The Arabs have become so emboldened in their aggressive stance against Israel, that they now claim, and many believe, that today’s Palestinians are descendants of the original Canaanites; when in fact they were Philistines a Mediterranean people originating from Asia Minor and Greek localities migrating from Crete. Sailing down the southern coast of Israel in several waves over the years and spreading out into Israel.
Palestine is a geographical term, used to designate a region and at those times in history there was no nation or state there. The word itself derives from "Peleshet", a name that appears frequently in the Bible and has come into English as "Philistine". The Philistines were neither Arabs nor even Semites; they were most closely related to the Greeks. They didn’t even speak Arabic. They had no connection, ethnically, linguistically or historically with Arabs. The name "Falastin" that Arabs today use for "Palestine" is not even an Arabic name. It is the Arab pronunciation of the Greco-Roman "Palastina"; which is derived from the Plesheth, (root palash) was a general term meaning rolling or migratory. This referred to the Philistine’s invasion and conquest of the coast from the sea. The use of the term "Palestinian" for an Arab ethnic group is a modern political creation which has no basis in fact – and had never had any international or academic credibility before 1967.
From 70 AD to 1517AD Jerusalem was under Roman rule. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian born Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born on 24 January AD 76. The Emperor Hadrian reigned from AD 117-138) being born in Rome to a distinguished family from Spain, Hadrian was adopted as a child by his relative, the Emperor Trajan, whom he succeeded in AD 117. He was one of Rome’s most influential emperors and traveled all over the Empire. He involved himself in the military and economic affairs of the whole empire and as a result many provinces enjoyed even greater prosperity. His far-ranging journeys would begin with a visit to Gaul in AD 121 and would end ten years later on his return to Rome in AD 133-134. No other emperor would ever see this much of his empire. From as far west as Spain to as far east as the province of Pontus in modern day Turkey, from as far north as Britain to as far south as the Sahara desert in Libya, Hadrian saw it all though this was not mere sight-seeing. Far more Hadrian sought to gather first-hand information about the various problems the provinces faced. Perhaps the most famous result of Hadrian’s conclusions were seeing for himself the problems faced by the territories, and ordered the construction the great barrier wall which still today runs across northern England, known as Hadrian’s Wall, it once shielded the British Roman province from the wild northern barbarians of the isle.
During Hadrian’s reign Simon ben Kosiba a Jew started an uprising against Rome when Rome passed laws forbidding Jews for religious practicing Mosaic Law. Hadrian had the rebellion put down and the Jews dispersed out of the area. Hadrian was so angry at the Jews for coming against Rome he wiped out the name of Israel and called it Palestine. The province of Judea was renamed Palestine; and Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina (the capitol of Hadrian). Over one million Jews were put to death immediately and if there were two Jews seen talking together they would be put to death. After the Jewish defeat, Hadrian tried to root out Judaism. Any prisoners that were taken were sold at Hebron and Gaza, each one at the price of a horse. He forbade the Jews to teach Mosaic Law and to own scrolls. The Jews were driven out by Emperor Hadrian in approx 130 AD Hadrian ruled until 138 AD when he died at age 63. From that time until 1517AD the region was ruled by numerous Emperors, Kings and Queens until the Ottomans over threw the Romans and the English Crusades in 1517.
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