Anti-Zionism"