Changes

<u>Palestinian territory</u>: Palestine as a defined geo-political entity never existed in history. Between 1922 and 1948, however, the country existed as the Mandate for Palestine with the express purpose of reconstituting it as the historic Jewish national home. A newly created second entity, “between the Jordan [River] and the eastern boundary of Palestine as ultimately determined,” was separated from the historic region of Palestine and termed Transjordan. It was awarded to the Saudi Arabian Abdullah ibn Hussein.

<u>Palestinian territory</u>: Palestine as a defined geo-political entity never existed in history. Between 1922 and 1948, however, the country existed as the Mandate for Palestine with the express purpose of reconstituting it as the historic Jewish national home. A newly created second entity, “between the Jordan [River] and the eastern boundary of Palestine as ultimately determined,” was separated from the historic region of Palestine and termed Transjordan. It was awarded to the Saudi Arabian Abdullah ibn Hussein.

<i>Palestinian national identity</u>: The 1919 Arab Congress meeting in Jerusalem resolved: “We consider Palestine nothing but part of Arab Syria and it has never been separated from it at any stage. We are tied to it by national, religious, linguistic, moral, economic and geographic bounds. ... Our district Southern Syria or Palestine should be not separated from the Independent Arab Syrian Government.” The 1919 King-Crane Commission was petitioned by local Arabs to keep Palestine as part of Syria and recommended that “there would then [if making Palestine distinctly a Jewish commonwealth would be given up] be no reason why Palestine could not be included in a united Syrian State.” The idea of Palestine as Southern Syria continued all through the 1920s.

<u>Palestinian national identity</u>: The 1919 Arab Congress meeting in Jerusalem resolved: “We consider Palestine nothing but part of Arab Syria and it has never been separated from it at any stage. We are tied to it by national, religious, linguistic, moral, economic and geographic bounds. ... Our district Southern Syria or Palestine should be not separated from the Independent Arab Syrian Government.” The 1919 King-Crane Commission was petitioned by local Arabs to keep Palestine as part of Syria and recommended that “there would then [if making Palestine distinctly a Jewish commonwealth would be given up] be no reason why Palestine could not be included in a united Syrian State.” The idea of Palestine as Southern Syria continued all through the 1920s.

Moreover, attempts to pinpoint the development of a Palestine identity flounder between 1834—when local Arabs rebelled against Ibrahim Pasha’s occupation—and 1908 when the first anti-Zionist journal was published by a Christian Arab resident of Jaffa. Throughout history, a people of self-consciousness exist and create a language, a national territory and a culture. For the so-called Palestinian people, all of this happened backwards.

Moreover, attempts to pinpoint the development of a Palestine identity flounder between 1834—when local Arabs rebelled against Ibrahim Pasha’s occupation—and 1908 when the first anti-Zionist journal was published by a Christian Arab resident of Jaffa. Throughout history, a people of self-consciousness exist and create a language, a national territory and a culture. For the so-called Palestinian people, all of this happened backwards.