What is Palestine?

The term Palestine comes from the name of an idol-worshipping tribe: the Philistines. The word Palestine does not have Israelite or Islamic origin. The Philistines were a tribe of skilled ironworkers known as sea people who enslaved Israel for some time.

The Philistines fought with Canaanites and Israelites in the area. King Nebuchadnezzar 2 destroyed them in 604 BC. The Philistines were exiled to Babylon and lost their unique ethnic identity. They vanished from archeological and historical records after the late fifth century B.C. However, the region was still named Palestine after them.

The Inhabitants of the Disputed Territory: Palestine

1. Before 1500 B.C.: Canaanites (Idol worshippers)
2. 1500 B.C. to 1000 B.C.: Israelites (under Joshua to Saul). For a brief time, the Philistines ruled the Israelites. Islam was not born until 600 A.D. So who were the Philistines? The Philistines were an idol-worshipping tribe that attacked Israel. They were skilled iron workers and had better weapons than Israel. That’s why they could rule that territory.
3. From 1000 B.C. to Jesus’ time: Israelites. Different idol-worshipping pagan emperors ruled that region: Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and the Romans. They called the territory Palestine. The place was known by the name of a pagan, idol-worshipping tribe: the Philistines. Remember, Islam was not born at the time.
4. Jesus’ time – Mohammad’s time: Israelites (Jews and Jewish Christians). For the next 600 years or so, the Romans ruled Palestinian Jewish and Christian inhabitants.
5. After Mohammad –World War 2: Israelis and Arabs who invaded Palestine under Mohammad. The Romans conducted many unsuccessful crusades to Free Palestine from the Arab Muslim invaders.
6. After World War 2—Present: After winning the war, the Allied forces handed over the leadership of the region to the Israelites. The U.N. created a two-state solution so that Arabs could live peacefully under Arab leadership and Israelites could live under Jewish leadership. All the U.N. members agreed to the solution. Only the Arab Emirates did not accept it. Ever since they have been fighting to reclaim the territory.

If you go by history, the original inhabitants of this historical place are Israelites, not Arabs. The Arabs invaded Palestine and exiled many Jewish tribes. (Some of them came to India also). Therefore, it is the Arabs who need to free Palestine so that the Israelites can live there peacefully, not the other way around.

To those who want to go 4,000+ years backward, the natural inhabitants of the disputed Palestine region were idol-worshipping Canaanites, not Israel or Islam. Israelites conquered it from idol worshippers. Islam conquered it from the Israelites. Israel reconquered it with the help of their Christian friends.

Therefore, when you talk about Free Palestine, don’t forget that it is the Arabs who invaded the Jewish land (the land God Promised to Abraham’s descendants, Israel). The crusaders attempted to recapture their land. They succeeded only after World War 2. Now, it is Israel.