Hananya Naftali
Nov 7, 2026
History of the Land
The Short Answer
The Jewish people. Jewish kingdoms ruled the land about three thousand years ago, with Jerusalem as their capital. The name Palestine was imposed by Rome in about 135 CE to erase the Jewish connection. There has never been an independent Palestinian Arab state, while Jews have lived in the land continuously for thousands of years.
Ancient Israel
The Hebrew Bible and archaeology both record Israelite kingdoms in the land. The Merneptah Stele from Egypt mentions Israel more than three thousand years ago, and the Tel Dan Stele refers to the House of David.
After Rome crushed the Bar Kokhba revolt, it renamed Judea Syria Palaestina, after the ancient Philistines, enemies of Israel. The land then passed through the hands of Byzantines, Arab caliphates, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and the British.
The Modern Story
Jews never stopped living in the land. In the 19th century Jews again formed the largest group in Jerusalem, and Zionist pioneers bought land and built farms. In 1947 the UN voted for a Jewish state. Read more: The Nakba and 1948
Key Facts
Jewish kingdoms ruled the land about three thousand years ago.
Rome named the land Palaestina around 135 CE.
There has never been an independent Palestinian Arab state.
Jews have lived in the land continuously through the centuries.