Do you know what the land was like before the Jews decided to return to the Land of Israel? The French traveler Volney visited from 1783-1785 when Gaza had no more than 2,000 inhabitants. Jerusalem had between 12,000 and 14,000 inhabitants. Safed was practically a deserted village.
Buckingham visited in 1816 and said Jaffa “has all the appearances of a poor village, and every part of it that we saw was of corresponding meanness.” Ramalleh, “Where, as throughout the greater part of Palestine, the ruined portion seemed more extensive than that which was inhabited.” Describing how the Arabs lived, he said they “live by robbery and plunder, which form their chief and most gainful occupation.”
In 1827 a German encyclopedia called Palestine desolate and where “bands of robbers” roamed.
In 1840 Olin wrote that the once populated area between Hebron and Bethlehem is “now abandoned and desolate” and has “dilapidated towns.”
After visiting Lydda, Napier said “the greatest poverty, misery, and disease appeared to prevail.”
There were still Jews living there. And there were Christians. In the 1840s, while Jews still constituted the majority of Jerusalem’s population, about 3,500 Christians lived there too. Arabs didn’t start moving to Israel in large numbers until the Zionist movement brought in large numbers of Jews who created jobs, health care and all kinds of opportunities. Many of the Arabs who came then had theft on the brain. They planned to steal everything worth stealing from the Jews. Although it took them a while, in time the Arabs even decided the land was worth stealing. And even though Gaza was their de facto capitol, now, they want to take Jerusalem from the Jews and make it their capitol. No doubt Mohammed would be proud, for the assassination, terror and larceny that he taught, is alive and well among his many followers. Even the richest Arabs take pride in robbing us each time we fill our gas tanks. Unfortunately Muslims have no shame.




Maurice Samuel describes 1921 Palestine thus:
“Since the land is still comparatively empty, the effect at that time was one of extreme desolation.”
Just like it is today!
Let the record show TMQ2 tips its hat to Arabs everywhere for inventing robber-bands. And popes have done their best to put the pauper-clap in everyone’s drawers.