A Brief History of the Land of Israel by Benjamin Troutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc SOURCE: Israel by Noa Tishby en-us 2023-02-25 22:44:55 UTC 2023-02-25 23:26:03 UTC hello@padlet.com The State of Israel is approximately 8,019 square miles benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495001088 THAT’S LESS THAN THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY!

It takes about six hours to drive from north to south and about an hour from east to west.  That’s it. 


]]> 2023-02-25 22:49:56 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495001088 Geography benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495002067 This strip of land sits on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

South of
Lebanon and Syria
West of
Jordan
North of
Egypt

Israel is surrounded by 21 mostly Arab countries and Iran, which is mostly Persian.  It’s a rough neighborhood.
]]> 2023-02-25 22:53:46 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495002067 Wasn’t the country only established in 1948? benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495002875 YES AND NO.
In short, there is nothing particularly special about the natural location, yet for some reason, Israel is the physical origin of two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, and the third holiest place to the third monotheistic religion, Islam.  But what exactly is Israel?

Perhaps some of Israel’s relevance is tied to its geographical centrality in the region.  Smack dab between Europe, Asia, and Africa, became a major crossroads.
]]> 2023-02-25 22:57:03 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495002875 The ancient Kingdom of Israel began around 1500 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003011 2023-02-25 22:57:43 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003011 sometime during the 13th century BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003135 Israelites came into Canaan and divided the land into areas governed by the 12 Jewish tribes]]> 2023-02-25 22:58:20 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003135 1030 - 928 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003878 The sovereign Jewish kingdom was referred to as the United Israelite Monarchy]]> 2023-02-25 22:59:21 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495003878 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004029 An Egyptian inscription, the Merneptah Stele, dated to approximately 1200 BCE, mentions a campaign in which the Egyptian ruler defeated “Israel.”]]> 2023-02-25 22:59:53 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004029 970 - 930 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004143 King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem.

A quick historical rundown of a hand-swapped land follows...

]]> 2023-02-25 23:00:24 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004143 around 722 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004432 The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire

(The Jewish Kingdom of Judea survived for another 136 years.)]]> 2023-02-25 23:01:58 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004432 around 587 - 586 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004551 The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the First Temple and exiled the Jews to neighboring countries.]]> 2023-02-25 23:02:27 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004551 539 - 322 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004715 Next came the Persian Empire.

Cyrus the Great, the first king, published the Cyrus Decree, allowing all exiled nations of the region to go back to their homelands and reestablish their faiths, traditions, and rituals.

The Cyrus Decree is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Ezra (Chapter 1, verses 1-4).  The actual Cyrus Cylinder with that Cyrus Decree, as more or less described Ezra, was found in modern-day Iraq in 1879 and is now on display in London.  https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941
]]> 2023-02-25 23:03:20 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004715 322 - 63 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004996 After the Persians came the Greeks, which started the Hellenistic period.

Alexander the Great didn’t just take over Israel, he pretty much took over the whole region from Greece through the Middle East to Mesopotamia, Persia, and all the way down to India.]]> 2023-02-25 23:04:47 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495004996 167 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005054 Antiochus IV Epiphanes, known as the Mad One, outlawed Jewishness altogether and forced the Jews to worship Zeus.]]> 2023-02-25 23:05:08 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005054 167 - 37 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005506 A rebellion erupted led by Mattathias and later Judah the Maccabee of the house Hasmonean.

Judah the Maccabee retook the Jewish Temple and found only one single canister of oil to light the menorah, and lo and behold! the oil lasted 8 days.

Happy Hanukkah, everyone!

The first Zion Return - the Jews’ return to their homeland and the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

The Hasmoneans reestablished the Jewish state and national sovereignty until the invasion of the Romans




]]> 2023-02-25 23:07:19 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005506 around 63 BCE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005977 The mighty Romans invade.]]> 2023-02-25 23:09:47 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495005977 66 CE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006036 The Jews had had enough with the Romans and started a rebellion, which did not end well.]]> 2023-02-25 23:10:06 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006036 70 CE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006087 Emperor Vespasian sends his son Titus to crush the uprising, killing or exiling almost every Jew.

Titus orchestrated a long and horrific siege on Jerusalem.  After months of fighting, the city fell, Titus broke through the walls, destroyed Jerusalem, and burned the Second Temple.]]> 2023-02-25 23:10:25 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006087 around 63 BCE - 324 CE benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006625 The Roman Empire ruled the land

Herod the Great ruled and built Caesarea (among other cities) as well as the series of its aqueducts and the stunning fortress of Masada in the Judean desert.

The Romans are responsible for some of the most astonishing architectural feats, which are still standing in all their glory.
]]> 2023-02-25 23:12:07 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006625 324 - 638 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006799 The Byzantine period came, wherein Emperor Constantine converted the entire Roman Empire to Christianity.

Constantine and his successor, Justinian the First, did not vibe with the Jews being Jewish and tried to force mass conversion.

Helena, Emperor Constantine's mom, built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.]]> 2023-02-25 23:12:57 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006799 638 - 1099 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006907 Muhammad and his heirs started their conquests west, invaded the land, creating the Muslim Empire or Caliphate.]]> 2023-02-25 23:13:30 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495006907 1099 - 1260 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007207 Next came the Crusaders, slaughtering any non-Christian who stood in their way.

An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf, or Saladin, briefly conquered Jerusalem in 1187, but lost to Richard the Lionheart in 1191.

At a time when much of the ancient world was so violent, paying a high tax was not that bad for conquered people, but still, it wasn’t pleasant.
]]> 2023-02-25 23:14:52 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007207 1260 - 1517 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007541 The Mamluks, slaves from the Balkans, Georgia, Egypt, and Turkey controlled the land.

In 1517, the place was invaded by the Turkish Sultan, Salim.

]]> 2023-02-25 23:16:19 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007541 1517 - 1917 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007597 The land remained a part of Ottoman Empire.

After WW1, the Brits took over the empire-building game...]]> 2023-02-25 23:16:37 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007597 1917 - 1947 benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007904 The British Mandate meant the country was under British law, ruled by a high commissioner.]]> 2023-02-25 23:17:38 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495007904 Which brings us to 1948, the reestablishment of the modern state of Israel. benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495008322 On November 29, 1947, fresh out of the Holocaust, the United Nations granted Jews their land back and allowed for the establishment of modern-day Israel.

]]> 2023-02-25 23:19:19 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495008322 Phew! We just went through over 2500 years of history at rapid speed. benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495008492 (That wasn’t too bad, I hope.)

There is no doubt that Israel is the ancestral land of the Jewish people.

This is a crucial point to keep in mind when having a discussion regarding the region.
]]> 2023-02-25 23:20:18 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495008492 Unfortunately, many supporters of INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS across the world promote an anti-Israel agenda. But the only people who can date their inhabitance of the land back 2500 years and more are the Jews. Regardless of your politics, the Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel. benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009003 A tough fact…but a fact nonetheless. 

Over the course of recorded history, the land of Israel was a lot of things, but it was never a sovereign Palestine. There was never a state called Palestine, not there, not anywhere else on the planet.
]]> 2023-02-25 23:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009003 To recap... benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009233 Before the modern-day establishment of the State of Israel, the land passed from the Kingdom of Israel to the Persians, the Greeks, the House of Hasmoneans (Happy Hanukkah!), the Romans, the Byzantines, the Muslims, the Crusaders, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Brits.]]> 2023-02-25 23:23:13 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009233 You would simply be factually incorrect to say that the land was ever an exclusively Palestinian state. This point is particularly important in debates when so many people say, “Israel has to give that land back!” Give it back to whom? The Mamluks?! benjamintroutman https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009326 2023-02-25 23:23:45 UTC https://padlet.com/benjamintroutman/f9s1tvz9g03tq0yc/wish/2495009326