17/03/2026
The country we call Israel today was established on 14 May 1948. Before this day, this land was part of a region known as Palestine. That means before 1948, there was no modern country called Israel anywhere on earth.
So the question is: where did the Israelites come from?
Because we know that the ancient Kingdom of Israel existed about 3,000 years ago. It was established roughly 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus, and it existed in the same region where Israel is located today.
The other question is where did the name Palestine come from and how did the land of Israel become Palestine.
What happened to the ancient Kingdom of Israel?
How did we end up with so many Arab Muslims living in a land that was historically associated with the Jews?
Well, you see:
About 4,000 years ago, the land that is now called Israel, together with Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Syria, was known as Canaan.
Canaan is mentioned in several ancient records from Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Throughout its history, the region of Canaan was inhabited by different nations like
▪️The Philistines
▪️The Phoenicians
▪️The Arameans....and of-course, Israelites.
After living in Canaan for centuries, the Israelites later established a kingdom in that region. It became known as the Kingdom of Israel and its first King was Saul.
However, this kingdom later split after the death of King Solomon.
The split created two separate kingdoms, the northern kingdom and southern kingdom.
The northern kingdom kept the name Israel, and its capital was Samaria.
The southern kingdom became known as Judah, and its capital was Jerusalem.
The Northern Kingdom was the first to lose its independence. It was conquered by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE, more than 2,700 years ago.
The Southern Kingdom remained independent for more than a century after that, but it eventually lost its independence in 586 BCE, when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire (modern-day Iraq).
After this, the land of Judah (Southern Kingdom) came under the control of several empires:
▪️ Babylonian Empire (Morden day Iraq)
▪️ Persian Empire (modern-day Iran)
▪️ Alexander the Great and his Greek successors.
However, during the rule of the Greeks, the Jews revolted. They launched an armed struggle and managed to regain independence over much of their ancestral land in both Israel and Judah.
This event is known as the Maccabean Revolt, and it is well documented in history.
However, their independence did not last very long. They were soon conquered by the Roman Empire in 63 BCE. This was less than 60 years before the birth of Jesus.
The Jews tried to resist Roman rule but they were not successful. So after several Jewish revolts against Roman rule, the Roman authorities renamed Israelite land to Syria Palaestina.
Many historians believe this name was chosen partly to erase any Jewish connection to the land, but this is debated. However, what is not debated is the FACT that the Romans renamed the the land of Israel to Syria Palaestina around 136 AD. That's about 2089 years ago.
Over time, the name Palestina evolved into the name Palestine, which continued to be used for the region for many centuries.
After Roman colonial rule, the Jews never again regained full political independence in that land until 1948. The region remained under the control of different empires for nearly two thousand years.
These Empires included:
▪️ Roman Empire 63 BCE – 324 CE
▪️ Byzantine Empire 324 CE – 638 CE
▪️ Rashidun Caliphate 638 CE – 661 CE
▪️ Umayyad Caliphate 661 CE – 750 CE
▪️ Abbasid Caliphate 750 CE – 969 CE
▪️ Fatimid Caliphate 969 CE – 1099 CE
▪️ The Crusaders 1099 CE – 1187 CE
▪️ Ayyubid Dynasty 1187 CE – 1250 CE
▪️ Mamluk Sultanate 1250 CE – 1517 CE
▪️ Ottoman Empire 1517 CE – 1917 CE
From the beginning of Roman rule in 63 BCE to the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 CE is almost 2,000 years.
That means the land once known as the Kingdom of Israel remained under the control of foreign empires for nearly two millenniums, continuously.
During this long period, the name Syria Palaestina gradually evolved into the name Palestine, which was used to refer to the region for many centuries. I must emphasize that Palestine was never an independent sovereign state. Throughout its history, the region was ruled by various foreign empires listed above.
In the comments section, I will now explain where the Arab Muslims came from and how they ended up being the majority in Palestine. I will also explain how the modern state of Israel was created in 1948.
