TLDR:
Jewish states existed centuries before we existed
1. Kingdom of Israel: 1050–930 BC
Saul, David, and Solomon ruled a united Jewish kingdom based in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Israel could be cited as the foundation of Jewish self-determination.
2. Kingdom of Judah: 930–586 BC
Jewish worship and temple service until Babylonian exile.
3. Kingdom of Northern Israel: 930–722 BC
Breakaway northern kingdom. Destroyed by Assyria.
4. Hasmonean Kingdom: 140–37 BC
Independent Jewish state from Maccabean Revolt.
5. Judean Provisional Government: 66–70
Rebel government during First Jewish-Roman War. Ended after destruction of Second Temple.
6. Bar Kokhba State: 132–135
Jewish state during revolt against Rome. Briefly controlled Judea before brutal suppression.
7. Yishuv (Ottoman & British Mandate): 1882–1948
Pre-state Jewish population in Palestine with proto-governmental structures like the Jewish Agency.
8. State of Israel: 1948–present
Modern Jewish state in ancestral homeland. Parliamentary democracy, with legal rights for minorities.
Questions for discussion:
- How does Jewish indigeneity to the Land of Israel differ from colonialism, and why is this distinction often ignored?
- What lessons can be drawn from the collapse of past Jewish states, and how should they shape modern Jewish self-determination?
- Why do critics of Israel rarely or never acknowledge the 3,000-year history of Jewish life in the land?
Image credit:
https://www.britannica.com/place/kingdom-of-Jerusalem
מֵאִיר
Article URL : https://www.britannica.com/place/kingdom-of-Jerusalem