Origins Palestinians

1 origins

1.1 pre-arab/islamic influences on palestinian national identity
1.2 canaanism
1.3 relationship jewish people

origins

the origins of palestinians complex , diverse. region not arab — arabization consequence of inclusion of palestine within rapidly expanding arab empire won arabian tribes , local allies in first millennium, during islamic conquest of syria in 7th century. palestine, hellenized region controlled byzantine empire, large christian population, came under political , cultural influence of arabic-speaking muslim dynasties, including kurdish ayyubids. conquest down 11th century, half of world s christians lived under new muslim order , there no attempt period convert them. on time, nonetheless, of existing population of palestine arabized , gradually converted islam. arab populations had existed in palestine prior conquest, , of these local arab tribes , bedouin fought allies of byzantium in resisting invasion, archaeological evidence indicates peaceful conquest , , newcomers allowed settle in old urban areas. theories of population decline compensated importation of foreign populations not confirmed archaeological record other arabized arab nations arab identity of palestinians, largely based on linguistic , cultural affiliation, independent of existence of actual arabian origins. palestinian population has grown dramatically. several centuries during ottoman period population in palestine declined , fluctuated between 150,000 , 250,000 inhabitants, , in 19th century rapid population growth began occur.

pre-arab/islamic influences on palestinian national identity

while palestinian culture arab , islamic, many palestinians identify earlier civilizations inhabited land of palestine. according walid khalidi, in ottoman times “the palestinians considered descended not arab conquerors of seventh century indigenous peoples had lived in country since time immemorial.”

similarly ali qleibo, palestinian anthropologist, argues:

throughout history great diversity of peoples has moved region , made palestine homeland: canaanites, jebusites, philistines crete, anatolian , lydian greeks, hebrews, amorites, edomites, nabataeans, arameans, romans, arabs, , western european crusaders, name few. each of them appropriated different regions overlapped in time , competed sovereignty , land. others, such ancient egyptians, hittites, persians, babylonians, , mongol raids of late 1200s, historical events successive occupations ravaging effects of major earthquakes ... shooting stars, various cultures shine brief moment before fade out of official historical , cultural records of palestine. people, however, survive. in customs , manners, fossils of these ancient civilizations survived until modernity—albeit modernity camouflaged under veneer of islam , arabic culture.

george antonius, founder of modern arab nationalist history, wrote in seminal 1938 book arab awakening:

arabs connection palestine goes uninterruptedly earliest historic times, term arab [in palestine] denotes nowadays not merely incomers arabian peninsula occupied country in seventh century, older populations intermarried conquerors, acquired speech, customs , ways of thought , became permanently arabised.

american historian bernard lewis writes:

clearly, in palestine elsewhere in middle east, modern inhabitants include among ancestors lived in country in antiquity. equally obviously, demographic mix modified on centuries migration, deportation, immigration, , settlement. particularly true in palestine, population transformed such events jewish rebellion against rome , suppression, arab conquest, coming , going of crusaders, devastation , resettlement of coastlands mamluk , turkish regimes, and, nineteenth century, extensive migrations both within , outside region. through invasion , deportation, , successive changes of rule , of culture, face of palestinian population changed several times. no doubt, original inhabitants never entirely obliterated, in course of time successively judaized, christianized, , islamized. language transformed hebrew, aramaic, arabic.

canaanism

claims emanating circles within palestinian society , supporters, proposing palestinians have direct ancestral connections ancient canaanites, without intermediate israelite link, has been issue of contention within context of israeli–palestinian conflict. bernard lewis wrote rewriting of past undertaken achieve specific political aims ... in bypassing biblical israelites , claiming kinship canaanites, pre-israelite inhabitants of palestine, possible assert historical claim antedating biblical promise , possession put forward jews.

some palestinian scholars, zakariyya muhammad, have criticized pro-palestinian arguments based on canaanite lineage, or calls canaanite ideology . states intellectual fad, divorced concerns of ordinary people. assigning pursuit desire predate jewish national claims, describes canaanism losing ideology , whether or not factual, when used manage our conflict zionist movement since canaanism concedes priori central thesis of zionism. namely have been engaged in perennial conflict zionism—and hence jewish presence in palestine—since kingdom of solomon , before ... in 1 stroke canaanism cancels assumption zionism european movement, propelled modern european contingencies...

commenting on implications of canaanite ideology, eric m. meyers, duke university historian of religion, writes:

significance of palestinians being descended canaanites? in , more conservative reconstruction of history, might said merely confirms historic enmity between israel , enemies. however, scholars believe israel emerged within canaanite community (northwest semites) , allied canaanite elements against city-states , elites of canaan. once disenfranchised these city-statres , elites, israelites , disenfranchised canaanites joined challenge hegemony of heads of city-states , forged new identity in hill country based on egalitarian principles , common threat without. irony in modern politics: palestinians in truth blood brothers or cousins of modern israelis — descendants of abraham , ishmael, speak.

relationship jewish people

depiction of palestine in time of saul c. 1020 bc according george adam smith s 1915 atlas of historical geography of holy land.

a number of pre-mandatory zionists, ahad ha , ber borochov david ben-gurion , yitzhak ben zvi thought of palestinian peasant population descended ancient biblical hebrews, belief disowned when ideological implications became problematic. ahad ha believed that, moslems [of palestine] ancient residents of land ... became christians on rise of christianity , became moslems on arrival of islam. israel belkind, founder of bilu movement asserted palestinian arabs blood brothers of jews. ber borochov, 1 of key ideological architects of marxist zionism, claimed 1905 that, fellahin in eretz-israel descendants of remnants of hebrew agricultural community, believing them descendants of ancient hebrew- residents small admixture of arab blood . further believed palestinian peasantry embrace zionism , lack of crystallized national consciousness among palestinian arabs result in assimilation new hebrew nationalism, , arabs , jews unite in class struggle. david ben-gurion , yitzhak ben zvi, later becoming israel s first prime minister , second president, respectively, suggested in 1918 paper written in yiddish palestinian peasants , mode of life living historical testimonies israelite practices in biblical period. tamari notes ideological implications of claim became problematic , withdrawn circulation. salim tamari notes paradoxes produced search nativist roots among these zionist figures, particularly canaanist followers of yonatan ratosh, sought replace old diasporic jewish identity nationalism embraced existing residents of palestine.

in book on palestinians, arabs in eretz-israel, belkind advanced idea dispersion of jews out of land of israel after destruction of second temple roman emperor titus historic error must corrected. while dispersed of land s jewish community around world, workers of land remained attached land, stayed behind , converted christianity , islam. therefore, proposed historical wrong corrected, embracing palestinians own , proposed opening of hebrew schools palestinian arab muslims teach them arabic, hebrew , universal culture. tsvi misinai, israeli researcher, entrepreneur , proponent of controversial alternative solution israeli–palestinian conflict, asserts 90% of palestinians living within israel , occupied territories (including israel s arab citizens , negev bedouin) descended jewish israelite peasantry remained on land, after others, city dwellers, exiled or left.