Let’s talk about Israel’s borders: a biblical and historical perspective

“Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your G-d will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it.” (Deuteronomy 30:4–5)

Let’s talk about Israel’s borders. What should they be if we take a biblical and historical perspective? Golan Heights, the West Bank, Gaza. Should these all be autonomous Jewish territories if we take a rear vision mirror and look back at the past? I can hear the collective gasps and shaking of heads as I dare to suggest there may be a better outcome than the well-worn two-state solution idea.

But it has to be a two-state solution, you have been repeatedly told by the likes of Joe Biden and Penny Wong. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a two-state solution at all? When I talk about this concept, I am in no way advocating for a unilateral takeover of neighbouring countries. However, we owe it to ourselves as Jews to consider what we have rightful claims to when it comes to Israel’s geographic composition.

Tamar Adelstein is the Coordinator of Crown Heights Women for the Safety and Integrity of Israel. Adelstein states that “for all the many thousands of words penned or spoken trying to justify our claim, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, advised we simply say it straight by quoting Rashi’s opening commentary on Parshas B’reishis: G-d created the world. He gave Israel to the Nations and then took it from them and gave it to the Jewish People as an eternal inheritance.”

Le Monde Newspaper reported on Rabbi Yosef Artziel seeing the dawn of a “new age”. According to Rabbi Artziel, who lives in the settlement of Kedumim in the north of the West Bank, the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th 2023 has plunged Israel into “a revolutionary moment.” He goes on to say that “people only grow through hardship. It took the Yom Kippur War in 1973 for Israel to start reclaiming its land in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank].” 

I believe that the current conflict between Israel and Hamas warrants this conversation as we have been tipped over the edge in desperation and despair. In this piece, I will attempt to lay the groundwork for this argument with supporting concepts and evidence. There are many Muslims calling for the death, destruction and elimination of Israel and Jews globally. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what might actually be in the best interests of the Jewish people in a way that will safeguard them from perpetual conflict.

A champion of the cause, Yitzhak Shamir was a dedicated advocate and supporter of an expanded Israel and as Israeli Prime Minister gave the settler movement funding and Israeli governmental legitimisation to align with the historical and biblical definitions of Jewish land.

Led by Dr. Daud Abdullah, the Middle East Monitor (MEM) advocate for a “growing need for supporters of, in particular, the Palestinian cause, to master the art of information gathering, analysis and dissemination.” MEM attempt to educate their sympathetic audience by highlighting the apparent dangers of an expanded Israel which they describe as “the notion of expanding Israel’s territory and sovereignty to encompass what many Israelis describe as their historic Biblical land. There are those who say the entire region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is the Promised Land of the Jews, and is theirs by divine right regardless of who lives on the land and their rights to self-determination.”

There are many Jews out there like myself who openly support the idea that in order to pave the way for Israel to reconsider their position and establish rightful borders. To achieve this, we need to expand Israeli settlements in what the international political order refer to as the occupied West Bank. I also advocate for accelerating and incentivising the ‘Law of Return’, which is a foundational piece of legislation enacted by the first Israeli government in the 1950’s. This ensures that any Jew born anywhere in the world has the right to immigrate to Israel and automatically become a citizen. This is vital to ensure that a Jewish population majority remains in Israel permanently.

Did you know that since the State of Israel was established in 1948, there have been over one hundred resolutions brought against them by the United Nations (UN) Security Council? This constant and obsessive focus is against the only truly democratic country in the Middle East where Palestinian citizens can live, work, own a home and feel safe. When there has been such a prolonged, systematic, biased agenda against Israel by the UN and their supporting global instititutions, why should we as Jews feel beholden to their judgements, directions, expectations that are clearly focused on advancing the Islamic Palestinian agenda in the region?

I am of the view that there is a silent majority of Jews in Australia who, like me, would welcome this notion of an Israel within their rightful borders and receive great comfort from this idea. However, they simply wouldn’t openly advocate for this as they would be howled down by the morally bankrupt, woke left-wing agenda driving most dinner table conversations around the country right now. It’s simply unacceptable to advocate for the full rights of Israel in 2024 without being considered a racist supporter of a genocidal apartheid zionist regime. What gives others the right to tell us what is morally acceptable given our persecution over many centuries?

Hamas has been legitimised, justified, and accepted in Australia

Unfortunately, there is a large cross-section of the Australian population particularly in our capital cities who genuinely believe that Hamas have been legitimately and acceptably formed due to Israeli occupation, apartheid and aggression. These same people believe that the barbaric, murderous, genocidal acts of Hamas, a globally recognised terrorist organisation, were understandable, acceptable and justified. Once again, those protesting for this are adamant that Hamas did this due to actions of the Israeli Government which basically forced them to invade sovereign Israeli land and commit such atrocities.

We have heard this justification repeatedly in recent weeks by University students across numerous campuses. So, if the legitimisation and acceptance of Hamas’ actions, including the taking (and torturing) of Jewish Israeli hostages, is becoming the norm, then why shouldn’t we ponder what the best solution to this might be? Something that might safeguard and guarantee the ultimate safety, security and certainty of an eternal Jewish state that is free from the violence, aggression and brutality that was experienced on Israeli soil, on October 7th 2023.

The Australian Greens are leading the charge by attempting to force the Albanese Government into unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State without any pressure whatsoever on Hamas to return the hostages, acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, or anything for that matter. Their leader, Adam Bandt, refuses to even acknowledge that Israel are a legitimate Jewish State.

Bandt, the number one critic of Israel in Australia, is being supported by his Party’s loyal deputies, in David Shoebridge and Mehreen Faruqi. Both as passionate in their hatred for Israel as anyone you will ever come across. The Australian Greens are a dangerously influential and impactful political force in this country. This has made me ponder what is actually best for the Jewish people and what will guarantee their long-term safety, stability and security going forward?

I am not afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to say it. The idea of an Israel within their rightful borders is a positive, natural, and justified alternative to what has been experienced since the State of Israel became a nation in 1948. If one believes there is any truth to the stories of the Old Testament, then one is obliged to consider the reality of what this means for the Jewish people on an inherited geographical basis?

When there is no genuine partner for peace in the Palestinians and their extremist representatives in Hamas have a sole aim to ensure the death and destruction of all Jews leading to wiping Israel off the face of the earth, do we really have any other choice? Some reading this may consider me a radical, hard-right, extremist for advocating this. The Palestinians have been offered peace deals which meet most of their demands. They have rejected these outright. If they give up the struggle, what will this do to their cause and identity of victimhood? I am replicating what I know many Jews are thinking after experiencing a lifetime of uncertainty, trauma, and despair, with our spiritual homeland under constant threat, attack, and criticism.

If your own family was unsafe, feeling constantly under attack, threatened by an enemy hell bent on torturing and destroying you, would you welcome them into your home and ask them to sit down for a hot meal and a chat? I doubt it. You would lock your doors, make sure your loved once are taken care of, and do whatever it takes to protect them and your rightfully owned territory. This is the same argument I make for the establishment of an Israel within it’s rightful borders and there are numerous factors which support this notion. For example, the question of who are the indigenous inhabitants of the land of Israel, and what did the original biblical map of Israel look like compared to the current, modern state version?

The Jewish people are the indigenous inhabitants of the land of Israel with geographical boundaries specified by G-d in the Old Testament

I believe that the argument in favour of the Jewish people being the indigenous inhabitants of the land of Israel is without question and supported by clear, historical facts. It all comes down to whether or not one accepts the historical truth. Take the West Bank for example. If one takes an accurate, historical view of this region, it would be referred to as Judea and Samaria as the proper name for the territory that Jordan occupied beginning in 1949 until it was liberated by Israel in 1967. Although it is disputed territory regarding the question of political sovereignty, it was included in the area of the historic Jewish homeland that was to become the Jewish state as decided by the League of Nations in 1922.

The concept of an expanded Israel, according to GlobalSecurity.Org, “is used in practice to apply to to some approximation of the territory of the land occupied by the original twelve tribes, or to the two Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, or some fragment of the kingdom of the Macabees. Rabbi Fischmann, member of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared in his testimony to the UN Special Committee of Enquiry on 9 July 1947 that the Promised Land extends from the River of Egypt up to the Euphrates, including parts of Syria and Lebanon.”

The Bible contains three geographical definitions of the Land of Israel:

1. The first definition (Genesis 15:18–21) seems to define the land that was given to all of the children of Abram (Abraham), including Ishmael, Zimran, Jokshan, Midian, etc. It describes a large territory, “from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.”
2. A narrower definition (Numbers 34:1–15 and Ezekiel 47:13–20) refers to the land that was divided between the original twelve tribes of Israel after they were delivered from Egypt.
3. A wider definition (Deuteronomy 11:24, Deuteronomy 1:7) indicating the territory that will be given to the children of Israel slowly throughout the years, as explained in Exodus 23:29 and Deuteronomy.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the first top U.S. official to recognize the legitimate historical and legal claims of Israeli Jews residing in Judea and Samaria. Known as the Pompeo Doctrine, the former Trump administration stated that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria were no longer illegal under international law.

According to the American Friends of Judea and Samaria, “Israel’s victory in the Six Day War, gave Israel jurisdiction in this region for the first time since before the destruction of the Temple. For the next 10 years, only relatively minor communities were re-established on this historic Jewish territory. But then slowly but surely, Israel began to allow pioneering Israelis to establish new and robust communities to once again allow the Jewish people to reside and develop the land where their name derives from.”

Further supporting this viewpoint that the Jewish people are the indigenous inhabitants of the land of Israel, is the American Jewish Committee (AJC). As per their website, “the AJC stands up for Israel’s right to exist in peace and security; confronts antisemitism, no matter the source; and upholds the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies.”

In February this year, the AJC published five facts about the long history of the Jewish people’s ties to the land of Israel, as follows:

1. Jews have had a continuous presence in the land of Israel: While the Romans expelled the majority of Jews in 70 CE, the Jewish people have always been present in the land of Israel.
2. Israel was under Jewish leadership for hundreds of years in antiquity: The ancient history of the land of Israel includes many centuries during which the land was governed by the Jewish people.
3. Jerusalem is the holiest site in the Jewish faith: Jerusalem has been the spiritual, religious, and national center of the Jewish people for thousands of years. Approximately 3,000 years ago, under the rulership of King David, Jerusalem became the capital of Israel.
4. While in exile Jews never stopped yearning to return to Israel: Despite being scattered throughout the world during various points in history, the Jewish people maintained a strong connection to the land of Israel through religious practices, prayers, and an enduring hope of eventual return.
5. Israel plays a central role in the Bible: The land of Israel is central to the Jewish faith and is mentioned throughout the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God promises the land of Israel to Abraham, the first Jew, and then reaffirms the promise to Abraham’s son Isaac and grandson Jacob. In fact, the name Israel is another name for Jacob.

The All Israel News Website reported last month that “Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, constitute the historical heartland of Israel and they contain many ancient Jewish sites. However, the sites are threatened by vandalism from both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and individual Muslim radicals. While vandalism against ancient Jewish sites in Judea and Samaria is not a new phenomenon, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu recently assessed that there has been a rise in the number of attacks since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack against residents of Israel’s southern border communities.” If such vandalism would occur on ancient sites considered holy to Muslims, there would be an international outcry and Jihad would be waged from all corners of the earth.

Thankfully, the Israeli Civil Administration Agency on Monday officially declared that a 42-acre territory surrounding the ancient Jewish archaeological site Herodium in Judea would be classified as state land. This means that the site, located south of Jerusalem, will be considered under the control of the Israeli government. This is one of many positive developments to reclaim Israel’s historical, biblical connection with their holy land. Long may it continue.

Exposing the myth of Palestinian nationalism

According to a published piece by Kathleen M. Christison (1987) called ‘Myths about Palestinians’, Palestinian nationalism has “become accepted as fact by most Americans and shaped their views and the policy of most U.S administrations toward the Arab-Israeli conflict.” However, this has not always been the case on the global political stage. According to then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in a 1969 interview in the Sunday Times of London, “there is no such thing as Palestinians. It is not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as a Palestinian people.” 

When considering the long-held claim of historical religious rights and connection to Jerusalem as the eternal ‘Palestinian’ capital, one must consider the existence of any tangible evidence of specific passages or wording within the Islamic sacred text (Quran) which support such a claim. The confronting reality for many readers given global sympathies towards their ongoing struggle, is the misguided notion that the Quran articulates any passages or wording to support this in any way.

According to Saied Shoaaib (a Muslim writer and researcher of Egyptian origin, specializing in Islamic movements), “Quranic passages clearly illustrate the Jews’ imperative to enter the land of Israel…The Quran specifically states that God promised the land of Israel, including Jerusalem, to the Jews.” Shoaaib pulls no punches by arguing that “although ordinary Muslims who might not actually have read their holy book could be excused for their ignorance about the Jewish roots of and rights to Israel  and Jerusalem, the same cannot be said for the leaders of Muslim countries, imams, and the heads of illustrious Islamic institutions.”

Shoaaib asserts that this “exposes the hypocrisy of those radical Muslims who claim to believe in and adhere to the letter of the Quran yet use the claim that Palestine and Jerusalem are Islamic for political purposes and propaganda. Dignitaries and scholars of that calibre should know better. Yet many of them repeat false assertions that contradict the Quran and scholarly interpretations of its verses. The fact is that the Quran does not mention Jerusalem or Palestine.”

Professor Shmuel Trigano claims in the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs that before the Ottoman Empire, there were no ‘Palestinians’. He supports this by saying that “Arabs from all the countries within the Ottoman Empire migrated to the territory, attracted by the economic hub created by the Jews. Throughout their long history of dispersion, the Jews have returned to their ancestral land in waves. Similarly, Yasser Arafat and Edward Said, for example, were not Palestinians but rather Egyptians, though they were Arabs and Muslims (in fact, the objective definition of Palestinians).” 

As the Embassy of Israel in Dublin state on their website, “attempts to present Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria (“the West Bank”) as illegal and colonial in nature ignore the complexity of this issue, the history of the land, and the unique legal circumstances of this case.” The Embassy purports that “Jewish presence in this territory has existed for thousands of years and was recognized as legitimate in the Mandate for Palestine adopted by the League of Nations in 1922, which provided for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Jewish people’s ancient homeland. At no point in history were Jerusalem and the West Bank subject to Palestinian Arab sovereignty.”

This is undoubtedly a complex issue and there are many practicalities that need to be considered for the path towards an Israel within it’s rightful borders is to be achieved. Unfortunately, neighbouring Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt like to pontificate from afar. If these countries were experiencing the same challenges as Israel, would they not consider the same avenue going forward to ensure their eternal safety and security? Surely as Jews we have a right to discuss and explore all the options available to us given the current landscape and no real hope of Islamic moderation on the horizon.