The Truth About “Palestine” That History Tries to Bury
By Jeff Morton
I recently spent nearly two weeks in Israel, touring the land with Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries. To be honest, I felt safer there than I do on the streets of Seattle or Tacoma, Washington—safer than I do in many neighborhoods across the Pacific Northwest where I currently live.
Arriving in Israel wasn’t just another trip for me—it was the culmination of years of study and research. As I walked through ancient ruins and spoke with some of the most gracious and beautiful people I’ve ever met, I didn’t experience a vacation. I experienced confirmation. Confirmation that this nation—reborn against all odds—is thriving.
For nearly 40 years, I’ve spoken out against the falsehood of a so-called “Palestinian people.” I’ve stood in the middle of what I call “Hate Israel” rallies, where chants of apartheid and the BDS movement (which I refer to as Blind, Dumb, and Stupid) attempt to disrupt the brilliance of Israeli ingenuity and economic success. As a Black American, I’m deeply moved by what the rebirth of Israel represents. And equally troubled by the ignorance and deception that seek to erase it.
So let me get to the point:
Much of what the world believes about “Palestine” is not a misunderstanding. It’s not a gray area. It’s not a debate.
It’s a lie.
Judea, Not Palestine
The region so often called “Palestine” was originally Judea—the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Cities like Hebron, Shiloh, and Shechem aren’t just random places on a map. They are the historic and spiritual heart of Jewish identity, deeply rooted in the Bible, in history, and in archaeology.
But in 135 CE, after the Jewish Bar Kokhba Revolt against Roman rule, Emperor Hadrian set out to erase that identity. He renamed Judea to Syria Palaestina, invoking the ancient Philistines—enemies of Israel—as an intentional insult. This wasn’t some bureaucratic name change. It was a calculated move to sever Jewish ties to the land, crush the Jewish spirit, and rewrite history.
Hadrian’s campaign didn’t end with a name. He banned circumcision, renamed Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, and prohibited Jews from entering the city. He even built a pagan temple on the ruins of the Second Temple. It was an all-out effort to erase Jewish existence—physically, culturally, and spiritually.
The Balfour Declaration: Global Recognition of Jewish Return
Fast forward to 1917. In the aftermath of World War I, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, a historic statement affirming support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in what was then Ottoman-controlled territory.
This was not a symbolic gesture. It became part of binding international law. The League of Nations Mandate for Palestine in 1922 affirmed Jewish historical ties to the land and charged the British with facilitating the creation of that national home. In other words, modern international consensus recognized Jewish nationhood—not a Palestinian one—long before Israel declared independence in 1948.
The Silence of Palestinian History
Let’s be honest: if Palestine were an ancient nation, it would have left behind the signs every civilization does—rulers, wars, governments, languages, monuments, innovations.
But there is no archaeological record of a Palestinian nation.
No kings or queens.
No military conquests or defeats.
No borders.
No literature, libraries, or lasting inventions.
No coinage.
No legal system.
No philosophical schools or unique cultural institutions.
Nothing.
This isn’t an academic oversight. It’s the reality that a “Palestinian people,” as a distinct national identity, only emerged politically in the mid-20th century as a reaction to Jewish return and statehood—not as a continuation of an ancient legacy.
Meanwhile, Jewish history in this land spans millennia—carved into stone, etched in scrolls, unearthed in cities, and validated across global records.
Is Peace Built on a Lie?
Let’s talk about the so-called “two-state solution.”
It sounds noble. But how can there be peace when half the history has been rewritten or erased? When vast regions of the Muslim world won’t recognize Israel’s right to exist, and when some still openly call for its destruction under the banner of Sharia law—are we really aiming for coexistence? Or is it Hadrian’s mission all over again: erase the Jewish presence using new tactics?
The Bottom Line
The Jewish people are not foreigners in Judea and Samaria—what the media insists on calling the “West Bank.” They are not colonialists. They are sons and daughters returning home. This is not occupation. This is restoration.
I speak up not because it’s popular, but because it’s true.
And truth still matters—even when it makes the world uncomfortable.
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