The Invention of Sacred Territory and the Politics of Zionist Mythmaking.

Shlomo Sand’s argument strikes at the heart of one of the most contested narratives in modern history: the claim that today’s Zionist project represents the simple restoration of an ancient people to an ancient nation state. Sand challenges this by arguing that ancient Judea was not a modern nation state, that Judaism historically functioned primarily as a religion rather than a racial nationality, and that the later Zionist idea of an ancient, continuous “Jewish nation” was shaped by nineteenth-century European nationalism.

Sand also disputes the popular claim that Jews were forcefully exiled en masse by Rome after the destruction of the Second Temple. His thesis is that many ancient Judeans remained in the land, later converting over centuries to Christianity and Islam, meaning that a significant part of today’s Palestinian population may descend from the ancient peoples of the land. Modern genetic studies broadly support strong Levantine continuity among Palestinians, while also showing that both Palestinians and Jewish communities share complex regional ancestries rather than simple racial categories.

In The Invention of the Land of Israel, Sand further argues that the “Land of Israel” was historically more of a sacred religious geography than a clearly bounded political state demanding mass Jewish return. The transformation of sacred longing into territorial nationalism was a modern ideological project, later hardened by Zionism into a political claim over land, borders and sovereignty.

The central issue, therefore, is not whether Jews have historical, cultural or religious connections to the land. They do. The issue is whether those connections can be used to erase Palestinian indigeneity, deny Palestinian self determination, or justify occupation, dispossession and mass violence. Any lasting peace must reject racial supremacy in all forms and recognize the political, historical and human rights of both Palestinians and Jews.

By Hon. Chima Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi

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