Has Palestine really always existed and Israel only since 1948?

For example, in one Facebook in the message it says: “Palestine existed even before 1948. creating Israel‘.

The ambiguity immediately catches the eye: what exactly does Israel mean and what does Palestine mean? Are you referring to all the state and administrative entities that have been called Israel or Palestine at different times? Are we talking about the Arab or Jewish population of the Middle East? Or only about the modern states of Israel and Palestine (more precisely, the Palestinian National Administration, PNA).

Map of Israel

Who’s first?

The science of history records the emergence of ancient Hebrew settlements and Hebrew culture in the Middle East as early as the 2nd millennium BC.

Ancient Jews “firmly settled” here in the 12th century. Ave. us, and even then these tribes called themselves Israelites (children of Israel).

This self-name is associated with their religion and the idea that they are all descendants of the righteous Jacob, or Israel, of the Old Testament.

Bible Genesis tells about how Abraham was called from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan to preach to the people about belief in one god. When famine began in Canaan, Jacob (Israel), his 12 sons and their families settled in Egypt, where their descendants fell into slavery.

“Scanpix”/AP photo/Archaeologists in Israel found 600 BC. Ave. Cr. make biblical inscriptions in Hebrew on pottery

The oldest mention of the word “Israel” is a stele (inscription carved on stone) found in Thebes (now Luxore) and built by the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Mernepta, who ruled around 1213-1203. BC Note mentions a military campaign in the Levant during which Merneptah allegedly “ravaged” “Israel” among other kingdoms and cities in the region.

Already in the XI century. BC the Israelites established their first monarchical state. Later, the state of Israel was conquered, abolished and restored many times, but the Jewish presence in these territories always remained.

Around the 2nd century AD, Roman emperor Hadrianas suppressed Bar Kochbos uprising in Judea, after the uprising there were no more Jews in Judea (about 0.5 million were killed, others were sold into slavery or fled).

In these lands he founded the Roman province of Palestine, and the colony of Elia Capitolina was founded on the site of the destroyed Jerusalem.

AFP / “Scanpix” photo/Work in the ruins of the pyramid

Later, after the Arab conquest in 638, the province of the Islamic Caliphate located in these territories received Palestine (Arabic: Falastin) name.

It is clear that both the nation and statehood that bore the name of Israel predated the nation and statehood that we know as Palestine in the Middle East.

Let’s move to these times

As for modern-day Israel and Palestine, the former officially began to exist in 1948 May 14

After World War II, the newly founded United Nations Organization was established in 1947. proposed a planaccording to which two new states were to emerge – Jewish and Arab.

In 1947, the United Nations voted for resolution 181also known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states and entrust Jerusalem to international administration. The Jewish leadership approved the plan, but the Arab side rejected it and it was never implemented.

The following year, the British authorities, unable to stop the conflict, withdrew, and the Jewish leaders in 1948. May 14 announced the founding of Israel. This led to the first Arab-Israeli war, as many Palestinians opposed it.

Most of the Palestinian Arabs refused to recognize the new state, and the surrounding countries also supported them.

The next day Israel was attacked by Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (Jordan since 1949), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. It started The First Arab-Israeli War.

The war lasted until 1949. During the war, Israel occupied a large part of the territory, which according to the 1947 The United Nations plan was to include the intended Arab state of Palestine and also occupied West Jerusalem.

And after 1949 ceasefire tensions continued, Egypt continued to threaten Israel, so Israel decided to launch a pre-emptive strike. in 1956 started the second Arab-Israeli war.

AFP/Scanpix/Israeli military

During this until 1957 Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and most of the Sinai Peninsula during the war, but in 1957 withdrew from the occupied territories.

Palestinians in refugee camps did not want to give up their claims to what they considered their country. in 1964 was established Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)which united smaller Palestinian organizations.

Increased attention of the international community continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the unclear status of these territories, encouraged the search for solutions. A pacifist was elected prime minister of Israel Yitzchak Rabin.

in 1993 he and PIO leader Yasseras Arafatas signed the Oslo Peace Accords. According to them The PIO officially renounced violence and recognized Israel as a state, and Israel recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the official representative of the Palestinian people.

Both sides agreed to negotiate an end to the conflict based on a “two-state solution.” This meant that two states were to emerge on the historic land of Palestine, Israel and Palestine, which included the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

As for the PNA, or State of Palestine, it was only established in 1994. according to Oslo Accordswhich completed long armed confrontation between Israel and the PIO.

AP/Scanpix/Protests for Palestine in Lebanon

15min verdict: missing context. In any case, both ancient and modern Israel existed in the Middle East long before ancient and modern Palestine. In the first case, the difference is more than a thousand years, in the second – more than forty. For this reason, claims that Israel only came into being in 1948 and Palestine “always existed” should be dismissed as inaccurate.

The publication was prepared in 15 minutes in partnership with Metawhich aims to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.

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