Ancient Israelis
Judaism started from the man known as Abraham, who created the first monotheistic religion and spread the influence of it through his teachings. The Jews, many of which migrated to Egypt because of famine in other areas of the world, were enslaved in Egypt. Eventually, they were led out by Moses and taken to the land known in the bible as "The Promised Land." This land was specifically chosen for the Jewish people to live in, according to ancient texts, giving them a "divine right," to live there, even in the current conflict today. They migrated here between 1300 and 1260 BC, driving out the Canaanites that lived there then. An argument that many Palestinians use today is that the Jews were not the original population to live there and that they are not indigenous to the region. Eventually, King Saul united the Jewish people under a single kingdom that was known as the Israeli Kingdom. Later, around 961 BC, King Solomon builds the Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple of Jerusalem was and is important to all Jews, because it contained a large part of their history. Culture and religion flourished there, and it was a holy place for Jews. Unfortunately, shortly after, the kingdom split into Judea and Israel because of political differences. After this, both kingdoms were captured by the ancient Assyrians, then the Babylonians. Because of resistance to the Babylonians, the temple of Jerusalem is destroyed, with culture, antiques, and artifacts being destroyed along with it. The region of Israel continued to be conquered by different empires and eventually the Persians allow the Jews to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. However, Israel changed hands once again and the Romans took the area. The Jews again resisted Roman rule and launched rebellions, but the Romans gave them harsher punishment than their earlier rulers. The Romans destroyed the second temple and expelled almost all Jews in the area across the Roman Empire around 70 AD, a forced migration known as the Diaspora. The Roman empire was huge at the time, containing a large portion of the world, so the Jews were spread far apart from each other and from Israel.
Many arguments for the establishment of Israel in Palestine came from this time and many motivations as well. The Jews of modern times argued that they never voluntarily left Israel, and that they were forced out, therefore they should have a chance to return to their former home. The Jews picked Israel as a location for a Jewish state because it has religious connections to the Old Testament, and both temples of Jerusalem were built there, making it a place of history and culture for the Jews. One wall remains of the second temple, and Jews often go there to pray today, making the city of Jerusalem a holy place today. As you can see, the Jews had a long history with the region of Israel and had reason for returning.
Many arguments for the establishment of Israel in Palestine came from this time and many motivations as well. The Jews of modern times argued that they never voluntarily left Israel, and that they were forced out, therefore they should have a chance to return to their former home. The Jews picked Israel as a location for a Jewish state because it has religious connections to the Old Testament, and both temples of Jerusalem were built there, making it a place of history and culture for the Jews. One wall remains of the second temple, and Jews often go there to pray today, making the city of Jerusalem a holy place today. As you can see, the Jews had a long history with the region of Israel and had reason for returning.
