Folks, let’s not forget what produced the Israeli “occupation” of the Gaza Strip.
In May, 1967, the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria gathered on Israel’s borders in another attempt to eradicate Israel. These armies enjoyed backing from several other Arab countries, much as Hitler’s “final solution” enjoyed similar support from some of the same Arab states. Israel’s pre-emptive strike allowed it to gain control of Gaza and the West Bank.
Gaza is Jewish land promised by Hashem in the Bible as an everlasting inheritance; it was, in fact, apportioned to the Tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47 and Judges 1:18) as part of Israel’s eternal patrimony.
A few examples of evidence of a Jewish presence in Gaza since Biblical times:
* A beautiful remnant of the mosaic floor, dated 508/509 CE, of a Gaza synagogue. It pictured King David playing the harp. King David’s name was rendered in Hebrew letters.
* One of the big mosques in Gaza has a pillar that had the name Chananya Bar-Yaakov (an important figure from the days of the Hasmoneans) engraved on it. Above his name was a picture of a Menorah with a Shofar on one side, and an etrog on the other.
* There is an old neighborhood in Gaza that is called by the Arabs, to this day, Harat Al-Yahud – “neighborhood of the Jews”.
* Israel Ben Moses Najara (1555-1625) was a prominent rabbi in Gaza. Throughout the years after his death, many Jews came to pray at his grave.
Most physical evidence of the Jewish presence in Gaza since Biblical times has been deliberately erased by the Arabs, especially at the time of the first Intifada (1987-1993). The Arabs feel that if they erase such physical evidence, they will be able to convince the world of their Big Lie, that they are the original inhabitants of the Holy Land.
Read the facts:
The Gaza Strip: Myths and Facts – Part I,
The Gaza Strip: Myths and Facts – Part II,
The Gaza Strip: Myths and Facts – Part III