Palestine dates back to about 3000 BC, and for 1900 years (between 3000-1100 B.C.) it was the land of the Canaanites. Throughout this period, the Egyptians occupied it until 1200 BC when the Philistines took it over. They were followed by the Israelites (1000-923BC: 77 years), the Phoenicians (923-700BC), the Assyrians (700-612BC), the Babylonians (until 539BC), the Persians (until 332BC), the Macedonians (until 63BC), the Romans (until 636AD), the Arabs (636-1200: 564 years), the Crusaders (1099-1291), the Ayubiyyin (1187-1253), The Memluks (1253-1516) followed by the Ottoman rulers (400 years) until 1917 (the year of the Balfour Declaration). The British Mandate took over in 1919 and officially took effect in 1922.
It is clear from this chronology that the Jewish Kingdom was only one many which settled in the land of Palestine. The country became predominantly an Arab (and Islamic) country towards the end of the 7th Century. In 1516, it became a province of the Ottoman Empire with a rich mix of Arab (Muslim and Christian) and Jewish cultures; these people believed themselves to belong to a land called Palestine.
It is worth noting that, according to Illene Beatty, a well-known archaeologist, "the extended kingdoms of David and Solomon, on which the Zionists base their demands, endured for only about 73 years...then it fell apart...Even if we allow independence to the entire life of the ancient Jewish kingdoms, from David's conquest of Canaan in 1000 B.C. to the wiping out of Judah in 586 B.C., we arrive at [only] a 414-year Jewish rule".
Historical Background - 1948
