Do you understand the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free?” Why should you care about this long time favorite chant of Palestinian terror groups? There has been war over Israel, sometimes hot and open, at other times smoldering and covert since 1948. But why?
The meaning of the phrase
Freeing Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea means the annihilation of Israel with an accompanying Jewish genocide. The phrase is not controversial. The phrase is divisive. One cannot be partially for genocide. There is no middle ground, no compromise here. There is no such thing as a nice genocide.
The part of the phrase saying Palestine will be free implies that Palestine is subject to tyranny. It means there was an invasion and occupation. It assumes “Palestinians” are indigenous people. Are any of those things actually true? Is it true that over 50 years an indigenous people, Palestinians, had to face an emergent European nationalist movement which causing them to relocate?
Were the European Jews successful in supplanting Palestinians from their ancestral homeland? Is that an accurate characterization of the creation of the modern nation state of Israel? Does it matter that Israel traces its roots back through biblical texts? Perhaps it is worthwhile to know the answer before picking a side. Just a suggestion…
Who claims what…
Those supporting the phrase believe Jewish nationalist ideology, Zionism, led to Jewish claims on Palestine. We know Zionism began in Europe. Early in the 20th century Zionist leaders began planning for Jewish return to Palestine, land from which they claimed origin. Zionists believe Jews should return to the land of Israel. They view Israel as their rightful home. Regardless whether this is true or not, is this germane?
Muslims today advance a counter claim. They claim they have occupied since before Abraham. They claim the nation of Palestine to be the inheritor of the land of Canaan going back 7,000 years. The claim is that Palestinians are descended from the Canaanite tribe that inhabited the site as early as 3,200 BCE.
So, are the Palestinians really the indigenous people of the area? Did the Israelis really displace by the Palestinians? What is the truth of the conflicting claims? Whatever the truth; is it possible to reason with religious belief?
Israel came from…
The lands known in ancient times as Judea, Samaria, Idumea and Galilee make up what is today Israel. There is no archival evidence substantiating a link between Canaanites or Jebusites and Palestinians. The area was given the name Jerusalem and the region the name Palestine by the Romans. The Romans drove out the Jews in the second century BCE. The Romans did this as penalty for a revolt against Roman rule. It was an insult to the Jews and to get rid of any trace of their connection to the land.
The name Palestine comes from the Jews ancient enemies the Philistines. Palestine was the name of the area. It was not the name of a people or a political entity. Palestine was part of the Roman Empire until the Arabs drove the Romans out. The next group to control the area was the Turks, the Ottoman Empire. That was the case until the end of WWI. Are you getting a feel for the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free?”
