The Muslim religion was born approximately 1500 – 1600 years ago. At that point in time, the Jewish religio-nation was already thousands of years old. The Jewish people already had a bond with the Land of Israel for thousands of years, including two stints of 400+ years when the Jewish Temple stood in Jerusalem. King David and King Solomon lived and ruled in the Land of Israel more than 1,000 years earlier.
The bond of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is perhaps the best example today of a people that has never lost the bond to their Land, despite centuries of forced exile from their Land. Any attempt to paint the bond to the Land of Israel as a bond between Arabs and their ancient homeland in the Land of Israel is simply an exercise in creative rewriting of history books.
Many Arab towns today that are not new, but existed for hundreds of years before the modern State of Israel, took their names from ancient Jewish towns that were located in the same exact locations. Until modern-day plumbing was developed, wherever there was a well was considered prime real estate. That is probably the best clue for finding locations of ancient Jewish towns from the time of the Bible. Today, many Arab towns that existed more than 100 years ago sit right on top of these wells.
These Arab towns were largely inhabited by Arabs who came from what is today Syria or Egypt, in search of upward financial mobility. Egypt and Syria were difficult places to live. The Land of Israel saw an influx of capital investment from the new Jewish settlements that began to sprout up in the late 19th century. The Jewish families that had lived in the Land of Israel throughout the centuries were largely poor and relied on support from the exile. In the mid-1800’s, this began to change. The empty Land of Israel was beginning to develop, and it attracted Arabs from neighboring countries. These were not Arabs with an ancient bond to the Land of Israel. They were largely Arabs from Egypt, Syria, or other Arab areas of the Middle East who wanted to earn more money.
However, the truth is that there were a few – very few Arabs – that actually have been in the Land of Israel for many hundreds of years. So, as with nearly every lie, there is a grain of truth in the argument that the Arabs have lived in the Land of Israel for centuries. But it is 1% true, 9% exaggeration, and 90% lies. The Land of Israel is exactly what it sound like – the Land of the people of Israel – the Jewish people.