Is Israel a legitimate state? Are the Palestinians the rightful occupants of the Holy Land? What is the historicity of the Palestinian cause?

Who is praying on the wall?

The true historicity of this issue has long gone untaught in public education, academia, and churches, despite its having repeatedly entered our public discourse for decades.

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Through social-engineering and indoctrination programs, the standard mainstream narrative has favored the Palestinian cause for years now. Support for the so-called Palestinian cause continues to increase in America, with Gallup reporting that American sympathy toward Palestine has risen by 6% from 2017 to 2021. Following the recent attacks on Israel by Islamic jihadists, mediated support for the Palestinian cause has blossomed more vigorously.

News outlets like The New York Times have bought the narrative that the Palestinians had occupied the Holy Land first and were only recently chased from their homeland by the “white” Jews coming in from Europe. Since then, according to these news outlets, the Palestinian Arabs have remained refugees living under the boot of an oppressive Zionist regime. As the Times reports: “ ‘The West Bank is already in crisis,’ the U.N.’s rights chief, Volker Türk, said, ‘yet, settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state.’ ” Obviously, the U.N. is no ally of Israel. According to the U.N. website, it was an influx of Jews that started this long, bitter conflict.

Palestine was among the former Ottoman territories placed under U.K. administration by the League of Nations in 1922. All these territories eventually became fully independent states, except Palestine, where, in addition to “the rendering of administrative assistance and advice,” the British Mandate incorporated the Balfour Declaration of 1917, expressing support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

During the mandate period of 1922 to 1947, large-scale Jewish immigration mainly from Eastern Europe took place, with those numbers swelling during the 1930s amid the Nazi persecution. Arab demands for independence and resistance to Jewish immigration led to a rebellion in 1937, followed by continuing terrorism and violence from both sides. The U.K. considered various formulas to try and bring independence to a land ravaged by violence. In 1947, the U.K. turned the Palestine problem over to the U.N.

Is any of this historically accurate? No, it’s not. Has anyone spoken out about this? Yes, a man has illuminated the truth in the midst of this rewriting of history. His name is Oren Cahanovitc, a YouTuber who has been making videos for tourists in Israel. (Here is his channel.) People like Cahanovitc throw a wrench into the machinery of disinformation that Hamas feeds on. But it will take more voices to penetrate the mainstream discourse surrounding Israel’s history.

Being a licensed tour guide, Cahanovitc has an intimate understanding of Israeli history. And he has served in the Israeli military, like the majority of men and women in Israel. But he is interested in more than just travel guides, because living in a country as persecuted as Israel is has led him to make many politically taboo videos to debunk the antisemitic narrative permeating most media outlets.

Cahanovitc presents history in an honest, frank, and even humorous manner. And he openly invites anyone to try and prove him wrong. This video in particular has gotten attention. Regarding the video, Cahanovitc says: “Before I break down the Palestinian narrative, a small trigger warning: I like facts. If you don’t like what I’m saying, then bring me facts that contradict what I’m saying. If I say that Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran, or that the Jews said ‘yes’ to the Partition Plan in 1947 and the Arabs said ‘no’, or that there was no such thing as ‘Palestinians’ in the 18th century — then feel free to prove me wrong. … I’m asking you to challenge me.”

How can we intercede for Cahanovitc and other truth-tellers like him, who may not yet be followers of Jesus?

Pray for Oren Cahanovitc. And Israel still needs your prayers urgently. Why not share one now, below?

(Photo Credit: Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash)