THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN CONTEXT:

Written by Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect).

(First draught 2006 -Last update 2010)

"ONE CANNOT & MUST NOT TRY TO ERAZE THE PAST MERELY BECAUSE IT DOES NOT FIT THE PRESENT" - Golda Meir.

The following is a negation of a fictitious middle east history fabricated by the Arab's upon which all Islamic claims to the land of Israel are dependent. The Islamic aim being, to physically occupy and religiously colonize the land. In exposing the falseness of this historical invention, the deceptiveness of the arguments negating the Jewish people’s sole right to ownership of all of Israel will be exposed and Islam’s expansionist aims revealed.

Judaism predates Islam and Christianity by thousands of years and gave birth to both the aforementioned religions. Jerusalem is Judaism holiest city, and the Temple Mount its holiest site. Jerusalem is mentioned over 650 times in the Hebrew Bible & more than 150 times in the Christian Bible. Not once is Jerusalem mentioned in the Koran. Thrice daily do Jews face Jerusalem and evoke its name in prayer. This bond is renewed annually on both Passover and Yom Kippur, and on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, a 25 hour fast is observed mourning the destruction of both the first & second Temples. At weddings a glass is broken to evoke the memory of this destruction and the grace after meals prayer which is recited every time a Jew eats bread, mentions both the land of Israel & Jerusalem.

The Jewish connection to this Holiest of cities is best articulated in Psalms 137:5-6; “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy”.

There is extensive historical and archeological evidence from both Jewish, and non-Jewish sources (including Islamic sources) of a constant Jewish presence in Jerusalem since the time of King David. (1010 BCE to 70 B.C.E). In accordance with G-d’s will David made the city the eternal capitol of the Jewish people. To emphasize the point, this was 1641 years prior to the Arab conquest & occupation of Jerusalem in 638 CE.

The Jewish claim is therefore based not only on religious and historically grounds, but also on the fact that Jews were permanent residents of the old city, again becoming its largest community by 1820.

During the 1948 War of Independence the Jordanians conquered & occupied Judea & Samaria, ethnically cleansed the area of Jews & adopted the name West Bank. This policy of renaming areas & in some cases cities, has since ancient times been adopted by Israel's enemies in order to sever the Jewish connection. Both east & west Jerusalem lie within the boundaries of Judea. Jews that resided in the eastern section of the city, which includes the old city, were expelled & in the process the Jordanians destroyed 58 synagogues within the old city.

Prior to the expulsions from Judea & Samaria, Arab riots erupted throughout the land on the 23rd of August 1929. Rioting began in Jerusalem, spread to Hebron where 67 men, women & children of the ancient Jewish community were slaughtered, and the smaller Jewish communities of Gaza, Tulkarem, Jenin & Shechem (today called Nablus) were evicted from their homes. These riots were in response to a moveable barrier that was erected at the western wall by Jews in order to separate men and women during times of prayer, a Jewish custom, & one of many customs which Islam adopted from Judaism. This brutal slaughter & expulsion was made even more sinister by the fact that the Arabs deliberately brought their livestock through this area during Jewish prayer times, an act which highlights the recent “holiness” which the Arabs have attributed to the Western Wall. The previously mentioned 1929 riots plus the earlier 1921 & later 1936 to 1939 riots were instigated by Haj Amin Husseini, the pro Nazi mufti of Jerusalem who was appointed by the British. Husseini spent the war years in Germany under Hitler’s protection & was an enthusiastic supporter of the Final Solution.

In 1945 there were more than 900,000 Jews living in various Arab states. Many of their communities dated back 2500 years, 1000 years before the emergence of Islam in 622. From 1945 to 1948 Jewish communities were subjected to harsh discrimatory laws. Their property and belongings were confiscated. Anti-Jewish riots erupted in Aden, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Iraq. Approximately 600,000 Jews sought refuge in Israel and were fully absorbed into the society.

This claim is further reinforced by the present day demographic make up of Israel. 74% of the population is Jewish, of which more than half originated from the surrounding Arab countries. To categorize Israel as a purely western country is false. It is cultural mix of western (Ashkenazim), Spanish (Sepharadim), North African & Middle Eastern (Mizrachi) cultures. Many later aliyot from all over the world have greatly increased the diversity of Israel's Jewish population.

Between April & December of 1948 approximately 720,000 Arabs, encouraged by their leaders, fled from what is now Israel. The Arab leaders promised them that they would soon be able to return following Israel’s destruction, a call which resonates as loudly today as it did in the past. The vast majority of Arabs that today reside in eastern Jerusalem & the old city, migrated from neighboring Arab states in search of better living conditions that were created by the mass return of Jews from 1882 onwards. Aerial photographs taken during World War 1 (1914-1917) by German, British and Australian reconnaissance pilots, as well as aerial photo's taken throughout the mandate period (1917-1948), prove that the areas in question were uninhabited, uncultivated and totally barren. This exposes the falsity of the Arab claim that they had dwelt there since Ottoman times (1516-1917).

There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. The name Judea was changed to Palestine by the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138 C.E.), this to sever the Jewish connection to the land. Hadrian also renamed Jerusalem to Aeolia Capitolina so as to further sever the Jewish connection to this holiest of cities. Indeed there are some Arabic historical documents which refer to the city as Ilia, a corruption of the name Aeolia Capitolina. How ironic that Islam, a monotheistic religion, has adopted the name Palestine which was conceived by one of the most paganist empires the world has ever known. In addition, there is no letter P in Arabic proving beyond doubt that the Romans & not the Arabs, renamed the area Palestine.

Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc. Neither are the Arabs the descendants of the Philistines, a sea faring people who came from Crete and the Aegean islands. There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct Palestinian culture. In other words, there is no such nation as Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs who presently occupy parts of Israel. The concept of a Palestinian nation was invented by Arafat in 1964 who incidentally was born in Egypt. Until the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948 all residents both Jews & non-Jews carried Palestinian passports. Golda Meir for example, had a Palestinian passport prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948. The U.N partition plan of 1947 makes no mention of Palestinians, only Arabs & Jews. Furthermore, one is able to deduce the origin of these so called "Palestinians" from their surnames. To mention just a few of many examples : Masrawa - Egypt; Lubnani - Lebanon; Husseini/Hussein - Saudi Arabia ; Al-Qudwa – Syria ; Zarqawi – Jordan . Those Arabs that remained after the War of Independence became full citizens of Israel, while those who chose to heed the advice of their leaders & leave, were treated as pariahs by the neighboring Arab states and left to rot in squalid refugee camps. The fact that 21 % of Israel's population are Arabs is ample proof that they were not evicted.

Islam’s claim to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount rests on an event known as the night journey. Muslims believe that Mohammed traveled on a winged horse to the furthest mosque before ascending to heaven in order to receive instruction from the Almighty. However the name Jerusalem, as has been previously mentioned, does not appear in the Koran. Bear in mind that the Temple Mount was the location of both the first (957 B.C.E – 586 B.C.E) & second temples (516 B.C.E – 70 C.E). The site is so holy to Jews, that the more observant segment of the Jewish population refuse to ascend the mount, lest they walk on holy ground. Furthermore, the Dome of the Rock (a shrine) was built 59 years after Mohammed's death in 632 C.E, & the adjacent al-Aqsa mosque 73 years after his death. The Islamic claim that the Jewish prophets of old were in actuality predecessors of Mohammed contradicts what is written in the Hebrew Bible and is an attempt by Islam to not only steal Jewish land, but also distort Jewish history and embezzle Jewish religious heritage.

The covenant in which G-d gave the land of Canaan to the Jews as an everlasting possession was made with Abraham, (Genesis 15:18) renewed with Isaac, not Ishmael, (Genesis 26:3) and again renewed with Jacob not Esau, (Genesis 28:13). This covenant being the source of the" Law of Return" adopted by Israel in 1950. In other words, the "Law of Return " gives Jews the right to come and live in Israel, which G-d gave to the Jewish people as an eternal possession, and gain Israeli citizenship, regardless of where they were born.

The Arab lineage starts with Abraham and moves through Ishmael & Esau but only becomes a monotheistic religion in 622 with the appearance of Mohammed. Prior to Mohammed, the Arabs were pagans.

Bear in mind that the Jewish people have studied the Hebrew Bible in the original, and have done so for thousands of years longer than any other people – a practice that continues to this day. The name “old testament” was given to this Jewish book by a non-Jew named Marcion (85-160 C.E.), a post apostolic church founder who was considered a heretic by the early church. "Old" implying that “The Book” had been superseded, a belief that is totally rejected by the Jewish people.

In essence, much of the world is telling Jews not to believe in G-d’s covenant, which is tantamount to asking for the impossible.

Translations coupled with a scant knowledge of the subject always lead to incorrect conclusions and there are innumerable examples to prove this point. For the sake of brevity one example will be discussed.

Jewish law is comprised of the written law known as the Torah (the 5 books of Moses), and the oral law known as the Talmud which is made up of the Mishna & Gemara. The Mishnah supplements, complements, clarifies and systematizes the commandments of the Torah, & the Gemara is a rabbinical commentary on the Mishna.

In response to “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, Mahatma Ghandi retorted that should this policy be implemented, the world would go blind. However, the Talmud clearly explains that this law refers to financial remuneration paid to the injured party by the perpetrator of the injury. The sum of which must be equivalent to medical and other expenses which the injured party incurred. This law has nothing whatsoever to do with physical violence. When great people err they take with them millions of people into error.

It is an appropriate moment to mention that orthodox Judaism maintains that in order for a person to attain acceptance into the the world to come, more commonly referred to as paradise or heaven, one does not have to be Jewish. This in strong contrast to both Islam and Christianity. Another Jewish belief that differs from both Islam and Christianity is that Judaism forbids Jews to proselytize, thereby allowing non-Jews living in or visiting Israel to practice their respective religions in freedom.

Except for the 210 year bondage in Egypt & the 40 year sojourn in the desert, Jews had lived in what is today known as the land of Israel since the arrival of Abraham in about 1812 B.C.E until the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonian exile ended in 538 B.C.E. as a result of the edict of Cyrus which allowed the Jews to return to the land. This habitation lasted until the destruction of the 2nd Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. The Romans expelled that segment of the Jewish populace that took part in the revolt against Rome & others that would be beneficial to the empire. The small amount of remaining Jews were allowed to continue living in the country. In addition, since 70 C.E there is extensive documented proof that Jews continually returned to the land throughout the ages which the following two non-Jewish sources verify.

A famous Islamic geographer by the name of Muhammed ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din al-Muqaddasi (945 -991 C.E.) recorded in his writings (985 C.E), that he was unhappy with the fact that the Jews constituted the majority of the Jerusalem population. At a later date, the British Council documented in 1864 that there was a Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Furthermore, a group of Jews known as Mustarabim have never left the country since the Babylonian return in 538 B.C.E.

From 135 C.E. to the present day, the Jewish physical presence in Jerusalem has only been interrupted on 4 occasions; The 1st expulsion occurred between 135 CE to 324 CE during the late Roman period. The 2nd expulsion took place between 324 C.E to 438 C.E during the early & middle Byzantine period. The 3rd expulsion took place during the early & middle Crusader period, which lasted from 1099 to 1187. The 4th & last expulsion occurred between 1948 to 1967 when the Jordanians expelled the Jewish population from east Jerusalem and the old city, as has been previously mentioned in the article.

In short, Jews have resided in Israel for longer than the existence of Islam. Bear in mind that the official date signifying the start of Islam is 622 C.E.,this according to Islamic historians.

Throughout all the physical expulsions, the Jewish spiritual link has never been severed.

Unbelievable is the “generosity” of those that advocate that Jews must relinquish their inheritance in order to achieve a two state solution. In addition, it must be pointed out that according to Al-Ghazzali, a very prominent Muslim theologian from the 11th century who wrote, “ If a lie is the only way of obtaining a good result, it is permissible to lie… We must lie when the truth leads to unpleasant results”. This form of lying is called Taqiya. In other words any agreement with Islam, is not worth the paper it is written on.

Unfortunately within Israel the anti-religious Jewish segment of the population are under the illusion that an understanding of Judaism only requires an ability to speak, read & write Hebrew. This misconception coupled with a scant knowledge of their own religion & history, allows them to fall prey to the false belief propagated by the Arabs & their sympathizers. Namely the redefining of Judaism as Zionism allowing them to claim that they are not anti-Judaic but anti-Zionist, when in fact anti-Zionism is the politically correct term for anti-Semitism.

Erecting a shrine (dome of the rock) & a mosque (el-aksa) on the Temple Mount, the holiest Jewish site, is a physical manifestation of Islam’s stated aim of religious colonization and physical occupation. The buildings themselves being unsurpassed examples of fascist architecture. The claim made by Israel’s adversaries that Judaism’s holiest city and holiest site is occupied land is unbelievable in its bias. Cloaked in the gown of anti-Zionism, hatred towards Jews and Judaism has blinded them to reason. Colonization (religious and/or physical) has never and can never succeed, and arguments built on a fictitious historical narrative will inevitably crumble.

In conclusion, the following table illustrates the barbarity directed at the Jews in non-Islamic countries.

NON- ISLAMIC JEWISH EXPULSIONS AND RESULTANT REFUGEE STATUS

YEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLACE

415 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alexandria 554 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Diocese of Clement (France) 561 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Diocese of Uzzes (France) 612 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Visigoth Spain 642 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Visigoth Empire 855 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Italy 876 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sens 1012 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz 1182 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - France 1182 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Germany 1276 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Upper Bavaria 1290 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -England 1306 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - France 1322 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - France (again) 1348 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Switzerland 1349 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hielbronn (Germany) 1349 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Saxony 1349 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary 1360 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary 1370 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Belgium 1380 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slovakia 1388 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Strasbourg 1394 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Germany 1394 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - France 1420 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Lyons 1421 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Austria 1424 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Fribourg 1424 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Zurich 1424 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Cologne 1432 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Savoy 1438 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz 1439 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Augsburg 1442 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands 1444 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands 1446 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria 1453 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - France 1453 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Breslau 1454 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurzburg 1462 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz 1483 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz 1484 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Warsaw 1485 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vincenza (Italy) 1492 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spain 1492 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Italy 1495 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lithuania 1496 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples 1496 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Portugal 1498 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nuremberg 1498 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Navarre 1510 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenberg 1510 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prussia 1514 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Strasbourg 1515 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Genoa 1519 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Regensburg 1533 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples 1541 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples 1542 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague & Bohemia 1550 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Genoa 1551 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria 1555 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pesaro 1557 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague 1559 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Austria 1561 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague 1567 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurzburg 1569 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Papal States 1571 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenburg 1582 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands 1582 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary 1593 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenburg, Austria 1597 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cremona, Pavia & Lodi 1614 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Frankfort 1615 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Worms 1619 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kiev 1648 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ukraine 1648 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Poland 1649 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hamburg 1654 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Little Russia (Beylorus) 1656 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lithuania 1669 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oran (North Africa) 1669 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vienna 1670 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vienna 1712 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sandomir 1727 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Russia 1738 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurtemburg 1740 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Little Russia (Beylorus) 1744 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague, Bohemia 1744 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slovakia 1744 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Livonia 1745 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moravia 1753 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kovad (Lithuania) 1761 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bordeaux 1772 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Deported to the Pale of Settlement (Poland/Russia) 1775 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Warsaw 1789 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alcace 1804 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Villages in Russia 1808 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Villages & Countrysides (Russia) 1815 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lubeck & Bremen 1815 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Franconia, Swabia & Bavaria 1820 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bremen 1843 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Russian Border Austria & Prussia 1862 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Area in the U.S. under Grant's Jurisdiction 1866 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Galatz, Romania 1880s C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - Russia 1891 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moscow 1919 C.E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria (foreign born Jews) 1938-45 C.E.- - - - - - - - - - -Nazi Controlled Area (refer to following chart) Jewish Holocaust Deaths by the Nazis Country/Region % Estimated numbers Germany (1938 Borders) (81.0%) 130,000 Austria (66.6%) 65,000 Belgium & Luxembourg (44.4%) 29,000 Bulgaria (14.0%) 7,000 Czechoslovakia (82.5%) 277,000 France (30.0%) 83,000 Greece (80.6%) 65,000 Hungary & Ukraine (49.5%) 402,000 Italy (26.3%) 8,000 Netherlands (60.0%) 106,000 Norway 760 Poland & USSR (includes Latvia & Lithuania) ( Poland-85.0%; USSR-71.4%-occupied zone; Latvia-89.5%; Lithuania-90.0%) 4,565,000 Romania (50.0%) 220,000 Yugoslavia (73.3%) 60,000 TOTAL 33% of world Jewish population 6,017,760