What Makes a People?  The Jewish Nation vs. Arab Identity and the Palestinian Claim

One of the most distorted debates in today’s Middle East conflict is the question of identity. Who are the Jews? Who are the Arabs? And what about the Palestinians? Anti-Israel voices often try to reduce Jewish peoplehood to “just a religion,” while inflating Palestinian identity into something it never historically was. But when we look at history, culture, and even genetics, the picture is very clear: Jews are an ancient people and a nation. Arabs are a broader people and nation bound by language and culture. Palestinians, in contrast, are a much more recent identity,  political in nature, not rooted in thousands of years of shared ancestry or sovereign nationhood.

The Jewish People: Ancient and Enduring

The Jewish people are unique in human history.

Genetics proves it: No matter whether Jews come from Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East, studies show a common Levantine ancestry. The Cohanim , priestly families who claim descent from Aaron, brother of Moses,  share genetic markers that go back 3,000 years. That is not mythology; it is science.

History proves it: Jews had kingdoms in Israel and Judah long before Rome conquered them. Jewish coins, inscriptions, synagogues, and the remnants of the Temple still stand as physical evidence of Jewish sovereignty in the land. Even after exile, Jews never severed their bond with Zion. They prayed toward Jerusalem daily, they ended Passover with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Culture proves it: Jewish law, Hebrew prayers, festivals like Passover and Yom Kippur,  these kept the nation alive even when scattered across the globe. Jews preserved their peoplehood without land, army, or state for 2,000 years, waiting for the chance to return.

And return they did. Zionism, far from being “colonialism,” was the natural revival of Jewish nationhood in the ancestral homeland. Israel’s creation in 1948 was not the birth of a new nation but the rebirth of the oldest surviving one.

Arabs: A People United by Language and Culture

The Arabs, too, are a people and a nation but in a very different way.

They trace their origins to the Arabian Peninsula. The spread of Arabic language and culture after the Islamic conquests created what we now call the “Arab world.” But unlike the Jews, Arabs are not bound by a single common genetic ancestry. Egyptians, Syrians, Iraqis, and North Africans became “Arab” largely through adopting Arabic identity and Islam.

Today, there are 22 Arab states. That fact alone should silence the absurd claim that Jews, the one people with only a single tiny state, are “colonialists” in the Middle East. If anything, Israel is the lone non-Arab, non-Muslim nation in a vast sea of Arab states.

Palestinians: A Modern Political Invention

Here is where clarity is needed most. The Palestinians are not an ancient nation. They are not the heirs of the Canaanites, nor did they ever have a sovereign state called “Palestine.”

History tells the truth: Until the 20th century, the people who lived in the land called themselves Arabs, Muslims, or Christians. Their identity was local (Nablusi, Jaffaite, Jerusalemite) or religious. The concept of a distinct “Palestinian people” only emerged in the mid-20th century, especially after the establishment of Israel. It was a political identity born in opposition to Jewish self-determination, not an ancient peoplehood.

Genetics confirms it: Palestinians are indistinguishable from Jordanians, Syrians, and Lebanese. They are part of the broader Arab population of the Levant. Their “nationhood” is political, not historical or biological.

Politics shaped it: Palestinian identity became sharper after 1967, when Arab armies failed to destroy Israel. The Palestinian leadership realized they could achieve by politics what they failed to achieve by war: delegitimizing Jewish nationhood while inflating their own.

Why the Distinction is Important

This is not just an academic exercise. It matters because the Jewish claim to Israel is unique and unshakable, rooted in history, faith, culture, and science. The Arab claim is valid in a broader cultural sense, but not in the specific land of Israel, which was never the heart of Arab civilization. And the Palestinian claim is modern, political, and reactionary,  created in response to Jewish revival, not in continuity with an ancient sovereign people.

Israel is not an apartheid state, nor is it an occupier of someone else’s homeland. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish nation,  the only one they have, and the one they never abandoned.

Meanwhile, Arabs have 22 countries. Palestinians, if they truly desired peace, could have had a state many times over but their leadership chose terrorism and rejection instead. The tragedy is not that Jews returned home; the tragedy is that some of their Arab neighbors refuse to accept it.

A people is defined by shared ancestry, culture, memory, and connection to a land. A nation is that people’s political expression. By every measure, historical, cultural, genetic, Jews are both a people and a nation, with a 3,000-year link to the Land of Israel. Arabs are also a people and a nation, with a vast territory and 22 states. Palestinians, however, are a political identity born in the 20th century, forged in opposition to Jewish nationhood.

Recognizing this truth does not erase Palestinian lives or suffering. But it does shatter the lie that Israel is some artificial “colonial project.” The Jewish people are the indigenous nation of Israel. And no amount of historical revision or political propaganda will change that.

CEO of Time to Stand Up for Israel, a nonprofit organization with a powerful mission: to support Israel and amplify its voice around the world. With over 200,000 followers across various social media platforms, our community is united by a shared love for Israel and a deep commitment to her future.

My journey as an advocate for Israel began early. When I was 11 years old, my father was deployed to the Middle East through his work with UNTSO. I had the unique experience of living in both Syria and Israel, and from a young age, I witnessed firsthand the contrast in cultures and realities. That experience shaped me profoundly.

Returning to the Netherlands, I quickly became aware of the growing wave of anti-Israel sentiment — and I knew I had to speak out. Ever since, I’ve been a fierce and unapologetic supporter of Israel. I’m not religious, but my belief is clear and unwavering: Israel has the right to exist, and Israel has the duty to defend herself.

My passion is rooted in truth, love, and justice. I’m a true Zionist at heart.
From my first breath to my last, I will stand up for Israel.