Check history books (real ones)when the name 'Palestine' first came into use, even by the Romas, and please do not use it retroactively.

Ever heard of the Kingdom of Israel and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel? Very long before Greeks, Romans and Islam. Romans crucified Jesus in a 33 A.D. and Islam didn’t came into being until some 500 years later, in the far Arabia, where Muhammad learned about and plagiarized Jewish and Christian religions from Jews who fled after the second Jewish uprising against Rome. Romans renamed Judea 'Palestina 'after the second failed Jewish uprising in 135 AD, or thereabouts, and more than 1000 years after the children of Israel had settled the lands of old Canaan, after escaping slavery in Egypt. The renaming of Judea a Roman province of Palestina happened at the time when the Philistines, those of Samson’s story, were very long gone from the world’s stage as were the Canaanites. As a matter of fact, we only know about them from the Jewish Bible and now some archeological pieces of pottery.

The DNA testing shows that over all, Jews happen to have more in common with Kurds and Anatolians than with Arabs. And as archeology shows, the Jews of today worship exactly what they did 800 BC, having a continuous, well recorded in the Bible tie to the land of Israel, including the specific price Abraham had paid for the land. Sir Frazer, just like other Brits cannot stand any thought of Jews being entitled to any rights or being in any way exceptional--Jews stand in their deeply held belief that they come right after God.

sent for the lost sheep of Israel?

Your commentary suggested that Europeans "hostile to Israel" had begun describing Jesus as a "Palestinian." What is new about that? When I was a child in the 1950's, that was how Jesus was described. Why should that description now be considered some sort of new plot. It's time to join the real world.

Lynne, where does the name Palestine or Filastin appear in the Christian gospels? Oh it doesn't? Why not? Perhaps you are wrong and the truth is that the name Palestine only came into existence in 135CE by the decree of the Roman Emporor Hadrian who chose the name after the Judean foe, the Phillistines to punish the Judeans for their revolt against Rome? By the way Lynne, Phillistines, as any historian will tell you, originated from the Aegean (Greece/Anatolia) and weren't in any way related to Arabia. Perhaps you shouldn't call other posters ignoramuses or racists based on your own unproven and I would say entirely erroneous assumptions. Just saying...

true anti-semitics say those things " what would the world do without a scapegoat? " Blame the peoeple they hate the most

That's why they could be so easily recognized? If you bothered to learn a bit of European history, you'd have known that Jews had lived apart and separate from the local population until well into 19th century, which accounts for their retaining their own religion, traditions and custom quite distinct from their non-Jewish countrymen. As a matter of fact, there were universally, except for the USA, considered a different and foreign nation living within a host country, who settled usually subject to a formal invitation and a formal granting of the rights by a local ruler. Those local characteristics, like blond hair and light eyes you sometimes, though not often, encounter among European Jews were a result of rapes, mostly, during rampages and pogroms by the locals.

This BIbilical expert is a well known gay atheist..Just look him up on the internet

otherwise what are you doing on a Jewish site? Practice what you preach and go away.

People who indulge in craps like this do not know History and the Holy Bible. They certainly do not know the Prince of Peace.

anti-Jewish, anti-British, anti-family. anti-everything good. They like to provoke as it's the only way they can sell the rag.

Your nationality is whatever Caesar says it is.

Wow! What a war!!!???

Emperor Hadrianus ordered the mandatory usage of Palaestina about 100 years after Jesus. J. was born in Bethlehem in Galilea, died in Jerusalem in Ivdea. Later his birthplace was changed to Bethlehem in Ivdea to justify prophecy.

John, even the 10 tribes of Israel were exiled in approx. 800 BCE, leaving the Tribes of Benjamin, Judah and Levi in the Kingdom of Judea - and you're claiming Arabs predated Jews because SOME of them came from the third century BCE, almost a millenia after Jews settled here? Putting aside the biblical accounts, are you aware that in fact, most anthropologists think that the Jews were Caananites? And, a single Sir James Frazer's claim in 1902 (which was merely his unsubstantiated opinion) can undermine the majority of other opinions that oppose him? Who before or after him could overcome their embarassment and agree publicly to such nonsense? And you presume to base your claim on the sound of the letter kuf that Palestinians use and genetic research? You must be pretty desparate to believe, John.

And it's funny that Jews lived in Libya, Iraq and Morocco before Arabs did. Yet nobody seems to notice that when they say things like you do, that somehow nobody gets "dibs" except for Arabs in the middle east.

None of them. Get it?

You can play with words and their meanings all you like. Just like the idea that you guys took a geographic term and used it as a national name. You can't now revert back and forth when it suits you for antisemitic propaganda. The name Palestine was hardly in use at the time of Jesus. It was Judea. Additionally, at least half of todays 'Palestinians' came in during the British era, a majority of the rest came in during the time of Mehmet Ali during the 1830's. There is no evidence of a large Jewish conversion to Christianity nor Islam in the Levant. Samaritans and Christians did convert but few Jews did.

Most Christians here decend from a mixture of Aramaic,(ie north Levantine), Greek and Roman.

At the time of Jesus there were the provinces of Iudaea, Samaria, Galilee, Idomea etc. NO ROMAN NAME CALLED PALESTINA began until 135 AD. There is one Greek piece of evidence that refers to more than just the coast as Palestine for the first time in around 31BC. But then, they began refering to Aram as Tsyria after Tyre in Phoenicia.

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Even if Jesus is mentioned in the Coran and if Muslims must add "Peace on him" after citing his name, misappropriating Jesus into Palestinian Islamic tradition allows the image of the Crucifixion to become a Palestinian symbol, which they then use to portray themselves and other Muslims as victims of Israel. This poses a true threat to Israel and to the Christian world. If Islam is a religion of peace, that's easy to demonstrate : stop Jihad and enter into peace negotiations for establishing a lasting peace and an era of mutual understanding and prosperity. Am I under a delusion ?

He got his power from spirit possesion. He also did not administer to non-Jews. He was a fishermen of fallen Jews. Anybody reading Torah? Try reading Devarim 13 (Deut ) this may give a clue as why he was not a Palestinian nor a Messiah.

This is clearly a blood libel and distortion of Jewish history.

#118 the fact that you play down the fact that Jesus was a Jew is insulting. Yes it is a BIG DEAL.

The point of the article in the Independent was to highlight the plight of the medical services in the occupied territories, and the dangers that women face having and caring for children. The article in Ynet is a smoke screen to diffuse the criticism of the occupation. Another feeble attempt at "feel good' news.

you say "most of you are mixing up between Palestine and Islam" did you not read the article? the article is making the clear connection and that's ignorant (as you put it).

Any claim that Jesus was a "Palestinian" is historically absurd. The region was named "Palestine" by the Romans---after they sacked Jerusalem and burned it to the ground in the year 70 AD. Note that this was amost 40 YEARS after the death of Jesus. So the name did not exist during His earthly life. Case closed.

If this was not so anti-Semitic, it would be funny. Sometimes one thinks that the Europeans still live in caves based on their knowledge of history. Johann Hari should know that it was the Europeans (Romans) who where oppressing the people (the Jews) then. It was also the Europeans (the Romans) who crucified Jesus. It was also the Europeans (the Romans) who invented the name Palestine, to be used of Jewish land but that was long after Jesus death. Did Johann Hari want to stress that Jews are the real Palestinians and the owners of the land? I doubt it, but that is what he really said.