The Invention of a Narrative: Palestine, History, and Political Revisionism

Few modern conflicts are surrounded by as much manufactured certainty as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Among the most aggressively asserted claims today is that “Palestinians are an ancient, indigenous nation whose sovereign state was destroyed by Israel.” This assertion is not merely popular but it is treated as axiomatic. To question it is to invite accusations of racism, denialism, or moral corruption.

Yet when subjected to historical scrutiny, the claim collapses.

History is not determined by hashtags or repetition. It is determined by contemporary sources, political declarations, and institutional behavior at the time events occurred. When those sources contradict modern claims, it is not history that must be adjusted. No,  it is the narrative.

One of the most decisive sources in this discussion is Ahmad Shukeiry, the Arab League’s representative to the United Nations in the 1950s and later the founder and first chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

In 1956, speaking at the United Nations, Shukeiry stated plainly:

“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but southern Syria.”

“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but southern Syria.”

This statement alone destabilizes much of today’s political mythology.

A Statement of Policy, Not a Personal Opinion

Shukeiry was not a marginal figure. He was not a dissident, a rogue speaker, or an uninformed observer. He was the official voice of the Arab League at the United Nations, articulating the consensus position of Arab leadership.

His denial of Palestinian nationhood was neither accidental nor controversial at........

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