Jewish, Not Arab, Roots in Judea and Samaria

US Pres. Obama’s demand that Israel not settle Jews in the Biblical areas of Judea and Samaria ignores thoroughly-documented Jewish roots in the Land of Israel, and in Judea/Samaria in particular.

Yoram Ettinger, a former liaison for Congressional affairs in Israel's Washington embassy, lists in the latest of his periodic position papers some of the evidence showing that Judea and Samaria has Jewish, not Arab, roots.

Area Always Known as "Judea and Samaria"

Ettinger negates Obama's claim – enunciated during his June 4, 2009 speech at Cairo University – that "the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in" the Holocaust. For one thing, Ettinger notes, many world-renowned travelers, historians and archeologists of earlier centuries refer to "Judea and Samaria," while the term "West Bank" was coined only 60 years ago. Jordan gave the region this name when it occupied it after Israel’s War of Independence. No nation on earth other than Britain and Pakistan recognized Jordan’s claim to Judea and Samaria.

Among the travelers, historians and archeologists who referred to Judea and Samaria are H. B. Tristram (The Land of Israel, 1865); Mark Twain (Innocents Abroad, 1867); R.A. MacAlister and Masterman ("Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly"); A.P. Stanley (Sinai and Palestine, 1887); E. Robinson and E. Smith (Biblical Researches in Palestine, 1841); C.W. Van de Velde (Peise durch Syrien und Paletsinea, 1861); and Felix Bovet (Voyage en Taire Sainte, 1864). Even the Encyclopedia Britannica, as well as official British and Ottoman records until 1950, used the term Judea and Samaria, and not the West Bank.

Land Was Named "Palestine" in Order to Erase Jewish Presence

Ettinger goes even further back, and says that the name "Palestine" was given to the Holy Land for the sole purpose of erasing the previous name of the country – Judea – from human memory. The Romans, whose plan this was, similarly sought to extinguish Jewish presence in Jerusalem by renaming it Aelia Capitolina.

Arabs Came in the Last 150 Years

When speaking of “Palestinian national rights,” it must be similarly kept in mind, Ettinger notes, that most Arabs residing today in Israel – anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean - have their origin in a massive 19th-20th century migration from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and other Moslem countries.

Town Names Betray Their True History

Finally, Ettinger says that almost all Arab localities in Judea and Samaria have retained Biblical Jewish names, thus reaffirming their Jewish roots. Examples include the following: Anata is Biblical (and contemporary) Anatot, the dwelling of the Prophet Jeremiah. Batir is Biblical (and contemporary) Beitar, the headquarters of Bar Kochba, the leader of the Great Rebellion against the Roman Empire, which was suppressed in 135CE. Beit-Hur is the biblical (and contemporary) Beit Horon, site of Judah the Maccabee's victory over the Assyrians. Beitin is biblical (and contemporary) Beit El, a site of the Holy Ark and Prophet Samuel's court. Bethlehem is mentioned 44 times in the Bible and is the birth place of King David. Beit Jalla is biblical (and contemporary) Gilo, in southern Jerusalem, where Sennacherib set his camp, while besieging Jerusalem. El-Jib is biblical (and contemporary) Gibeon, Joshua's battleground known for his command to stop the sun and moon (Joshua 10:12). Jaba' is the biblical (and contemporary) Geva, site of King Saul’s son Jonathan’s victory over the Philistines. Jenin is the biblical (and contemporary) Ein Ganim, a Levite town within the tribe of Issachar. Mukhmas is biblical (and contemporary) Mikhmash, residence of Jonathan the Maccabee and site of King Saul's fortress. Seilun is biblical (and contemporary) Shilo, a site of Joshua's tabernacle and the Holy Ark and Samuel's youth. Tequa is biblical (and contemporary) Tekoa, hometown of the Prophet Amos.

Arabs Never Wanted Palestinian State

In another of his posts, Ettinger has negated the US government position that a Palestinian state is the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict and that its formation would resolve the situation. He cites proofs from recent history showing that Arab antipathy to Israel not only predates Palestinian concerns, but often sidesteps such interests.

Israel's war for its independence in 1948-9, for instance, was conducted by the Arab countries at the expense of Palestinian aspirations. Though Egypt conquered Gaza, and Jordan took Judea and Samaria, and Syria claimed the Golan, in none of these areas was a Palestinian government allowed.

When Egypt conquered the Gaza Strip, it proceeded to prohibit Palestinian national activities and expel Palestinian leadership. Not only did Jordan not grant Palestinian independence to Judea and Samaria, it actually annexed these areas to its own country. When Syria occupied and annexed the Hama area in the Golan Heights, the Arab League outlawed a provisional Palestinian government there.

In short, it can be concluded that Arab "rights" to a state in Judea and Samaria are historically weak and were long ignored by other Arab countries.

We Dare Not Be Silent

For the past 12 years, I have dedicated myself to raising awareness and support for the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria. While most of the world refers to these places as settlements, I learned early on that the term “settlements” was a pejorative one. It was a term used purposely by the settlement movement’s detractors to create an impression that these are temporary sites, easy to dismantle and uproot. In this way, they were able to de-legitimize the historical, Biblical right of the Jewish people to live in Judea and Samaria. After all, the places so ready recognizable to us because of their Biblical associations, Hebron, Shiloh, Elon Moreh, Tekoa, Jerusalem, are the very places that are being called “illegal settlements” by so many all over the world.

Most Christians look at the issues taking place in the Middle East from a Biblical perspective; we tend to see the issues in black and white terms. If God said it, then it must be so. He said ALL the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people; therefore, we take it literally that it should belong to the Jewish people. No questions. Unfortunately, however, there are some Christians who don’t understand the connection between the Biblical truths and current Middle East events. And, perhaps even more painfully, so many Jews, including the majority of the American Jewish leadership, do not support the communities in Judea and Samaria. They have a different perspective about how the Bible is applied to the events taking place in modern day Israel. In fact, that is one of the reasons that we have found such a warm welcome to CFOIC Heartland from the Jews living there.

Of course, the situation in the Middle East is not a simple one and the issues are complex and varied. However, as Christians who firmly support Israel’s right to ALL the land of Israel, we have an opportunity, indeed an obligation, to stand strong on behalf of Judea and Samaria. Our voice is needed now more than ever before.

In the past few years, I have seen a growing trend among Christians to still their voice of support and weaken their stand on behalf of Biblical Israel because they have gotten involved with their local Jewish Federation which, in turn, will not support the communities. Now is not the time to be silent. We have an obligation to stand for what we believe in, and not cave in to the pressures or beliefs of those around us. In talking about this issue with a friend recently, she made a statement that spoke volumes. Referring to her own disagreement with the local Jewish community, she said, “I am here to support Israel, and the American Jewish community is not Israel. If they don’t support the communities of Judea and Samaria, then it is even more important that we should.” Of course, she remains well connected to her local Jewish community and supports their work for Israel. But they have agreed to disagree and she continues to support the communities, even when they don’t.

The lesson here is a valuable one indeed. It is so important for us to speak up and let our voice be heard. We can do it in a respectful manner, but more importantly, we can let our actions speak louder than words. As we follow our hearts and our convictions, we will lead by example and who knows how that will change the future?

Some years back one of our supporters became friendly with a Jew from her area who was very active with the local Jewish community. They had lively discussions about the “settlement” issue on a regular basis. They agreed to disagree and maintained a very friendly relationship. In the course of time, one of our community representatives was in town for a CFOIC event, and she invited her friend to come and hear him speak about the settlement issue. For the first time, this Jewish man was given the opportunity to meet a Jew from the communities and to hear a different perspective on the issue. What he heard shook him profoundly. He completely changed the way he felt about the settlement issue and even joined Sondra Baras for a full-day tour in Judea and Samaria, an experience he truly treasured. And this turnabout could only have happened because a Christian was not afraid to speak up, kindly, gently and respectfully, but resolutely all the same.

There are churches and ministries which are more concerned with being accepted in their communities than in standing for the truth, and they stay away from so-called controversial issues. For that reason, they refuse to get involved with the settlement issue. We have been inundated with the “politically correct” or PC concept. In essence, however, PC is all about making everyone happy. Being PC means not choosing a side, not taking a stand. It is about walking the middle ground just because it is in the middle and trying to appease both sides regardless of what each side stands for. I believe God spoke to this issue when he sent the warning to the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:15-16: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."

We need to take a stand. We need to decide whether we are hot or cold. As Christians, we have a responsibility to speak out. If we do not raise our voices in support of the communities of Judea and Samaria, then who will? If we are so worried that our local Jewish community will disagree or that a local church will find us too political with regard to our stand for Judea and Samaria that we compromise our beliefs and back down just to please them, who will challenge them? Perhaps, God has put us in these positions and relationships to cause them to re-think long held policies that are in need of re-visiting.

As we speak out on behalf of the people of Judea and Samaria in our local communities, churches, and circles of influence, we can help dispel the misinformation that abounds regarding the temporary nature of a “settlement” and the “fanatics” who live there. We can stand up for what we believe in and maintain a strong voice of support on their behalf. With the current pressure that is being exerted on Israel to abandon the 300,000 people who have made their homes in the Biblical Heartland, we have to stand up and let our voice be heard. We must not let our fear of man or our desire to make friends stop us from shouting from the rooftops what we know to be true. We must continually speak to our pastors, our political representatives, our government leaders, at all levels, regarding Israel’s right to live in the land that God promised and gave to them. We cannot afford to fall silent or let ourselves be muzzled to please others.

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Good Zionists, bad Zionists

One of the unwritten laws of war is that the winning side is allowed to do as it pleases after the cessation of hostilities. This law is even more relevant when the victor turns out to be the side that didn’t initiate the war, or didn’t want the war to occur in the first place.

Thus we find Israel, after its victory in a war that it initially tried to avoid in 1948, utilizing its victory to expand its territory. For several years after this war, new communities started to appear on the map, such as Ashdod in 1956, Karmiel in 1964, Dimona in 1955 and Arad in 1962 (to name just a few).

Then, nearly 20 years later and faced with the prospect of an Arab onslaught, Israel was forced to fight another war in 1967, which, like the war in 1948, resulted in a decisive victory for Israel. Then, once again, as it had done after its 1948 victory, Israel utilized this victory to embark on a campaign of expanding its territory. New communities started to dot the map, such as Kiryat Arba in 1972, Kedumim in 1975, Karnei Shomron in 1977 and Efrat in 1983 (to name just a few).

However, this is where the similarities stop. For some reason, the communities that were founded after 1948 have always been considered legitimate by the Israeli public, while the communities that were established after 1967 never quite managed to gain the same degree of legitimacy in the eyes of some sections of the Israeli public and are in fact considered illegitimate by some here in Israel.

Arabs make no distinctions
The argument that the latter communities were established in the midst of, or near, large Arab population centers, or on “Arab lands”, doesn’t hold much sway, especially since the same can be said of many “legitimate” communities established after 1948 and even of some communities started before 1948. If this is the case, then what is the reason for this different treatment of post-1967 communities to those of their pre-1967 counterparts?

It seems that the only logical answer is that the earlier communities were founded by the “Good Zionists” (Ben Gurion and friends), while many of the latter post-1967 communities were founded by a different type of Zionist, namely the type that believes settling Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah and draws the inspiration and motivation for such ideals straight from Judaism. This is the only plausible answer as to why this second group of Zionists and the communities they have built have become stigmatized and deemed illegitimate by so many here in Israel.

Unfortunately, what many here in Israel that deem such post-1967 communities as illegitimate fail, or perhaps refuse, to understand is that in the eyes of the Arabs, all of the communities (pre-1948, post-1948, post-1967) are illegitimate. They don’t make such trivial distinctions. Only we, the silly Jews, make such distinctions.