History of Israel
The Jew people were born at the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel). There was where an important part of their history took place, and its first millennium is written on the Bible; there they formed a cultural, religious and national identity; and there they stood throughout the centuries, even after the forced exile. During all those long years of dispersion, the Jew people have never broken or forgotten their bond with their land. And in 1948, with the creation of the State of Israel, the Jew independence was recovered after 2000 years.
The area within Israel’s boundaries and the cease-fire lines, and including the areas under the Palestine self-government, is about 27.800 km2. In its long and thin shape, the country’s length is 470 km and its largest point has 135 km. Israel’s limits are the Lebanon to the North, the Syria to the Northeast, the Jordan to the East, the Egypt to the Southwest, and the Mediterranean sea to the West.
The distance between the mountains and plains, fertile fields and deserts can be crossed in few minutes. The nation’s width, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea can be crossed by car within around 90 minutes; and the travel between Metullah, extreme North, and Eilat, the most southern place, takes about 9 hours.
Israel can be divided in four geographical regions: three parallel bands from North to South, and a big zone, almost completely arid, at the southern middle area of the country.
Jerusalem
God’s land, promise to the men.
Jerusalem is built into the Jew hills, around 70 km from the Mediterranean Sea, at the center of Israel. It has the same distance from the country’s northern and southern extremes. At this geography, incomparable events changed the world’s history course.
The city name is mentioned hundred times on the Holy Scriptures and into Egyptian sources. Jerusalem, of the King Melchizedek and of the Mount Moriah, where the patriarch Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son; Jerusalem, the capital of King David’s Kingdom, of the first temple of Salomon, and of the second temple, rebuilt by Herod; Jerusalem, stage of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, whose preaching influenced the human moral and religious attitudes ; Jerusalem, where Jesus lived, was crucified, resurrected and was raised to the Heavens, Jerusalem, signs of the times, God’s time watch.
Names and Meanings.
According to the researcher, Pr. Enéas Tognini, the name Jerusalem is found in some ancient documents. At the Egyptian texts, it was written “Rusalimun” and “Urusalimum:”. At the Masoteric Texts, “Yerusalaim”. At the biblical Aramaic, “Yeruselem”. And for our own language, it came through the Greek “Hierousalem”.
The city, before being taken by the sons of Israel, belonged to the Jebusites. At the Jebusite records is written “Yebusi”. In Judges 19:10 is found that Jebus is Jerusalem, which allow us to conclude that Jerusalem is not a Hebrew based word.
At Psalms 51:18, 87:2, and other 179 times, Jerusalem is called Zion. Other biblical and extra-biblical names are given to Jerusalem: City of David (1 Kings 8:1); City of Judah (2 Chronicles 25:28); Holy City (Isaiah 52:1); City of the Lord (Isaiah 60:14); Ariel (Isaiah 29:1); City of Righteousness, Faithful City (Isaiah 1:26); City of the Great King (Matthew 5:35); Aelia Capitolina (Emperor Hadrian’s first name was Aelio and, in 135 AD, who named the city that paganized) El-Kuds (“the holy”, Arab name given to Jerusalem). Some researchers state that the first part of the word Jerusalem has the idea of foundation, and “Salem” means peace, therefore Jerusalem = city of peace. Dwelling of Peace! This is what Jerusalem means at the Hebrew language.
Biblical Times
The Jew history starts about at least 4000 years ago, with the patriarch Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Documents found at Mesopotamia, dated from 2000 to 1500 BC, confirm aspects of nomad life style, just like the Bible describes.
Exodus and Settlement
After 400 years of slavery, the Israelis were led to freedom by Moses, who, according to the Bible, was chosen by God to take His people out of the Egypt and take them back to the Land of Israel, promised to their ancestors (XIII – XII century BC). For 40 years they wandered through the Sinai desert, becoming a nation; there they received the Ten Commandments. The exodus from the Egypt (1300 BC) left an unforgettable mark into the national memory of the Jewish people, and became a universal symbol of freedom and independence. Every year the Jews celebrate the Pessac (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Succor (Feast of Tabernacles) remembering those events.
The Monarchy
King Saul`s reign (1020 BC) allowed the transition between the already weak tribal organization to the full establishment of the monarchy.
Under King David’s command (1004-965 BC), Israel became a regional potency, through David’s military expeditions, the philistines defeat for example, also through political alliances with neighbor kingdoms.
The divided Monarchy
After Solomon’s death (930 BC), an open insurrection divided the country tribes into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom of Israel, formed by the 10 tribes of the North, and the southern kingdom of Judah, formed by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The Kingdom of Israel, which capital was Samaria, stood for over 200 years, and had 19 kings; the Kingdom of Judah stood for 350 years, having Jerusalem as its capital, had the same number of kings, all from David’s lineage. With the Assyrian and Babylon Empires, Israel and Judah felt under alien domain. The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians (722 BC) and its people were exiled and forgotten. Around 100 year later, the Babylon conquered the Kingdom of Judah, exiling most of its inhabitants and destroying Jerusalem and its Temple (586 BC).
First Exile (586 - 538 BC)
The Babylon conquer did not break up the connection of the Jewish people with their land. By the margins of the Babylon rivers, the Jews assumed the commitment of always remember their nation: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy” (Psalms 137:5-6).
The exile in the Babylon, that followed the destruction of the First Temple, marked the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora. There the Judaism started developing a system and a religious life style to secure the national survival and the spiritual identity of the people, granting the vitality that they needed to preserve their future as a nation.
The Alien Domination
The Persian and Hellenistic Period (538 – 142 BC)
In consequence of a King Cyrus’ decree, from Persia (that conquered the Babylonian empire), around 50.000 Jews have done the first return to the Land of Israel, the second return was led by Ezra, the Scribe. During the next four centuries the Jewish people lived different levels of autonomy under the Persian (358 – 333 BC) and Hellenistic domain (332 – 142 BC).
Under the leadership of Ezra, the Jewish repatriation, the construction of the second temple at the same site where the first one was built, the fortification of the walls of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Knesset Haguedola (The Great Assembly, supreme religious and judicial organ for the Jewish people) marked the beginning of the second Jewish State (period of the second temple).
The Land of Israel kept on as a theocratic Jewish territory, under the Seleucid domain, as part of the old world that was conquered by Alexander the Great (332 BC). When the Jew was prohibited of practicing the Judaism and the Temple was profaned, as a Greek attempt to impose their culture to all people, a rebellion started (166 BC) leaded by Mattatiahs, from the Hasmonean priesthood dynasty, and by Judah Maccabee, his son. The Jews entered Jerusalem and purified the Temple (164 BC), every year Jews celebrate Hanukkah in commemoration of this event.
The Hasmonean Dynasty (142 – 63 BC)
After the Hasmonean victories, the Seleucids restored Judea’s (name that they used to call the Land of Israel) autonomy, and the Jewish independence was reconquered with the Seleucid kingdom collapse (129 BC). Under the Hasmonean dynasty, which stood for 80 years, the kingdom was consolidated, the Jewish lifestyle flourished and the kingdom boundaries was almost the same as the times of King Salomon.
Roman Domain (63 BC – 313 AD)
When the Romans replaced the Seleucids at the role of regional potency, they granted limited authority to the Hasmonean king, Hyrcanus II, under the Roman governor control. The Jews was hostile to the new regime, and many rebellions happened throughout the following years. The last attempt of reconquering the glory that the Hasmonean dynasty once had was made by Mattathia Antigonus, whose defeat gave an end to the Hasmonean government (40 BC); then the country became a province of the Roman Empire.
In 37 BC, Herod, Hycanus II’s son in law, was proclaimed King of Judah by the Romans. He was granted with almost unlimited authority over the internal issues of the country, and he became one of the most powerful monarchs of the Roman Empire’s oriental region, but he did not manage to be trusted and supported by his Jew vassals.
Tem years after Herod’s death (4 AD), Judah came under Roman direct administration. As the Roman oppression over the Jewish life style got stronger, also grew the dissatisfaction, that was shown by periodical violence until the full rebellion in 66 AD. The roman forces, lead by Titus, superior in number and weaponry, finally tore Jerusalem down (70 AD) and later defeated the last Jewish bastion in Masada (73 AD).
The total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was a catastrophe to the Jewish people. According to the historian Flavio Josefo, hundreds of thousands of Jews perished during Jerusalem’s besiege and at many other places, others were sold as slaves.
The last, and brief, Jewish sovereign period followed the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132 AD), when Jerusalem and Judah was retaken. However, given to the Roman massive power, after three years Jerusalem was “furrowed”. Judah was baptized with the name of Palestine and Jerusalem with the name “Aelia Capitolina”.
The Byzantine Domain (313 – 646 AD)
By the end of the forth century, after the Emperor Constantine’s conversion to the Christianity and the foundation of the Byzantine Empire, the Land of Israel became predominantly Christian. The Jews were bereft of their relative autonomy, as well as the right to occupy public offices; they were also prohibited to enter Jerusalem, except for one day a year (Tisha B'Av – the Ninth of Av), when they could mourn the destruction of the Temple.
The Persian invasion in 614 AD had the Jew’s support, since they were cheered by the hope for the messianic Liberation. In gratitude for their help, the Persians gave them the government over Jerusalem, but it only lasted for three years. After that the byzantine army recovered the control over the city (659 AD), and the Jewish people living there were once again expelled.
The Arab Domain (639 – 1099 BC)
The Arab conquered the country four years after Muhammad’s death (632 AD) and lasted for four centuries, under the Caliphs’ government in Damascus, and later in Bagdad. At the beginning of the Muslim domain, the Jews install themselves at Jerusalem once again, and the Jewish community received the usual protection granted to the non-Muslims, which guaranteed their lives, properties and freedom of cult, in exchange for the payment of some special and territorial taxes.
However, after some time, some restrictions to the non-Muslims were created (717 AD), affecting the Jewish public lives, their religiousness, and their legal status. By the end of the 11th century the Jewish community at the Land of Israel decreased considerably.
The Crusades (1099 – 1291)
Through the following 200 years, the country was controlled by the Crusades that, attending to the call of Pope Urban II, left Europe to recover the Holy Land from the “unfaithful” hands. In July 1099, after five weeks besiege, the knights of the First Crusade and their peasant army captured Jerusalem, slaughtering most of the non-Christian habitants.
Entrenched into their synagogues, the Jews defended their block, but they were burned alive or sold as slaves. At the few following decades, the crusaders extended their power to the rest of the country. After the crusaders’ defeat by the army of Saladin (1187), the Jews started enjoying the freedom, including the right to live in Jerusalem. The Crusade domain over the country came to an end with the final defeat before the Mamluks (1291), a Muslim military group that conquered power in the Egypt.
The Mamluk Domain (1291 – 1516)
Over the Mamluk domain, the country became a delayed province, which capital was Damascus. The period of decay under the Mamluks was obscured by political and economic rebels, plagues, devastation and earthquakes.
The Ottoman Domain (1517 – 1917)
After the ottomans conquer, in 1517, the country was divided in four districts, administratively linked to the province of Damascus; the government capital was Istanbul. At the beginning of the ottoman age, around 1000 Jew families were living at the Land of Israel, in Jerusalem, Nablus (Sechem), Hebron, Gaza, Zephath (Tzfat) and some Galilee villages. It was a community of Jews that had never left the country and some immigrants from North Africa and Europe.
An efficient government, until the death of sultan Soleiman the Magnificent (1566 AD), who brought improvements and stimulated the Jew emigration. As the time passed by the ottoman government declined and lost its efficiency, the country as being completely abandoned. By the end of the 18th century, most part of the lands belonged to absent owners that used to rent their lands to poor farmers by high taxes. The great forests of Galilee and Mount Carmel have vanished; swamps and deserts invaded the productive lands.
The 19th century testified the first signs that the medieval delay was being replaced by progress. English, French and American scholars started studying biblical archeology. New regular sea routes were created between the Europe and the Land of Israel, post connections and roads started being constructed. The Jewish situation started to get better and the population of Jews increased considerably. Inspired by the Zionist ideology, massive amount of Jews came to the country coming from the Oriental Europe at the end of the 19th century and begin of the 20th. Decided to restore their nation through agricultural work, these pioneers started recovering the arid lands, building new colonies and laying foundations of what would became later into a prosperous agricultural economy.
When the World War I began (1914), the Jewish population in the country was about 85,000, in contrast to the 5,000 of the 16th century.
In December 1917, British forces entered Jerusalem, under General Allenby’s command, putting an end to the 400 years of ottoman domain.
The British Domain (1918 – 1948)
In July 1922, the League of Nations trusted the Mandate for Palestine (the name used to refer to that region by the time) to the Britain. The Mandate recognized the “historical bound between the Jewish people and the Palestine”, and recommended that the Britain facilitate the establishment
The State of Israel – 1948
After the UN’s resolution from November 19th, 1947, when the British Mandate expired (May 14th, 1948) the Jewish population in the Land of Israel was about 65,000 people, forming an organized community with well organized political, social and economical institutions – a nation indeed, and a State that was only lacking of a name. However, in opposition to this new State, the Arab nations attacked from many fronts, beginning the Independence War (1948 – 1949), when the Jews defended what they just acquired. With the end of the war, Israel focused on building the State that their people so hardly fought for.
The Six-Day War – 1967
The hope for one more decade of peace was vanished with the raise of Arab terrorist attacks through the borders with Egypt and Jordan. After a six-days war, the northern population cores have been delivered from the Syrian bombardments that stood for 19 years; the passage of Israeli ships through the Straits of Tiran was secured; and Jerusalem, which was divided between Israel and Jordan since 1949, was reunited under the Israeli authority.
Yom Kippur War – 1973
The relative peace throughout the boundaries ended at the Day of Atonement, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, when Egypt and Syria made a surprise coordinated attack against Israel (October 6th, 1973). For the next three following weeks, the Israeli Defense Force stroke back and repelled the attacks. After two difficult years of negotiation with Egypt and Syria they finally decided to split their armies in exchange for the territories that Israel conquered in the war.
From War to Peace
Though the war of 1973 had cost a year of their GNP, the economy was already recovered by the second half of 1974. The foreign investments have increased, and in 1975 even more markets were opened.
The Arab vicious circle of rejection against Israel’s peace appeals has been broken with the visit of President Anwar El Sadat to Jerusalem (November 1977), and the following negotiations between Egypt and Israel, under EU coordination, what created the Camp David agreement (September 1977).
Século XX
After the murder of the Prime Minister Ytzhak Rabin (November 1995), the government – according to its right of naming one of the ministers (a Knesset member, in this case) to became Prime Minister until the next election – named the Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, to the tank. The elections of May 1996 brought a coalition to power that was made of nationalists, religious, and centrists, leaded by Benyamin Netanyahu, from Likud.
