The Weird Thing About “Palestine”

The outrage from leftist media over President Trump’s stance on Palestinian return to Gaza is misplaced. His position is justified for multiple reasons, the most fundamental being that the concept of a distinct “Palestinian” identity is historically unfounded.

There has never been a sovereign Palestinian state, a unique Palestinian ethnicity, or a defined Arab geopolitical entity by that name. Historically, “Palestine” referred to a region within ancient Israel under Roman rule, not an independent nation. The vast majority of those identifying as Palestinians today trace their ancestry to Egypt or Jordan, where their forebears migrated from roughly a century ago, drawn by economic opportunities created by Jewish resettlement.

While all individuals deserve basic human rights, this does not equate to an inherent entitlement to a specific territory. Recognizing their heritage does not justify territorial claims that lack historical precedent.