In the digital age, historical narratives can be shaped by viral clips and powerful rhetoric. When influential commentators like Ben Shapiro present a version of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, their claims often go unchallenged, reaching millions. However, a closer look at the historical record reveals a more complex and often contradictory story.
In this comprehensive analysis, we break down four key myths propagated by Ben Shapiro, drawing on the historical insights of Adnan Rashid. This isn’t just about winning a debate; it’s about setting the record straight to foster a genuine understanding of the conflict’s roots and the ongoing struggle for justice.
Myth 1: “Israel is Historically and Exclusively Jewish Territory”
Shapiro’s Claim: A Biblical Timeline
Ben Shapiro roots his argument in a biblical timeline, asserting Jewish ownership based on ancient history:
- Joshua’s entry into the land (c. 1400 BC)
- The Kingdom of David (c. 1000 BC)
- The First and Second Temples
- Continuous Jewish presence despite Roman exile
He concludes that since Islam was founded in the 7th century CE, any Muslim claim is secondary and no independent Arab state ever existed in “Palestine”, a name he attributes to a Roman insult.
The Rebuttal: What the Timeline Omits
This narrative, while chronologically presented, critically omits one question: Who lived in the land before the Israelites arrived?
Historical and archaeological records confirm the presence of indigenous peoples, such as the Canaanites. By suggesting that history begins with Joshua, Shapiro’s argument overlooks the pre-existing inhabitants of the land. The claim of exclusive ownership based on a 3,000-year-old conquest is a historically tenuous precedent.
A Flawed Precedent: As Adnan Rashid points out, if we accept this logic, should modern Jewish people claim ownership of Iraq, where they lived for nearly 2,000 years during the Babylonian exile? Or Spain, where they thrived for over a millennium? This ahistorical approach to land ownership creates an unworkable and unjust standard.
Furthermore, this argument ignores the complex tapestry of identity. Many Palestinians today carry Israelite DNA, their ancestors having converted to Christianity and later Islam over centuries. To expel them based on their current faith is to erase their deep ancestral connection to the very land in question.
Myth 2: “The Arabs Are to Blame for the Failure of Partition”
Shapiro’s Claim: A History of Arab Rejection
Shapiro presents a timeline where Jewish leadership consistently accepted partition plans while Arabs met every proposal with violence. His key points include:
- The 1922 partition created Transjordan (now Jordan) from 70% of the British Mandate of Palestine.
- Arab rejection of the 1937 Peel Commission plan.
- The Arabs sided with Hitler during WWII, while the Jews sided with the British.
- The 1948 declaration of Israel’s independence was followed by the Arab invasion.
The Rebuttal: The Injustice of Partition Itself
The core issue is not only how the land was partitioned, but whether a colonial power, Great Britain, had the legitimacy to give away land that did not belong to it.
The Zionist movement, largely comprising European Jews, was a modern political ideology established at the First Zionist Conference in 1897. Its goal was to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, by “hook or by crook.” This included:
- Systematic Land Purchases: A deliberate plan to buy land from Palestinian farmers, often leading to their displacement.
- Political Lobbying: Theodore Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, even offered to pay off the Ottoman Sultan’s debts in exchange for Palestine, but the Sultan firmly refused, stating that the land belonged to its people.
- Terrorism: Zionist paramilitary groups conducted terrorist acts against both the British Mandate authorities (e.g., the King David Hotel bombing) and Palestinian civilians to seize control.
The land of Palestine belonged to its inhabitants: Muslims, Christians, and Jews who had lived there for centuries. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, a letter from the British Foreign Secretary to a Zionist leader, had no legal or moral right to promise this land to a political movement.
Myth 3: “Israel Did Not Expel Palestinians; They Left on Their Own”
Shapiro’s Claim: A Voluntary Exodus
Shapiro argues that Israel’s founding documents asked Arabs to stay and that the 1948 exodus was largely voluntary or at the behest of Arab leaders. He claims hundreds of thousands left before the war even reached their homes.
The Rebuttal: The Reality of the Nakba (The Catastrophe)
This claim is a direct contradiction of overwhelming historical evidence and the lived experience of Palestinians. The 1948 mass expulsion is known as the Nakba, or “The Catastrophe,” for a reason.
- Forced Displacement: Over 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes by Zionist militias.
- Massacres and Destruction: Israeli forces went into hundreds of Arab villages, committing massacres, burning homes, and systematically erasing their presence from the map.
- A Legacy of Refugees: Today, over half the population of Gaza consists of refugees or descendants of refugees from the 1948 war. They didn’t “leave”; they were expelled.
To suggest this was a voluntary migration is to erase one of the most significant and well-documented ethnic cleansing events of the 20th century.
A Note on Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands
Shapiro points to the 800,000 Jews who left Arab lands as a parallel event. However, this narrative is incomplete. While hostility certainly increased after 1948, there is substantial evidence that Zionist operatives carried out false flag operations, including bombings of Jewish sites in countries such as Iraq, to create fear and pressure Jewish communities to emigrate to the newly founded state of Israel.
Myth 4: “Israel is Not an Apartheid State”
Shapiro’s Claim: Equal Rights for Arab Citizens
Shapiro argues that because 20% of Israel’s population, who are Arab, have full citizenship, hold seats in government, and serve on the Supreme Court, the charge of apartheid is false. He claims the only apartheid state would be a Palestinian one, which would have no Jews.
The Rebuttal: A Tale of Two Systems
This argument hinges on a deceptive framing. It focuses solely on the rights of citizens within Israel’s 1948 borders while ignoring the reality for millions of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and a siege in Gaza.
Apartheid is defined as a system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination. For Palestinians, this is a daily reality.
A First-Hand Account: “I have been to Gaza. I’ve seen the devastation… the restrictions,” states Adnan Rashid. “They cannot leave when they want. They cannot come out for education, for medical treatment… If this is not apartheid, then what is?”
Consider the differences in freedom:
| Freedom | Israeli Citizens | Palestinians (West Bank & Gaza) |
| Movement | Can travel freely in and out of the country. | Face checkpoints, roadblocks, and permit systems; Gaza is often described as an open-air prison. |
| Sovereignty | Control their own borders, airports, and seaports. | It has no airport or seaport; its borders are controlled by Israel. |
| Legal System | Subject to civilian law. | Subject to military law and courts with a conviction rate exceeding 99%. |
| Resources | Full access to water, land, and utilities. | Water and key resources are controlled and frequently diverted to illegal settlements. |
A system that grants one group of people fundamental rights while systematically denying them to another based on ethnicity and religion is the very definition of apartheid.
Justice Begins with Honesty
The narratives spun by figures like Ben Shapiro are not just academic errors; they are tools that justify ongoing occupation, displacement, and violence. By presenting a sanitised, one-sided history, they provide a pseudo-sophisticated context that obscures the reality of injustice.
The history of Palestine did not begin on October 7th, 2023, just as it did not begin in 1948. It is a long and painful story of a people’s struggle for self-determination against colonial and political forces. True peace can only be built on a foundation of truth. It requires acknowledging the injustices of the past and present, and committing to a future where the rights and dignity of all people, Palestinians and Israelis, are honoured.