Observations of an Irishman: Concise and factual 4000 years of Israeli history

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” --- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

This is a famous quote that perfectly sums up our world right now and especially the Middle East. Thousands of Palestinians have recently started a new protest along the borders with Israel. For the next six weeks, you are going to hear the same old phony narrative by the media, by the politicians and even certain religious leaders.

This narrative will promote every Palestinian as the victim of evil Israeli aggression and as a modern-day freedom fighter. You will either rarely hear about Hamas, or you will not hear about how they are a terrorist organization.

We are living in a world where we love to say "never again." How we love to think that Nazi Germany and a Holocaust could never happen. The truth is we have people on BOTH sides of politics who are anti-Semitic, who not only HATE Israel but will actively spread lies about Israel being evil and Palestine being good. To help counter this narrative, I wanted to share a brief history of Israel that goes back over 4000 years.

(NOTE: This article is NOT MY OPINION on Israel. IT IS FACTS and FIGURES, which you can research for yourself. Words in CAPS are key issues to this day and are highlighted to show how much history surrounds them.)

2000 BC: The first Jewish tribes and kingdoms settle in Israel.

1000 BC: King David unites all the Jewish tribes in a single Kingdom of Israel with Jerusalem as the capital. Around this time, King Solomon builds the first temple on the TEMPLE MOUNT.

930 BC: Israel splits into two kingdoms called Israel (north) and Judah (south).

586 BC: The Babylonian Empire conquers Judah, destroys the first temple and most Jews are expelled to Babylon for 70 years (Babylon is modern-day Iraq).

515 BC: Jews return from exile and seek to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem which is called the Second Temple.

330 BC: Alexander the Great (Greek Empire) attacks and conquers Judah. For the next 200 years, Greek and Syrian kings rule Judah.

140 BC: The Jews fight back and finally win independence. They form the Kingdom of Judea which is ruled by the Maccabean Kings.

62 BC: The Roman Empire attacks Judea and it loses its independence to the Romans.

A famous Jew named Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem. He is eventually arrested, condemned to death and crucified by the Romans.

66 AD: Israel fights for independence.

70 AD: Romans invade Jerusalem and destroy the second temple.

73 AD: Jewish resistance starts in Masada and they succeed for a period, however, it is captured by the Romans after three years.

132 AD: This is the start of the second war of independence, also known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Initially, they are successful and have several victories, which lead to an independent Jewish State. It only lasts a couple of years as the Romans return and destroy the independence. The result of this defeat is many Jews are spread all over Europe and Africa, creating the Jewish Diaspora. Hadrian, who was the Roman Emperor, changes the name of Israel to PALESTINA, which is named after the Philistines long-time enemies of the Jewish people.

310 AD: The Byzantine Christian Empire begins to rule over Palestina. Christians start to refer to this area as the HOLY LAND.

600 AD: Around this time period, very few if any Arabs live in Palestina.

620 AD: Muhammad, an Arab tribal leader, is the founder of the religion of Islam in Saudi Arabia.

638 AD: Muslim armies invade and capture Jerusalem and all of Palestina. They rule for roughly the next 330 years. During this period, they build the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

1100 AD: Muslims rob and kill Christian pilgrims in Palestina. Christians launch the first of four Christian Crusades with the aim of freeing the Holy Land. When they arrive in Jerusalem, they kill all the Muslim and Jewish inhabitants and rule for around 200 years.

1300 AD: Muslim Mameluks come from Egypt to Palestina and defeat the Crusade. After the defeat, most of the area we know as Palestina and Israel becomes depopulated and abandoned. There are small pockets of clans in some areas, but nothing compared to the past history.

1514 AD: The Ottoman Empire (Turkey today) invades and conquers Palestina and rules for roughly 400 years. There are pockets of Jewish settlements in some areas and they live in relative peace. They are allowed to live, follow their Jewish faith and customs, but they are second-class subjects under Islamic Law. Over the next 250 years, Jews start to return to Palestina in small numbers and they mainly return to Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron and Tiberias.

1864: A British Embassy census shows over 50 percent of the population in Jerusalem is Jewish.

1916: The SYKES-PICOT AGREEMENT, which would later play a larger role in the issues within the Middle East and would be opposed by groups like ISIS, is established between England and France. This agreement is responsible for the boundary lines in the Middle East that we are familiar with today.

1917: The BALFOUR DECLARATION is made by Britain to establish a home for Jews in Palestine when the Turks are defeated.

1918: Britain assumes control of Palestine. You may have heard it called British Mandated Palestine in the past.

1920: In April 1920 at the San Remo Conference, both Britain and France confirm the Balfour Declaration.

1922: 51 countries from the LEAGUE OF NATIONS (which preceded the UN) vote to confirm British rule in Palestine and for Britain to take steps to set up a Jewish home there to encourage and facilitate Jewish immigration. That September, Britain allocates over 75 percent of the land an Arab state called Transjordan (modern-day Jordan) with no Jewish settlement allowed. The remaining 20 percent or so of the land west of the River Jordan is given to Israel. That land is made up of Israel and Judea / Samaria or --- as you may know it today --- the WEST BANK.

1920s: After this declaration, many Arabs sought to live in peace with the Jews. Some groups were not happy, however, and became militant --- attacking Jewish settlements and murdering several hundred people.

1920s - 1930s: Europe sees a rise in anti-Semitic behaviour in places like Russia and Ukraine. The result of this is many thousands of European Jews escape and arrive in Palestine.

1933: Hitler takes power in Germany.

1937: Around 1937, Jews are roughly one third of the population in Palestine.

1941 - 1945: Over 6 million Jews are murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany. During this period, one “World Leader” met with Hitler to not only express support but planned on bringing the Holocaust to Palestine to further exterminate the Jews. That leader was Haj Amin al-Husseini who was the Palestinian Arab leader.

1948: On May 1948, Israel is declared an independent Democratic Jewish State. The very next day, it is attacked by armies of five Arab nations. Despite the long odds (with only a small army that had just formed, and very few arms) the IDF wins.

1964: The Arab League Summit is held in Cairo and witnesses the creation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) with the stated goals of liberating Palestine and wiping out Israel through armed struggle. That May, Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran as Egypt, Jordan and Syria plan an attack on Israel for the start of June. Israel decides to make a pre-emptive strike and wins in what we call the SIX DAY WAR. After this win, Israel takes control of the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and Judea / Samaria (West Bank). In September, Israel makes history by offering its first (of many) “LAND FOR PEACE” deals where Israel would return the lands it won in the Six Day War in return for a promise of peace. At the conference, Arab leaders unite and not only refuse the deal, but they say NO to peace, won’t have any negotiations with Israel and won’t even recognize them.

1973: If you know anything about the Jewish faith, you know Yom Kippur is a very sacred day. On this holy day in 1973, both Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel. Over 18 days of fighting and thousands of innocent casualties, Israel defeats Egypt and Syria.

1977: The Egyptian President Anwar Sadat gives a speech to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) in Jerusalem.

1979: HISTORY is made as Egypt signs a peace treaty with Israel. The terms of the treaty are that Israel returns the Sinai Peninsula (won in the Six Day War), dismantles its settlements and hands over both oil rights and tourist resorts. Egypt agrees not to attack Israel again.

1987: The FIRST INTIFADA is an uprising by Palestinian groups against Israel-controlled lands.

1988: HAMAS, which is an Islamic terrorist organization, is founded. In its charter, it states “that Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.”

1994: HISTORY is made for a second time as Jordan signs a peace treaty with Israel.

1995: Israel tries to negotiate another “land for peace” deal, this time with the PLO. Sadly, Hamas continues its terrorism and suicide bombings in the area, killing many Israelis.

2000: Israel offers yet another “land for peace” deal to the Palestinian leadership. Not only is this offer rejected, but terrorism goes to new lows and a SECOND INTIFADA starts.

2005: In a move seeking peace in the area, Israel agrees to remove all its troops from Gaza. Instead of peace, HAMAS takes over the area and uses it as a base to launch rocket attacks against innocent civilians. To date over 12,000 rockets have been fired.

2007: President George W. Bush is joined by both President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Yet another “land for peace” deal is rejected by the Palestinians.

2010: Israel offers to renew the moratorium of ceasing to build in settlement area in exchange for Palestinian Authority recognition of Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people. This is also rejected by the Palestinians.

Conclusion

In closing, I would ask you to consider several questions:

If Israel is the evil terrorist nation in the Middle East, why is it they have witnessed decades of peace with both Jordan and Egypt after signing peace treaties?

If Israel and the Jews are greedy, power-hungry people, why have they returned the land they obtained through war in return for nothing more than a promise of peace?

Where are the concessions made by Palestine?

Look at the history of concessions made by Israel to its Arab neighbors. Can you list the concessions made by other nations? Where are the concessions made by Palestine? Would you make as many concessions when a percentage of those neighbors not only doesn't recognize you but actively seeks to kill you?

Today, members of media and politicians love to defend minorities. Have you considered the difference in how such groups would be treated under Islamic rule?

Lastly, consider the outcome of two scenarios. Scenario one is you wake up tomorrow to the news Israel has decided to give up and put down all of their weapons --- what would happen?

The second is you wake up tomorrow and the Arab world has decided to give up and put down all of their weapons --- what would happen?

Think about it.

Jonathon Dunne is an Irishman with a lifelong dream of becoming an American citizen. After waiting for over 13 years, Dunne received a job offer from Glenn Beck so he could achieve his dream, but unfortunately, he did not meet the requirements to apply for a visa. Unless laws change or Dunne decides to break the law (he won't), his American dream is dead. Despite this setback, he still loves America and seeks to be a positive influence on society by promoting the idea of America and God-given freedoms. Tune into Dunne's free weekly podcast, "Freedom's Disciple," on TheBlaze Radio, available on SoundCloud, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Google Play and Stitcher.

What do clay pots have to do with to preserving American history?

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Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Why should we preserve our nation’s history? If you listen to my radio program and podcast, or read my columns and books, you know I’ve dedicated a large part of my life and finances to sourcing and preserving priceless artifacts that tell America’s story. I’ve tried to make these artifacts as available as possible through the American Journey Experience Museum, just across from the studios where I do my daily radio broadcast. Thousands of you have come through the museum and have been able to see and experience these artifacts that are a part of your legacy as an American.

The destruction of American texts has already begun.

But why should people like you and me be concerned about preserving these things from our nation's history? Isn’t that what the “big guys” like the National Archives are for?

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1946, a Bedouin shepherd in what is now the West Bank threw a rock into a cave nestled into the side of a cliff near the Dead Sea. Instead of hearing an echo, he heard the curious sound of a clay pot shattering. He discovered more than 15,000 Masoretic texts from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

These texts weren’t just a priceless historical discovery. They were virtually perfect copies of the same Jewish texts that continue to be translated today. Consider the significance of that discovery. Since the third century B.C. when these texts were first written, the Jewish people have endured a continued onslaught of diasporas, persecutions, pressures to conform to their occupying power, the destruction of their temple, and so much more. They had to fight for their identity as a people for centuries, and finally, a year after the end of the Holocaust and a year before the founding of the nation of Israel, these texts were discovered, confirming the preservation and endurance of their heritage since ancient times — all due to someone putting these clay pots in a desert cave more than 2,000 years ago.

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

So, what do these clay pots have to do with the calling to preserve American history? I didn’t understand that prompting myself until the horrible thought dawned on me that the people we are fighting against may very well take our sacred American scriptures, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of Rights. What if they are successful, and 1,000 years from now, we have no texts preserved to confirm our national identity? What kind of new history would be written over the truth?

The destruction of American texts has already begun. The National Archives has labeled some of our critical documents, like our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, as “triggering” or “containing harmful language.” In a public statement, the National Archives said that the labels help prepare readers to view potentially distressing content:

The Catalog and web pages contain some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. NARA’s records span the history of the United States, and it is our charge to preserve and make available these historical records. As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance.

According to this statement, our founding documents are either “outdated, biased, offensive,” “possibly violent,” or a combination of these scathing descriptions. I’m sorry, the Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.” Our Constitution is not “outdated and biased,” and our Bill of Rights certainly is not “offensive and possibly violent.” They are glorious documents. They should be celebrated, not qualified by such derogatory, absurd language. Shame on them.

These are only the beginning stages of rewriting our history. What if they start banning these “triggering” documents from public view because they might offend somebody? Haven’t we torn down “triggering” statues before? What if we are no longer able to see, read, and study the actual words of our nation's founding documents because they are “harmful” or “possibly violent”? A thousand years from now, will there be any remnant to piece together the true spirit behind the nation that our founders envisioned?

The Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.”

That is why in 2008, I was prompted to preserve what I could. Now, the American Journey Experience Museum includes more than 160,000 artifacts, from founding-era documents to the original Roe v. Wade court papers. We need to preserve the totality of our nation’s heritage, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to preserve our history in our own clay pots.

I ask you to join with me on this mission. Start buying books that are important to preserve. Buy some acid-free paper and start printing some of the founding documents, the reports that go against the mainstream narrative, the studies that prove what is true as we are continually being fed lies. Start preserving our daily history as well as our history because it is being rewritten and digitized.

Somebody must have a copy of what is happening now and what has happened in the past. I hope things don’t get really bad. But if they do, we need to preserve our heritage. Perhaps, someone 1,000 years from now will discover our clay pots and, Lord willing, be able to have a glimpse of America as it truly was.

Top 10 WORST items in the new $1.2 TRILLION spending bill

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Biden just signed the newest spending bill into law, and Glenn is furious.

Under Speaker Johnson's leadership, the whopping $1.2 TRILLION package will use your taxpayer dollars to fund the government through September. Of course, the bill is loaded with earmarks and pork that diverts money to fund all sorts of absurd side projects.

Here is the list of the ten WORST uses of taxpayer money in the recently passed spending bill:

Funding venues to host drag shows, including ones that target children

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Money for transgender underwear for kids

Funding for proms for 12 to 18 year old kids

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Border security funding... for Jordan and Egypt

Another $300 million for Ukraine

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$3.5 million for Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade

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$2.5 million for a new kayaking facility in Franklin, New Hampshire

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$2.7 million for a bike park in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a town with a population of less than 2,300 people

$5 million for a new trail at Coastal Carolina University

$4 million the "Alaska King Crab Enhancement Project" (whatever that means)

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There is no doubt about it—we are entering dark times.

The November presidential election is only a few months away, and following the chaos of the 2020 election, the American people are bracing for what is likely to be another tumultuous election year. The left's anti-Trump rhetoric is reaching an all-time high with the most recent "Bloodbath" debacle proving how far the media will go to smear the former president. That's not to mention the Democrats' nearly four-year-long authoritarian attempt to jail President Trump or stop his re-election by any means necessary, even if it flies in the face of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Biden is doing worse than ever. He reportedly threw a tantrum recently after being informed that his polls have reached an all-time low. After Special Counsel Robert Hur's report expressed concerns over Biden's obviously failing mental agility, it's getting harder for the Democrats to defend him. Yet he is still the Democratic nominee for November, promising another 4 years of catastrophic policies, from the border to heavy-handed taxation, should he be reelected.

The rest of the world isn't doing much better. The war in Ukraine has no clear end in sight, drawing NATO and Russia closer and closer to conflict. The war in Gaza is showing no sign of slowing down, and as Glenn revealed recently, its continuation may be a sign that the end times are near.

One thing is clear: we are living in uncertain times. If you and your family haven't prepared for the worst, now is the time. You can start by downloading "Glenn's Ultimate Guide to Getting Prepared." Be sure to print off a copy or two. If the recent cell outage proved anything, it's that technology is unreliable in survival situations. You can check your list of supplies against our "Ultimate Prepper Checklist for Beginners," which you can find below:

Food

  • Canned food/non-perishable foods
  • Food preparation tools
  • Go to the next level: garden/livestock/food production

Water

  • Non-perishable water store
  • Water purification
  • Independent water source

Shelter

  • Fireplace with a wood supply
  • Tent
  • Generator with fuel supply
  • Go to the next level: fallout shelter

Money

  • Emergency cash savings
  • Precious metals

Medicine

  • Extra blankets
  • Basic first aid
  • Extra prescriptions
  • Extra glasses
  • Toiletries store
  • Trauma kit
  • Antibiotics
  • Basic surgery supplies
  • Potassium Iodate tablets

Transportation

  • Bicycle
  • Car
  • Extra fuel

Information

  • Birth certificates
  • Insurance cards
  • Marriage license
  • Immunization records
  • Mortgage paperwork
  • Car title and registration
  • House keys, car keys
  • Passports
  • Family emergency plan
  • Prepping/survival/repair manuals
  • Go to the next level: copy of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and other important books/sources

Skills

  • Cooking
  • Gardening
  • Sewing
  • First Aid
  • Basic maintenance skills
  • Go to the next level: farming/ranching
  • Self-defense training

Communication

  • Family contact information and addresses
  • HAM radio

Miscellaneous

  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Lamps and fuel
  • Hardware (tools, nails, lumber, etc)
  • Extra clothes
  • Extreme weather clothes and gear
  • Gas masks and filters
  • Spare parts for any machinery/equipment

Is Trump's prosecution NORMAL?  This COMPLETE list of ALL Western leaders who served jail time proves otherwise.

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Mainstream media is on a crusade to normalize Donald Trump's indictments as if it's on par with the electoral course. Glenn asked his team to research every instance of a Western leader who was jailed during their political career over the past 200 years—except extreme political turmoil like the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Irish Revolution, etc.—and what we discovered was quite the opposite.

Imprisoning a leader or major political opponent is not normal, neither in the U.S. nor in the Western world. Within the last 200 years, there are only a handful of examples of leaders in the West serving jail time, and these men were not imprisoned under normal conditions. All of these men were jailed under extreme circumstances during times of great peril such as the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War.

What does this mean for America? Are Trump's indictments evidence that we are re-entering times of great peril? Below is a list of Western leaders who were imprisoned within the last 200 years. Take a look and decide for yourself:

Late 1800s

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Jefferson Davis: The nearest occurrence to a U.S. President to serve jail time was in the case of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson was captured in Georgia by Northern Soldiers in 1865 and locked up in Fort Monroe, Virginia for two years. He was offered a presidential pardon but refused out of his loyalty to the confederacy.

Early 1900s

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Eugene V. Debs: Debbs, a Midwestern socialist leader, became the first person to run for president in prison. He was locked up at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta having been convicted under the federal Sedition Act for giving an antiwar speech a few months before Armistice Day, the end of World War I. Many of his supporters believed his imprisonment to be unjust. Debs received 897,704 votes and was a distant third-part candidate behind Warren G. Harding, the Republican winner, and James M. Cox, the second-place Democrat. Harding ordered Debs’s release from prison toward the end of 1921.

Nazi sympathizers and collaborators: After the end of World War II in 1945, several European leaders who had "led" their countries during the Nazi occupation faced trial and imprisonment for treason. This list included Chief of the French State Philippe Pétain, French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, and Minister-President of Norway Vidkun Quisling. The latter two were also executed after their imprisonment. President of Finland Risto Ryti and Prime Minister of Finland Johan Wilhelm Rangell were also tried and jailed for collaborating with the Nazis against the Allied Powers.

Late 1900s

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The end of the Cold War: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was one of the pivotal moments that brought the Cold War to a close and marked the end of Communist East Germany. With the fall of the wall and the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the former leaders were brought to trial to answer for the crimes committed by the GDR. General Secretary Erich Honecker and General Secretary Egon Krenz were both put on trial for abuse of power and the deaths of those who were shot trying to flee into West Germany. Honecker was charged with jail time but was released from custody due to severe illness and lived out the rest of his life as an exile in Chile. Krenz served 4 years in jail before his release in 2001. He is one of the last surviving leaders of the Eastern Bloc.

Lyndon LaRouche: Larouche was a Trotsky evangelist, public antisemite, and founder of a nationwide Marxist political movement, became the second person in U.S. history to run for President in a prison cell. Granted, he ran in every election from 1976 to 2004 as a long-shot third-party candidate. When he tried to gain the Democratic presidential nomination, he received 5 percent of the total nationwide vote. Even though in 2000 he received enough primary votes to qualify for delegates in a few states, the Democratic National Committee refused to seat his delegates and barred LaRouche from attending the Democratic National Convention.