| Rewriting history |
| Rewriting the history of the Land of Israel in order to deny Israel's right to exist is central to Palestinian Authority (PA) policy. Long before it started the PA terror campaign (the "Intifada," 2000-2005), the PA was fighting a history war – erasing Jewish history and replacing it with a fabricated Palestinian history. This rewriting has two central goals:
1- Erase the Jewish nation's 3,000 year history in the Land of Israel;
2- Invent ancient Palestinian, Muslim and Arab histories in the land.
The goal of this historical revision as a political strategy was first expressed publicly at a conference of Palestinian historians in 1998, when rewriting history was linked to the political goal of denying Israel's right to exist:
"Dr. Yussuf Alzamili [Chairman History Department, Khan Yunis Educational College] called on all universities and colleges to write the history of Palestine and to guard it, and not to enable the [foreign] implants and enemies to distort it or to legitimize the existence of Jews on this land... [History lecturer Abu Amar] clarified that there is no connection between the ancient generation of Jews and the new generation." [Al-Ayyam, Dec. 4, 1998].
Erasing Jewish history in the land of Israel is followed by the PA’s invention of ancient and modern histories that support its political ideology and claim to the land of Israel. The Holocaust and other aspects of Jewish history are alternately denied, downplayed or distorted. Another distortion is to hide from Palestinians that Jesus was a Jew who lived in the Land of Judea/Israel. PA leaders repeatedly define Jesus as a Palestinian who preached Islam, thus denying not only Jewish history, but also the history and legitimacy of Christianity.
Citing numerous examples, this section will document that these and other historical revisions are an integral part of Palestinian policy and are used to create political ideology. |
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| Jesus misrepresented as "Muslim Palestinian" |
.jpg) As part of its ongoing attempt to invent a Palestinian history, the Palestinian Authority tries to hitch a ride into the past with Jesus. Whereas the historical Jesus was a Jew living in Judea/Israel, the PA turns him into a “Palestinian”: “We must not forget that Messiah [Jesus] is a Palestinian, the son of Mary the Palestinian.” [ Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 18, 2005] This is not only a distortion of Jesus’ personal history, but also an anachronism. The Romans changed the name of Judea/Israel to “Palestine” 136 years after the birth of Jesus, to punish the Jewish nation after their unsuccessful rebellion. In another anomaly, Jesus is turned into a Shahid – a holy Martyr of Islam. Whereas Islamic teachings do view Jesus' gospel as part of the Islamic prophetic tradition, nowhere does Islam refer to him as a Shahid.
This cartoon demonstrates the misappropriation of the crucifixion as a Palestinian symbol. The word on the cross: “Palestine.” [“Intifada”, supplement to Al Hayat Al Jadida , Dec. 11, 2000]
The following are more examples of the revision of the history of Jesus:
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Fatah official: Jesus was “the first Palestinian and the first Martyr”
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Source:
Facebook page of Tawfiq Tirawi, member of Fatah Central Committee, Dec. 24, 2016
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Text and picture posted on the Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi
Posted text: "For Christmas, the birthday of Jesus the first Palestinian and the first Martyr (Shahid), peace be upon him, we will surely stop the path of suffering (i.e., referring to the Via Dolorosa, which Christians believe to be the path Jesus walked on his way to crucifixion) and go up to the free Palestine, happy New Year."
Text on picture:
"A magnificent Christmas…
a happy New Year" |
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Senior Fatah official: "The whole world knows that Jesus was Palestinian"
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Source:
Official Palestinian Authority TV, Nov. 15, 2016
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Official PA TV program Going to the Conference, hosting Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki
Official PA TV host: "We need to begin to realize the dream of independence from here, and the whole people, led by [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas [will do this]. 2017 needs to be a year of realizing our independence, and establishing a sovereign state and self-determination. People are asking: ‘When we talk about this important and wondrous matter, which every Palestinian hopes will be realized, on what facts are we depending?’"
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki: "There are two facts. The first fact is that we are depending on the justice of our cause, and its spiritual status. After all, the whole world knows that Jesus was Palestinian, and also, the Muslims know that Prophet Muhammad was led on the Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque [in Mecca] to the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
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Op-ed in PA daily: Jesus was “the first Palestinian Martyr, who was crucified by the Jews”
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 6, 2016
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Headline: “One homeland, one people”
Excerpt of op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily
“The demographic composition of the Palestinian Arab people cannot be envisioned without the presence of the Christian people. As [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas said: ‘The Palestinian Christians are the salt of the earth,’ and indeed as I have said in a number of relevant articles – Jesus, Issa son of Maryam, peace be upon him, was the first Palestinian Martyr (Shahid), who was crucified by the Jews, or they think they crucified him. He was born to a Palestinian mother and grew up in Palestine.”
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Op-ed in official PA daily: Jesus “was the first Palestinian Martyr, who was crucified by the Jews”
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 6, 2016
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Excerpt of op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily
Headline: “One homeland, one people”
“The demographic composition of the Palestinian Arab people cannot be envisioned without the presence of the Christian people. As [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas said: ‘The Palestinian Christians are the salt of the earth,’ and indeed as I have said in a number of relevant articles – Jesus, Issa son of Maryam, peace be upon him, was the first Palestinian Martyr (Shahid), who was crucified by the Jews, or they think they crucified him. He was born to a Palestinian mother and grew up in Palestine.”
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PA head of Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem: The Jews tortured and crucified Jesus, the “first Palestinian Martyr”
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Source:
Official Palestinian Authority TV, Jan. 22, 2016
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Official PA TV program Self-Reflection, hosting Secretary-General of the PA’s Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem and the Holy Places Hanna Issa on Jewish harming of religious sites
Official PA TV host: “Throughout history the Jews have persecuted the Christians in a racist manner; in the days of Jesus, Dhu Nawas (Jewish Yemenite king who massacred Christians, 517-527 AD. –Ed.) killed hundreds of thousands of Christians in Yemen. How does the church view the Jews’ attitude toward Christians today?”
Secretary-General of the PA’s Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem and the Holy Places Hanna Issa: “First of all, we as a church, and as Christian clerics and important people [who are not priests] we recognize the Bible and Judaism because it is part of the New Testament. The Bible is divided into two, the Old Testament, connected to Jews and Moses, and the New Testament, connected to Jesus. However, they crucified Jesus and tortured him, and in our eyes he is the first Palestinian Martyr (Shahid), who fell during that time at the hands of the Jews, when they crucified and tortured him.” |
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Fatah official: Jesus was the “first Palestinian Martyr”
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Source:
Facebook page of Tawfiq Tirawi, member of Fatah Central Committee, Dec. 22, 2015
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Text posted on Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi’s Facebook page on Dec. 22, 2015
Posted text: “This year in Jerusalem, the spirit of Muhammad, the true Arab Prophet, sent to all mankind, and the spirit of Jesus, the first Palestinian Martyr (Shahid) and carrier of the message of peace, between the [Church of the] Nativity and the place of Muhammad’s Ascent to Heaven [the Al-Aqsa Mosque], in order to spread on the day of their birth, which falls on the same day this year, a message of light, good, and love for humanity, alongside a message of freedom and getting rid of the occupation, for our people and for all the world.”
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The Palestinians, “[Jesus’] people”, suffer “from the Zionist Jews” the same way he did
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 16, 2015
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Op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, columnist for official PA daily
“Palestine, the first sanctified land, that promised the oppressed and the defeated liberty, independence and eternal co-existence between human beings, all while carrying the dream of hope for rebirth, will be baptized on May 17, 2015, when it is recognized by the Vatican State. This means recognition of the political rights of the Arab Palestinian nation, support of the two-state option within the borders of June 4, 1967. [it is also] an apology to the messenger of peace and love, Jesus, may he rest in peace, who suffered from the injustice of the first Jews… in the same way his people, the Palestinians, have suffered from the Zionist Jews in the past and in the present… for the delay in doing them [the Palestinians] justice through restoring some of their rights.”
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Ramallah Governor: Jesus was Palestinian
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 31, 2015
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"District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Laila Ghannam... receiv[ed] the Liberty Bell from [Philadelphia] City Council member Maria Sanchez in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [USA] yesterday [Jan. 30, 2015]... In addition, Ghannam received a Citation of Honor, which has never been awarded to any Arab leader or citizen before, in recognition of her impact and her extraordinary actions for her nation and her cause, and her influence within her society and in the world... [Ghannam] made it clear that the land of Palestine was the cradle of love and peace, noting that Jesus was Palestinian, and that tolerance is one of the Palestinians' most prominent principles." Ghannam gave the parliamentary representative [City Councilwoman Maria Sanchez] a memento from the Palestinian heritage, and noted that this is our heritage, identity and the legacy of our ancestors. She also noted that the occupation (i.e., PA euphemism for Israel) was trying to steal it by using it in Israeli fashion shows and for the uniforms of the Israeli airline attendants. Ghannam clarified that stealing is their [the Israelis'] conduct, as they have stolen the land, and are now trying to rob all that is Palestinian, without anything to stop their savagery, criminality and unrestrained terrorism."
Click to view bulletin
Note: To view descriptions of the terrorists that Ghannam has honored, click the link the the bulletin (above). Click "full article" to view more photos of the event. |
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Sec-Gen. of PA Jerusalem council: Jesus was the first Palestinian Martyr
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Source:
Official Palestinian Authority TV, Jan. 26, 2015
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Official PA TV program Picture Story on Hilarion Capucci, the Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop, presented by Muwaffaq Matar, columnist for the official PA daily.
Official PA TV host Muwaffaq Matar: “Archbishop Capucci is a model of the fighting believer or the believing fighter. How could he – and I want to hear this story from you, for in the days you were with him, he must have told you personal things, about [his] suffering in prison, and how he saw the cause of Palestinian liberation – how did he succeed in balancing the values of the Church – which always maintains, of course, that even the enemy must be treated peacefully – with the legal right of this nation to resist – an option which was widely believed in, at least during the period of the armed struggle. How did he succeed in balancing these two options?”
Hanna Issa: “He said: ‘First of all, don’t forget that the first Martyr (Shahid) was Palestinian – Jesus the Messiah. Look how they tortured, crucified and killed him... He [Capucci] told me: ‘No, the Church does not prohibit me from interfering. Jesus’ disciples – how did they behave towards him? Matthew, Marc, Luke, John. They fought alongside him and suffered for him, and I suffer for the Palestinian people.”
Click "Full article" for a longer excerpt from the interview and notes |
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Jesus was “the first Palestinian and the first Martyr”
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Source:
Al-Asima, bi-weekly distributed with official PA daily, Jan. 5, 2015
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| “Residents of Jerusalem held back their pain and insisted on celebrating the holidays of their Christian brothers, who follow the Western calendar in occupied Jerusalem, to the rhythm of the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and insisted on marking the birthday of Jesus, peace be upon Him, the first Palestinian and the first Martyr (Shahid).” |
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PA Security Forces Spokesman: “Jesus the Palestinian”
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Facebook page of Adnan Al-Damiri, the official spokesman of the PA Security Forces, Dec. 25, 2014
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Posted on the Facebook page of Adnan Al-Damiri, the official spokesman of the PA Security Forces:
"On [the occasion of] the anniversary of love and peace, the birth day of Jesus the Palestinian, [we convey] New Year wishes to Palestine, its residents and those who love it."
Click to view bulletin
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PA daily columnist: Jews crucified Jesus and today Jews are crucifying Jesus’ “people,” (i.e., Palestinians)
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 25, 2014
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Op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, columnist for the official PA daily:
"On the day of your birth, my lord Jesus, the entire humanity celebrates you and peace... My lord Jesus, peace be upon you, those who crucified you 2,000 years ago (i.e., the Jews) have returned to crucify your people, of different religions, without distinguishing Christians from Muslims. They spread their poison in every part of your homeland - where your churches, and the mosques of your successor, Prophet Muhammad son of Abdullah of the Quraysh tribe, peace be upon him, were built - to spread destruction, strife and discord... Jesus, the man of peace and love, rest in peace, for your people, the Canaanites, stand firm on the ground, holding onto their rights, determined to protect their land..."
Click to view bulletin
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PA daily columnist: “Jesus the Palestinian”
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 24, 2014
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Op-ed by Tawfiq Amraneh, columnist for the official PA daily:
"My lord has created a resistance-fighting man out of clay stones!
My lord blew a soul into Jesus the Palestinian!
My lord bestowed upon Jerusalem [Islam's Prophet Muhammad's] Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven..."
Click to view bulletin
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Fatah official: “Jesus, the first Palestinian”
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Source:
Facebook page of Tawfiq Tirawi, member of Fatah Central Committee, Dec. 24, 2014
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Text posted on the Facebook page of Tawfiq Tirawi, member of Fatah Central Committee.
"We wish our united Palestinian people a new Christmas that will herald liberty, as did Jesus, the first Palestinian, peace be upon him."
Click to view bulletin |
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Abbas’ advisor: “Christmas is also a Palestinian holiday because Jesus… was Palestinian”
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 22, 2014
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"Mahmoud Al-Habbash, the Supreme Shari'ah Judge and Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs... noted that 'We believe in our lord Jesus, peace be upon him, and in his gospel, his prophecy, and his sanctity. In keeping with his creed, we celebrate his birth day just as we do that of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, because all prophets are brothers. In addition, Christmas is also a Palestinian holiday, because Jesus, peace be upon him, was Palestinian. He was born in Palestine; lived and was sent [as prophet] to Palestine. Therefore, Christmas has a special Palestinian flavor.'"
Click to view bulletin
Note: This article was originally published in Ma'an on Dec. 21, 2014. |
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Fatah official: Jesus was "the first Martyr, the first Palestinian"
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 17, 2014
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"Fatah Central Committee member Dr. Saeb Erekat and District Governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley Majed Al-Fatiani, lit up the Christmas tree in central Jericho on Monday [Dec. 15, 2014] evening... Erekat said that several days ago, Fatah Revolutionary Council member Ziyad Abu Ein had lit up an olive tree with his pure blood, thereby joining the procession of [Palestinian] Martyrs (Shahids), and added: 'Shouldn't it be so, since the first Martyr, the first Palestinian, Jesus, peace be upon him, was from among us?'"
Click to view bulletin
Note: Ziad Abu Ein, Fatah Revolutionary Council member and head of the PA Committee to Resist Settlements and the Wall, died on Dec. 10, 2014 at a demonstration in the West Bank that turned violent. Immediately following his death, PA and Fatah leaders claimed that Abu Ein was murdered. Footage from the event shows Abu Ein in an altercation with an Israeli soldier who grabbed Abu Ein by the neck, and later shows Abu Ein on the ground clutching his chest in pain. The autopsy, which was overseen by Israeli and Palestinian pathologists, revealed that the cause of death was a heart attack, but disagreement remains over the extent to which the altercation with Israeli forces may have caused the heart attack. Palestinians have continued to describe Abu Ein's death as a "murder" and "assassination" by Israel.
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PA official: "Jesus the Messiah is Palestinian"
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Source:
Official Palestinian Authority TV, Dec. 7, 2014
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Official PA TV broadcast a speech by District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Laila Ghannam:
"We are standing here, Muslims and Christians, in Yasser Arafat Square, [named after] the symbol of our cause, to celebrate Christmas. So too we will stand united to celebrate victory, far off as it may be. Merry Christmas, let's celebrate and be merry; Jesus the Messiah is Palestinian, and we are Palestinians and will continue to hold our heads high."
Click to view bulletin
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Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem: Jesus was “the first Palestinian Martyr”
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Source:
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 3, 2014
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"Yesterday's [Dec. 2, 2014] Ministry of Tourism and Archeology [newspaper column] centered on the products being sold in the oriental antiques stores, and criticized the Ministry's faulty supervision of these stores, which sell symbols that have nothing to do with the Palestinian heritage, such as the Israeli Star of David and menorah (i.e., candelabrum used in Jewish worship), especially in Bethlehem and Jericho... Secretary-General of the Islamic-Christian Council for Jerusalem and the Holy Places Hanna Issa explained... the difference between the six-pointed Star of David and the Christian star, which is five-pointed. This star appeared to the Shepherds in Beit Sahur, [symbolizing] the birth of our lord Jesus, who was Palestinian in origin, and who was the first Palestinian Martyr (Shahid)."
Click to view bulletin |
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