(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . A History of the Palestinian People [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-03-02 Since this is a fact-based site, let’s start with the DNA evidence: A 2020 study on human remains from Middle Bronze Age Palestinian (2100–1550 BC) populations suggests a significant degree of genetic continuity in Arabic-speaking Levantine populations (such as Palestinians, Druze, Lebanese, Jordanians, Bedouins, and Syrians), as well as several Jewish groups (such as Ashkenazi, Iranian, and Moroccan Jews).[19] Palestinians, among other Levantine groups, were modeled as deriving 81–87% of their ancestry from Bronze age Levantines, relating to Canaanites as well as Kura–Araxes culture impact from before 2400 BCE (4400 years before present); 8–12% from an East African source and 5–10% from Bronze age Europeans. Results show that a significant European component was added to the region since the Bronze Age (on average ~8.7%), seemingly related to the Sea Peoples, excluding Ashkenazi and Moroccan Jews who harbour ~31–42% European-related ancestry, both populations having a history in Europe.[19]: 1146–1157 — Wikipedia A 2021 study by the New York Genome Center found that the predominant component of the DNA of modern Palestinians matches that of Bronze Age Palestinians (Canaanites) from around 2500–1700 BCE.[17] The Palestinians have been there for 4,000 years Palestinians and Jews descend from the Bronze Age Canaanites and the early Semitic peoples of the Levant. The Palestinians of today have been in the land between the river to the sea since pre-biblical times. At some point along the way, some became Christians and some became Muslims. They adopted the Arab language and an Arab identity. Still, they remain the same people with ethnic origins distinct from the Arabs, rooted in the Levant and Palestine. Given the makeup of Palestinian DNA, a percent of the Palestinian population may be descended from converted Jews. After the Christian conquest of Islamic Spain, 50% of the Jews were forcibly converted to Christianity. DNA research reveals that 23% of Latin America's urban populations could be descendants of Conversos – Spanish Jews forced to convert to Christianity. However, whether or not a small or a large percentage of Palestinians are descended from converted Jews doesn't change the fact that Palestinians have been there for as long as their Jewish cousins. Even if Palestinians were not there as long as the ancestors of modern Jews, nowhere in the world would the fact that your ancient ancestor may have lived in a place 1,000 years ago give you any rights over the people that currently live there. The idea would get you laughed out of the room, except in a discussion about Israel and Palestine. There were no Turks in what is today Türkiye before the Middle Ages. There were no Europeans in North and South America before the 16th century. There were no Slavic peoples in what is today the Slavic countries of Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia before the beginning of the Slavic migrations of the 6th century. Migration, ethnic assimilation, and mixture have occurred since humans emerged from Africa. What your religious beliefs are or where your ancestors lived 2,000 years ago gives you zero say over the lives of the people who live there today. The Birth of Palestinian Nationalism In Palestine In 1911, a newspaper named Falastin was established in Jaffa, and the first Palestinian nationalist organizations appeared. Like the “Young Turks,” Arab nationalism drew inspiration from 19th-century Western ideas. Arabs hoped to mimic the nationalist movements of the Slavic peoples in the Balkans that had, by the end of 1912, all won their independence from Ottoman rule. All across the Levant, nationalist movements sprung up. But the nascent Palestinian National movement was about to receive a shock. In 1917 during the First World War, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. At the time of the declaration less then 10% of the population of Palestine was Jewish. Just as Palestinians saw the hope of self-determination and self-rule on the horizon, their new colonial masters announced they would be giving their land away to some as yet to arrive immigrants from Europe. Put yourself in the shoes of the Palestinians. How do you suppose you would react to that news? If you are having difficulty imagining, let's do a thought experiment and suppose something similar happened in the USA in the early 20th century. In 1917, South Carolina was less densely populated than Palestine. What do you suppose would happen if boatloads of Jewish immigrants began arriving and announced they would be carving out a Jewish homeland from the state of South Carolina? Hey, the US is big. The people in South Carolina can go to other states. Would the civilized Americans react less violently than those uncivilized Arabs? I very much doubt it. I think the white hoods and nooses would have appeared immediately and the entire country would probably have been seized by a wave of anti-semitism followed by Federal restrictions on Jewish immigration (actually, there were immigration quotas based on national origin that in effect limited Jewish immigration from the 1920s until 1965). The Palestinian Arabs are not different from any other group of humans. You could make the case they were better, as there was a faction of Palestinians that was willing to negotiate a solution with the arriving Jewish immigrants. Even though Zionism’s goal by definition would either exclude them or make them second-class citizens in their land. Post Balfour Declaration, things went inexorably downhill. Militias and terrorist groups formed on both sides. Violence increased on both sides. Should anyone be surprised? Balfour was a virulent anti-semite who wanted to prevent Jews from immigrating to the UK. He hated Arabs as much as he hated Jews, so he did not care that he was setting up a situation that would guarantee a century of sectarian violence. As long as he got rid of the Jews, not his problem. The British illegally forced the Palestinians into this zero-sum game. The Treaty of Versailles which granted the British the mandate for Palestine and Transjordan required that after the First World War, Palestine would have its existence as an independent state provisionally recognized. The British illegally abrogated this obligation with the Balfour Declaration. For the events that led from Balfour to the creation of Israel, I would direct you to the information that became available when Israel opened previously unavailable classified Israeli state documents. This spawned a group of Israeli academics referred to as the New Historians. Avi Shlaim described the New Historians' differences from what he termed the "official history" in the following terms:[9] The official version said that Britain tried to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state; the New Historians claimed that it tried to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state The official version said that the Palestinians fled their homes of their own free will; the New Historians said that the refugees were expelled or fled The official version said that the balance of power was in favour of the Arabs; the New Historians said that Israel had the advantage both in manpower and in arms The official version said that the Arabs had a coordinated plan to destroy Israel; the New Historians said that the Arabs were divided The official version said that Arab intransigence prevented peace; the New Historians said that Israel is primarily to blame for the "dead end".[10] Pappé suggests that the Zionist leaders intended to displace most Palestinian Arabs; Morris believes the displacement happened in the heat of war. According to the New Historians, Israel and Arab countries each have their share of responsibility for the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Palestinian plight.[10] 33 massacres of Palestinian villages by Jewish militias led to the expulsion of 80% of the Arab population from the territory of what would become Israel. For more information, see the book: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. For centuries Jews were far better treated in the Islamic empires of the Middle East then they were in Europe. That all changed in the 20th century. Jewish opinions of Arabs and Muslims and Arab and Muslim opinions of Jews were casualties of the conflict in Palestine leading up to the creation of Israel. Israel was admitted to the United Nations in May 1949 on the condition that it "unreservedly accepts the obligations of the UN Charter and undertakes to honour them from the day when it becomes a member of the UN." But Israel didn't comply with the right of return, as reaffirmed in Resolution 194. Not only were they not allowed to return, the state of Israel confiscated their property. This is one of a long list of UN resolutions that Israel has failed to comply with. Even though its admission required its compliance. There was never “a land without people for a people without land.” The claim that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people and that ‘we were here first” is all gaslighting and BS. The Palestinian people are still here as they have been for over 4,000 years on the land between the Jordan River and the sea. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/3/2/2227095/-A-History-of-the-Palestinian-People?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/