In the 18th century, the population of the land Israel was identified as Jews, Christians, Arabs, and Druze, and there were no Palestinians as a distinct group. The term "Palestinian" as a national identity was first introduced by Arafat in 1964 >> The PLO's Palestinian National Covenant of 1964 defines a Palestinian as "the Arab citizens who were living permanently in Palestine until 1947, whether they were expelled from there or remained. Whoever is born to a Palestinian Arab father after this date, within Palestine or outside it, is a Palestinian".
1. In this article, the term can refer to anyone living in the land of Palestine, the same way you might talk about “Filipinos” in the 15th century, though none of them identified as such until much later
2. The origins of Palestinian national identity are much older than 1964, this is because national identities are experienced as a collective and take decades to develop, it’s not suddenly declared in one year by one man. The earliest expressions of Palestinian national identity can be found in 1910-1911, e.g. in the Filastin publication
3. Lastly, Christians can be Arab too, they’re not two separate categories
I guess Arthur Penrhyn Stanley’s book, Sinai and Palestine: In connection with their history, was written in collusion with Mark Twain. Everything I have read of Palestine of the 1800’s was it was not a desirable place. A wasteland with sickness is an accurate description.
In the 18th century, the population of the land Israel was identified as Jews, Christians, Arabs, and Druze, and there were no Palestinians as a distinct group. The term "Palestinian" as a national identity was first introduced by Arafat in 1964 >> The PLO's Palestinian National Covenant of 1964 defines a Palestinian as "the Arab citizens who were living permanently in Palestine until 1947, whether they were expelled from there or remained. Whoever is born to a Palestinian Arab father after this date, within Palestine or outside it, is a Palestinian".
3 things
1. In this article, the term can refer to anyone living in the land of Palestine, the same way you might talk about “Filipinos” in the 15th century, though none of them identified as such until much later
2. The origins of Palestinian national identity are much older than 1964, this is because national identities are experienced as a collective and take decades to develop, it’s not suddenly declared in one year by one man. The earliest expressions of Palestinian national identity can be found in 1910-1911, e.g. in the Filastin publication
3. Lastly, Christians can be Arab too, they’re not two separate categories
I guess Arthur Penrhyn Stanley’s book, Sinai and Palestine: In connection with their history, was written in collusion with Mark Twain. Everything I have read of Palestine of the 1800’s was it was not a desirable place. A wasteland with sickness is an accurate description.