Changes

[[File:Map of the Holy Land.jpg|thumb|Map of the Holy Land Divided into the XII Tribes of Israel, by Emanuel Bowen, PUBLISHED 1752.]]

After the [[Romans]] renamed Israel as Syria Palestina in 132-135 AD, Palestine is one of many names for the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan. Many different definitions of the region have been in usage in the past three thousand years. It was never an Arab state, and much of its history has been falsified by the "Palestinian" movement and its sympathizers in order to create a new identity to give the Arab nations a new weapon to use to fight against the nation of [[Israel]].

The Hebrew scriptures call the region Canaan when referring to the pre-Israelite period,(Hebrew: כּנען‎) and afterwards Israel (Yisrael). The name "Land of the Hebrews" (Hebrew: ארץ העברים‎, Eretz Ha-Ivrim) is also found. The wide area appears to be the habitat of the ancient ethnic Hebrews, though perhaps shared with other ethnic groups. The land of Canaan is part of the land given to the descendants of Abraham, which extends from the Nile to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). Already in Genesis 12:6 and 7 we can read: ''And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land.'' This land is said to include an area called Aram Naharaim, which includes Haran in modern Turkey.

Originally inhabited by a loose bonding of [[Canaan]]ite tribes, the Israelites settled into the area after [[the Exodus]] from [[Egypt]] and were partially successful in driving out the Canannites and making it their home. Migrations from the "Peoples of the Sea" led to a strong [[Phillistine]] presence on the coastline, but they were generally subdued by [[King David]] and [[Solomon]] during the height of ancient Israel. The kingdom was subsequently divided into the [[Northern Kingdom]] and [[Judea]] upon the death of Solomon. The Northern Kingdom, and the remnants of the Philistine kingdoms, were conquered by the [[Assyrian]]s in the late 8th century B.C. and the kingdom of Judea fell under [[Babylonian]] control in the late 7th century and lost their independence completely in 586 B.C. with the fall of [[Jerusalem]], their capital. The Jews were allowed to return under the [[Persian Empire]] and the entire area was conquered by [[Alexander the Great]] around 330 B.C. When his empire broke apart at his death and consolidated into four different regions, it was the [[Ptolemies]] centered in Egypt who controlled the region for the better part of the next two centuries, but conquest by the [[Seleucids]] led to a harsh religious persecution on the Jews in the region. The Jews revolted and had their independence for almost 100 years before a civil war courted Roman intervention and the area came under Roman control and eventually became the province of Palestine. Byzantine rule was forcefully removed by the great Islamic waves of the 7th century A.D. Portions of Palestine were reclaimed under Crusader control from the late 11th century until the mid 13th century, but the overall region was under Islamic control for over 1000 years. Worth mentioning that the Philistines who at one time lived in part of the area were completely conquered by [[King David]].

In the mid-1200s, Mamelukes, originally soldier-slaves of the Arabs based in Egypt, established an empire that in time included the area of Palestine. Arab-speaking Muslims made up most of the population of the area once called Palestine. Beginning in the late 1300s, Jews from Spain and other Mediterranean lands settled in Jerusalem and other parts of the land. The Ottoman Empire defeated the Mamelukes in 1517, and Palestine became part of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish Sultan invited Jews fleeing the Spanish Catholic inquisition to settle in the Turkish empire, including several cities in Palestine.<ref>[http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm Israel and Palestine: A Brief History.]</ref>

The situation of Christians in [[Bethlehem]] has deteriorated dramatically in the last century, and especially since the PA took control of the city in 1995. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, but that figure had actually plunged to 16% by 2016, and is estimated since then.<ref name=jp25dec2019/><ref>“The Mayor of Bethlehem is Christian, but it is Hamas that’s in charge.” [http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/44202%26eng%3Dy.html], Dec 2005</ref>

2019 report cited "Islamic oppression" as the main source of persecution at Christian small minority of Arab Palestinians.<ref name=jp25dec2019>[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/the-christian-crisis-612032 A Christian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank], The Jerusalem Post, Dec 25, 2019.

“We know of no arrests that are made in such cases, nor do we see the P.A. placing any guards in those sensitive locations under regular attack.”

A Palestinian mob caused extensive damage to a Christian holy site in Nablus (Shechem) known as Jacob’s Well on Sunday night.</blockquote></ref>

=== "State of Palestine" ===