Introduction
To understand the spiritual and historical roots of the current disputes in Israel, we must look to the scriptures held sacred by both Muslims and Jews. The following declarations from the Qur’an and the Holy Bible affirm the divine assignment of this land to the descendants of Abraham:
Warsh Quran, Surah 5:21, “O my people! Enter the sacred land that Allah has prescribed for you, do not turn back [out of fear of her rulers], or you will suffer damage.”
Hafs Qur’an, Surah 5:21, “O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has assigned to you and turn not back (in flight); for then you will be returned as losers.”
Genesis 13:12, 14, 15,
“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. And the LORD said to Abram, ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.’”
Genesis 15:18, “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . . .”
Biblical and Qur’anic Foundations
These passages illustrate a shared scriptural recognition that the land of Canaan was promised to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the Bible, Yahweh’s covenant with Abram (later Abraham) established an “everlasting” inheritance. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, this “forever” signifies a permanent bond between the land and the Israelites, ordained by the Creator until the end of time.
Historically, rivals have claimed that the Philistines are the original owners of the area once known as Palestine. However, a closer examination of the timeline reveals a different story.
In Genesis 12, God called Abram to leave his place of origin, promising that through him, a Messiah and Redeemer would come as a blessing to all families of the earth. When Abram settled in Canaan, the land was inhabited by various tribes, primarily the Canaanites. Yahweh explicitly told him, “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). By Genesis 13:14-18, this promise was extended “forever.”
Now read Genesis 15:18-21. Please note there were no Philistines at the time of this covenant made by Yahweh with Abram circa 2000 B.C..
Genesis 15:20-21, “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: to your descendants I have given this land, from the river Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates – the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
When the Covenant with Abram was made, there were no Philistines in the land of Canaan. It appears that the Philistines will come from another part of the Mediterranean and settle on the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Abraham and Sarah were gifted a child of their own in their old age- Abraham at 100 years and Sarah at 90. Genesis chapter 21 reveals that Isaac’s family and not Ishmael’s will blessings to humanity flow. Genesis 21:11-15 tells the story of Hagar and Ishmael being sent away settling in the Wilderness of Paran which is now part of the Sinai Peninsula governed by Egypt. See Genesis 21:21. God’s promise of blessings went to Isaac in Genesis 26:24-25. Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Jacob was the favored one and his clan went to Egypt and the Israelites stayed there about 400 years. Joseph entered Egypt circa 1950 B.C., and the Exodus started circa 1445 B.C.
At King David’s height of power, circa 1000 B.C., his kingdom covered from the Tigris-Euphrates River in the north to Ezion Geber-Elath at the shore of the Red in the south; east of the Jordan River to the shores of the Mediterranean. Literally, that was the area pointed to by Yahweh to Abram in Genesis 15:20-21. You may check this up in your Bible Geography.
The Question of the Philistines
Scripture indicates that the Philistines were not indigenous to Canaan at the time of the covenant (circa 2000 B.C.). Genesis 15:18-21 lists the inhabitants of the land—including the Kenites, Hittites, and Amorites—but notably excludes the Philistines. Historical and biblical records suggest they were immigrants from Caphtor (the Island of Crete) who later settled in the western maritime sections of Canaan.
By the time of Prophet Jeremiah (circa 627 B.C.), the Philistines were established in cities like Gaza and Ashkelon, yet they were still recognized as the “remnant of the country of Caphtor” (Jeremiah 47:4).
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in B.C. 586 and the first returning Jews from captivity to Jerusalem was led by Zerubbabel in 516 B.C. upon the permission of King Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire. Judah being the lead tribe with the tribe of Benjamin and the tribe of Levi, the returning captives were now called “Jews” (Ju) derived from the first syllable of the tribe “Judah”. Then came the Macedonian-Graeco Empire expanded by Alexander the Great. This conqueror died at the City of Babylon in 323 B.C. and his empire was divided into four sections governed by his four army generals. The Jews came under the control of the Greek colonizers based in Syria and Egypt.
In 63 B.C., Pompey of Rome conquered the Near East and the Middle East which started the expansion of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar campaigned in Western Europe. Now the Jews came under the Roman colonizers. Wanting to be free from Roman control, the Jews mounted a rebellion which started in 66 A.D.. Roman general Vespasian and his son Titus marched their army from Egypt to Jerusalem in 68 A.D. and besieged the city until it fell into Roman control in A.D. 70. Jerusalem buildings including the revered Temple of Solomon were burned and leveled to the ground fulfilling what Christ said, “no stone will remain on top of another stone” See Luke 21:5-7. About 90,000 Jews were taken slaves into foreign countries. However, many Jews remained behind in land of Judah or Judea. During the second decade of the second century (circa 112 A.D.) another rebellion was mounted by the Jews in Jerusalem against the Roman colonizers which resulted to another batch of Jews taken into captivity by the Romans while others escaped and settled in Middle East countries and North Africa.
Conquest, Dispersion, and the Rise of Islam
The history of the land is one of successive empires: the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and eventually the Romans. Following Jewish rebellions in 70 A.D. and 112 A.D., many Jews were forced into captivity or fled to North Africa and the Middle East, though a remnant always remained in Judea. In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, and the faith spread rapidly throughout the region.
By the 7th century, the landscape shifted again with the emergence of Islam. Following the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D., Arab forces under Caliph Umar occupied Jerusalem circa 640 A.D. This marked the beginning of a significant Arab migration into the territory. By 650 A.D., Jerusalem had become the spiritual home to three competing faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
As more Arabs migrated into the region—labeled “Palestina” on Roman maps—they eventually outnumbered the local Jewish and Christian populations.