Are Jews Indigenous to Israel?
Probably not. Let's take a look.
It is interesting that both Jews and Arab claim the lands of the Palestinian Mandate, sometimes utilizing the ‘indigenous’ argument. Both claims are without merit. It is historically clear that there never was a country of Palestine with Palestinian citizens. But there was/is a nation of Israel. However, are the Jews the indigenous population? Let’s take a few moments and explore this.
The word "indigenous" derives from the Latin word "indigena", meaning "native" or "original inhabitant."
It is often suggested that Jews are indigenous or the original inhabitants in the land of Israel. Historically, this is not an accurate premise. The connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel is deeply rooted in the Tanakh and its historical context. According to the Torah, Gd promised the land to Abraham and his descendants in perpetuity, making it a divine covenant that transcends typical definitions of indigeneity.
While other groups historically inhabited the land prior to the Exodus, the Jewish claim is uniquely tied to Gd's sovereign promise, and His delivering the land into Jewish possession. This promise has been a cornerstone of Jewish faith, identity, and their enduring bond to the land, influencing not just historical narratives but also contemporary perspectives and politics.
For the account of what was actually given to the Jews, please note Genesis 15:18 when Gd confirms His covenant with Abram: On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” Jerusalem is on former Jebusite land. (Note: there are no Arabs *faux Palestinians) mentioned.)
I respectfully suggest the aforementioned lands were the indigenous or original inhabitants. During King Solomon’s reign, the boundaries as defined in Exodus 23:31 were established (cf. 1 Kings 4:21). The foundation of Israel’s existence today is found in the above promises of Gd alone; all other claims are without merit. No one or anything can prevail against this promise. Perhaps the Arabs should return to the lands of their origins, namely the Arabian Peninsula.
Psalm 105 provides an excellent recapitulation of those covenantal events. In this Psalm are the seeds of most of the Jewish Holy Days (holidays?).
Psalm 105
1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”
12 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
16 He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,
causing their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs,
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,
with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number;
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Shalom, Am Yisrael Chai