The Right to Exist: Defending the Jewish and Israeli Connection to Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem

"For over three millennia, the land known today as Israel has stood at the crossroads of faith, history, and identity. The names Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem are not merely geographic labels—they are the heartbeats of a people whose story, faith, and survival are inseparable from their ancestral soil". 

The question of Israel’s right to exist and the Jewish people’s right to live in their original homeland is not only political—it is historical, moral, and spiritual.

1. The Ancient Foundations of a People and Their Land

Few nations in the world can trace their continuous presence in one land as far back as the Jewish people. Archaeological discoveries—such as the City of David excavations in Jerusalem, ancient Hebrew inscriptions in the Shephelah, and remnants of synagogues across Galilee—stand as silent witnesses to Jewish life in the land of Israel long before the rise of modern states or empires.

The names “Judea” and “Samaria” are themselves derived from the ancient tribes and kingdoms of Israel. Judea comes from the tribe of Judah, the lineage from which King David and, according to Christian belief, Jesus Himself descended. Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Together, they form the core of the biblical heartland.

The Hebrew Bible, revered by Jews and Christians alike, speaks repeatedly of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—a promise that their descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. Genesis 17:8 records God saying:

“I will give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”

For believers, this covenant is not a political slogan—it is a sacred affirmation of continuity. Even when exiled, Jews prayed daily toward Jerusalem, reciting in their liturgy: “Next year in Jerusalem.” No empire, from Babylon to Rome, could sever this spiritual link.

2. Historical Continuity Through Exile and Return

History shows that the Jewish people never completely left the land. Despite destruction, dispersion, and persecution, small Jewish communities remained in Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and Tiberias for centuries. When Mark Twain visited the land in 1867, he described a barren, sparsely populated region—yet Jewish life persisted, modest but resilient, clinging to the sacred soil.

The modern Zionist movement of the late 19th century did not import a foreign people to a new land—it marked the return of an indigenous nation to its ancient home. Jewish farmers reclaimed wastelands, drained malarial swamps, and built thriving communities in places their ancestors once walked.

The revival of Hebrew, an ancient language spoken daily again after nearly two millennia, symbolized not a new creation but a rebirth. It is one of history’s rare examples of a people reviving both nationhood and language after centuries of dispersion.

3. Legal Recognition of Jewish Homeland Rights

Modern international law further supports this continuity. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 recognized “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The San Remo Conference (1920) and the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (1922) both reaffirmed this right, declaring it a legal obligation for the international community to facilitate Jewish settlement in the land.

These were not acts of charity but acknowledgments of historic justice. The Jewish people were not colonizers arriving from abroad; they were the returning children of a long-exiled family. As historian Sir Martin Gilbert once noted, “No other nation has had its national home recognized in international law as clearly as the Jewish people did in 1922.”

When Israel declared independence in 1948, it did so in accordance with the United Nations’ partition plan—a plan accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by surrounding Arab states, which launched an invasion. Israel’s existence, therefore, is both a moral reality and a legal legitimacy.

4. Moral and Spiritual Grounds for Jewish Self-Determination

Every nation has the right to self-determination. For the Jewish people—one of the world’s oldest surviving cultures—that right carries profound moral weight. After centuries of exile, pogroms, and the Holocaust, the rebirth of Israel stands as a testimony to faith, endurance, and divine providence.

To deny Jews the right to live in Judea and Samaria is, in essence, to deny their historical identity. These lands are not foreign acquisitions; they are the cradle of the Jewish nation. To call them “occupied” is to erase the story of Abraham’s covenant, David’s kingdom, and the prophets who walked those hills.

From a moral perspective, the Jewish claim to the land aligns with the broader principle of indigenous rights. Around the world, indigenous peoples are reclaiming lands tied to their ancestors. The Jewish people are no different—they are the indigenous nation of the Land of Israel.

Christians, too, recognize the sacred geography of these places. Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem are central to the Gospel narrative. The same land that saw the rise of Israel’s kings also witnessed the life and ministry of Jesus. Thus, support for Israel’s right to exist is not only a Jewish concern but a shared spiritual heritage.

5. Security and the Lessons of History

Modern Israel’s struggle is not just about borders—it is about survival. The wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973 showed that peace requires both moral and territorial security. When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it did so in hope of peace; yet, the result was an escalation of violence and rocket attacks. History has taught Israelis that relinquishing their heartland without genuine peace guarantees invites danger, not coexistence.

Control of the highlands of Judea and Samaria is also a strategic necessity. These areas overlook Israel’s narrow coastal plain, where most of its population lives. No responsible government would endanger its citizens by abandoning such vital terrain without lasting peace agreements.

True peace must rest on truth and recognition, not revisionism. A peace that denies Jewish historical and spiritual rights cannot endure. But one built on mutual respect—acknowledging both peoples’ ties to the land—can flourish.

6. The War on Memory: Fighting Historical Revisionism

In recent decades, there has been a troubling effort to rewrite history—to present Jews as strangers in their own homeland and erase their connection to Jerusalem. UNESCO resolutions that deny Jewish ties to the Temple Mount or rename Judea and Samaria as “occupied Palestinian territories” contribute to a false narrative that divides rather than reconciles.

Historical truth must not be a casualty of politics. The Temple Mount, where Solomon’s Temple stood, is the holiest site in Judaism and sacred to Christianity. To deny that connection is to deny thousands of years of shared history and faith.

Education is key. The world’s understanding of Israel’s legitimacy must be rooted not in propaganda but in historical literacy and moral clarity.

7. A Shared Vision of Hope

The return of the Jewish people to their land is not a story of exclusion—it is one of restoration. Israel’s declaration of independence calls for peace with all its neighbors, offering “freedom, justice, and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel.” That vision remains the guiding light.

The future of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem should not be one of division but of coexistence—where Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims, can live with dignity under the same sun that shone on Abraham. Recognizing Jewish rights to these lands does not negate others’ claims to dignity; it acknowledges a truth that underpins peace.

As Psalm 85 declares:

“Truth shall spring from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.”

The restoration of Israel in its ancestral land is a testament to that truth—a story of survival, faith, and justice that continues to inspire the world.

Conclusion

Israel’s right to exist and the Jewish right to live in their ancient homeland are not matters of political convenience—they are matters of truth, faith, and moral law.

From the covenant of Abraham to modern international recognition, from exile to return, the story of Israel stands as one of history’s most profound affirmations of endurance and divine promise.

"To support Israel’s right to exist is to affirm the sacred bond between a people and their land, a bond that has shaped the moral and spiritual foundations of both Judaism and Christianity alike".