A great deal of tension currently exists between the Arabs, the Jews, and the Palestinians.  But this is a relatively recent phenomena, mainly brought on as a result of World War II and the establishment of the state of Israel.  Prior to that, Arabs and Jews generally lived in harmony for centuries, side-by-side, in the same countries, cities, town, and villages. 

The reality is that both peoples sprang from the same father – Abraham.  According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Abraham had two significant sons.  One was Isaac, whose mother was Abraham’s wife, Sarah.  Isaac is considered the direct ancestor of the Jewish people.  The other son was Ishmael, whose mother was Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar.  Ishmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people.  So, both peoples share the same roots. 

Why then have these two great cultures clashed so vehemently in recent times?  Certainly, part of the answer is grounded in the contention that the Jews took the land of Israel away from the Palestinian people and their Arab ancestors.  This is a potent grievance – but is it true? 

I wanted to find out by looking at the actual history of the region.  To do this, I consulted the AI search engine, ChatGPT, which is able to synthesize thousands of historical documents quickly and provide a concise summary of its findings.  Most of the historical information below comes from that source.

History of the Region

1. The Canaanites were among the first inhabitants of the land beginning around the 10^th millennium BCE.  They dwelled in an area that encompassed modern-day Israel, Lebanon, and portions of Jordan and Syria.  As a very ancient civilization, they worshipped various gods and goddesses associated with nature, fertility, and the like. 
2. By around 1200 BCE, the Jews/Israelites emerged as a cohesive group, conquering the Canaanites and establishing a kingdom in the land now called Israel, which included the capital of Jerusalem.  They thrived there for more than four centuries.  Then the territory was conquered and saw the rise and fall of various civilizations, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and others.
3. According to ChatGPT, “Palestinians are descendants of various peoples who have inhabited the historical region of Palestine over millennia, including ancient Canaanites, Israelites [i.e. Jews], Philistines, Arabs, and others.”  Note, however, that during this very early period, the Palestinians were not a distinct group of people.  They were merely the people who occupied the land in question.  In that regard, Jews/Israelites might equally be called Palestinians.  In fact, the term, “Palestinian” did not even exist back then.  Again, according to ChatGPT, “The modern Palestinian national identity emerged primarily in the 20th century, particularly in response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.”
4. Some Palestinians may claim that they are direct descendants of the Canaanites, the first people to inhabit the land.  This is untrue.  The findings of ChatGPT state: “Palestinians and Canaanites are linked through historical and cultural continuities in the region, but the nature of their relationship is more about shared heritage and cultural identity than a direct biological lineage.”

Claims on the Land of Israel

It seems apparent from the data above that the Palestinians do not have an exclusive claim on the land of Israel.  In fact, their claim to the land is in many ways less valid that the Jews claim to the land, since they became a well-defined society in the land centuries before the Palestinians ever became a cohesive group there. 

That does not mean, however, that the Jews have the right to exclude the Palestinians from being in Israel – and, in fact, they have not.  Twenty percent (20%) of Israel’s population is Palestinian.  And a number of these Palestinians are in the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) and have served as government ministers in the past.  In addition, various political parties represent their interests, such as the Arab leaders who comprise the Joint List Coalition. They also participate in local governments and are politically active in addressing issues that affect their Palestinian communities in Israel.  This is not to say that these Palestinian citizens of Israel don’t face unique challenges; but at least they are part of the process to effect change. 

We would do well to compare the posture that Israel has toward the Palestinians with the posture of the Palestinians (and the Palestinian Authority) toward Israel.  Specifically, if we look at the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, we see that they are controlled by Hamas, a known terrorist group supported by Iran.  And while some Palestinians may be victims of Hamas, at least some are complacent.  They allow these terrorists to coexist in their towns and cities; build tunnels underground to attack Israel; set up control centers and headquarters in their hospitals, schools, and day care centers; use Palestinian children and the elderly as human shields or human bombs to further their cause.   

Key Questions To Answer

We need to be honest with ourselves.  Which party seems to be more interested in finding a peaceful solution to the current violence – the Israelis or the Palestinians?  If you think it is the Palestinians, then first answer these questions: 

1. During hostilities, have they ever tried to forewarn the Israeli public to vacate the targeted area so that they will not be harmed; or do they attack by surprise and indiscriminately?  (The Israelis often forewarn Palestinians that they will be coming under fire and should vacate.)

2. Do they publicly and outwardly state that Israel has the right to exist; or do they teach their children through textbooks and other propaganda to hate the Jews and drive them into the sea?

3. Are they truly willing to live in peace with Israel or do they prefer an Intifada until they “shake off” Israel from their presence?

4. Have their leaders consistently demonstrated good faith during the Camp David Accords and other efforts to broker peace? (It is telling that during the Camp David Accords, “Yasser Arafat [leader of the Palestinian Authority at the time] faced significant political pressure and criticism from within Palestinian political factions, including Hamas and other groups opposed to negotiations with Israel.  Accepting the Camp David proposals would have required Arafat to make significant compromises, which could have weakened his political position…” – quote taken from ChatGPT.  This does not demonstrate a good faith effort to negotiate for peace.)

I am sure that the Palestinians have some legitimate grounds for concern.  But their leadership’s greatest contribution to them has been to play the victim and turn the Palestinian people into victims.  Their focus has consistently been to use propaganda and misinformation to make their case.  That is not a prescription for honest and sincere negotiation.  If a true and lasting peace is what they want, then let them show it in meaningful ways.  I have not seen that behavior yet.