Philistines & Kingdom of Israel
The Burden of Generations…As ugly as it gets…
Israel vs. Palestine: one of the most complicated and painful conflicts in the world. Its history goes back thousands of years, and the conflict we know today is still ongoing, with no easy solution in sight. Everyone seems to have an opinion, some claim are true, others say otherwise, and many questions remain difficult to answer. After decades of war, negotiations, and failed attempts at peace, we are still asking the same question: how did we get here and who to blame? I will wear the “Objective goggles” and take you to a journey
Table of content:
Introduction
Chapter1 - Genesis
Chapter2 - Canaan
Chapter3 - Egyptian Nightmare
Chapter4 - Moses: an Exodus
Chapter5 - Kingdom of Israel & Kingdom of Judah
Chapter6 - Philistines: The undefeated People
Chapter7 - Rome
Chapter8- Scattered
Chapter9- Jesus & Rise of Chrtistianity
Chapter10- Islam: New Ideology in Town
Chapter11- Juresalem
Chapter12- Palestine
Chapter13- Haskallah & Zionism The Second Promise
Chapter14- The State of Israel
Chapter15- Gaza,The West Bank, and One Battle After Another
Chapter16- October 7th. 2023
Chapter17- FINALE
Introduction
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a burden passed down through generations. Many have lived through it, and many have tried to resolve it, yet no one has managed to find a lasting solution. It remains one of the most enduring and devastating conflicts in modern history. While the region’s history dates back thousands of years, the modern conflict took shape much more recently. But why does it persist?
At its core, the conflict involves competing national aspirations and claims to the same land, “waw shocker”, shaped by historical ties, religious significance, displacement, and political struggles.
This article is different than the rest, I want you to go on a journey with, we are going to visit some events and we will analyze the thinking of people from those times and how it affected this conflict today. It will not be a lame narration of same stuff you see on the internet..well.. I hope not…just..Buckle up
Chapter 1: Genesis
“In the beginning, God Created the Heavens and The Earth” — Genesis 1.1
The first line of the five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah, the holy book of the Jews. The premise? God, the divine entity, created humanity for the sole purpose of worshipping Him. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, the one people trust to know it all, “Sorry this is important to tell, it is boring i know, but stay with me”, prophets were sent to Earth to deliver his messages. In each prophet experience, those messages were faced with rejections initially, their words pushed aside. Years passed, generations came and went, and each story carried a lesson to be learned. From Adam to Noah, from Noah to his grandson Canaan, to Terah, the father of Abram… Oh yes, and then came Abram.
Abram story is quite different, it carries the a heavy weight in our time to where we at today in that region. God has sent Abram to deliever a message like the ones before him, only with few additions; to establish a home for his children.
He asked him to leave his homeland to a “future” one….Well…verbatim, we can quote
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” — Genesis 12.1
And so it begins….
Chapter 2: Canaan
Now, if you read the previous chapter carefully, you will notice that we mentioned a name: Canaan. “I told you it was important, even if it was boring!”
Who was he? According to the Bible, Canaan was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah. His descendants were associated with several people, including the Amorites, Hittites, and Jebusites, who were generally known as the Canaanites. They inhabited a land that came to be known as Canaan, named after their ancestor.
Later on, Abram, accompanied by his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, listened to his lord and began the trip to the promised homeland, which appeared to be Canaan.
At that time, as the land was inhabited by the Canaanites. Abram eventually parted ways with Lot and Sarai. He settled among the Canaanites and pitched his tent.
There, when the divine voice whispered:
“Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west” Genesis 13.14. “All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever”. Genesis 15.14
God appeared to him many times later, to insist, “the land, from the Wadi of Egypt till the Great River, is the land I am giving you and your children”. To give you a clear picture:
Now the belief of Abram is strong, god has given him a purpose to his existance, similar to what most people adhere to nowadays, Everything God has asked Abram, Abram will listen and execute, because the one that created the heavens and the earth said so, so he knows better. “Remember the bold lines dear reader”
Now Abram has lived many years with the Canaanites with no issues, and God has promised Canaan for his descandants. However, there was a problem, Sarai had been unable to bear him a child,“ …so where will the descandants come from?LOL”
Years has passed and the heir who will realize the prophecy is not to be born, so Sarai has proposed another solution; give Abram her Egyptian servant Hagar, Abram accepted and slept with Hagar, the latter has conceived a son. God instructed Hagar to name him Ishmael
“so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said” — Genesis 16.2
Here we must pause for a minute; Ishmael… “sounds familiar?”…would later become Ismail in Arabic, will be the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad, the final prophet of Islam. This is an important event in our timeline, take note of this name, Ishmael, as we will comeback to it in our later chapters.
God will promise Hagar that her son, Ishmael, will be ancestor of many nations and many leaders. On the other side, God will make a covenant with Abram and promise him that his wife Sarai will finally bear him a child too. During the covenant, God changed Abram name to Abraham, and Sarai name to Sarah.
……“The covenant would include circumcising the boys of his tribe. Not particularly relevant to our timeline, but honestly, too funny not to mention.”…..
Now, we have a land stretching from the Nile River to the Euphrates, promised to Abraham and his descendants. And Abraham? He believed it to his core. After all, what else could he do? He believed he was receiving instructions from the Creator of the universe himself, and the Creator had told him that this land would belong to his descendants. And just like that, the foundations of a divine promise were laid...Project Israel begins…
Chapter 3: Egyptian Nightmare
Wait, what? Egypt? Why are we mentioning it so early?
Well, Abraham’s people have left Canaan. Yes, you heard that right! But let me explain how we got here using our timeline.
Years after the covenant, Isaac, Abraham’s son with Sarah, had a son of his own: Jacob. Jacob would grow up to have many children. But before we get to that, one particular event in Jacob’s life deserves our timeline´s attention.
Simply, Jacob had family problems….trouble in paradise?…Not quite…His relationship with his brother Esau was complicated, and as Jacob prepared to meet him again, he sent his family across the river and stayed behind alone. That night, a mysterious figure appeared, and the two began wrestling. According to the biblical narrative, Jacob struggled with this figure until daybreak. Refusing to let go, he demanded a blessing before allowing the stranger to leave. Jacob seemed to recognize something extraordinary about his opponent, later declaring that he had seen God face to face.
Impressed by his determination, God gave Jacob a new name: Israel
…..Another unlocking in our timeline….
“Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”Genesis — 32.26 “The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.”Genesis — 32.27 “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.””Genesis — 32.28
And just like that, a new name entered our story, name that would eventually become associated with an entire people.
Now, let’s go back to where we were: the children.
Jacob had twelve sons, who, according to the biblical narrative, would become the ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Levi, Gad, Asher, Judah…and others, remember these names, we will comeback to them. But among those twelve names, one is particularly important to our timeline for now: Joseph.
Joseph was one of Jacob’s sons, and his brothers were jealous of him. Their resentment eventually grew so intense that they decided to get rid of him.
They threw Joseph into a pit before selling him to passing merchants, who took him to Egypt.
“..and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.” Genesis-37.24
“As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.” Genesis-37.25.
“Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?”” Genesis-37.26
“Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.” Genesis-37.27
“So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.” Genesis-37–28
And there it is again: Egypt.
But how does one man, sold into slavery by his own brothers, end up becoming the reason his entire family moves to Egypt? Well, that’s where things get interesting.
A lot of you already know the story of Joseph, from getting improsined in Egypt till becoming the man in power after interpreting the Pharaoh´s dream, so there is no need for a lame narrative here. Him being in power is what is important to our timeline, so we will focus on that.
Fast forward into Joseph time as a man in power, famine struck Canaan and He invited his family to come to Egypt and live there. Now you know why they left Canaan? great you are paying attention.
Long after Joseph death, the israelites continued to multiply, growing into a large population within Egypt, a new Pharaoh took over, who was worried about this exponential growth, a lot of ideas crossed his mind, what if they chose to side with Egypt´s enemies? Well he had a solution to hinder that, oppression.
The Pharaoh decided to enslave the isrealites, force them to harsh labor. They have been going through slavery for years, until God has sent another prophet for the rescue, Moses
Chapter 4: Moses — an Exodus
Moses, my favourite prophet-story, I bet for most of you. As much as I would love to dive deep into its events, there are only few bits that are important to our timeline.
As mentioned, Moses, was the prophet sent by God after Joseph, with one mission only, save the israelites from Egypt´s oppression, and bring them back home, Canaan.
Took years for Moses to accomplish that, after all, he had an issue with the Pharaoh himself,“ what do you mean taking my slaves from me?” — The Pharaoh might have said.
One important detail that must be kept in mind here, Jacob, Joseph, and now Moses all played a role in protecting the Israelites, with the Lord guiding them throughout their journey. Very important people?.
According to the biblical account, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea to let them escape, and watched as the waters swallowed Pharaoh’s pursuing army. Imagine the impact this story would have on a people who had spent generations enslaved: they had survived because, according to their beliefs, God had intervened on their behalf. This reinforces their belief that they had a special relationship with the Lord, and that their survival was part of a greater divine plan. Remember the bold line, it is still used it in 2026
Chapter 5: Kingdom of Israel & Kingdom of Judah
On their way to Canaan, Moses and the israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness. Moses never made it alive, he got the Ten Commandments from God and passed down the leadership to Joshua
Joshua was the one who took the israelites to Canaan, but guess what, he did not do it as gentle as Abraham….no tent patched here….he did it with force.
Jericho was one of the first citiesJoshua conquered, located in the eastern part of Canaan. This story is important to us, so pay attention here.
To take the city, Joshua sent two spies inside, where they were hidden by a prostitute named Rahab…..the bible calls her that, don’t blame me….. Later, God instructed Joshua to have the Israelites march around the city for seven days, blow their trumpets, and shout loudly on the seventh day. According to the Bible, the walls collapsed, allowing them to enter the city.
Now, remember the Red Sea, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the belief that God had repeatedly intervened on their behalf?. Imagine how these stories reinforced the Israelites’ conviction that their God was guiding them and granting them victory.
But here’s the darker part: according to Joshua 6:21, they killed the inhabitants of the city, men and women, young and old, as well as the animals. Rahab and her family were spared because she had sheltered the spies. The biblical narrative presents this destruction as an act commanded by God himself, reinforcing the belief that the Israelites had divine backing in taking the land. Another important bold line you will need to remember.
“They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.”- Joshua — 6.21
Now Joshua will go on to violently conquer more cities by order of the Lord. This is not new, the Lord has already told the Israelites that they are the chosen people on earth, the most beloved by god, and they have permission to kill everyone on the holy promised land so that it can be theirs. Another bold line to remember
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations — the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you ”- Deutoronomy — 7.1
“and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.”-Deutoronomy — 7.2
Now the deity that saved them from slavery and chose them as the beloved people has promised them:
“If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors” — Deutoronomy 7.12
So taking land violently is totally justified now. They have beaten almost every canaanite tribe lived there. Except, a stubborn southern people happened to be called Philistines, name quite similar to Palestine right? Well, we will explain that later, bear with me, I will tell who they were in a second
Fast forward, Joshua dies, and the Israelites are led by a succession of leaders, eventually establishing a monarchy under Saul, followed by David and then Solomon. Under David and Solomon, the kingdom grew, but tensions began to rise over heavy taxation and forced labor. After Solomon inherited the throne, the people demanded that he ease their burdens. Instead, and according to the biblical account, Solomon’s son and successor, Rehoboam, refused to listen and threatened to make their lives even harder. This triggered a rebellion, splitting their kingdom into two: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. And this division is what matters to our timeline for what comes next.
Chapter 6: Philistines — The Undefeated People
Now we have a clear map right? Kingdom of Israel, Kingdom of Judah, Philistines in the south? Can you see the clear picture now? Let me help you out
Now, the Philistine territory included cities like Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and Gaza… Wait, Gaza? Yes, today’s Gaza is that old. We’re talking about a place with thousands of years of history. You might be wondering whether the Philistines have anything to do with modern-day Palestine.
Well, you’re onto something!
The name Palestine has historical roots connected to the Philistines, although the connection between the ancient Philistines and modern Palestinians is more complicated than a simple name change. But we will cover that name change in minutes.
The Israelites fought many of the peoples of Canaan, but the Philistines remained one of their most persistent rivals. Before, during, and after the division of the united kingdom, conflicts between them continued. And trust me, there was no shortage of drama, a bloodbath and a lot of violence.
There were battles during the reigns of Saul and David, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats. But if there’s one story that almost everyone knows, it’s the legendary showdown between David and Goliath.
Yes, Goliath was a Philistine, and David was an Israelite. You probably know the story, but let’s rewind for a second.
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During Saul’s reign, the Philistines and Israelites faced each other in battle. A Philistine giant named Goliath stepped forward and challenged the Israelite army to send someone to fight him. Forty days passed, and nobody seemed particularly excited about accepting that invitation…..I will not fight Francis Ngannou too…
Then came young David. He wasn’t even a soldier; he had arrived to bring food to his brothers. But when he heard Goliath mocking the Israelite army, he volunteered to fight him. Saul was skeptical, but David believed he could win.
Armed with nothing but a sling and a few stones, David faced him. One stone struck Goliath in the forehead, bringing him down. David then took Goliath’s own sword and cut off his head……Hell of a movie twist right?….
The story became one of the most famous episodes in the biblical account of the Israelite-Philistine conflict. And David? Well, he was only getting started at that time, he went on to become king later as we have already discussed
Now, back to the Philistines. That battle did not exactly make them disappear, did it? They kept coming back, and the fighting continued for generations. The Israelites won some battles, lost others, and never managed to permanently eliminate the Philistines during this period.
And things got even worse during the reign of Saul.
Remember David, the young shepherd who took down Goliath with a sling and a stone? Well, despite that legendary victory, the war was far from over. In fact, the Philistines would eventually deliver one of the most devastating defeats in Saul’s reign.
During the Battle of Mount Gilboa, the Israelite army was defeated, and the Philistines killed three of Saul’s sons. Saul himself was severely wounded and ultimately took his own life rather than fall into enemy hands.
Yes, the same Philistines who lost Goliath to David would later kill David’s friend and bring Saul’s reign to a tragic end. History doesn’t always follow the script we expect….Nothing gets fixed gently as Dr Doom said….
“So the Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled before the Philistines, and fell dead on Mount Gilboah.” — 1Samuel 31.1
“And the Philistines followed Saul and his sons, and killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Sau” — 1Samuel 31.2
Well, Philistines are no longer here, how did they disappear? Like many peoples before and after them, they fell victim to empires expanding into their lands. The Neo-Assyrians weakened them, the Babylonians digged their grave deeper, and over time, the Philistines lost their political independence and gradually faded as a distinct people. They didn’t vanish overnight; their identity slowly disappeared from the historical record.
Babylonians weren’t done conquering though
In 586 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered the Kingdom of Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, and deported a significant portion of the population to Babylon, present day Iraq. The kingdom was no more.
Now, here’s an interesting detail about names. The people of Judah were known as Judahites, derived from the name Judah, remember? ….Jacob´s son we asked you to remember? Everything is connected in this story…. Over time, the Hebrew term Yehudim, referring to the people of Judah, developed into the word Jews in English.
So, while the northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians centuries earlier, the Babylonian conquest marked the end of the independent Kingdom of Judah.
Now Israelites has been deported from both Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah. Kingdom of Israel has fallen, Kingdom of Judah lived few more years just to eventually meet the same outcome… another part in our timeline begins, scattering of israelites…
Chapter 7: Rome
The Kingdom of Judah suffered many conquests. First, the Babylonians took over, then the Persians, and later Alexander the Great….also had a piece from the pie…. The region kept changing hands until the Romans entered the game. They faced several Jewish revolts, one of the deadliest is the conflict known as Bar Kokhba, the romans inflicted major losses on the jews, many deaths, and more exiles. After that, the romans renamed the province Judaea to Syria Palaestina. “Palaestina”, name sounds like something you know?. Many historians believe this was partly meant to weaken the region’s connection to Jewish identity, naming it based on the Philistines, the undefeated people who forced the respect out of the israelites for decades. The name Paleaestina was already linked to the ancient Philistines, and over time, it became the name we know today.
Talk about taking it personally!
Palaestina, has become Palestine…now explained as we promised
Philistine vs Israelites idea never left us, hence the title of our article to describe the present…
Chapter 8: Scattered
At this point in our timeline, many Jews had been displaced from their ancestral homeland and scattered across different parts of the world. For centuries, they faced conquests, persecution, and hardship, struggling to reunite under one kingdom. After the Bar Kokhba revolt, for example, many were killed, enslaved, or forced to leave their homes. Similar tragedies had happened under earlier conquests, and more would follow. Things had changed dramatically since the time of Moses and Joshua, when the biblical story described the Israelites entering and settling in Canaan. Now, the Jewish people lived across many lands, under different rulers, without an independent kingdom of their own, and this, as you know of course, is an important detail leading to what is happening now
Chapter 9: Jesus & Rise of Christianity
Fast forward to the time of Roman rule. A baby was born in Bethlehem, a city in Judea, and was given the name Jesus.
Jesus grew up to preach a message that would change history. His teachings challenged some religious authorities, and his followers came to believe he was the Son of God. However, Jesus himself was Jewish, and his teachings grew out of Jewish traditions. The disagreements were not simply about worshipping a different god.
Some religious leaders saw him as a threat and brought him before the Roman authorities. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, ordered his crucifixion, and the Romans executed him in public. With that, many historians believe the idea of Anti-semitism started…..they have killed Jesus, they are the problem”-what some say…..
But his story did not end there. His followers continued spreading his teachings, and their movement would eventually become what we know today as Christianity.
Oh, great. Another religion with deep roots in this land. This timeline is getting crowded.
Chapter10: Islam — New Ideology in Town
Remember Hagar, Sarah’s servant? I hope you remember the name of her son: Ishmael. Well, here we are!
According to religious tradition, while the Israelites traced their ancestry to Isaac, the Arabs were also traditionally linked to Ishmael. However, this is a traditional genealogy, not a proven fact about the ancestry of all modern Arabs.
Centuries passed, and a man named Muhammad was born in Mecca, on the Arabian Peninsula.
Muhammad would grow up to deliver a message of his own. Islam recognized many figures from the Bible, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, but Muhammad taught that he was God’s final prophet. Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to him by Allah, the Arabic word for God, and that it confirmed earlier revelations while correcting what they believe had been misunderstood or changed.
Of course, not everyone accepted his message. Some Jewish and Christian communities rejected his claim to prophethood, while disagreements also arose over religious beliefs and political power.
Muhammad’s relationship with Jewish and Christian communities was complicated. While The Quran recognizes events we previously mentioned, contains passages that criticize some of their beliefs and warn Muslims against certain alliances
“You who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as friends.”-Quran 5:51
The verse above is important to our timeline
And so, another major religious movement emerged in the same part of the world, sharing figures and stories with Judaism and Christianity, yet offering its own understanding of God, prophecy, and scripture.
Three Abrahamic religions. Shared stories, different beliefs, and a lot more history to unpack.
Chapter 11: Juresalem
The Roman Empire has fallen, and after a few more changes of power, Muslim armies conquered Palestine. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad’s Night Journey, known as Isra and Mi’raj, connected him to Jerusalem, making the city sacred to Muslims as well. The site associated with this journey is now home to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
But the story didn’t end there. European Christian armies launched the Crusades, capturing Jerusalem in 1099. After centuries of battles and changing rulers, the Ottoman Empire took control of the region and ruled it for about four centuries, until the First World War. Then Britain took control, beginning a new chapter in the region’s history.
If you are paying attention, by now you can notice this land carried deep religious and historical significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. But religious attachment was only part of the story. The people living there, their communities, and their political futures would soon become central to a conflict that becomes a Burden of Generations.
“ Say goodbye to religion, for the most part, we will invite some politics now”
Chapter 12: Palestine
When Britain took control of the region after World War I, it became known officially as the British Mandate for Palestine.
Even before Britain arrived, Palestine had seen centuries of conquest and changing rulers. Arabic had become the dominant language, and the majority of the population was Arab. They had lived there for generations, built homes, raised families, and created lives of their own.
But here is the question: if a baby was born there, what was that baby supposed to know about ancient history? Should that child be held responsible for what their ancestors might have done centuries earlier? People do not choose where they are born, and they should not have to answer for every action committed by those who came before them. The Japanese do not invade the United States today to avenge Hiroshima, and people born in Palestine did not choose the history that came before them. It was their home because it was where they were born, where they found themselves in this world, and where their families lived. The history led to that.
Over generations, the Arab population of the region developed its own identity, and the name Palestinian came to describe the people who were born and called this land home, including Muslims and Christians. Their history did not begin with the arrival of the British, and their connection to the land was not erased by the fact that other people also had ancient ties to it.
Meanwhile, Jewish communities had also remained in the land, even as many Jews lived scattered across different parts of the world. During the British Mandate, the Arab majority and the growing Jewish population found themselves facing an increasingly difficult question: how could two peoples, with different histories and deep connections to the same land, determine its future?….And here we go
Chapter 13: Haskallah & Zionism The Second Promise
While Jewish communities remained scattered across the world, many continued to face discrimination and antisemitism. Some Jews became successful in business, science, and other fields, but success did not protect them from hatred. In the 19th century, a movement called Haskalah, or the Jewish Enlightenment, encouraged greater engagement with European culture, education, and modern ideas.
But discrimination continued. So another idea began to grow: What if Jews could establish a homeland of their own, where they could live with greater security and under international laws? This idea became known as Zionism.
Zionism grew during the 19th century, and one of its most influential political figures was Theodor Herzl. In 1897, he organized the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, where delegates called for a Jewish national home in Palestine, which was then under Ottoman rule. Herzl wanted international support to make this possible. His goal was clear: a homeland for the Jewish people in the land to which they had ancient historical and religious ties.
But there was a major problem: people were already living in Palestine, babies born and innocent people who found themselves there as we said. The land was home to an Arab majority, including Muslims and Christians, as well as Jewish communities. What would happen to the people who already called it home?
The Ottomans did not agree to Herzl’s proposal for a Jewish national home in Palestine. Britain later offered the Zionist movement a possible alternative in British East Africa, commonly known as the Uganda Proposal, in 1903. The proposal was debated and ultimately rejected by the Zionist movement in favor of Palestine. …Apparently, the destination mattered quite a lot, religion never died. …
Herzl thought that the Uganda Proposal was just a temporary solution and the Jews will be not safe there, as they will only be safe in their promised homland.
Jewish immigration to Palestine increased in several waves, and some wealthy supporters, including Baron Edmond de Rothschild, helped finance Jewish agricultural settlements. These efforts helped build the foundations of a modern Jewish community in the region, while tensions over land, immigration, and political control grew.
In 1917, the British government made a major announcement. As I mentioned earlier, jews has risen to power in many ways, and Britain decided to back the idea of a Jewish national home in Palestine.
It came in the form of a letter to Rothschild, from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour. The letter stated that the British government supported establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, while saying that the rights of the existing non-Jewish communities must not be harmed. This became known as the Balfour Declaration.
nice facebook post on conspiracies about the Rothschild family controlling the world, with an Illuminati logo in the background?
But jokes aside, the declaration did not create a Jewish state. It was a British political commitment, made while the region was still part of the Ottoman Empire and the First World War was underway. For the Arab population already living in Palestine, the declaration raised serious questions about their political future; especially because it mentioned their civil and religious rights, but did not explicitly promise them national self-determination did it? Huh, they were played
.Then came the Second World War, and one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime turned antisemitism into a campaign of persecution and genocide. Across Europe, the Nazis and their collaborators systematically murdered six million Jews in what became known as the Holocaust. Millions more people were also persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime.
For Jewish survivors, the war left unimaginable loss. Many had lost their families, homes, and entire communities. Some sought refuge in Palestine, while others tried to rebuild their lives elsewhere. The Holocaust strengthened international support for a Jewish state, but Palestine was not an empty land waiting to receive them. Its Arab population already lived there, and the struggle over the land’s future was about to enter a decisive new chapter…. We are here..
Chapter 14: The State of Israel
Jewish immigration will increase, and Jewish organizations will continue buying land. Meanwhile, the Arabs already living there will start smelling something funny now.
Britain is still in control of Palestine, but tensions are rising. Palestinians are worried about the increasing Jewish immigration and the possibility of losing control over their own land. They organize strikes and protests, and violence breaks out between Arab and Jewish communities, as well as against the British. In 1937, the British government sends a commission known as the Peel Commission to investigate the situation. Its solution? Divide the land into separate Arab and Jewish states. And guess what? Both sides reject the proposal. Yes, both! The Zionist leadership had objections to the proposed borders, while Palestinian Arab leaders rejected partition itself. Don’t pick a side just yet; we still have a long way to go.
Later on, Adolf Hitler will lose, the war will end, and the world will learn more about the suffering of the Jews during the Holocaust. Support for a Jewish homeland will grow, and many Jewish survivors will seek refuge in Palestine.
Britain finds itself unable to resolve the conflict and turns the question over to the United Nations. In 1947, a UN committee called UNSCOP recommends partitioning Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state, with Jerusalem under international administration. The proposed Jewish state would receive about 56% of the land, and the Arab state about 43%, with the remaining area around Jerusalem set aside for international administration because of its religious significance for all the three abrahamic religions. The arabs found this unfair, “what do you mean 43% for people with more population than the others ?”-Arabs might have said
In 1947, the UN General Assembly votes in favor of the plan. Jewish leaders accept it, despite objections to some of its terms, while Palestinian Arab leaders and neighboring Arab states reject it, arguing that it unfairly divided a land where Arabs were the majority and denied them the right to determine its future. Fighting escalates between Jewish and Arab forces. Then, In 1948, Israel declares independence as British rule comes to an end. The next day, armies from neighboring Arab states enter the war, turning the conflict into a regional war. By the time the fighting ends, Israel controls more territory than the UN plan had allocated to it, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled or been expelled from their homes, in what is called Nakba. And just like that, a new state is born and another war over that land arose.
Chapter 15: Gaza,West Bank & One Battle After Another
The battle continues between Israelis and Palestinians. Over the years, the Palestinian people will remain without a fully independent state, and their lives will become divided between the West Bank and Gaza, two territories separated geographically and governed by different Palestinian authorities.
In Gaza, Hamas will rise to power. Its name is short for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, meaning the Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamist ideology, calling for resistance against Israel. But its attacks on civilians, use of violence, and political decisions will bring devastating consequences for the people it claims to represent. Not the right people to support, BUDDY, do some homework
And on the other side? Israeli governments, particularly those influenced by the religious and nationalist far right, will continue to promote claims to the land rooted partly in biblical history. Some will support policies that deny Palestinians equal rights or oppose their independence. Remember those ancient religious texts we discussed earlier? Well, some people still use religious and historical claims to justify what they want to do today. Also not the right people to support BUDDY…Gosh, this is getting ugly.
We now have two opposing political movements, both drawing on powerful national or religious narratives, while ordinary people pay the price. But let’s be clear: Hamas does not represent every Palestinian, just as the Israeli far right does not represent every Israeli or every Jewish person. And no religious text or historical claim makes the lives of innocent people worth less than others.
The people suffering most directly are civilians caught in the conflict, especially children. Palestinians in Gaza have endured enormous destruction, displacement, hunger, and loss of life. Israeli civilians have also suffered from attacks, rockets, and hostage-taking. But the scale of suffering has not been equal: Palestinians in Gaza have faced catastrophic humanitarian conditions and exceptionally high civilian casualties. And the question remains: how many more innocent people must suffer before political leaders stop treating human lives as the price of their ambitions?
Chapter 16: October 7th, 2023.
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues. For decades, Palestinians have endured displacement, poverty, occupation, and the struggle for an independent state. Then, on October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Civilians were deliberately targeted, families were torn apart, and it became one of the darkest days in Israel’s recent history. These attacks were atrocities, and no political cause can justify murdering civilians or taking hostages.
But the story did not begin on October 7, and the war did not end there. Israel launched a devastating military campaign in Gaza, saying its goals were to destroy Hamas and prevent another attack. The consequences for Palestinians have been catastrophic: mass displacement, widespread destruction, severe shortages of food and medical care, and tens of thousands of deaths.
And now the world is divided. Is Israel defending its people against another attack, or has its response crossed the line into genocide? Is the destruction of Gaza a consequence of war, or does it reveal a broader intention to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part? These are not questions we can answer simply by choosing a side.
I am not in a position to tell the world how this conflict should be solved. We have reached a point where it feels like the world no longer knows how to handle this crisis. Seeing a woman in a wheelchair forced to flee in Gaza, watching children lose their families, seeing people struggle to find food and shelter, looking at people on a concert getting brutally killed after hearing Allahu Akbar, burns our hearts to the core. We cannot simply look away, and at the very least, we must keep talking about it and refuse to forget the people suffering.
So, is it genocide? Who is responsible? Is it Hamas, the Israeli government, or a much deeper problem rooted in decades of conflict, political ambitions, and religious and national identities? In this final chapter, we will look at the evidence, question the narratives, and try to understand what is happening. We may not find every answer, but we owe it to the people suffering to ask these questions honestly, and never forget that, beyond all the politics, these are human lives.
I only care, ONLY, about the human life, I do not believe in divisions, nor will I ever.
None deserve to die due to lame stupid differences
Chapter 17: FINALE
The Philistines and the Kingdom of Israel, those guys were fighting thousands of years ago, and here we are, still talking about conflicts over the same land. The ancient Philistines eventually disappeared as a distinct people, but the name Palestine survived through history and became associated with the land and, much later, the Palestinian national identity. Today’s Palestinians are not simply the ancient Philistines, and today’s Israelis are not simply the ancient Kingdom of Israel. But the historical connections, religious beliefs, and national identities tied to this land have played a major role in shaping the conflict. Wow, it really has been a long history of fighting, hence the name of this article.
Now, we have covered almost everything to the best of our abilities. You made it here with me, and that is impressive! You now know more about this world, and you might have already formed your own judgment. Some of you probably stopped reading halfway through, understandable, this is a huge topic to discuss. Some might be afraid of losing their US visas, maybe? Others might be afraid of being called antisemitic. But when it comes to ugly wars and ugly pictures, you see who actually cares. It is the people who keep talking about this, who refuse to let the world forget, because we are talking about bombed homes, dead children, and innocent people whose lives have been destroyed. We care, and we will always care
What is happening today is brutal. From the perspective of someone looking at this conflict through objective lenses, the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza raises grave questions about genocide, war crimes, and violations of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions were established after the horrors of World War II to protect civilians and limit the brutality of armed conflict. Yet, decades later, we are still witnessing the destruction of communities, the displacement of families, and the suffering of innocent people. It makes you wonder whether humanity has learned anything at all.
The question is whether the objective is simply to defeat Hamas or whether the destruction is contributing to something far more devastating: the erasure of Palestinians from the land they call home. The far-right elements of Israel’s government openly draw on religious and historical narratives to justify their territorial ambitions. As we have discussed before, the idea of being a chosen people can take on a dangerous political dimension when it is interpreted as divine entitlement to a particular land, while the rights of those already living there become secondary. If leaders believe they are acting under God’s protection, and powerful world leaders continue to shield them from meaningful consequences, what is left to restrain their actions? that is the most scariest thing to think about
I once came across a post asking a simple but disturbing question: If Hamas were hiding beneath an Israeli building, would Israel destroy that building? It is a hypothetical, of course, and we cannot know the answer without examining a specific situation. But the question exposes a deeper moral concern: would the same level of destruction be considered acceptable if the people at risk were on the other side? International humanitarian law requires militaries to distinguish between combatants and civilians, assess the proportionality of attacks, and take all feasible precautions to protect civilian lives. The presence of Hamas fighters does not erase those obligations.
Military operations should be conducted with precision, targeting legitimate military objectives while minimizing civilian casualties. Capturing or targeting Hamas leaders may sometimes be possible, but not every situation permits a targeted operation, and international law does not require a military to use one particular tactic in every case. What it does require is that every attack comply with the laws of war. When civilian suffering reaches such devastating levels, the decisions behind military operations must be scrutinized, and those responsible for unlawful acts must be held accountable.
Because the greatest danger arises when governments begin to treat historical grievances, national identity, or divine promises as justification for actions that would otherwise be condemned. No people should be considered less deserving of life, freedom, or dignity because of their identity. No government should be above international law. And no claim of divine entitlement should place human suffering beyond moral scrutiny. THIS IS 2026
If the lessons of World War II mean anything, they must apply universally, not only when the victims belong to one side, but when they belong to the other as well.
Now, how do we stop this war? Huh, who am I to comment on this? No powerful guy is going to listen to me anyway. But who cares? I will still speak, because humanity is at stake here, and I care about humanity. Religion plays a role in the beliefs of both Hamas and some Israeli political movements, but the conflict is also about land, security, occupation, displacement, and national identity. Hamas uses religious ideology to justify violence, while some Israeli nationalist and religious movements use biblical claims to support their political and violent goals. Remember those verses we discussed in Chapter 10? Some people use religious texts to justify hostility toward others. But neither Palestinians nor Israelis are a single-minded group, and religion alone cannot explain everything. One proposal might be to remove religion from the political equation, but that alone would not solve the conflict.
Also, calling for the annihilation of Israel or Palestine as states is dumb, both are there now, and as we discussed, people were born and happen to find themsleves in those places, having both live side by side is the ultimate goal that needs to be achieved, cannot be done? make it
We also have generations of young people who have watched their parents die, lost their homes, and grown up surrounded by violence. Imagine what that does to a person. Some argue that if Palestinians in the West Bank voted today, Hamas could gain more support. Whether or not that prediction is correct, it is worth asking why armed movements gain support in societies experiencing occupation, displacement, and despair, ….do you expect them to hand you milk and flowers?…. Remember how we discussed the Israelites’ suffering under Pharaoh? …Did not see an egyptian survived that drawning….. People who experience injustice can become desperate for change. But suffering does not justify revenge, and no child should have to pay for the actions of a government or an armed group.
Hamas, we can agree, should be removed. They are a threat to their own people. And please, stop calling every dead person a “martyr” to religiously justify their death. A human being died because they were bombed. Shelter them, protect them, and help them stay alive until this nightmare ends, do not use old beliefs that started this to keep it going.
And anyone blindly backing Hamas? Questionable enough that I wouldn’t waste my time arguing with them…. Just…. say Yes, you’re right and move on.
An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. We have seen what happens when people believe that taking someone else’s land, killing in revenge, or treating an entire population as the enemy will bring peace. It doesn’t. We need a future where both Palestinians and Israelis can live with security, dignity, freedom, and equal human worth. I don’t pretend to have the solution. I just want this suffering to end.
And that was Philistines & Kingdom of Israel, everybody! Thank you for reading all the way to the end. Leave me a comment; I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts and discuss different perspectives. I might be wrong, and that’s okay. Feel free to challenge my ideas, question my arguments, and make me think differently. After all, the whole point of this project is to dare to question what we inherit…See yaa
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