Jewish “Palestinians” — Centuries of Usage
The artificial term “Palestinian” was used to refer to Jews living in Israel, and was common nomenclature for centuries.
One of the greatest works of literature from the 4th-5th century was the Palestinian Talmud, a name later given to what was the original Talmud, in order to distinguish it from the more popular second Talmud — the Babylonian Talmud. The authors of the Palestinian Talmud were Jewish sages living in Galilee and other parts of the Land of Israel — they were literally the original “Palestinians.”
Major Jewish Institutions Bearing the Name “Palestine”
The artificial term “Palestine” was so naturally and overwhelmingly associated with Jews and Israel in the 20th century that numerous major Jewish institutions proudly carried the name. Jews did not see “Palestinian” as contradictory to their Jewish identity — it was simply acknowledging the official international designation for their national homeland.
- The Palestine Post (founded 1932 by Gershon Agron) was the leading English-language newspaper of the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine. It served as the voice of Zionism to the world. In 1950, it was renamed The Jerusalem Post.
- The Palestine Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1936 by the renowned Polish-Jewish violinist Bronisław Huberman. It was created to provide a home for Jewish musicians fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. Arturo Toscanini conducted its inaugural concert. In 1948, it was renamed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The Anglo-Palestine Company (later Anglo-Palestine Bank) was established in 1902 in London by Theodor Herzl. Founded to support Zionist economic development in the land, it became the main modern financial institution of the Jewish community. It eventually evolved into Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s largest banks today.
- The Palestine Electric Corporation, founded in 1923, by the Jewish engineer Pinhas Rutenberg, brought modern electricity to Israel and powered Jewish development. It later became the Israel Electric Corporation.
- Palestine Airways, founded in 1934, also by Pinhas Rutenberg in cooperation with the Jewish Agency, was a Jewish-operated airline serving routes within Israel.
- The Jewish Agency for Palestine was the official body representing the Jewish people under the British Mandate in Israel. It played a central role in Jewish immigration, settlement, and state-building.
These institutions were created by Jews, for Jews, and operated proudly under the name “Palestine” — the only name the international community officially recognized for the land of Israel at the time.
Official British Use of “Palestine”
Under the British Mandate (1920–1948), the entire territory which encompassed Israel was officially known as Palestine in English and Arabic. This was the name used for all government administration, including passports, currency, postage stamps, and official documents. Jewish residents of the land received Palestinian passports, were classified as Palestinian citizens, and were routinely referred to as Palestinians in official British records.
However, even under British administration, the name carried a clear Jewish connection in Hebrew. On coins, banknotes, and official documents, the Hebrew side read “Palestine (Eretz Yisrael)” — the Land of Israel. The coins and stamps carried the Hebrew initials א״י (Aleph-Yud), which stand for Eretz Yisrael — the Land of Israel. This was a deliberate compromise: the British used the international name “Palestine,” while acknowledging in Hebrew that the land was the historic homeland of the Jewish people.
This reality persisted throughout the Mandate period. When a Jew held a Palestinian passport, received Palestinian currency with the Hebrew letters א״י, or read the Jewish newspaper called The Palestine Post, everyone understood that “Palestine” referred to the Jewish national home.
Newspapers and Headlines in the 1930s–1940s
Newspapers from the era further demonstrate how naturally “Palestine” referred to the Jewish homeland. Common headlines, that appear nonsensical today, include “Arabs Invade Palestine” (describing the 1948 invasion by Arab armies) and reports such as “Nazis Affiliate with Arabs To Boycott Palestine Goods.” In that period, everyone understood that “Palestine” meant the Jewish national home, and Arabs were generally referred to as Arabs — not Palestinians.
Conclusion
The Jewish people were the original Palestinians for nearly two millennia. Only after Jews reclaimed sovereignty and restored the name Israel did others adopt and repurpose the term “Palestinian” for political purposes. The historical record — through literature, institutions, passports, and contemporary journalism — shows that “Palestinian” was overwhelmingly a Jewish designation long before it took on its recent meaning.