Who are the Palestinians?

We see the "Palestinians" mentioned almost daily in the news, but just WHO ARE these people?

It's clear that after Rome conquered the Jews in 70 AD and 135-6 AD, that the entire land was called "Palestinia", which is Latin for "Philistia". Some argue the Romans used this name to insult the Jews & to try to eradicate any memory of them in the area, while others say it was to recognize the Philistines who had stayed true to Rome during the Jews' revolts.

I don't believe the "insult" theory because the names "Samaritan" and "Amalekite" were much more insulting to the Jews. This was well-known to the Romans.

The last conflicts between Jew and Philistine in Scripture occurred in the 700s BC during the reigns of Uzziah and Hezekiah. Then, the Philistines, as did all the other nations in the area,(Except Judah) became part of the Assyrian Empire. Unlike the Jews, they didn't resist either the Assyrians nor the Babylonians who supplanted Assyria as the rulers of the area, and thus were allowed to remain in their own land.

There is little record of the Philistines from the days of Babylon onward through the Roman Empire, so we must assume they continued to live on under the successive empires. They were certainly known to the Romans, who supposedly gave them the "Holy land" after they drove the Jews out.

Some say they were absorbed into the surrounding peoples, same as the remaining Jebusites were absorbed into the Jews after David conquered them, while others say they lived on after the Roman Empire, while mixing with other peoples, especially the Arabs, who ruled the land for quite a while.

There is no doubt today that most Palestinians today have some Arab blood in them. But we also see Jews of almost every hair color, complexion tone, & eye color. And there's no doubt that the Arabs have added much fuel to the fire of the Pals' claim to the land, saying the Romans gave it to them over 1800 years ago.

Zechariah tells of future dealings between the Jews and the Philistines. Now, who else could the Philistines of today be? There is no record of their either being destroyed nor being removed from their land. Almost certainly, the non-Jewish people whose ancestors have lived in "Palestine" for generations have Philistine ancestors somewhere in their genealogy. And we know Scripture is 100% correct.

Zechariah says Ashdod will be occupied by a foreign race & that God shall cut off the pride of the Philistines. This has come to pass, as Ashdod is now the 2nd-largest port of ISRAEL, and a busy ISRAELI recreational area & tourist attraction. To the Philistines are a foreign race; the Jews are Semitic, while the Philistines are not. The Pals know they can never get Ashdod back, nor any other of their five principal cities of old-Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon, Gath. They are no match militarily nor economically for the Jews, and indeed their pride has been brought low.

Remember, God has said He will bring back Israel as well as Judah, and I believe this 100%. Whether WE are sure of where the Ten tribes are today, GOD is sure, and He is also sure of whom the Philistines are. Almost all info and signs point to today's Palestinians.

WHAT SAYEST THOU?

 

Jesus died for Philistines as well as Jews.

The Philistines are mentioned in Zechariah's prophecies, so they MUST still exist, no matter what they're now called. The famous agnostic Robert Ingersoll, a former Baptist preacher, lost his faith 120 years ago because he just couldn't see Judah being a nation again. But I BELIEVE GOD, and just because the resta Israel' ID isn't positively known today, doesn't mean GOD doesn't know it. In His time, Israel and Judah will be one nation again, and I believe many of today's Palestinians are descendants of the old Philistines. I would like to discuss any opposing views, if there are any here.