Just so we’re on the same page here, whenever I hear some misinformed fool talk or write about Israel and the Middle East they make the mistake of using the nouns “Palestine” and Palestinian”, and the phrases “Palestinian territory” and even “Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory”. Unfortunately, these terms are used without regard to historical fact and rather than appear astute or intelligent, they appear either vexed by unparalleled stupidity or in a state of complete denial.
“Palestine has never existed . . . as an autonomous entity.
There is no language known as Palestinian.
There is no distinct Palestinian culture.
There has never been a land known as Palestine
governed by Palestinians.
Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians
(another recent invention), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc.
Keep in mind that the Arabs control 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands. Israel represents one-tenth of one percent of the landmass. But that’s too much for the Arabs. They want it all. And that is ultimately what the fighting in Israel is about today . . . No matter how many land concessions the Israelis make, it will never be enough.” — from “Myths of the Middle East”, Joseph Farah,
Arab-American editor and journalist.
Joseph Farah makes me want to bang my head against a wall. I had to read a few of his articles in a couple of my Middle Eastern history classes, and everytime it just made me cringe.