ISRAEL and PALESTINE, PART ONE
- davidcogd
- Jun 13, 2024
- 4 min read
The history of the Jews and the land called Israel is a complex and fascinating story. It features conquests and loss of control to numerous Empires whose power were too much to defeat.
One constant has been the continuous population of the region now known as Israel by the Jews, while their autonomy varied with all the different Conquering Empires.
The attack last October by the militant group HAMAS has brought fresh attention to the issue of the Jewish country of Israel and the plight of Palestinians.
What provenance does Israel have to its land and what is the solution for fairness to Palestinians? We will cover those issues in Part Two next week.
To understand how Israel got to its current place, we need an Historical Perspective. The Bible documents the history of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt. According to the Bible, Moses secured the release of the Jews and led them on a journey to find a homeland. We all know this story. The archaeological record supports the basics of the Exodus.
So, here is a summary timeline of events from the time the Jews reached Israel:
3400 Years Ago - Israelites settled in the Land of Caanan after leaving Egypt around 1300BC. Israel took control of the land from the existing tribes of Hittites, Canaanites, Amorites, and other various groups (under the leadership of Joshua according to the Bible version).
2750 Years Ago - The Assyrian Empire conquered Israel in 722 BC after 700 Years of Jewish autonomy. Many Jews were deported to other Assyrian provinces. The ten northern tribes were exiled, an event often referred to as the "Lost Tribes of Israel."
However, the Assyrians left the Southern Kingdom of Judah, including Jerusalem, in a somewhat autonomous position.
The Assyrians lost control of Israel due to the rise of the Babylonian Empire and the combined military efforts of the Medes and Babylonians. The decisive events took place between 612 BCE (the fall of Nineveh) and 609 BCE (the fall of Harran), leading to the end of Assyrian rule and the establishment of Babylonian dominance in the region.
2600 Years Ago - Babylonia led by King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC. They destroyed the First Temple (Solomon’s Temple) in Jerusalem.
In 539 BC, Babylonia was conquered by The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, Cyrus issued a decree in 538 BCE allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, thus ending Babylonian control. The Persians allowed The Jews some degree of autonomy.
Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, a group of Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem and began the process of rebuilding the Temple. The foundation was laid around 536 BC.
Israel now had the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
2500 Years Ago - Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, including Judah, in 332 BC. After his death, his empire was divided among his generals.
Judah then came under the control of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and later the Seleucid Empire. The Jews continued to have a degree of religious and internal autonomy, but were subject to the policies of these Hellenistic rulers.
2200 Years Ago - Judas Maccabeus led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 167 BC.
Jerusalem was recaptured and Jews had independence in Israel again.
2100 Years Ago - The Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC, and made Israel (Judea) a client kingdom. Several Jewish revolts were attempted and put down by the Romans. Under the customs of Roman rule, the Jews were allowed to continue practice of their faith.
1950 Years Ago - The Great Jewish Revolt ended with the destruction of the Second Temple by Romans led by Titus in 70 AD. However, the Jews were still allowed to practice Judaism.
The repression by Rome led to a diaspora with many Jews migrating across the Roman Empire and beyond.
1700 Years Ago - The Roman Empire was divided and Judea became part of the Byzantine Empire in 324 AD. The region was predominantly Christianized, and Jewish autonomy and presence diminished.
1380 Years Ago - The final end of Byzantine (Roman) rule in Judea came with the Muslim conquest of the region in 638 AD by Muslim Arab armies led by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Under Muslim rule, Jews were generally allowed to practice their faith with certain restrictions.
925 Years Ago - The Middle Age Crusades resulted in European rule of Israel. Jews faced persecution and severe restrictions on religious practices.
730 Years Ago - The Mamluks under the leadership of Salidin expelled the Crusaders from the “Holy Land” in 1291 AD. Jews were allowed to practice their religion but faced occasional restrictions.
500 Years Ago - The Ottoman Empire conquered the region including Israel in 1517 AD.
Jews enjoyed a relatively high degree of religious freedom and community autonomy.
106 Years Ago - The Ottoman Empire had joined the Axis Powers in World War I. After the Axis lost the War in 1918, the British acquired control of the land of Israel/Palestine.
Under the British Mandate, Jews were allowed to freely practice their religion, and the Jewish community in Palestine grew, despite increasing tensions and conflicts.
SUMMARY
This timeline, although summarized, is still lengthy. The land now called Israel experienced numerous changes in occupation and rule after 700 years of autonomous Jewish rule from the time they first entered Caanan around 1300BC.
These periods saw varying degrees of autonomy, religious freedom and restrictions for the Jews, reflecting the changing political and social landscapes of the region. During all these occupations, many Jews migrated to other areas of the world. Now many Jews have moved back to Israel with freedom of religion and desire for their “homeland.”
It is no wonder that the Jewish race considers themselves “survivors.”
In Part 2 of Israel and Palestine, Cogport will cover modern history of Israel, and the current challenges and policies affecting the region.
David Hollaender
6/13/2024
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