Was it Really a “Land Without People?”
It has commonly been said, Palestine was “a land without people, for a people without a land.” To understand how we got to where we are today in 2023, we have to go back and understand the history of what took place in Palestine, more than a hundred years ago from a Palestinian narrative. This is by no means an exhaustive historical account. I have done my best to summarize, but if you want a detailed account, I highly recommend watching Al-Nakba. (link in the comments.)
What is Zionism? Zionism is a nationalist movement which emerged in the 19th century to promoting support for the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in the land that was then known as Palestine. The birth of Zionism came from Europe in the late 1800’s, and was a response to the anti-Semitism that was taking place in Europe at the time. Jews were being persecuted and rejected in Europe. Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism, believed persecution of the Jews would never end unless the Jews were able to live in a community in their own nation. He said Palestine was “a land without a people for a people without a land.” This simply wasn’t true.
Palestine has never been empty and it definitely was not in the late 19th century. There was a total disregard for the people that were actually living in the land. At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Palestine was 96% Palestinian Arabs with 10% being Palestinian Christians, and 4% were Palestinian Jews. The Palestinian people have always had a rich history and heritage which you can read more about it in a book called, Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History, by Nur Masalha.
Those promoting to return the Jewish people to Palestine said that not only was the land empty, but the people living there were not civilized. This could not be further from the truth. There were massive farms, cities, and an airport. There were schools and a university, and the Palestinian people were educated. This is documented not only historically, but also in pictures and Palestinians today can tell the stories of what their lands, farms and homes were like.
Why was Palestine chosen to be a land for the Jewish people? Palestine was under the British Mandate at the time and it goes without saying there was a natural attachment to the land from Jewish/Biblical history. However, a large support around the world for this actually came from Christians (later we will discuss the implications of Christian Zionism and how it has affected the people living in the land). Israeli historian Anita Shira wrote, “Until the 19th century the Bible was considered secondary to Jewish oral Law…it was the protestants who discovered the Bible….even the idea of Jews returning to their ancient homeland as the first step to world redemption seems to have originated among a specific group of Evangelical English Protestants that flourished in England. They passed this notion on to Jewish circles”.
We must turn now to the infamous Balfour Declaration which changed everything. Arthur James Balfour was the UK Prime Minister from 1902-1918 and he is the author of this declaration. He was a Christian who believed that perhaps God had chosen him to implement God’s will, perhaps ushering in the 2nd coming of Christ. In a private letter Balfour wrote, “For in Palestine we do not propose even to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country…The Four Great Powers are committed to Zionism. And Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad is rooted in age long traditions, in present needs, in future hopes, of far profounder import than the desires or prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who “now inhabit that ancient land.
The Balfour Declaration stated:
“His Majesty’s Government view which favors the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of the object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
Britain only followed through with the first part, and with this one declaration, a colonial power gave away what was not there’s to give. Immediately, an influx of Jewish immigrants began coming to the land of Palestine, many of them unfortunately fleeing persecution from Europe. This was during the time when anti-Semitism was at its peak and leading up to the Holocaust. The British tried to control the amount of people immigrating, both legal and illegally, but they could not. Constant riots and unrest began between the Arabs and the Jews.
The British tried to solve the problem by creating what was called the Peel Commission to investigate the unrest, and the land was divided up. The coast and the fertile areas were given to the Jews and the Palestinians were given mostly desert and mountain areas. The Arabs did not accept this. Why would they give up the best part of the land to Jewish immigrants? The Jewish immigrants said no in the beginning and then said yes and were willing to keep negotiating. The British gave up and handed the problem to the UN.
This brings us to the U.N. Partition Plan of 1947. At this time, the Jews only owned 7% of land LEGALLY, and they were the minority of the population at only 33%. The UN plan divided up the land, giving the Jews 56% of the Palestinian land while 45% of the Palestinian population was still living in this area. You can see the picture below of what the map would have looked like and much of the Arab land was unfit for agriculture. This was rejected and as a result came the war of 1948. This was the Palestinian Nakba, where they lost 76% of the land. 750,000 Palestinians were displaced--including 50,000 Christians. 15,000 were killed in massacres, and villages were destroyed. Palestinians were told they would be able to return to their homes after 2 weeks, but of course this never happened. Many Palestinians still have their front door keys and deeds to their lands all these years later. Palestine once again became occupied.
The United Nations passed UN Resolution 194:
“Refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and those wishing not to return should be compensated for their property.”
This also never came to pass.
Please note, Israel has banned the Nakba from being taught in any schools throughout Israel and Palestine. Palestinians are forced to teach Israeli history only.
New Israeli historians say they have uncovered documents that show the plan from the beginning was to expel the Palestinians from the land. You can read more about this in the book by Holocaust survivor Ilan Pappe, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.
This is the ROOT of the problem.
Now you know.
