As you likely know, Newt Gingrich recently made the bold (read: inflammatory) statement that the Palestinian people are an invented people. This post isn't going to delve into the global ramifications of such a statement, though I believe it was a very bad idea to make it. Instead, I will look at the historical basis for such a comment and whether it was really justified.
Prior to World War I, the land now known as Israel, including the Gaza Strip and West Bank, was part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire, centered in modern day Turkey, had ruled over most of the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe for centuries. During World War I, the Ottomans allied themselves with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, etc.) This, of course, proved to be an unwise choice. The Central Powers were defeated by the Allies, the Ottoman Empire broke up, and the modern, secular state of Turkey was formed at its historic heart. Great Britain obtained control of modern day Israel, which it called the Palestine Mandate.
Who were the people residing in the Mandate at this time? Well, the majority identified themselves as Arabs. Some identified as Jews, and there were other minorities. Arab culture had spread to the area shortly after the rise of Islam in the seventh century A.D. The traditional notion was that the Arabs invaded and pushed out the resident populations. Some research is showing, however, that most of the people stayed and merely adopted Arab culture and converted to Islam (from Judaism or Christianity). So, from a genetic standpoint, the Palestinian people are likely the same people who have been in the region for centuries. Genetic research has confirmed that modern European Jewish populations are largely descended from inhabitants of this region as well. They have obviously maintained a much different culture away from their historic homeland than those who remained behind (if you accept the theory above).
So where does Newt's comment come from? I mean, he is a history professor after all. Well, there was never an independent state called Palestine. From the Roman Conquest up until the British withdrew from the Mandate, the area had been part of different empires; Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman. But, so what? The same thing could be said for Greece. Have you ever heard of the "invented Greek people"? The people running the Ottoman Empire (Turks) were admittedly a different ethnicity with a different language than the Palestinians. It appears that Newt thinks because Palestinians self-identify as Arabs (whose culture stretches across the Middle East), their status as "Palestinians" is invented. This argument simply doesn't hold water. Egyptians, Saudis, Lebanese Arabs and others all identify as Arabs, and yet, they all have unique cultural traditions.
I think Newt knew better than to make this comment and was merely trying to score cheap points with the pro-Israel lobby. To be clear, I am not anti-Israel. I simply think that the Israel-Palestine argument should be guided by accurate assumptions and not politically-charged talking points.
I call the Muslims who use the "Palestinian" moniker "so-called" because the last Palestinian was killed in the 7th century B.C. by armies from today's Iran and Iraq. The name Palestina was coined by the Romans in 135 A.D. following Rabbi Akiba's failed Messianic revolt. The Romans renamed land, killed a million Jews, banished the remaining Jews from the Judea, and then salted the land in response.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, there is no such place as "Palestine" nor people called "Palestinians." The labels are simply used today in an effort to errantly convince the world that the Jewish homeland belongs to the Muslims who conquered it following their self proclaimed muhammad's death in the late 7th century A.D.
With that, I have to agree with the term, "invented".
Are "Americans" an invented people? I certainly think I am a member of the American people. And yet, one could make the same argument that the American identity was coined to justify the conquest of land from Native Americans. Also, as far as being a Jewish homeland, the area was someone else's homeland before the Jews. The British Isles were a Celtic homeland before the Anglo-Saxons arrived and before that they were a Britonic "homeland".
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, native peoples have been conquered, displaced and assimilated by others. I don't think many people would agree to having their property redistributed to the original inhabitants. Fact is, the people who were living in Israel/Palestine had been there for many centuries prior to the establishment of Israel.
Once again, I am not anti-Israel by any means. I think the Jewish people deserve a homeland, given the persecution they have endured throughout history. I just don't think that people who have been living in an area for centuries should have their rights to property and self-determination wholly revoked to do so.
The Palestinian people are a real people apart from other Arabs just as Americans are a real people apart from Europeans.