Palestinian Loss of Land: The Myth of the 4 Maps

Ladies and gentlemen, what we're about to unravel here is nothing short of a masterclass in visual deception.

These four maps, often brandished as a testament to Palestinian loss of land, may have dazzled you, but we're about to break them down, one fallacy at a time.

Warning

The points here are not meant to argue that Palestinians do not deserve self determination nor that they have no real history or connection to the land. They have and they do. I do not accept claims that they are made up people, unrelated to the land, they are here they were here and they will stay here.

However. One doesn't get to twist history in pursuit of self determination.

Terminology

Before we start, a quick word about terminology: "Palestinian," as applied to the Arab population in this region, was a term coined by Yasser Arafat in 1964, a quick narrative hack to create a connection between the Arabs living there to the area.

There's never been a Palestinian state, nor Palestinian lands. Instead, this territory was part of the British Mandate for Palestine, a geographical region that the British administered post-Ottoman Empire collapse after the First World War.

Wait so where did the name "Palestine" come from?

Though the definite origins of the word “Palestine” have been debated for years and are still not known for sure, the name is believed to be derived from the Egyptian and Hebrew word "peleshet", which appears in the Bible no fewer than 250 times. Roughly translated to mean "rolling", "migratory", "invade", the term was used to describe the inhabitants of the land to the northeast of Egypt – the Philistines.

The Philistines were an Aegean people – more closely related to the Greeks and with no connection ethnically, linguistically, or historically with Arabia – who conquered the Mediterranean coastal plain that is now Israel.

Before the 60's the 'new-age-palestinians' were simply known as 'Arabs.' In the 1947 UN Partition Plan, you won't find the term 'Palestinians.' It's the 'Jewish population' and the 'Arab population.'

So who are the indigenous people to the land?

TBH? I don't know, depends on the exact point in time you put the needle on. The entire world passed through here at some point, from crusaders to muslim conquerors.

A more pragmatic answer to the new age that does not include Bible testimonies, is that the "Native" people, are a mix of Jews (Tzabar), Arabs and Christians who lived in the area during Ottoman rule and early British mandate.

Bearing this in mind, let's deep dive to the maps

Map 1: "Palestine" in 1946

The first map showcases "Palestine" in 1946, with a flag that didn't even exist until 1964 courtesy of the PLO. The vast green expanses on this map supposedly represent a million Arabs living there, while the white spots are home to half a million Jewish inhabitants. But here's the twist: it conveniently omits the portion of the Mandate that was handed to the local Arab population in 1923, creating what we now know as Jordan. Jordan, today a Muslim Arab state with a population boasting 70% Arab Palestinian descendants. By not showing the entirety of the British Mandate, they present it as a quarter of its actual size, masquerading it as "Palestinian land."

Map 2: UN Partition Plan

Now, onto the second act, featuring the UN Partition Plan, which supposedly drew the lines for Jewish and Palestinian lands. Sounds straightforward, right? Reality is bit more nuanced -- the Partition Plan indeed called for a Jewish state and one for the 'local Arab population.' But the Arabs shrugged it off, rejecting the existence of a Jewish state. As a result, that second state for the local Arab population (following Jordan which is 70% Palestinian) never saw the light of day. Instead, in 1948, seven Arab countries swiftly launched an attack on Israel, trying to erase it from the map.

Map 3: The '67 Borders

Now, the third map, often mislabeled as the '67 borders. But hold onto your seats; these are neither borders nor a '67 creation. These are 1949 armistice lines that simply tell us who controlled what when the fighting stopped. The map portrays Gaza and the West Bank as Palestinian land, yet this is another falsehood. The West Bank was occupied by Jordan from 1948-1967, and it was ethnically cleansed of Jews. Gaza, on the other hand, was in the iron grip of Egypt from 1949 to 1967. Even today, Egypt clings to parts of the Strip from Rafah to the south. Attempting to paint all this green shading as Palestinian land is, in no uncertain terms, a categorical falsehood.

Map 4: Present-Day "Palestinian Land"

And now, the grand finale, the fourth map suggests it's what remains of a once-mighty territory. But hold your frowns; this isn't "what's left." It's all the land Palestinians have ever controlled. The prior maps are areas PROPOSED to the Arabs to live alongside Israel, to all of which, they refused, and decided to rage yet another war in hopes to conquer the entire land, eventually losing more land.

But wait, there's more! What about the green depiction of 1 million Arabs in 1946 on the first map? Where are they in the last map? The illusionists behind these maps want you to believe they were ethnically cleansed. In reality, today, these numbers have swelled from 100k to nearly 7 million, Israelis are really bad at ethnic cleansing huh? The Israeli Arab population grow from 50k to 2 million, Citizens living across Israel equally, judges, doctors, engineers, some even serving in the Israeli military, completely assimilated. Yet, there's no green shading outside the West Bank and Gaza - another blatant falsehood.

The Jewish Loss of Land - A different perspective

Israel's history is replete with conflicts initiated by its neighbors, all seeking its destruction. These hostilities date back to 1948 and continued through 1956, 1967, and 1973. As a result of these conflicts, Israel expanded its territories.

While critics often highlight Israel's territorial gains, it is important to recognize Israel's consistent efforts to pursue peace, including significant territorial withdrawals.

1. Oslo Accords - Israel ceded control of green areas within the West Bank to the PLO in hopes of achieving lasting peace. Unfortunately, this deal soured as suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians, funded and endorsed by the PLO, persisted. This example is just one facet of a broader narrative regarding Israel's efforts for peace, a narrative that encompasses the withdrawal from Gaza, the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and the pullout from Lebanon.

2. Withdrawal from the Gaza Strip - In 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza, uprooting settlements and relinquishing control. The aim was to establish conditions for a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. However, the subsequent rise of Hamas and the continued violence in the region illustrate the complexities of such initiatives.

3. Return of the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt - The Sinai had been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. The 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty marked a historic turning point when Israel, in exchange for peace, returned the Sinai to Egyptian sovereignty. This remains one of the most substantial territorial concessions in the quest for regional stability.

4. Lebanon withdrawal - in May 2000 Israel left Lebanon ending an 18-year occupation in an attempt to disentangle from the Lebanese quagmire and promote peace along its northern border.

Now let's play a quick game, zoom out, and put things in perspective. Can you find Waldo? the red dot is Israel:

Closing Remarks

The idea of "Palestinian Land Loss" must be scrutinized.

Rather than accepting one-sided narratives, we should acknowledge the complexity of the land's historical context.

To achieve a more balanced understanding of these maps, it is essential to consider Israel's history in its entirety. This broader perspective includes the wars initiated by neighboring countries, the pursuit of peace through territorial withdrawals

Misrepresentations like these maps are inaccurate, and can perpetuate conflicts and hinder progress toward reconciliation, the misinformation they propagate encourage the continues Palestinian rejectionism and violence, which have always left the Palestinians with less than they had before.

These misconceptions have permeated various platforms, affecting not only public opinion but also respected journalism and academia. A simple Google image search would show you the amount of footprint this map has on the internet, and it's time to dispel these inaccuracies.

Please share this exposé and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding Israel's land changes.

Sincerly, Adir.