Who are the Palestinians?

Simply stated, Palestinians are Arabs. That itself is an important distinction. Many have wrongfully assumed some connection to the ancient Philistines due to the similarity of names. The history of the word Palestinian speaks to the claims made on the ownership of the land of Israel and Palestine.

The land of Israel and the Palestinian territories was known as the land of Israel from the time Joshua led the Hebrews from the desert, crossing the Jordan River into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants after them.

When Israel revolted against the Romans in 66 A.D., the city and the Temple were destroyed as was foretold by Jesus in the Gospels. The Jews again struggled against Rome in 132 A.D. in what became known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt. As a result, Rome extensively depopulated Jewish communities, the area was renamed Palestinia. The city of Jerusalem was renamed Capitolina and a temple to Jupiter was erected on the Temple Mount.

Why did the Romans give it the name Palestinia? To offend the Jews, they named it after the ancient mortal enemy of Israel, the Philistines. It has been called Palestine since.

The name Palestinian refers to an area, not a nationality. Palestinians are Arabs, descended from Abraham through Ishmael.

Palestine is not a nationality, it has never been a state. Israel’s claim to the land comes from the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. It was called the land of Israel since the time of Joshua until it was renamed by the Romans in 136 A.D.

By Pastor Rich Jones

Bethlehem, West Bank (Palestine) – October 14, 2010: Palestinians walk past the Peace Fountain, located a block from Manger Square in the historic center of Bethlehem. The Peace Fountain was designed by Juan Ribeira and presented to the city of Bethlehem in 1999.

College campuses across the US are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian and stand against Israel. Central student governments don’t mince words, “The Israelite occupation amounts to war crimes,” they state, “Palestinians are subjected to Israeli colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid.”

Jewish students are being personally targeted and subjected to online persecution and hatred for expressing their support for Israel. The toxic atmosphere on US campuses has been long in the making.

Pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Michigan stated, “Through decades of student organizing we’ve been able to get to the place where pro-Palestine activism can take place.”

Volatile accusations against Israel of colonialism, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and war crimes, however, are often rooted in a lack of knowledge of history. Instead of colonialism, Israel has found itself on the receiving end of aggression resulting in numerous wars since Israel’s statehood in 1948. Ethnic cleansing? Arabs in Israel are free to exercise their Islamic religion and even criticize the state without fear of repercussions.

Pro-Palestinians on college campuses often chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The meaning is clear, if Palestine will be free from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the Jews must be defeated and annihilated.

Israeli Prime Minister Bennett was recently asked in an interview, “When will the tension between the Palestinians and Israelis end?” Bennett’s replied, “The answer is simple, tensions will end when they stop trying to kill us.”

The pro-Palestinian sentiment on college campuses throughout the country is concerning. That generation of students is increasingly anti-Semitic and will become leaders and influencers as they enter the workforce. Yet the US has no greater ally in the Middle East than in Israel.

By Pastor Rich Jones