April 19, 2024
Palestinian Nation
The idea of the nation-state originated in Europe in the 19th century and is
hardly applicable to the Middle East, where religious affiliation may prevail
more. Throughout history, multinational empires have formed in the Middle East,
from the Persians to the Turks, the collapse of which in 1918 led to the
establishment of artificial conventional borders. There are no Syrians and
Iraqis like there are Italians or French: they all speak the same language and
share the same traditions.
Palestinians refer to the inhabitants of Palestine who spoke Arabic before the
Israeli invasion. They were part of the Ottoman Empire, then the British
mandate, and subsequently the Kingdom of Jordan, until the king relinquished
control of the West Bank, leading to the formation of a Palestinian state.
However, this doesn't negate the Palestinians' right to have their own state,
which is the only solution to the Palestinian issue, but this can only happen if
they accept the existence of Israel.