Introduction
Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement at the UN that Jews are called Jews because they are from Judea is such a disgraceful distortion of facts. Even according to Jewish sources.
A Jew Under Israeli Law
A Jew under the Israeli law of return is clearly outlined. This law sets the requirements for those individuals who identify as Jews and who are eligible to move into the country.
According to the law, a Jew is anyone who has a Jewish mother or who converted to Judaism and who isn’t a follower of another religion.
This definition is problematic if anyone wants to say that Jews are an ethnic group who trace their origin to a single place.
For one, anyone of any origin can claim Jewish identity by converting to Judaism. This won’t change their biological heritage.
Second, this definition excludes every Jew who converts to another faith. Converting to a faith shouldn't change your biological ancestry, either.
And even the requirement for having a Jewish mother doesn't establish a clear biological lineage. A woman who converted to Judaism won’t pass on different ancestry to her children.
Genetic Evidence
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels
There are genetic studies that claim a common origin for the majority of Jews. Just as there are studies with opposite conclusions. This contradiction in scientific findings suggests that Jews do not share a common origin. If they did, all studies would be consistent.
A lot can go wrong with genetic studies. For example, scientists may manipulate data to promote their national narratives. Or they can use incomplete data under the pretext that it's the best data they have. But in the end, these are all hypotheses and not conclusive facts.
In one instance, a genetic researcher named Harry Ostrer conducted a study claiming that he found genetic evidence of the common Middle Eastern origin of Jews but refused to share his findings publicly, unless his data is not used to “defame Jews." If you think that's the fishy part, wait until you hear that genetic tests in Israel are severely restricted by the government. Israelis can only conduct DNA tests under government supervision. Using commercial DNA tests is locally prohibited.
Then comes the issue of data reliability due to shared genetic markers by multiple populations. Or the size of the sample. But the biggest issue is the subjective interpretation of test results. All these factors make genetic studies unreliable when we try to determine the origin of millions of people.
Historical Evidence
The history of Jews goes back to the times of Judah. Back then, Jews, or Judahites, were a tribal community who were descendants of Abraham (peace be upon him). Reports of their origin vary. According to the Old Testament, Abraham, the father of Jews, was from Iraq. Other historical theories claim that Jews had a local Canaanite origin. The term Jew has evolved significantly since then.
According to Joseph Flavius, the vast majority of Jews lived in the Roman Empire and not in Palestine during the destruction of the temple, which challenges the official Israeli narrative that Jews fled the Holy Land after the destruction of the temple.
The holes in Netanyahu’s claim don't stop. We are talking about thousands of years of history. Entire communities joined Judaism, and entire communities left it. Even the founder of Israel, Ben Gurion, acknowledged that Palestinian Arabs today are descendants of ancient Hebrews. If you are going to exclude all those Jews who converted to other religions and recognize those non-Jews who converted to Judaism as being of Middle Eastern origin, then your entire narrative becomes as absurd as a fairy tale.
Jewish Presence in Palestine
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What are the key factors to determine someone’s origin? Are the Romanite Jews who have been living in Greece for 2,000 years not from Greece? How long do communities need to live somewhere in order to establish a connection to that land and call it home?
Throughout human history, we have never seen any example of communities moving from territories where they have lived for thousands of years into new lands where none of their documented ancestors ever set foot, only to label that as an act of "return."
By taking a brief look at the historical demographics of Palestine, we see that Jews have lived there as a small minority since the 4th century. Even during Roman times, the majority of Jews lived outside Palestine. During the early Ottoman period, Jews made up less than 2% of the total population. So, for most of its history, Palestine was not even Jewish.
Even Jewish communities that were present during Ottoman times were mostly refugees from Spain. The only distinct ethnic group that can trace their presence to ancient Israelites are the Samaritans, who live in Nablus - Palestine, until today. What is remarkable about this ancient group is that they have lived in genetic isolation, which has led many to have genetic conditions due to inbreeding. This demonstrates how it is almost impossible for ethnic groups to maintain their purity for centuries in any location, let alone if they are scattered all over the globe.
Symbolic Connection
Netanyahu’s claim that a Jew named Netanyahu lived in the same region 4,000 years ago provides as much justification for all Jews to inhabit that land as the existence of a person named Muhammad in Andalusia would grant all Muslims the right to settle in Spain. The fact that these absurd statements are coming from a prime minister is quite shocking. Nor are coins and rings evidence of origin that enable people to claim territories. These colonial justifications are neither scientific nor logical.
The best Netenyahu can say is that Jews share a symbolic connection to the land due to their narratives and religious texts. But even that is mostly modern with the rise of Zionism. And this perspective doesn’t provide a basis for territorial claims or justify war crimes.
