Questions
&
Answers

The number of questions that people can ask about the history of Israel is unlimited. However some frequently asked Questions & Answers you can find below:

Question: When did the history of Israel start?

Answer: According to the Hebrew scriptures/The Bible the story started when Abraham entered the land of Israel. According to Archaeology the first mentioning of the people of Israel was found in the Berlin Pedestal and the Merneptah Stele, roughly 1300 BCE. (For more: See Israel & Judah

Question: Is true what is written in the Bible according to Archaeology?

Answer: This question cannot be answered: Many parts of what is described in the Hebrew Bible were confirmed by archaeology or parts of these stories. For example many names mentioned in the Bible, of Kings or Priests or places were found in inscriptions, letters, coins, scrolls, manuscripts found in and outside Israel. However most of what the Bible describes is difficult to confirm after thousands of years that have passed by. Also interpretation of what can be regarded as "divine given text to the Jews" can vary. From a Jewish perspective, for example, reading the Talmud, Mishna and other Rabbinical writings can give more valuable information.

Question: Are the Jews or Israelites the oldest inhabitants of the land of Israel?

Answer: No other people, for example the Canaanites lived there before as is both mentioned in the Bible as it confirmed by Archaeology. However those groups do not exist anymore after they vanished into history thousands of years ago. Jews and Samaritans are the oldest and indigenous groups of people that still exist today.

Question: Are the Jews or Israelites the oldest inhabitants of the land of Israel that still exist?

Answer: Yes. Jews and Samaritans are the oldest groups that still exist in the land of Israel (or Palaestina) and can be clearly identified by eating habits, language, the Hebrew Calendar, religion and by religious celebrations and architecture. After the Jews and Samaritans the Armenians and Greek Orthodox Christians are the oldest still visible groups of people that also largely maintained their culture, language and religion. Bedouin groups that maintained their nomadic lifestyle also trace their origins far back in time.

Question: Did the Jews return to the land of Israel because of Zionism?

Answer: Yes and No: Jews lived continuously in the land of Israel and migration to and from Israel or Palaestina continued ever since the Babylonian captivity and the start of Jewish communities in the Diaspora. For all these 2500 years, the 'return to Zion' is simply a part of Judaism and Jewish identity and the main reason why Jews returned or migrated to Israel during thousands of years.

'Political Zionism' started as part of the worldwide start of nationalism and the movement against colonialism and imperialism. That movement also motivated many Jews and even Christians to move to Israel and towards self-determination. Political Zionism can be called Israeli nationalism simply because the return to Zion/Jerusalem and the mellenia old battle for selfdetermination (to have an independent state has already been achieved since 1948.

Question: Did Jews live in Israel continuously?

Answer: Yes, According to archaeology and historical accounts Jews lived in Israel during every century since 1300 BCE until today. Often they were a majority population in the land of Israel or in certain area's or cities. However due to violence, massacres and severe oppression Jews became a smaller of larger minority. So the Jews were a small group during the time of the Crusaders and Mamluk period although the became a more prominent group around 1700 and grew even more during the late Ottoman and British Period.

Question: Are there facts that confirm that Jews live in Israel continuously since 1300 BCE?

Answer: Yes, many facts! Starting with ancient inscriptions like the Merneptah Stele and the archaeological facts that confirm the biblical King Hezekiah. More facts show for example the Jewish Hasmonean kingdoms, the Temple of Jerusalem rebuild by king Herod and hundreds of synagogues that were build between the first century BCE until today. From every century there are Jewish writings written in Hebrew or Aramaic that were found or related to the Jews living in Israel. (For more see: Writings & Manuscripts, Coins & Metals, Mosaic Art and Valuable Inscriptions )

Question: Are the Jews or Israelites indigenous from the land of Israel?

Answer: Yes. Jews and Samaritans are the oldest groups that still exist in the land of Israel (or Palaestina) and can be clearly identified by similar habits, language, calendar, religion, religious celebrations and architecture. Judaism and Jewish history developed in the Land of Israel and in the Jewish community in the diaspora. After the Jews and Samaritans the Armenians and Greek Orthodox Christians are the oldest still visible groups of people that also largely maintained their culture, language and religion. Bedouin groups that maintained their nomadic lifestyle also trace their origins far back in time.

Question: Do the Jews or Israelites meet the criteria for being indigenous people from the land of Israel?

Answer: First let us take a look at the criteria from Amnesty international. (Indigenous Peoples - Amnesty International). According to Amnesty International 'Indigenous Peoples' can be identified according to certain characteristics:

1) Most importantly, they self-identify as Indigenous Peoples.

2) They share an ancestral link with those who inhabited a country or region before they were colonized or before other peoples became dominant.

3) They have a strong link to particular territories and the surrounding natural resources.

4) They have distinct social, economic or political systems, which they are resolved to maintain and reproduce.

5) They have a distinct language, culture and beliefs.

6) They are politically and socially marginalized.

"Let us apply the criteria established by Amnesty International to assess whether the Jewish people meet the qualifications for being considered indigenous to the land of Israel."

1) Jews and Judaism feel for ever strongly connected to the land of Israel.

2) Jews were independent or semi independent for more than a millenia. Many colonial Empires conquered the region and oppressed, killed or expelled the Jews.

3) Israel, Judea and nearly all names of towns and villages have hebrew roots and Jews are genitically strongly related to other people from this region.

4) Jews in Eretz Yisrael maintained their identity, their culture, teaching in Yeshivas and synagogues and use of Jewish Law.

5) Judaism, Hebrew calendar & the Hebrew and Aramaic languague

6) Jews were killed, enslaved & treated as 2nd class citizens ('dhimmi'status'= apartheid)

Question: Are the Jews 'Settler Colonialists' in the land of Israel or Judea?

Answer: No. Settler colonialism is a distinct type of colonialism that functions through the replacement of indigenous populations with an invasive settler society that, over time, develops a distinctive identity and sovereignty. The conquests by the Babylonians, Romans. Arab Caliphates and later Crusader. Mamluk and Ottoman Empires were often brutal leading to the massacre to many indigenous people (Jews, Samaritans and Druze, Muslims and Christians). Jews are indigenous people from the land of Israel, became victims of these conquests and are victims of colonialism.

Based on the criteria outlined by Amnesty International for identifying Indigenous Peoples, the Jewish people meet all key qualifications for being considered indigenous to the land of Israel.

Self-identification: Jews have consistently identified themselves as a people intrinsically connected to the land of Israel across millennia.
Ancestral link: Jewish history, culture, and national identity originate in the land of Israel, where Jews lived as an independent or semi-independent people for over a thousand years before successive colonial conquests.
Connection to territory and resources: The Hebrew names of towns, deep genetic ties to regional populations, and long-standing attachment to the land reflect a strong territorial link.
Distinct systems: Despite foreign rule, Jews maintained their distinct religious, legal, and educational systems—including synagogues, Yeshivas, and the application of Jewish law.
Language, culture, beliefs: Judaism, the Hebrew and Aramaic languages, the Hebrew calendar, and unique religious practices are all rooted in the land of Israel.
Marginalization: Throughout history, Jews were subjected to killings, exile, enslavement, and institutionalized discrimination (e.g., dhimmi status under Islamic rule).

In conclusion, Jews (alongside Samaritans) are among the oldest continuous inhabitants of the land of Israel and clearly fulfill the Amnesty International criteria for indigenous status.

Question: What is Zionism?

Answer: There are different interpretations so this needs more explanation.

1) Political Zionism emerged during a world wide movement for nationalism in the 19th century. The central believe is that 'Zionism means the support for Jewish selfdetermination and the right to have an independent state for the Jewish people'.

2) Religious Zionists believe that the Jewish return to Israel hastens the Messiah. Rabbi Yehudah Alkalai (1798-1878) and Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874), advocated from a religious perspective for settlement in the Land of Israel. Both lived in Eastern Europe in the mid-19th century, and were influenced by modern secular nationalism. They however saw a Jewish state in the the ancestral homeland of the Jews (Israel) not only as a political solution to the misery of most of the Eastern Europe Jews but also as a necessary step that humans could take to prepare the holy land for the return of the Messiah. Other religious Jews do not support this idea argue that humans should not interfere in the divine plan for history. Mostly they are religious and do not support any political movement but still prefer to live, visit or migrate to the land of Israel.

Question: Is Ant-Zionism antisemitic?

Answer: Yes, It is important to mention that the wish and religious call to 'return to Zion' is an integral part of Judaism. Jews pray towards Jerusalem and declare 'next year in Jerusalem'. Most of the religious festivals are inextricably connected to the land of Israel and Jerusalem. Anti-Zionism therefor is in deepest meaning antisemitism because it tries to separate Judaism from the land of Israel which goes directly against Judaism itself!

Politics of the state of Israel are a whole different chapter and do not reflect the core meaning of Zionism as described above. Many people who are deeply Jewish and connected to the land of Israel can criticise the Israel government just like other people in the world.