Readers of this blog know I've been studying the Israel Palestine conflict since Hamas fought back against Israel on 10-7-23.
At the core, Israel claims Palestine as theirs because of passages in the Old Testament that reference Judea and Samaria as the historical homeland of Jewish people. I haven't read these references in the Old Testament, but I assume they're prevalent.
First, and I'll never dwell on this, set aside that The Bible could very well be a fairy tale.
Next, just because it's their historical homeland according to the Old Testament, that doesn't entitle them to the land. Even more important is what journalist Jasper Nathanial covers in this 8 minute clip from this week's Chapo Trap House podcast:
Jasper accurately describes that there have been other civilizations and cultures that lived on this land, some of whom came before the Jews. He talks about how Israel has weaponized archaeology as part of making claims to this land. I found it really interesting. I hope you'll give it a listen.
Listen to the entire podcast here:
The podcast discusses "his reporting on the West Bank and Israel’s second front in the war on Palestine". It takes a deep look at "the increasingly violent settler movement, Israel’s flagrant violation of international laws, the use of archaeological warfare in the region, and the constant ubiquitous violence that defines life for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation".
tty next time,
