On today’s episode of ILTV Daily News: new reports claim Saudi Arabia secretly carried out airstrikes inside Iran during the recent regional war, signaling a dramatic shift in Gulf involvement against the Islamic Republic; President Trump warns the U.S. will “finish the job” if Tehran refuses to accept Washington’s terms on its nuclear program as he heads to high-stakes talks in China. And, the IDF says it eliminated 15 Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon while revealing dramatic new details from a covert raid deep behind enemy lines.

(The following is the result of around 100 hours of research. Suggestions on how to improve are welcome.)

1. The Individual: Jacob's Name Change to Israel

Timeline: ~4,000 years ago (~1974 BCE)

• The origin of the region named "Israel" begins with the (most respected leader of a group) patriarch named Jacob. According to the foundational legend Jacob took the name Israel ("one who struggles with God") because he believed he had wrestled with a divine being. At this stage, the name was purely personal, identifying a specific individual and his perceived experience.
• This established a lineage-based, group identity, named after a man named Israel, from a place his descendents would then say is the "Land of Israel" (or "Israel" for short).
• Indigenous Evolution: Modern research indicates these people were largely indigenous to the Levant, developing a unique "Israelite" cultural and religious identity from within the local Canaanite populations.
• As Jacob's/Israel’s descendants (the twelve tribes) grew in number, the name shifted from a man to a well known collective group known as the Israelites.

2. The People: From a Family to the Israelite Civilization

Timeline: 3,234 years ago (1208 BCE) 

• Archaeological Record: Non-biblical evidence for the land of Israel early on being well known in Egypt is the Merneptah Stele, an Egyptian granite monument. It identifies "Israel" as a distinct group of people living in a place in the Canaan region. It reads: "Israel is laid waste, its seed is no more".
• Regardless of whether or not a man named Jacob/Israel existed: the Merneptah Stele uses the word Israel as in 4000+ year old Jewish tradition, to define both a place and its culturally unique people.
• Jewish tradition still contains laws and holidays (some at least 3,300 years old) to celebrate Israel's agricultural cycles the Land of Israel depended on for food, survival. Passover (Pesach): Known as the Festival of Ripening (Chag HaAviv) marks the beginning of the spring barley harvest. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks): Known as the Festival of the Harvest (Chag Hakatzir) celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. It was the time for bringing First Fruits (Bikkurim) to the Temple in Jerusalem. Sukkot (Festival of Booths): Known as the Festival of Ingathering (Chag HaAsif), it marks the final harvest of fruits and the end of the agricultural year in the fall. Tu B’Shevat: The "New Year for Trees," celebrated when trees begin to bloom after the winter rains in Israel. Today, it is a major day for ecological awareness and tree planting. Shemini Atzeret: Following Sukkot, this holiday includes specific prayers for rain to ensure a successful planting season for the coming year. Shmita: A mandated seven-year agricultural cycle where the land is left to rest and recover during the seventh year, often called the "Sabbath of the land". Tu B’Av: Historically a mid-summer matchmaking day that also functioned as a celebration of the grape harvest.

3. The Place: From the Land of Israel to a Powerful Kingdom

Timeline: 3,072 to 2,955 years ago (1047–930 BCE)

• United Kingdom of Israel emerged as a significant power in the Southern Levant under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon.
• This era marked a peak of Hebrew unity, with King David having established Jerusalem as the capital and Solomon building the First Temple.

4. The Early Eras of Invasions and Identity Erasure

The land was frequently invaded by foreign powers seeking to control the strategic crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe.

• Following the appearance of Israel as a distinct people, the Philistines arrived on the southern Levantine coast, beginning a multi-century effort to expand inland. Operating from five major city-states, the Philistines exerted pressure on the Israelite tribes, reaching a height of territorial influence around 3,076 years ago (1050 BCE) after the Battle of Aphek. This expansion reached its zenith with the death of King Saul at the Battle of Mount Gilboa in 3,036 years ago (1010 BCE), which briefly left significant portions of the Israelite heartland under Philistine shadow. However, the occupation was effectively halted and pushed back to the coastal plains by King David around 3,026 years ago (1000 BCE), ending the period of Philistine expansionism and establishing a stable, albeit hostile, border that would remain largely unchanged until the Assyrian conquests centuries later.
• 2,766 years ago (740 BCE) Shortly after the Philistine occupation ended the Neo-Assyrian conquest began under Tiglath-Pileser III, who reduced the Northern Kingdom to a vassal state. This process culminated with the fall of Samaria and the mass deportation of its inhabitants, effectively dissolving the Northern Kingdom of Israel. While the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived a devastating siege by Sennacherib in 2,727 years ago (701 BCE), it remained a subservient tributary state for the remainder of the era.
• Assyrian dominance in the region finally ended around 2,638 years ago (612 BCE) following the fall of their capital, Nineveh, to the Babylonians and Medes, which dismantled the empire and shifted control of the Levant to the Neo-Babylonians.
• 2,089 years ago (63 BCE): The Roman Invasion. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple. To attempt the erasure of Jewish identity, Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the region "Syria Palaestina"—after the Philistines (extinct Greek-linked enemies of the Jews)—to suggest the Jews no longer belonged there.
• 1,388 years ago (638 CE): The Islamic Conquest. Islam was founded in the 7th century. Arab armies from the Arabian Peninsula invaded and captured Jerusalem, beginning a period of "Arabization."
• 509 years ago (1517): The Ottoman Empire. The region was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled for four centuries until World War 1.

5. The British Mandate & The UN Partition

• 106 years ago (1920): The British Mandate. Following the Ottoman defeat, Britain was tasked by the League of Nations with creating a "Jewish National Home".
• 87–90 years ago (1936–1939): The Arab Revolt. Arabs and (a cultural and linguistic shift not ethnic) Arabized Palestinians fought the British to end the Mandate, stop Jewish immigration.
• 79 years ago (1947): The UN Solution. The UN proposed a "Two-State Solution" (Resolution 181) to create an "Arab state" and secular Jewish-friendly state.
  • The Outcome: Jewish Palestinian leaders accepted the plan; Arab and Arabized Palestinian leaders rejected it, choosing war instead of a shared peace. Israelites/Jews in the "Land of Israel" were forced to defend themselves or be exterminated, by a culture and religion from the Arabian Peninsula.

6. 1948: Independence, Invasion, and the "Nakba"

• 78 years ago (May 14, 1948), The Jewish Palestinian community in the British Mandate declared the independence of the State of Israel, which was immediately followed by an invasion from neighboring Arab and Arabized states. The 1948 war resulted in the Nakba, the displacement of 700,000+ non-Jewish. This exodus was driven by a complex mix of factors: direct expulsions of civilian populations in areas of resistance, psychological warfare, and panic. Simultaneously, some residents left due to the collapse of local leadership or localized instructions from Arab officials to clear battle zones. While some Jewish leaders urged their neighbors to remain, the broader conflict transformed the land from a region that had undergone centuries of Arabization into a sovereign Jewish-friendly democratic state.
• 72 years ago (Sept. 6, 1954): The Jordan newspaper Ad-Difaa reported:"The Arab Governments told us: 'Get out so that we can get in.' So we got out, but they did not get in."
• 78 years ago (1948): Azzam Pasha, Sec-Gen of the Arab League, declared:"This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre."
• Memoirs of Khaled al-Azm (Syrian PM 1948-49):"We ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave... we brought destruction upon a million Arab refugees."

7. The Aftermath: Two Different Realities

• The "Stayers": Roughly 150,000 ignored the orders to leave and stayed in the secular land named Israel. Today, their descendants are among the 2 million+ Arab Israelis who now enjoy full voting rights, serve in the Knesset (Parliament), and sit on the Supreme Court.
• The "Leavers": Those who followed the orders of the invading Arab armies moved to Gaza, the West Bank, or surrounding countries. They lost the war and were largely kept in refugee status by their own leadership to be used as political leverage to "return" to land they had willingly vacated.

My history curriculum intended for Gaza schools was challenged in a constructive way that led to awesome improvements. I was able to list evidence like agricultural cycle based traditions and the Philistine occupation.

I'm now not sure how to (by updating curriculum text with missing information) answer those who will say "The Stele mentions Israel as a people, not as a place" as was mentioned by the challenger here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardOfPeace/comments/1t5u5s3/comment/okkt7g6/

In Jewish tradition Israel is no doubt a place, and I have to wonder whether the truth is that in the Merneptah Stele "Israel" is still a place with people, not the name of people who lived in a place with no name (therefore an Israel did not exist). Makes more sense that the search engine is picking up on a misconception or something.

This is where I'm currently at with text, mention of the Stele is in first sentence.

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1. Ancient Roots: The Indigenous Foundation

• The earliest widely accepted, non-biblical archeological evidence for the name "Israel" is the Merneptah Stele, an over 3,230 year old Egyptian inscription dating to approximately 1208 B.C.E.. This ancient granite monument, created by Pharaoh Merneptah, lists "Israel" among his military victories in Canaan by saying "Israel is laid waste" or "Israel is wasted", indicating it was recognized as a distinct people group during that period, but does not answer how long it had been in existence before then.
• For up to 4,000 years or more the land of Israel has been integral to Jewish tradition. It is considered the birthplace of the Jewish people, where their cultural and religious identity first formed. Even during periods of diaspora, this connection was maintained through continuous presence in the land, daily prayers for return, and the observance of laws and festivals tied specifically to its agricultural cycles. Passover (Pesach): Known as the Festival of Ripening (Chag HaAviv) marks the beginning of the spring barley harvest. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks): Known as the Festival of the Harvest (Chag Hakatzir) celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. It was the time for bringing First Fruits (Bikkurim) to the Temple in Jerusalem. Sukkot (Festival of Booths): Known as the Festival of Ingathering (Chag HaAsif), it marks the final harvest of fruits and the end of the agricultural year in the fall. Tu B’Shevat: The "New Year for Trees," celebrated when trees begin to bloom after the winter rains in Israel. Today, it is a major day for ecological awareness and tree planting. Shemini Atzeret: Following Sukkot, this holiday includes specific prayers for rain to ensure a successful planting season for the coming year. Shmita: A mandated seven-year agricultural cycle where the land is left to rest and recover during the seventh year, often called the "Sabbath of the land". Tu B’Av: Historically a mid-summer matchmaking day that also functioned as a celebration of the grape harvest.
• 3,000 years ago the United Kingdom of Israel emerged as a significant power in the Southern Levant under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. This era marked a peak of Hebrew unity, with King David having established Jerusalem as the capital and Solomon building the First Temple.

2. The Era of Invasions and Identity Erasure

The land was frequently invaded by foreign powers seeking to control the strategic crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe.

• 3,201 years ago (1175 BCE) following the initial appearance of Israel as a distinct people the Philistines arrived on the southern Levantine coast, beginning a multi-century effort to expand their territory inland. Operating from five major city-states, the Philistines exerted pressure on the Israelite tribes, reaching a height of territorial influence around 3,076 years ago (1050 BCE) after the Battle of Aphek. This expansion reached its zenith with the death of King Saul at the Battle of Mount Gilboa in 3,036 years ago (1010 BCE), which briefly left significant portions of the Israelite heartland under Philistine shadow. However, the occupation was effectively halted and pushed back to the coastal plains by King David around 3,026 years ago (1000 BCE), ending the period of Philistine expansionism and establishing a stable, albeit hostile, border that would remain largely unchanged until the Assyrian conquests centuries later.
• 2,766 years ago (740 BCE) The Neo-Assyrian conquest began under Tiglath-Pileser III, who reduced the Northern Kingdom to a vassal state. This process culminated with the fall of Samaria and the mass deportation of its inhabitants, effectively dissolving the Northern Kingdom of Israel. While the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived a devastating siege by Sennacherib in 701 BCE (2,727 years ago), it remained a subservient tributary state for the remainder of the era. Assyrian dominance in the region finally ended around 2,638 years ago (612 BCE) following the fall of their capital, Nineveh, to the Babylonians and Medes, which dismantled the empire and shifted control of the Levant to the Neo-Babylonians.
• 2,089 years ago (63 BCE): The Roman Invasion. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple. To attempt the erasure of Jewish identity, Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the region "Syria Palaestina"—after the Philistines (extinct Greek-linked enemies of the Jews)—to suggest the Jews no longer belonged there.
• 1,388 years ago (638 CE): The Islamic Conquest. Islam was founded in the 7th century. Arab armies from the Arabian Peninsula invaded and captured Jerusalem, beginning a period of "Arabization."
• 509 years ago (1517): The Ottoman Empire. The region was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled for four centuries until World War 1.

3. The British Mandate & The UN Partition

• 106 years ago (1920): The British Mandate. Following the Ottoman defeat, Britain was tasked by the League of Nations with creating a "Jewish National Home."
• 87–90 years ago (1936–1939): The Arab Revolt. Muslim Arabs fought the British to end the Mandate and stop Jewish immigration, attempting to prevent the re-establishment of a Jewish state.
• 79 years ago (1947): The UN Solution. The UN proposed a "Two-State Solution" (Resolution 181) to create an Arab state and a Jewish state.
  • The Outcome: Jewish leaders accepted the plan; Arab leaders rejected it, choosing war instead of a shared peace.

4. 1948: Independence, Invasion, and the "Nakba"

78 years ago (May 14, 1948), Israel declared independence as a secular democracy. The next day, five Arab nations invaded. This war led to the Nakba (Catastrophe), but historical evidence shows the displacement was largely driven by Arab leadership orders.

While many Jews begged their Arab neighbors to stay, Arab leaders told the population to move out to clear the path for their armies to "finish the job" of destroying the Jewish population.

• 72 years ago (Sept. 6, 1954): The Jordan newspaper Ad-Difaa reported:"The Arab Governments told us: 'Get out so that we can get in.' So we got out, but they did not get in."
• 78 years ago (1948): Azzam Pasha, Sec-Gen of the Arab League, declared:"This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre."
• Memoirs of Khaled al-Azm (Syrian PM 1948-49):"We ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave... we brought destruction upon a million Arab refugees."

5. The Aftermath: Two Different Realities

• The "Stayers": Roughly 150,000 Arabs ignored the orders to leave and stayed in the secular land named Israel. Today, their descendants are among the 2 million+ Arab Israelis who enjoy full voting rights, serve in the Knesset (Parliament), and sit on the Supreme Court.
• The "Leavers": Those who followed the orders of the invading Arab armies moved to Gaza, the West Bank, or surrounding countries. They lost the war and were largely kept in refugee status by their own leadership to be used as political leverage to "return" to land they had willingly vacated.