History of Palestine

The Philistines originated from the Aegean Islands, which is now Greece. They were a group of people who migrated to the Holy Land in the 12th century BCE.

Evidence for Aegean origin:

• DNA

DNA analysis of Philistines found that they inherited 25% to 70% of their DNA from southern European ancestors. 

• Pottery

Pottery found at Philistine archaeological sites resembled pottery made by Aegean cultures like the Mycenaeans. 

• Bible

The Bible refers to the Philistines as coming from the island of Caphtor, which may be Crete.

Migration to the Holy Land

• The Philistines settled in the coastal plain of Palestine, from Joppa (modern Tel Aviv–Yafo) southward to Gaza. 

• They built five city-states: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. 

• They were known for being voyagers who invaded Egypt around 1190 BCE. 

• After being repulsed by the Egyptians, they settled in Palestine. 

  
  

The Philistines were strong drinkers, and they warred with their Israelite neighbors. They even seized the Ark of the Covenant. 

The Jewish people have lived in the Land of Israel since around 1900 BCE, the time of the Biblical patriarchs. The history of the Jewish people in Israel is marked by exile, destruction, and rebirth. 

Timeline of Jewish arrival in the Holy Land

• 1800 BCE: The patriarch Abraham and his family and followers arrive in the Land of Canaan 

• 1300 BCE: The Israelites return to Canaan under Moses and Joshua 

• 17th–6th C. BCE: The Israelites settle in the Land of Israel 

• 586 BCE: The Kingdom of Judah falls to the Neo-Babylonian Empire 

• 516 BCE: The Second Temple is finished 

• 1882–1903: Approximately 35,000 Jews move to Palestine, known as the First Aliyah

Other Jewish immigration to the Holy Land

• Jews fleeing Catholic Europe immigrated to the area after the Ottoman conquest 

• About 60,000 Jewish people from Germany and its annexed territories arrived in Mandatory Palestine between 1933 and 1939

  
  

The term "Palestine" first appeared in the 5th century BCE in the work of Greek historian Herodotus. The name comes from the Semitic toponym for the area, which was also used to refer to the Biblical Philistines. 

How the name was used over time:

• Herodotus

In The Histories, Herodotus used the term "Palaistine" to describe a region that included the coastal strip and inland areas like the Judean Mountains and Jordan Rift Valley. 

• Romans

In the 2nd century CE, the Romans renamed the province of Judaea to Syria Palaestina. 

• Byzantine era

The region was split into the provinces of Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda, and Palaestina Tertia. 

• After the Crusades

The name was used informally as a geographic designation. 

• After World War I

The name was adopted for a region mandated to Great Britain, which included parts of present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. 

The name Palestine has been used to refer to the area in the southeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea, next to Syria. 

In other words, Palestine only came to be in the 5th century before Christ in the work of a Greek historian. It wasn’t a country, and rather was attributed to people of the region.

However, when we consider Jewish people have lived in the Land of Israel since around 1900 BCE, it seems ironic that Jews so heavily persecuted around the world wouldn’t have some sort of entitlement to return to their place of origin.

It is also well known that many Arabs in that region had ganged up and supported Hitler and his regime, so it goes hand in hand with their lack of sympathy and constant backbiting to fight Jewish settlements.

Palestinians are to blame for the mess they are in today, so it is such a shame to see the self-afflicted atrocities they bring on themselves.

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Backbiting (adj) = malicious talk about someone who is not present.

"Members have grown tired of the backbiting in the group."

Semitic toponyms are geographical names that originated from Semitic languages, which are spoken in the Middle East, North Africa, and other regions.