Travel Palestine is a website described as “The Official Site For Tourism In Palestine.”
Here is what you are greeted with when you visit the site.
Welcome to Palestine
With a history that envelops more than one million years, Palestine has played an important role in human civilisation. The crucible of prehistoric cultures, it is where settled society, the alphabet, religion, and literature developed, and would become a meeting place for diverse cultures and ideas that shaped the world we know today. Its rich and diverse past, abundant cultural heritage, and the archaeological and religious sites of the three monotheistic faiths including the birthplace of Jesus Christ, make Palestine a unique centre of world history.
For Palestinians, this cultural diversity is viewed as a source of wealth, and each part of the million years of settled life plays an integral part in wider human heritage of those that call this land home. This past makes up a large part of the contemporary Palestinian philosophy of sustainable development, which seeks to keep active the cultural identity of the Palestinian people.
Visitors to Palestine will encounter on their journey myriad religious, historical, and archaeological sites. Beyond the historical, Palestine offers walks and hikes in its extensive valleys, along coasts, as well as desert hills, towns, and ancient marketplaces at the hearts of cities and villages nestled in the heart of breath-taking landscapes. They will enjoy Palestine’s sumptuous cuisine and, most important, feel the warmth and hospitality of the Palestinian people, Christians and Muslims alike, who will share with them the hopes and aspirations of a nation that is in the process of rebuilding. With its million years of human history, and a welcoming people offering rich hospitality, visitors are left with the warm feeling of being at home.
The earliest signs of a process leading to sedentary culture were in the Levant as early as 12,000 BCE – or approximately 14,000 years ago. Slightly shorter than the million of years the palestinians are now claiming they have been around.
This claim of being around for “millions of years” also does not sit well with their other claims of being descended from Canaanites from over 10,000 years ago/Philistines from 6,000 Years Ago/Canaanites and Jebusites from over 5,000 years ago.
Elsewhere on the site, you see where they get the number from.
So they are now claiming they were around from the Stone Age. Yabba dabba WTF?
You’d also think with the “millions of years of human history,” the Palestine Museum would have actual exhibits. Go figure.
In a further sign that the palestinians may not have given this site as much thought as they would have wanted, it mentions events and people of Jewish history. For instance, this from a brochure entitled All I Want For Christmas is Justice (not to be confused with this):
King David’s Wells (Biyar Daoud)
Located north of Bethlehem, David’s Wells mark the site where David’s men broke through a Philistine garrison to bring him water
King David was a King of Israel, and his son Solomon was the one who built the first Temple, so this is also at odds with the recent UNESCO resolution. Oops!
David’s third son Absalom makes an appearance in the Jerusalem section (as does Jehoshaphat, king of Judah) Jewish prophet Sampson makes an appearance in the Gaza section, and Jewish prophet Elisha in the Jericho section – which incidentally also talks about the Ain Ad-Deuk Synagogue (Na’aran synagogue), dating back to the 5th or 6th century, as well as the the Shahwan synagogue (Shalom Al Yisrael Synagogue), dating back to the 6th century. In other words, both synagogues predate Islam, which began in the 7th century!
The only thing this site is missing? One of those Visit Palestine posters.
Thanks to Israellycool contributor Ryan for finding this gem of a website.
Update: Deebo actually covered this last year, but with a slightly different take. Color me forgetful.
