THE PALESTINIANS

As mentioned in previous articles, the identity of a specific group identified as Palestinians is something from the 20th century. So, to be clear, when someone says this is a historical problem, they simply do not know what they are talking about and are showing their ignorance on the subject.

Firstly, no one will ever be able to demonstrate that this group existed previously, although the land was called Palestine for centuries, because it simply never existed. And secondly, even when someone insists on identifying the Palestinians with the generality of Arabs, it should be made clear that there were never problems between Israel and the Arabs beyond those experienced by all who lived in territories conquered by Muslims. In support of this, it is good to remember that whenever Israel faced persecution and suffered expulsion from countries, it was the Arab caliphs and sultans who sheltered them in their lands (for example: Caliph Harun al-Rashid in the 8th century or Sultan Bayezid II in the 15th century). Therefore, historically, there were always Jews in that land of Palestine and in most Arab countries. Additionally, the Talmud was completed in Babylon, and its main compiler or organizer (Rabbi Maimonides) was the personal physician of Sultan Saladin in the 12th century. This is also proof that Israel’s enemies have never managed to form a total Arab alliance (Jihad) to fight against them. On the contrary, looking a bit at the present, Israel increasingly manages to form new alliances with some of those who have been manipulated by others to go against them, such as Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, etc. Really, being more fair with history, it is Christianity that has historically, after its official establishment as the church of the Roman Empire and then each time it assumed the direction of a country, written the bloodiest and most unjust pages against Israel, but that would be an entire series of articles to write later.

So, without deviating from the topic and to better understand it, we must ask a question: Who were the peoples living in the area called Palestine before the founding of the State of Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan? According to the 1922 census, the vast majority of the 757,182 inhabitants of this multiethnic region were Muslim Arabs (590,390 Sunnis and 156 Shiites), as well as a Bedouin population (73,000), Jews (83,694), Druze (7,028), Bahá’ís (265), Samaritans (163), in addition to other groups such as Sikhs who later emigrated to India, Armenians, Caucasians, Egyptians, Greeks, Sudanese, and Arabs from Hejaz. Let’s look at some general characteristics of the main groups in the area.

Palestinian Bedouins: They are nomadic desert Arabs, although currently, they have various settlements within Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims and are very collaborative with the State of Israel.

Palestinian Druze: They are an ethno-religious group mainly Gnostic, descended from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. After the creation of the State of Israel, they are very popular among Jews, as they have defended the State of Israel as one of their own. Some of them have been public figures in the government and generals in the army.

Palestinian Christian Arabs: These Arabs, who have remained Christians for many centuries and have also evangelized others of their ethnicity, are native to this region. Historically, they have been pro-Jewish, and with the establishment of the State of Israel, they not only nationalized but also participate in everything the State promotes.

Bahá’ís: This is not an ethnic group but a religious sect founded in 1844, whose headquarters are in the city of Haifa. They believe in one God who used various religions to bring spiritual development, with the most recent pinnacle being the Bahá’í faith, with a single prophet, the Persian Bahá’u’lláh.

Jews: Since this is a large group with many subdivisions, we will dedicate another article to this.

Palestinian Muslim Arabs: These are Arabs who profess the Muslim religion. When the State of Israel was created, many remained living within its borders, facing a reality that was the division of their group into two: Israeli Muslim Arabs and nationalist Muslim Arabs. The former try to participate in all normal life in Israel as any other citizen, even joining the army and being represented in elections under their own party. Meanwhile, the nationalist Muslim Arabs never accepted the State of Israel and always consider that the State of Israel should be reduced to zero.

We can summarize this by saying that there is no specific group called Palestinians, although there is a Palestinian Muslim Arab group that hijacked that name for themselves.

To be continued…

Author: Dr. Liber Aguiar