It's Not Easy Peasy Creating A Country

 

                  Squatters Shacks along the Willamette River , Portland, Oregon.  People sitting on land without paying for it:  1930

To have a country, land can't just fill up with squatters.  Otherwise, it that were true, there never would be a United States, or an Oregon.  What's a squatter?  Someone in our Oregon history, and I imagine in states as well.  

In the 1840s, Oregon Country was governed by an unregulated "Squatter Democracy". As the US and Britain contested the region, the foundational land laws were largely defined by squatters—settlers who simply occupied the land without legal title before preemption acts eventually allowed them to secure their claims.

      Bedouins in Palestine, Nomads with a permanent address: Deals had been made with the new Jewish government for the Bedouins of the south. Nomads are usually always on the move whereas squatters just sat there.  Bedouin refers to historically nomadic Arab tribes inhabiting the desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. Derived from the Arabic word badawī (meaning "desert-dweller"), the term represents a traditional, pastoralist way of life rather than a distinct ethnic group. 

The land of Palestine did fill up with many squatters who traveled back and forth, especially on camels.  Most were from Syria and later were called Syrian Palestinians, not being Bedouins.   Other Arabs came to the land in 1880 when they saw Jews coming in and building Tel Aviv, etc.  They were paid with money and that enticed even more Arabs to join the crews. At that time they had no inducement to have their own state.  They were all from other countries close by.   

Historical Shifts: there was  time when the Brits invited Arabs into the country and kept Jews out--and this was after the Jewish Homeland was decided upon.  

 For decades in Oregon, removing unauthorized occupants required a slow, civil lawsuit known as ejectment. The rules were tightened significantly with Oregon House Bill 3522, which allowed landlords and homeowners to use standard eviction procedures to remove unauthorized occupants quickly. Many informal, unauthorized occupations were handled privately by landowners or frontier settlers rather than through formal courts. Throughout Oregon’s history, the handling of squatters has varied: Pioneer Era: In the mid-1800s, early settlements like Portland were practically "squatter's paradises" fueled by massive land claims and the Donation Land Act. In the early days, disputes were often settled by force or informal claim associations. In coming back to Eretz Yisrael, Jews found Arab squatters, like  there were squatters in Oregon.  There were a few land-owners who had people working the land, squatters and such.  The land-owners were only too happy to be overpaid for the land they were being taxed for and could not make a living on, and so this money relieved them and they headed for Damascus and Paris for the good life.  They had money!!!

             Over 3,000 years ago of the 11th century BCE or 1050 BCE, King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin ruled Israel-his enemy were the Philistines

The history of Israel goes back almost 4,000 years.  The first organized governing power in those days were kings,, and Israel's first king was Saul.  King David was 2nd,who ruled by 1010 BCE and died in 970 BCE.  He had been Saul's armor-bearer at age 25, and was a good friend of his son, Jonathan-and after showing his military strengths during a war with the Philistines, became husband of Saul's daughter, Michal.  King Solomon, David's son, died in 920 BCE which caused a rift or division of the 12 statehoods they had created with the Northern 10 being swept away after their king Hoshea of Israel died in 721 BCE.  The 2 southern states, Judea and Benjamin lost their last King Zedekiah in 586 BCE.  They united sometime later, those who found each other again, and remained with or without permission from other ruling parties,, but had filled Jerusalem at the turn of the millennium.  By 70 CE, the Romans were ruling and burned the city down, remaking it into a Roman town.  Jews were starved to death or slaughtered, with many escaping while others were caught and used as slaves.  Romans stole all the gold and silver out of the

Temple, forcing slaves to carry all back to Rome as shown on the Arch of Titus.  Thanks, Titus for having this for proof of the history.  Jews were told that returning to Jerusalem meant death, and so they scattered to the ends of the earth, near and far, suffering mostly in the hands of strangers.  Since some wound up in Rome, as prisoners, it was a good place to remain--and some did.  Others went to what later became Germany.  Later yet, Poland and others were inviting them to their country because it was known they could help the kings with finances, trading, etc, they could add, subtract, read and write and most people couldn't.  Then the countries turned on them, jealous, whatnot....and it was 1920.

WWI had started in 1914, and Jews had been promised to have the land they were kept away from for all those years...The Jewish Homeland.  Then Britain was offered such a deal they couldn't resist and gave away 80% of it to an Arabian prince who, not being first in line in his own homeland, wanted land with people to rule over, Prince Abdullah; who then got Transjordan.  The Jews, who had spent years since 2014 speaking and signing with heads of state, got the remaining 20%. And that's how Israel's birth development began once again.  They bought land.  They crossed all the T's and dotted all the i's and made it legal.  It went through all the channels of the United Nations of that day, the League of Nations besides the United Nations. 

Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) , Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel had helped England win the war. In 1917, he brought about the Balfour Declaration.               

                                      

 He met with Emir Feisal; who agreed with him about Jews entering the land. Emir Feisal (Feisal, ibn Hussein)1885-1933) was the son of Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca, the leader of the Arab Revolt against Turkey. He was a military commander who later became the King of Syria and Iraq.  By 1920 Weizmann mobilized resources for constructive work in Palestine. By 1929 there were Arab riots in the streets scared by another Arab who wanted more power,

Hajj Mohammed Amin el-Husseini (1893-1974), appointed mufti of Jerusalem and head of he Supreme Moslem Council, kind of over-powering Feisal.  Who chose him?  A Jewish man who was the only Jew in government then:  Sir Herbert Samuel.  He knew nothing about the Arabs, about the rioting going on against Jews.  Husseini assisted Hitler and was largely responsible for the liquidation of the Jews in the Moslem areas of Bosnia.  In 1946 he escaped to Egypt.  After 1948 he set p a short-lived "Palestine Government" in Gaza and later on in Cairo.                  

Avraham (Yair) Stern of the Stern Group (1907-1942) Nationalistic Defense leader the group, Irgun Tzevai Leumi; and left it because they didn't want to attack British acts against Jews in WWII.  He then formed underground group, Lohame Herut Israel who Brits called the Stern Gang who carried out acts of sabotage, killed by British police when only 35 years old (Britain held 30 year mandate over Palestine) while being arrested.  My 3rd cousin, Stanley, had became the group's Chief of Intelligence.  

                         Stanley Goldfoot with wife, children

Jews have been on the defense ever since.  Was it worth coming over to the Middle East from Eastern Europe?  Yes, spiritually;  culturally, it was the boost they needed to survive such hatred of them in the world.  Their candle, so to speak, WAS LIT with smelling the air, flowers,, orange blossoms, and knowing that this was where their ancestors lived and breathed and developed their morality.  And so this is the way we all feel upon making Aliyah to Israel today.   

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Polygamy In Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah,  with Leah, his first wife, and Rachel, 2nd wife and sister to Leah, with them being 1st cousins;   with their possibly Egyptian handmaidens who were 3rd and 4th concubines or considered as wives,  Bilhah and Zilpah.  Jacob was 130 years old when he went to Egypt. (Genesis 47:9) He remained in Egypt until he died at 147, when his body was returned to Hebron in Canaan. He married his uncle Laban's 2 daughters in Haran. a trading town of NW Mesopotamia that was also known as Canaan.   (Gen30:18;  35:25-26).  To give one a general idea of when this took place, " Jacob lived 147 years, so he died 2255 years after Creation, otherwise known as 1505 BCE. In other words, Jacob lived 1652–1505 BCE, or born 261 years before Moses, which would be 3, 656 years ago.  

Polygamy, or the practice of having more than one spouse at a time, is legal in some countries, including many in sub-Saharan Africa. In these countries, polygamy is often legal to some extent, and is more common among Muslims than Christians. However, some countries have recently banned polygamy, while others have unique laws regarding it:

In the ancient Jewish culture, Isaac,  who was married to Rebecca, was regarded as the model in later monogamous  households.  Proverbs 31 shows a monogamous family.  It was the first Jewish kings, Saul, David and especially Solomon who practiced polygamy.  Solomon's concubines were even numbered and recorded.  He did this to keep peace among countries he dealt with, and it seemed to work on the most part.

During the Talmud period  only had a handful of rabbis who were recorded with more than one wife at a time.                                      

By 1000 CE in the takkanah of Rabbi Gershom, it forbid polygamy and gave formal sanction among Ashkenazi Jews to what was already generally accepted.   "Among these Takkonoth the most well known are the prohibition of polygamy (taking more than one wife), the decree against opening a letter addressed to others, and so on."

 However, among the Spanish and oriental Jews, on the other hand, polygamy continued to be legal, though by no means general.

In Italy, down to the 17th century, a person whose wife was barren, was occasionally permitted by papal license (Catholics) to take a 2nd wife.  Europeanization of many oriental communities in recent generation,  has seen polygamy becoming increasingly rare.

In Israel, monogamy is now enforced by law, though existing polygamous marriages are recognized.  Around 20 to 30 percent of Bedouin men practice polygamy, according to government figures, with the rate climbing as high as 60 percent in some villages. Bedouin polygamy takes many forms, from several wives cohabitating under the same roof to men picking up and moving on to second wives without looking back.  The Bedouins are Muslims and Islam permits a man to take up to four wives, though the practice varies greatly among different Muslim communities, often depending on education and income. 

 Polygamy is allowed by Sharia law, which governs family laws for Muslims in Israel, and tradition and custom also permit it. However, the Israeli state rarely enforces the law against Bedouin citizens, and many Bedouin are unaware that it's illegal. Some say that the Israeli legislature and legal system's ambivalence on the issue violates the human rights of Arab Bedouin women. 

Most modern Muslims view the practice of polygyny as allowed, but unusual and not recommended due to normative pressures for ordinary men. The practice of polygyny is often viewed in its historical context, as the marriage was the only way for a woman to be provided for during the time of Muhammad.

Polygamy is illegal in Israel under Israeli marriage law, which applies to all residents of East Jerusalem, including Arab Muslims. However, polygamy is permitted under Sharia law, which governs Muslims' personal status issues in Israel. As a result, polygamy is practiced among Israeli Arabs, especially in the Bedouin sector, where authorities often turn a blind eye to it. According to Israeli government data, at least 20% of Bedouin families are polygamous, but women's rights advocates estimate the figure is closer to 40%. 

Traditional Sunni and Shia Islamic marital jurisprudence allows Muslim men to be married to multiple women . Men can have up to four wives at a time according to the islamic jurisprudence.

Since the beginning of Israel's occupation of the West Bank in 1967, all of the territory's Jewish settlements have been subject to Israeli marriage law. Additionally, all residents of Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem (including Arabs) are also subject to Israeli marriage law.

In the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, polygynous marriages are legal. They are also legal for Palestinians who are governed by the Palestinian National Authority (PA)  in the West Bank.  Polygymous marriages means many children come from such unions. 

 Iran: Men can practice polygamy if their first wife consents.

Polygynous unions are illegal under Israeli marriage law, which applies to Israeli settlers in the West Bank and to all residents of East Jerusalem, including Arab Muslims.

Polygamous marriages are not allowed in the USA, Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany.  

Resource

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny_in_Islam#:~:text=Traditional%20Sunni%20and%20Shia%20Islamic,according%20to%20the%20islamic%20jurisprudence.

https://apnews.com/general-news-486a1223036f436eb39bf497652a11ec#:~:text=Around%2020%20to%2030%20percent,second%20wives%20without%20looking%20back.

https://www.quora.com/When-did-the-patriarch-Jacob-live#:~:text=Jacob%20was%20born%2060%20years,Jacob%20lived%201652%E2%80%931505%20BCE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_polygamy

The Bedouins of Israel:: Part II

 Nadene Goldfoot                                         

              Bedouin at Mount Sinai-they are said to come from Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's handmaid-turned wife..  

Bedouins live throughout most of the desert belt from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara Desert via the Western Desert, Sinai and Negev to the Arabian Desert.  Some fall into Israel's land.  They make up only a small portion of the land although the area they live in is large due to their nomadic or former nomadic lifestyle.  They have needed land for grazing of their camels, sheep and goats.

                     Bedouin woman in Jerusalem, in 1900

The Bedouins were often ruthless raiders of established desert communities, in a never-ending conquest for plunder and material wealth.  Yet these same nomads practiced generous hospitality, and valued the virtue of chastity in their women, who were their ambassadors of generosity and hospitality.  They followed their code of honor religiously, governed by tribal chieftains or Sheikhs, who were elected by tribal elders.  In this they share with the Pashtuns of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

In the 1st few centuries CE, many Bedouin were converted to Christianity and Judaism and many Bedouin tribes fell to Roman slavery. This means that some Jews originated from Bedouins.   By the turn of the 7th century, most Bedouins had been converted to Islam.  When the Mongols took the city of Baghdad (actually in Iraq) in 1258 CE, the Bedouin people were subjected to accepting the Ottoman presence and authority like everyone else.  

Bedouins were traditionally divided into related tribes, just like the Jews had been.  A widely-quoted Bedouin saying is:  

I against my brothers,  I and my brothers against my cousins,   I and my brothers and my cousins against the world. 

                                               

                   Bedouin Tent in modern West Amman, Jordan

 The individual family unit (called a tent or batyf) typically consisted of 3 or 4 adults (married couple + siblings or parents) and any number of children, and would focus on semi=nomadic pastoralism, migrating throughout the year following water and plant resources.  Royal tribes traditionally herded cattle while others herded sheep and goats.  Where resources were plentiful, several tents would travel together as a goum (clan).  These groups were sometimes linked by patriarchal lineage but just as likely linked by marriages as new wives were especially likely to have male relatives join them, or an acquaintance or even no clearly defined relation but a simple shared membership in the tribe. In Islam a man can have 4 wives at a time. 

                                               

    A young Bedouin lighting a camp fire in Wadi Rum, Jordan
  

Notable Bedouin tribes are:

• Bani Khalid in Jordan, Israel, Palestinian Territories, and Syria, also in the eastern Arabian Peninsula
• Howeitat in Wadi Araba, and Wadi Rum, Jordan
• Beni Sakhr in Syria and Jordan
• Aniza, the largest bedouin tribe, estimated at about 700,000 members (including the Rwala), live in northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, and the Syrian steppe.
•                                      
  
                                  Bedouin in 1914

Bedouin systems of justice are as varied as the Bedouin tribes themselves. A number of these systems date from pre-Islamic times, and hence do not follow the Sharia. However, many of these systems are falling into disuse as more and more Bedouins follow the Sharia or national penal codes for dispensing justice. Bedouin honor codes are one of three Bedouin aspects of ethics that contain significant amounts of pre-Islamic customs: namely those of hospitality, courage, and honor.

There are separate honor codes for men (sharif) and women (ird). Bedouin customs relating to preservation of honor, along with those relating to hospitality and bravery, date to pre-Islamic times.  In many Bedouin courts, women often do not have a say as defendant or witness,  and decisions are taken by village elders.

Abraham and Sarah established the code of hospitality as far as Judaism says.  Hospitality (diyafa) is a virtue closely linked to Sharaf. If required, even an enemy must be given shelter and fed for some days. Poverty does not exempt one from one's duties in this regard. Generosity is a related virtue, and in many Bedouin societies gifts must be offered and cannot be declined. The destitute are looked after by the community, and tithing is mandatory in many Bedouin societies.

Bravery (hamasa) is also closely linked to Sharaf. Bravery indicated the willingness to defend one's tribe for the purpose of tribal solidarity and balance (assahiya). It is closely related to manliness (muruwa). Bravery usually entails the ability to withstand pain, including male circumcision.

A Bedouin tribe is typically held responsible for the action of their members, so if an accused fails to pay a fine, the accused's tribe is expected to---upon which the accused, or the accused's family, becomes obligated to the tribe.  

They cover many countries of the Middle East; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc. A DNA study was made of Kuwait Bedouins. 

                                                                 

We wished to investigate the genetic structure of the Kuwaiti Bedouin and consider how they compare with neighboring populations, what the genetic consequences of their traditional lifestyle might be, and whether the social lineages that identify their descent groups are also reflected in their genetic lineages.                      

Kuwait lies in the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf. Although it is located near a possible migration route out of Africa that may have been used over 50 000 years ago (Jobling et al., 2004), such early events appear to have had little impact on the current populations of Kuwait and the first known settlement dates only to the 3rd Century BCE when the Ancient Greeks colonized the island of Failaka under Alexander the Great. Historians believe the current settlement was established between the late 16th and 18th Centuries CE (Dickson, 1956). The population of Kuwait is divided into two main groups: townspeople and Bedouin tribal groups (ﻗﺒﺎﺋﻞ Qaba’il) with affiliations to their “cousins” (وﻟﺪ ﻋﻢ wild ’am) who inhabit other parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The Bedouin are not geographically isolated from each other and are traditionally nomadic, moving from one region to another seeking pasture for their herds to graze and water for survival (Dickson, 1967). The Bedouin conventionally claim descent from two main lineages: from Adnan son of Ishmael—the Adnani lineage—or from Qahtan (or Joktan)—the Qahtani (or Joktani) lineage.

Kuwaiti Bedouin do not marry outside their own tribe and samples collected in the capital are not admixed.  Overall, with the exception of the Aniza tribe, the Bedouin clustered with the Arabic-speaking populations of the Middle East, and were distinct from Far Eastern and European populations. However, while the populations of the Persian Gulf clustered closely together, the Bedouin populations formed a much looser part of the cluster, most marked for the Aniza.

Y-SNP analysis classified the Bedouin samples into nine haplogroups . Haplogroup diversities were also low, ranging from zero for the Ajman—all members belonged to haplogroup J1—to 0.6 for the Aniza .

Haplogroup J1 was seen at very high frequency in the combined sample: approximately 84%—or 124 individuals—and was present at >50% in all individual populations. 

The other haplogroups identified were R1a1 (at 6.75%), E3b3 (6.00%), G2 (3.40%), R1b3 (1.35%) and K2, E3b1, Q* and R2 (each 0.67%).

The letters of the haplogroups are all consistent with Jewish haplogroups.  My father was a Q.  Most Jews are J1.  Just amazing!  Thank you Bedouin cousins, for testing.  

I hope they continue testing Bedouins, especially the ones in Israel. 

Bedouins are not ready for Israelis to plant trees in the desert.  They rebelled and held a protest, which shows their courage to do so.  I wonder and hope that someone came to their heads and told them why the government was for the idea and why it could help them first before they attempted to plant the trees.  Evidently they were busy pulling them out.  They could help do the planting !  Plant date trees..  How about banana trees.  Would they work out there?  

Resource:

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/bedouin#:~:text=Notable%20Bedouin%20tribes-,History,who%20are%20called%20the%20Qayis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2869035/

Israel and Its Desert lands, Sinai and Negev: Part I

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

The total area of the State of Israel is 22,145 sq.km (8,630 sq. miles), of which 21,671 sq. km is land area.  Beersheba is in the Negev Desert which comes up between Gaza City   on the coast.  Israel's land looks to me like a side view of a head, a long neck, and a large tummy of a man coming out of the genie bottle.  The largest section of land is all desert.  

                   Ein Avdat in the Zin Valley in the Negev

The Negev contains the oldest discovered surface on Earth, with an approximate age of 1.8 million years. It covers more than half of Israel, over some 13,000 km² (4,700 sq mi) or at least 55% of the country's land area. It forms an inverted triangle shape whose western side is contiguous with the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, and whose eastern border is the Arabah valley. The Negev has a number of interesting cultural and geological features. Among the latter are three enormous, craterlike makhteshim (box canyons), which are unique to the region: Makhtesh Ramon, HaMakhtesh HaGadol, and HaMakhtesh HaKatan.

The Negev covers 5,138 sq miles of dry land, which is 55% to 60% of Israel. Thee annual rainfall is less than 200 mm per year.    

This shows how the brown Sinai Desert is touching the Negev Desert.

             

   Usually regarded as being geographically part of Asia, the Sinai Peninsula is the northeastern extremity of Egypt and adjoins Israel and the Gaza Strip on the east. The Sinai is administratively divided into two muḥāfaẓahs (governorates): Shamāl Sīnāʾ in the north and Janūb Sīnāʾ in the south.                  

The basic parts of Israel are: Negev Desert, Eilat-a  resort, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Haifa, Galilee and Golan Heights areas. 

                                               

Beersheba is the main city in the Negev.  It's history includes or 3 patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Jews settled here after their return from Babylon in 538 BCE.  When the 2nd Temple of Solomon was destroyed in 70 CE, it became a fortified frontier post against the Nabateans, and a Roman garrison was stationed there.  Then it was pretty much deserted area.

The Turks rebuilt Beersheba in 1900 when they saw Jews living here until 1929, the time of attack against Jews.

                                        Bedouin woman

By 1948, the birth of Israel, the population was Arab numbering 5,700 and they abandoned the city.  It became the chief Jewish city of the Negev.  It's on the national railway route of 1956 and the Mediterranean -Elath-oil pipeline and is the site of Ben-Gurion University.  

Average temperatures in Negev Desert vary greatly. Considering humidity, temperatures feel nice most of the year, excluding some hot weeks in the summer, with a very low chance of precipitation throughout the year. The area is somewhat temperate — in the 58th percentile for pleasant weather — compared to tourist destinations worldwide. If you’re looking for the very warmest time to visit Negev Desert, the hottest months are August, July, and then September.  The warmest time of year is generally early August where highs are regularly around 96.7°F (35.9°C) with temperatures rarely dropping below 73.7°F (23.2°C) at night.

                                         

      Bedouin protest against tree planting in Negev Desert

Over 2,000 Bedouin staged a violent protest near Beersheba against tree planting in the Negev by the Jewish National Fund. Protesters threw rocks at police, who managed to push them back off of the highway that they were blocking. Protesters claimed that the police infringed on their right to protest. Bedouins evidently don't want any trees marring up the desert.  The traditional nomadic Bedouin is almost an endangered species as contemporary commerce and accepted caring for the land is rolling into the  expanding desert.  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negev