Myth of Palestine
How history was suppressed, a state invented, and a conflict ideologically charged.
By Serdar Somuncu
By Serdar Somuncu
The history of Palestine is a complex, often emotionally charged narrative that has been shaped, distorted, and instrumentalized by external powers over the centuries. The term "Palestine" itself is not an expression of an ancient national identity, but rather a historical designation imposed by others: it dates back to the Romans, who, after suppressing the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE, called the region "Syria Palaestina"--a deliberate distinction from the Jewish heritage. This designation, alluding to the long-vanished Philistines, became a colonial label, not the basis of a state or an independent nation. In the following centuries--under Byzantine, Islamic, Ottoman, and British rule--Palestine never existed as a sovereign state with its own institutions or clearly defined borders.
The fact that "Palestine" is still used today as a national term is primarily a consequence of political narratives that gained traction after the founding of Israel in 1948. These narratives are less about historical reality and more about an ideological construct deliberately employed by various actors to delegitimize Israel's right to exist. The fictitious reference to a never-existing Palestinian state often serves not to resolve the conflict, but to exacerbate it.
However, to truly understand this conflict, one must go back a step further--to the history of Judaism itself. For Israel is not a colonial project, as it is often falsely portrayed today, but rather the political return of an ancient people to its historical heartland.
Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world and originated over 3,000 years ago in the land now known as Israel and Palestine. The Jewish people's connection to this territory is not ideologically derived, but historically rooted. Culturally, religiously, and in terms of identity, the Jewish people are deeply rooted - documented by archaeological finds, ancient writings, and the continuous presence of Jewish communities even during times of expulsion and diaspora.
With the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, the long Jewish diaspora began - a history of flight, expulsion, exclusion, and persecution spanning millennia. From the Middle Ages through the Inquisition to pogroms in Tsarist Russia, the Jews of Europe and the Middle East were almost everywhere considered foreign elements, scapegoats for social, economic, or political crises. They were disenfranchised, impoverished, and ghettoized - often with deadly consequences.
The culmination of this persecution was the Shoah: the systematic murder of six million Jews in Nazi Germany. It made it definitively clear that Jews worldwide had no safe haven. From this existential realization arose not only a moral but also a political consequence: the necessity of a Jewish state - Not as expansion, but as a sanctuary. The founding of Israel in 1948 was therefore not "colonization," but the restoration of Jewish self-determination after centuries of powerlessness.
It is remarkable--and tragic--that this historical dimension is completely ignored in many debates today. Yet Israel's right to exist is non-negotiable because it is not based on imperial conquest, but on the millennia-old connection of a people to their land of origin and on the bitter realization that without their own state, Jewish life will always remain at risk. Israel is not merely a geographical location--it is the historical, cultural, and existential center of the Jewish people.
Tragically, the Palestinians themselves were drawn into this conflict without ever achieving genuine political autonomy. Like many other peoples in the region, they were repeatedly pawns in the game of external interests: first the colonial powers, later the surrounding Arab states, and finally the major powers of the Cold War. Whether Egypt, Syria, or Jordan--rarely has there been a serious attempt to establish a Palestinian state. Instead, these states have used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to legitimize their own rule or to weaken Israel. The result has been the ongoing instrumentalization of the Palestinian population--ideologically, militarily, and economically. Palestinians have been lured with promises, drawn into political adventures, and ultimately, regularly abandoned.
In recent years, a new and worrying phenomenon has emerged: the growing solidarity of many young people worldwide with radical Palestinian groups--above all, Hamas. This support is rarely based on a deep understanding of the conflict, but rather on moralistic convictions.
a simplification. On social media, the Middle East conflict is often presented as a simple story: Israel as an oppressive "colonial state," the Palestinians as defenseless victims. This emotionalization is amplified by identity politics, in which Israel is falsely portrayed as a "white, Western oppressor" and Palestine as a symbol of all "people of color." Such narratives are attractive because they are simple--but they completely ignore the complex historical, religious, and geopolitical realities.
Added to this is an alarming rise in antisemitic tropes, which have become socially acceptable again in the wake of these developments. Antisemitism is no longer confined to the far right, but is also evident in left-wing, Islamist, and academic circles. Old prejudices--such as the notion that "the Jews" control the media, banks, or world politics--reappear today in new packaging: under the guise of "criticism of Israel" or anti-Zionism. Israel is demonized, compared to the Nazis, or portrayed as Israel is branded an "apartheid state"--often without any differentiation. However, when Israel is judged by different standards than any other state, when its right to exist is questioned, or its citizens are collectively condemned, criticism becomes a code for Jew-hatred.
That this hatred is once again manifesting itself so fanatically and indiscriminately has many causes: lack of education, emotional radicalization through social media, unresolved family narratives, and the need for clear-cut enemy images in an increasingly complex world. In many cases, antisemitism isn't even recognized as such because it doesn't present itself openly, but rather disguises itself as "solidarity with Palestine" or "the fight against oppression."
All of this makes one thing clear: Anyone who speaks about Palestine, Israel, or the Middle East conflict today must be aware of the historical depths involved--and face the responsibility of not further inflaming the situation with their words and actions. A solution to this decades-long conflict will only be possible if both sides are acknowledged and heard. This includes finally giving the Palestinian population the opportunity to emancipate itself from radical groups like Hamas, to build democratic structures, and to live a life of dignity--without their existence being used as a weapon against Israel. It also means that Israel must balance its security needs with political foresight, make compromises possible where they are compatible with security, and resist the temptation to create new tensions through expansive settlement policies.
The international community must also assume responsibility--not through symbolic gestures or one-sided blame, but through education, mediation, and genuine dialogue. A new way of thinking about peace processes is needed, one that is not based on old patterns but on realism and humanity. Only when both sides are acknowledged--in their history, their traumas, their fears, and their right to a future--can this conflict one day be overcome.
August 20, 2025
©Serdar Somuncu
The new book - Lies - A Cultural History of a Human Weakness
*Serdar Somuncu is an actor and director
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BOOK
The fact that "Palestine" is still used today as a national term is primarily a consequence of political narratives that gained traction after the founding of Israel in 1948. These narratives are less about historical reality and more about an ideological construct deliberately employed by various actors to delegitimize Israel's right to exist. The fictitious reference to a never-existing Palestinian state often serves not to resolve the conflict, but to exacerbate it.
However, to truly understand this conflict, one must go back a step further--to the history of Judaism itself. For Israel is not a colonial project, as it is often falsely portrayed today, but rather the political return of an ancient people to its historical heartland.
Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world and originated over 3,000 years ago in the land now known as Israel and Palestine. The Jewish people's connection to this territory is not ideologically derived, but historically rooted. Culturally, religiously, and in terms of identity, the Jewish people are deeply rooted - documented by archaeological finds, ancient writings, and the continuous presence of Jewish communities even during times of expulsion and diaspora.
With the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, the long Jewish diaspora began - a history of flight, expulsion, exclusion, and persecution spanning millennia. From the Middle Ages through the Inquisition to pogroms in Tsarist Russia, the Jews of Europe and the Middle East were almost everywhere considered foreign elements, scapegoats for social, economic, or political crises. They were disenfranchised, impoverished, and ghettoized - often with deadly consequences.
The culmination of this persecution was the Shoah: the systematic murder of six million Jews in Nazi Germany. It made it definitively clear that Jews worldwide had no safe haven. From this existential realization arose not only a moral but also a political consequence: the necessity of a Jewish state - Not as expansion, but as a sanctuary. The founding of Israel in 1948 was therefore not "colonization," but the restoration of Jewish self-determination after centuries of powerlessness.
It is remarkable--and tragic--that this historical dimension is completely ignored in many debates today. Yet Israel's right to exist is non-negotiable because it is not based on imperial conquest, but on the millennia-old connection of a people to their land of origin and on the bitter realization that without their own state, Jewish life will always remain at risk. Israel is not merely a geographical location--it is the historical, cultural, and existential center of the Jewish people.
Tragically, the Palestinians themselves were drawn into this conflict without ever achieving genuine political autonomy. Like many other peoples in the region, they were repeatedly pawns in the game of external interests: first the colonial powers, later the surrounding Arab states, and finally the major powers of the Cold War. Whether Egypt, Syria, or Jordan--rarely has there been a serious attempt to establish a Palestinian state. Instead, these states have used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to legitimize their own rule or to weaken Israel. The result has been the ongoing instrumentalization of the Palestinian population--ideologically, militarily, and economically. Palestinians have been lured with promises, drawn into political adventures, and ultimately, regularly abandoned.
In recent years, a new and worrying phenomenon has emerged: the growing solidarity of many young people worldwide with radical Palestinian groups--above all, Hamas. This support is rarely based on a deep understanding of the conflict, but rather on moralistic convictions.
a simplification. On social media, the Middle East conflict is often presented as a simple story: Israel as an oppressive "colonial state," the Palestinians as defenseless victims. This emotionalization is amplified by identity politics, in which Israel is falsely portrayed as a "white, Western oppressor" and Palestine as a symbol of all "people of color." Such narratives are attractive because they are simple--but they completely ignore the complex historical, religious, and geopolitical realities.
Added to this is an alarming rise in antisemitic tropes, which have become socially acceptable again in the wake of these developments. Antisemitism is no longer confined to the far right, but is also evident in left-wing, Islamist, and academic circles. Old prejudices--such as the notion that "the Jews" control the media, banks, or world politics--reappear today in new packaging: under the guise of "criticism of Israel" or anti-Zionism. Israel is demonized, compared to the Nazis, or portrayed as Israel is branded an "apartheid state"--often without any differentiation. However, when Israel is judged by different standards than any other state, when its right to exist is questioned, or its citizens are collectively condemned, criticism becomes a code for Jew-hatred.
That this hatred is once again manifesting itself so fanatically and indiscriminately has many causes: lack of education, emotional radicalization through social media, unresolved family narratives, and the need for clear-cut enemy images in an increasingly complex world. In many cases, antisemitism isn't even recognized as such because it doesn't present itself openly, but rather disguises itself as "solidarity with Palestine" or "the fight against oppression."
All of this makes one thing clear: Anyone who speaks about Palestine, Israel, or the Middle East conflict today must be aware of the historical depths involved--and face the responsibility of not further inflaming the situation with their words and actions. A solution to this decades-long conflict will only be possible if both sides are acknowledged and heard. This includes finally giving the Palestinian population the opportunity to emancipate itself from radical groups like Hamas, to build democratic structures, and to live a life of dignity--without their existence being used as a weapon against Israel. It also means that Israel must balance its security needs with political foresight, make compromises possible where they are compatible with security, and resist the temptation to create new tensions through expansive settlement policies.
The international community must also assume responsibility--not through symbolic gestures or one-sided blame, but through education, mediation, and genuine dialogue. A new way of thinking about peace processes is needed, one that is not based on old patterns but on realism and humanity. Only when both sides are acknowledged--in their history, their traumas, their fears, and their right to a future--can this conflict one day be overcome.
August 20, 2025
©Serdar Somuncu
The new book - Lies - A Cultural History of a Human Weakness
*Serdar Somuncu is an actor and director
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BOOK
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