A reader e-mailed me with the following question, one which lies at the heart of much conflict and bloodshed. Perhaps this answer can contribute to a growing measure of peace.

Hi Rabbi Brad Hirschfield,
My name is A. I truly admire how much you know about Judaism, so I thought asking you this question would be ok….What is Palestine? I have tried numerous times to look it up, and what I get is always a slightly different “definition.” I am just so confused. Can you help me?
Sincerely,
A. P.

Dear A.P.
Since you have asked for my opinion, I will share it. But to be clear, there is no one universally agreed upon definition of Palestine anymore than there is of Israel. The latter is a geographic place, a theological concept, and the name of a people. About all of those, there are differences of opinion as to the “proper” definition — so too with the definition of Palestine.
I can tell you that Palestine was originally the name given by Roman conquerors to the territory which now includes the entire State of Israel (including Gaza and those areas designated as within the control of the Palestinian Authority), portions of the Sinai Peninsula, areas of souther Lebanon, and parts of western Jordan. It has also been used by the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Turks.

While it is true that there has never been an independent nation-state called Palestine, it is currently a term used to represent the nationalist aspirations of those Arabs whose familial origins are rooted in the region. Like Jews who debate what constitutes the Jewish mandate for the State of Israel (the Hebrew Bible? the United Nations partition plan, etc.), those who identify with the cause of Palestinian nationalism differ in their understanding of what is Palestine.

Some define Palestine to be whatever state emerges on those lands conquered/liberated by Israel in 1967, others see it as all of Israel, and some would even go so far as to include (though not accept as a substitute) the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, which is ethnically 70% Palestinian.
What I can tell you with certainty is that it is futile to claim a definition of Palestine so that one can prove a particular political point, e.g. there is no such thing as Palestine or there should be no such thing as Israel.
Like most things, and certainly like Israel, Palestine is real in the minds of millions of people and so must be addressed as a real issue whatever one thinks about the definition of the word. With Palestine, as with most things in life, we need to choose between battling forever over what is True, or finding solutions that are good.
Hope that this is helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Brad
Now I ask you, dear readers, what is Palestine? And as long as I am asking, What is Israel, according to you?