I have never seen an Ottoman map, so I can't confirm what you are saying. I do, however, possess a couple of historical atlases, that show the area as being possessed by a number of different regimes.
Let's see - the map of the Assyrian Empire, 824 B.C. to 625 B.C. shows a tiny circle called Judah about where the West Bank is now.
The circle isn't there on the map of the new Babylonian empire, 625-539 B.C.
Oh, here's the map showing the kingdom of David and Solomon, 10th century B.C. That's got a black line around Philistia (roughly the Gaza strip), Judah, Israel, Ammon, and Syria. North is Phoenicia and the Assyrian Empire, south is the Sinai peninsula.
Under Alexander the Great, 323 B.C., the entire area is called Syria.
Under the Roman empire, circa 117 A.D., it's called Palestine.
Under the Eastern Roman empire, fourth and fifth century A.D. it's called Oriens.
Circa 800 A.D., it's part of the Caliphate of the Abbasids, no particular name given. No doubt Westerners called it "the Holy Land." No idea what the Arabs called it.
Circa 1000 A.D., it's part of the Fatimite Caliphate.
Circa 1097, north of Ascalon (roughly) it's part of the Sultonate of Rum, and south still part of the Fatimite Califate of Cairo.
After 1204, it's part of the Sultanate of Saladin and the Ayyubids.
Doesn't show up on one of the maps again for a while, at which point it is simply part of the Ottoman Empire.
So what?
The area along the Mediterranean has been thickly populated for millennia, by people of many nations. The Jews don't appear to have any special claim, to me, based on the history of the region. Maybe I am missing the point, which is why I ask. |
