Reply #2: more wet blankets [View All]

[foo_bar]

I don't want to throw a wet blanket on everyone but there is a reason that these people are referred to as Palestinians.

The word actually comes by way of Hebrew PL'SH'TH, or "Philistine" in King James speak. The Philistines weren't Arabic or Semitic (and didn't speak Arabic/Aramaic/Hebrew), they were pushed out of Egypt after a failed conquest.

It is because they come from the region known throughout history as PALESTINE.

After the Jews rebelled against Rome (the second time), the Romans changed their administration from "Provincia Judea" to "Provincia Syria Palaestina". The Arabic word "Falastin" is simply a transliteration of the British-by-way-of-Roman-by-way-of-Hebrew name for a culture long disappeared. Calling themselves Canaanites or Phoenicians would be equally (in)accurate.