Early History of The Region - [1] The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict

This map shows the astonishing expansion of the Assyrian empire over the course of about a hundred and fifty years. This expansion eradicated the Northern Kingdom and threatened the southern kingdom, as well. The later Historical Books tell the story of Canaan’s encounters with Assyria. Map by Ningyou.

The Canaanites, ancient inhabitants of the Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan), were a diverse group known for their city-states, maritime trade (especially the Phoenicians), and unique religious practices. Other groups mentioned, such as pagan Arabs, Persians, Sumerians, Greeks, and Armenians, represent distinct civilizations with their own histories, cultures, and languages, often interacting with the Canaanites and each other through trade, warfare, and cultural exchange.

This is the most important image to familiarize yourself with in order to understand the Old Testament. The Old Testament is essentially the tale of two regions – Jerusalem, the southern capital (called Judah), and Samaria, the northern capital (called Israel). Almost every single name you see here is part of the narrative of the Old Testament. Map by Richardprins.

Here's a bit more about each group:

Canaanites:

They are recognized for their Bronze Age civilization in the Levant, mentioned in the Bible and known for their polytheistic religion and vibrant city-states. Later, they are associated with the Phoenicians (coastal Canaanites) and the Philistines (who settled in the southern coastal area).

Pagan Arabs:

This term generally refers to pre-Islamic Arab populations who followed various polytheistic religions.

Persians:

A group from the Iranian plateau who formed the Achaemenid Empire, one of the largest and most powerful empires in ancient history.

Sumerians:

Considered one of the earliest civilizations, they developed in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and are credited with advances such as writing, mathematics, and law.

Greeks:

Ancient Greeks from the Balkan Peninsula who developed a distinct culture, philosophy, and political systems, including democracy.

Armenians:

An ethnic group inhabiting the Armenian Highlands, known for their unique language, culture, and history.  - Albakr. allatifi

The Concise History of Ancient Canaan and the Canaanite Peoples 

(Circa. 7000-539 BC)

Before the Hebrews first migrated there around 1800 B.C., the land of Canaan was occupied by Canaanites.

“Between 3000 and 1100 B.C., Canaanite civilization covered what is today Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon and much of Syria and Jordan. . . Those who remained in the Jerusalem hills after the Romans expelled the Jews [in the second century A.D.] were a potpourri: farmers and vineyard growers, pagans and converts to Christianity, descendants of the Arabs, Persians, Samaritans, Greeks, and old Canaanite tribes.”  - Marcia Kunstel and Joseph Albright,

“Their Promised Land.”

The present-day Palestinians’ ancestral heritage. “But all these [different peoples who had come into Canaan] were additions, sprigs grafted onto the parent tree…And that parent tree was Canaanite…

[The Arab invaders of the 7th century A.D.] made Moslem converts of the natives, settled down as residents, and intermarried with them, with the result that all are now so completely Arabized that we can’t tell where the Canaanites leave off and the Arabs begin.” Ilene Beatty, “Arab and Jew in the Land of Canaan.”

The Jewish kingdoms were only one of many periods in ancient Palestine “The extended kingdoms of David and Solomon, on which the Zionists base their territorial demands, endured for only about 73 years…Then it fell apart…[Even] if we allow independence to the entire life of the ancient Jewish kingdoms, from David’s conquest of Canaan in 1000 B.C. to the wiping out of Judah in 586 B.C., we arrive at [only] a 414-year Jewish rule.” Ilene Beatty,

“Arab and Jew in the Land of Canaan.”

www.lbbs.org/ ZNETTOPnoanimation.html

Not In My Name at www.nimn.org,

For articles from the alternative and Israeli press, please see ZNet at

www.lbbs.org and www.commondreams.org/viewsarchive.htm. A wealth of information

on Palestine/Israel is to be found at www.geocities.com:0080/

CapitolHill/Senate/7891. Another very useful resource is A Jewish Voice for

Peace. To join their mailing list, e-mail shlensky@socrates.Berkeley.edu. “Not

In My Name” is a group of Jews organizing a national coalition of activists

opposed to the Israeli occupation. They can be reached at

www.notinmyname.org. The American Educational Trust, publisher of The

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (a great magazine), has a large selection

of books available. Write for their free catallog to AET, P.O.Box 53062,

Washington, DC 20009. Our booklet can also be found on the web at

www.cactus48.com.

https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-015-canaan/