A History of Rejectionism - Column 15

REFLECTIONS Written by Lana Melman for the SOUTH FLORIDA JEWISH JOURNAL / SUN SENTINEL. Originally published on September 20, 2024.

It might be surprising to some, but the notion of Palestine as an ancient Arab nation is a misconception. A distinct Palestinian identity is relatively recent, gaining prominence post-1967 due to the PLO led by Yasser Arafat.

Jewish historical ties to the land, however, date back to Abraham around 1800 BCE. Their first king, Saul, began his reign around 1020 BCE. The kingdom's borders fluctuated through the millennium, at times extending far north and east of today’s.

The Roman Empire conquered the Jewish state then renamed the province "Palaestina" in the early 2nd century CE, after the Philistines, who were from the Aegean Sea and unrelated to modern Palestinians.

From Roman times until the end of World War I, "Palestine" was a geographical term without precise borders, akin to the "Pacific Northwest," and not a sovereign state. The region encompassed modern-day Jordan and beyond. Various groups, including Jews and Arabs, lived there under different empires but never as citizens of an independent Arab state.

The Ottomans (Turks) ruled the region from the 16th century until they were defeated, along with the Germans, in World War I. The Allied Forces took control over much of the Middle East and began nation-building the countries of Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. In 1920, the League of Nations granted Britain control over the Palestine region to establish a Jewish state.

The Arabs objected, and in response, Winston Churchill reallocated three-fourths of the region for Transjordan (modern Jordan), greatly reducing the size of the future Jewish homeland. A couple of years later, the League of Nations endorsed the creation of a Jewish national home in today’s West Bank, Gaza, and Israel.

The Arabs, however, protested a Jewish state even in the 1922 boundaries, so the UN proposed yet another partition of Palestine in 1947. Despite its smaller and noncontiguous territory, the Jews accepted and declared independence on May 14, 1948.

The local Arabs and their neighbors did not accept this partition either and went to war against Israel. After the 1948 war, known as the War of Independence, Israel expanded its territory, while Jordan occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip. The local Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza did not demand a separate state although they could have under the terms of the UN partition.

The war created approximately the same number of refugees (750,000) on both sides. The Jewish refugees who went to Israel became citizens. The Arabs who remained in Israel were offered citizenship and guaranteed equal rights.

The UN created a new agency, UNWRA, solely to administrate assistance to the Arab refugees. The 1948 Arab refugees and their 5 million descendants are classified as refugees by UNRWA still today, regardless of where they live or the status of their citizenship in other countries.

In 1967, Israel defeated the neighboring Arab countries in a defensive war, capturing the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. Israel offered to negotiate land for peace, but the Arab states refused to recognize a Jewish state in any part of the land. Jordan abandoned its claim to the West Bank leaving Israel to occupy the land.

In the early 1970s, Israelis began establishing Jewish communities in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula, further angering the Arabs. In 1979, however, Egypt and Israel signed a peace agreement removing the settlements and returning Sinai to Egypt. In 1994, Israel signed a peace agreement with Jordan.

In 1974, the so-called “right of return” was defined as the "foremost of Palestinian rights" at the 12th Palestine National Council meeting. This would allow the Arab refugees of 1948 and their millions of descendants, to return to Israel and reclaim previous properties. The result would be chaos and eviscerate Israel as the Jewish homeland.

Over the next twenty-five years, the Palestinians had two more opportunities to create a sovereign state and live in peace.

In 1993, the Oslo Accords set criteria for Palestinian independence and the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, requiring the PA to combat terrorism, which it failed to do. Today, the PA governs parts of the West Bank most populated by the Palestinians.

During the 2000–2001 Camp David–Taba negotiations, Israel offered the Palestinians a state with its capital in Jerusalem, 97% of the West Bank (with a land swap for the remaining 3%), Gaza, and $30 billion (almost $55 billion in today’s dollars) in refugee compensation. Yasser Arafat rejected this generous two-state solution and instead ignited the Second Intifada. 

In 2005, Israel completely withdrew from Gaza. In 2006, Gaza elected Hamas, leading to conflict with the PA and rocket attacks on Israel.

The 2021 Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. What appeared to be the beginning of true peace in the region was shattered on October 7, 2024, when Hamas invaded southern Israel, murdered 1200 people including children and infants, and took hundreds of hostages.

Israel's counterattacks have significantly damaged Hamas's military infrastructure as well as large swaths of Gazan homes and buildings, disrupting vital services. Iran, Hezbollah, and other groups in the region that are aligned with Tehran have joined the attack against Israel, raising global concerns.

Recognition of a Palestinian state by third parties will not solve the conflict in the face of Palestinian rejectionism. The obstacle to peace has and continues to be Arab and Palestinian refusal to accept a Jewish state in any part of the region. Unlike the Jews, the Palestinians continue to choose land over independence and a better future for their people.

Bio: Lana Melman is the CEO of Liberate Art and the author of Artists Under Fire: The BDS War against Celebrities, Jews, and Israel. She is a 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry and has been a leader in the fight against the cultural boycott campaign against Israel since 2011. Learn more or contact: www.liberateart.net

Lana Melman is a contributing columnist for the South Florida Jewish Journal / Sun Sentinel.