One Land, One Story: The Historical Case for Israel’s Single-State Stand

For more than 3,000 years, the land often called “Palestine” today has been the ancestral home of the Jewish people—spiritually, historically, culturally, and politically. While the modern geopolitical debate is complex, the historical record is clear: long before the rise of modern nation-states or the arrival of conquering empires, the Land of Israel was the homeland of the Jewish nation. As calls for a “one-state solution” gain renewed attention, Israel’s position rests not on modern politics alone but on millennia of continuous connection, rooted legitimacy, and the unbroken identity of a people tied to their land.

A Land with a Name: Israel’s Ancient Footprint

The earliest references to “Israel” in this land trace back to ancient inscriptions such as the Merneptah Stele (circa 1208 BCE), confirming the presence of a people called “Israel” in the region over 3,200 years ago. Long before the birth of the Roman Empire or the emergence of the Arab world, the tribes of Israel established sovereignty here—first under the Judges, then under the unified monarchy of Saul, David, and Solomon.

Jerusalem, now the beating heart of modern Israel, was established as Israel’s capital by King David around 1000 BCE. It remained the center of Jewish worship, governance, and identity—so deeply ingrained that even after conquests and exile, Jews prayed daily toward Jerusalem and insisted, “Next year in Jerusalem,” for nearly two thousand years.

The land was called Eretz Yisrael—the Land of Israel. That name predates all later labels, including “Palestine.”

Where the Name “Palestine” Came From

The term “Palestina” was imposed by the Roman Empire in 135 CE after crushing the Bar Kokhba revolt. It was a punishment—an erasure tactic—intended to sever Jewish identity from their homeland by renaming it after the Philistines (an extinct Aegean people). This renaming was not an acknowledgment of an existing nation called “Palestinians,” which did not exist at the time; it was a political weapon.

For the next 1,800 years, under Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Ottoman, and British control, no sovereign state called “Palestine” ever emerged. Not once. There was no Palestinian king, no Palestinian currency, no Palestinian government, and no Palestinian capital city. The land remained a geographic region—not a nation.

Yet during all these centuries, Jewish communities remained. Despite expulsions and persecutions, Jews never abandoned their homeland. They lived in Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and Tiberias; they farmed the land, prayed on it, were buried in it, and returned to it generation after generation.

The Jewish claim is not imported. It is indigenous.

Modern Israel: Restoring, Not Creating, a Homeland

The modern Zionist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not about creating something new—it was about returning to something ancient. When Jews began to return in large numbers:

• They purchased land legally.

• They revived Hebrew from an ancient liturgical language into a modern national one.

• They built towns, farms, universities, and institutions long before statehood.

• *They accepted the United Nations Partition Plans that envisioned two states, while Arab leaders rejected them.

• *The Zionist leadership publicly accepted the 1947 UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181), viewing it as a stepping stone, but Arab leaders rejected it. However, Israel's establishment and subsequent expansion went beyond the plan's borders, with leaders like Ben-Gurion seeing the plan as a temporary stage for achieving a larger Jewish state, not the final goal.

Therefore, in 1948, Israel did not “steal” a country; it declared independence in the exact land where Jews had been a nation thousands of years earlier.

The One-State Stand: Israel’s Argument

Israel’s case for a unified state rooted in its historic homeland rests on several pillars:

1. Historical Continuity

No other people has a longer, deeper, or more documented connection to this land. The Jewish nation was born here, built a kingdom here, and maintained an unbroken presence here.

2. Legal Foundations

International law—from the Balfour Declaration (1917) to the San Remo Conference (1920) to the League of Nations Mandate—affirmed the Jewish right to a national home in the Land of Israel.

3. Inalienable Indigenous Rights

Just as indigenous peoples worldwide reclaim ancestral lands, the Jewish people’s claim is inherently rooted in their identity and history—not in colonial expansion.

4. National Security

Given wars, terrorism, and repeated rejections of two-state compromises, many Israelis argue that a single, secure Israeli state is essential for survival.

5. Functioning Democracy

Israel already provides a democratic framework with representation for Jews, Arabs, Druze, Bedouins, and others. A one-state vision built on existing Israeli structures is far more viable than unstable alternatives.

The Human Reality: Coexistence Over Conflict

Lost in the political rhetoric is an important fact: millions of Jews and Arabs already live, work, and participate in the social fabric of daily life together within Israel. Israeli Arabs vote, hold office, attend universities, become doctors, judges, and soldiers. Israel is not perfect—but it is a functioning, diverse society.

If peace is ever to be achieved, it must be built on historical truth, mutual respect, and realistic frameworks—not myths.

Conclusion: One Land, One Ancient People, One Future

Israel’s one-state stand is not a rejection of peace—it is a recognition of historical reality. The land known today as “Israel” or “Palestine” has always been the homeland of the Jewish people, and no political narrative can erase thousands of years of continuous identity, sovereignty, and belonging.

The case for Israel’s unified state is ultimately a case for truth, history, and a future built on the foundation of the ancient past—a past that still pulses in the stones of Jerusalem and the soul of the Jewish people.

The story of this land is the story of Israel. And it always has been.