Jameela ohunene It’s really complicated question needing a complex answer. You would understand If you imagine going back in time to at least 4000 years back. I understood the complexities of the situation between Israelites and arab palestinians that both were descendants of settlers. I won’t go into boring history class. I make sure it’s short and straight to the point.
Ok, this is how it started! The land which Israel and Palestine were disputing on was once an occupied land of native tribes of canaan (aka canaanites) whom have long been extincted. Why extincted? Because of many reasons i will go into that later.
Religious scriptures rooted from the area have all agreed on, coupled with modern archaeological findings concluded that the land where Israel and Palestine are currently disputing was, in fact, first inhabited by the canaanite tribes, whom were losely independent tribes of ancient Akkadian empire (circa 2300 BCE) then followed by fell into the hands of ancient Egypt (around 1457 BCE).
The patriarchal father Abraham (Ibrahim) who founded the monotheism religion, whom the three monotheistic regions Judaism, Christianity and Islam took their inspiration from, and whom people believe was the father of Israelites and arabs was, in fact, originated from a city called Ur in southern Mesopotamia, now in Iraq. He has no root, whatsoever, with the native canaanite tribes in levant.
Years after Abraham’s sons, Ismael and Ishaq were born, they inhabited the lavent side by side with the canaanite tribes.There’s no problem since the population at that time was not as populated as today and the desire for more land wasn’t necessary. Years after, Ismael and his mother, Hagar, went their way up to modern arabian peninsula while Ishaq stayed and continued Abraham legacy in levant in which Ishaq took canaanites women as spouses, and he gave birth to Jacob (aka Israel), from which the 12 sons of Israel whom in later years would become fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.
There was little envy between the 10 oldest sons of Israel over Joseph and Benjamin, the two most youngest especially to Joseph who was the second to the of the youngest of the family. After learning the favor which father had on Joseph. They conspired and sold Joseph (Yusuf) out in slavery to a caravan heading Egypt.
Years passed, the land of canaan plunged in drought for long period of time and the 12 sons ought to seek for a greener pastures for their families and herds. Hemce, they migrated to Egypt, a land all greeny, in which they saw Joseph was the king. Long story short, the 12 brothers were accepted and welcomed into Egyptian society, stayed in egypt with their families, by which the 12 sons sprouts into 12 tribes of Israel during centuries of staying in Egypt.
Centuries passed, many good pharaoh dynasties had passed, an evil Pharaoh dynasty came into power. The evil Pharaoh need labor force to build magnificent projects and to plough the vast greeny land of Egypt. He thought he could make good use of Israelites afterall they’re not native to Egyptian land. The evil pharaoh stripped the ranks of Israelites, they held since Joseph’s time, and were enslaved to work for Egyptian lords.
Moses came, tried convince the evil Pharaoh to change his heinous policies harming Israelites but was in vain. After learning the evil Pharaoh was not going to give up his policy, Moses gathered the 12 tribes of Israel and managed to flee Egypt for promised land where Jacob had was born married to native canaanites in the past and was left barren has once again become fertiled. This is where God had promised for the 12 sons of Israel.
During moses exodus to promised land, the twelve tribes of Israel were barred from resettling in promised land citing transgression of God’s commandments, in which they waited for an extra 40 years before permitted to settlement. During those waiting years Moses passed on to next life. Leaving the twelve tribes of Israel wondering around the world without a leader.
Joshua came and recruited some brave israelites and he led the conquest of the native canaanites and integrated the helpless canaanites in to Israeli society and proclaimed the land which Canaanite tribes inhabited for millennium, the Holy land, in which the first Israel kingdom was established. The Conquest and persecution of native canaanites in lavent continued throughout the duration of kingdom of Israel up to King solomon’s rein. I mean the man who built the first holy temple and renamed the land surrounding as Jerusalem, a name which was not original nor agreed by the canaanites tribes. Anyway, he did with the sword’s point.
Babylonian empire came and conquered the whole lavent, destroyed the first holy temple, plundered its relics, and expelled significant amount of Israelites from the region and made scattered throughout it empire, far reaching India sub-continent. Recent Israelites believed some members of 12 tribes were still wondering for ages in india and hadn’t find their way back to the promised land. Cyrus took power from Babylonian empire and renamed the empire, Pesia (Persian Empire) and return significant amount of Israelites throughout the empire to promised land thereby corrected the mistake of preceded empire. No wonder Cyrus was revered as great throughout the world. Because the Israelites somehow influenced the world’s history made people believe their heroes (saviour) and enemies world’s concern.
Century later, Greak empire came and took over from persian empire but the greek didn’t harm the Israelites that much but Israelites had to live under the greek rule whom Israelites thought were pagan gentiles. When Romans took over the greek empire, they thoroughly ransacked all Israeli forts and destroyed the second temple, high amount of Israelites were taken into slavery scattered throughout Europe. Some Historians believed all Israelites were taken. Others believed significant numbers (not all) were taken and that there were some Israelites hidden in the caves/rocks, forts, grass lands, waters, or fled north Africa to avoiding romans persecution. The Israelites sold in slavery lived within european gettos serving their European masters for millenniums. On top of that, the had to reoccupied the empty land which Israelites inhabited with arabs and north Africans and nomad tribes within its empires, mostly romans supporters. These new inhabitants were romanised as the Palestinians. Leaders of Palestinians were made governors of lavent and holy land up till the fall of roman empire in 4th century. What about Jesus Christ? Though not many believed he came or gone let alone being a Messiah. However, some Christians believed Jesus Christ had wished to liberate the children of Israel from gentile (roman) rules, unfortunately, he’s betrayed by his own apostles, Jude.
Arabs Empires came with Islam and they successfully drove the romans out of levant, and arabised and Islamised the Palestinian inhabitants. The Turk empires took over the region from arabs. Then french took it from the turks. WW1 came and the region was distributed as a spoilt of war for the allied powers of which British empire took the large portion of levant, area spanning from Jordanian territory down to Gaza, which the palestinians were on. The land was renamed British mandate of Palestine.
Since Europeans had long been endured Israelites economic prosperity in European soil they wanted an everlasting solution for Israelites who’d managed to have taken over european economy despite living under the worse conditions as second class living in gettos over millennium. The reason for Israelites prosperity was that they invested in monetary ventures. Europeans believed they had indulged in usery, an act medieval european christians deemed unholy. European had wanted to expelled Israelites out of Europe so Europe would be for Europeans cleaned from unholiness. 1939 came, Hitler and his Nazi regime took this idea of removing Israelites from Europe to an extreme leading to a large pogrom of Israelites in Germany, Poland, Nordic countries and across places in eastern and western Europe.
Before Hitler came to power 1930s, the British sensed the wide fury of europeans against the Israelites, the British proposed Israelites a place of resettlement in british Uganda, Argentina or British mandate of Palestine to which the Israeli leaders (Zionist leaders) chose British mandate of Palestine. The reason was their ancestorial land, promised by Yahweh. Hence, British calved a large piece of land from the unoccupied territory of British mandate of Palestine, which Palestinians claimed was theírs for the European Israeli resettlement. Territory which would later became the state of Israel.
Hearing Israel declared independence in 1948, the palestinians believed Israelites cunningly stole their land with the Britain’s help, and they decided to wage a war with Israel in which the war ended in 1949 with Israel’s victory, but 750,000 Palestinians were displaced across levant and Egypt, and the territory was divided into 3 parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip. Ever since the war, enemity kindled between palestinians and Israelites.
So, to answer your question who’s really the first on the land? . Neither Israel nor Palestine was the first on the land. In fact, they’re all settlers. The canaanite tribes (an ancient semitic tribe) now extincted due countless conquests of the region by passing empires, were the original and the first natives of the the holy land and that of entire levant
