Stop Discrediting the Name “Palestine”

There is a peculiar kind of discomfort that comes from hearing something that is technically wrong—but repeated so often that it begins to sound normal.

People with absolute pitch know the feeling when a note is off. Mathematicians know it when someone confidently asserts nonsense.

And I feel it every time I read sentences like:

Disclaimer: The following statements are quoted as they appear in public discourse. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement or verification of their factual accuracy. They are presented for analysis of their structure and underlying assumptions.

Palestinian father sends child to throw rocks at IDF soldiers

Palestinian father sends child to throw rocks at IDF soldiers

IDF forces spotted a four-year-old Palestinian child approaching an IDF position in the security zone inside the Gaza Strip. During the conversation with the soldiers, the child said that Hamas members had sent him to an IDF position in the area

IDF forces spotted a four-year-old Palestinian child approaching an IDF position in the security zone inside the Gaza Strip. During the conversation with the soldiers, the child said that Hamas members had sent him to an IDF position in the area

Israel is one step away from implementing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism-related murder.

Israel is one step away from implementing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism-related murder.

The Palestinian intifada amounts to no less than an act of genocide.

The Palestinian intifada amounts to no less than an act of genocide.

80% of Bethlehem used to be Christian. Then, Palestinian Nationalism arrived. Now it is 18%. The persecution of Christians in Palestinian controlled territories, from Gaza to Bethlehem, must stop.

80% of Bethlehem used to be Christian. Then, Palestinian Nationalism arrived. Now it is 18%. The persecution of Christians in Palestinian controlled territories, from Gaza to Bethlehem, must stop.

Palestinians ethnically cleansed Bethlehem and Gaza of Christians and brought the Christian population there close to zero.

Palestinians ethnically cleansed Bethlehem and Gaza of Christians and brought the Christian population there close to zero.

These are not fringe statements. They are written by intelligent, well-meaning people—analysts, journalists, commentators—many of whom I deeply respect.

And yet, every one of these sentences is fundamentally misconstructed.

Not morally. Not politically. Structurally.

Because they rely on a false premise: that the word “Palestinian” correctly identifies the actors being described.

The Simplest Fix No One Wants to Make

Now try a simple substitution. Replace one term:

“Palestinians” → “UNRWA clientele.”

Suddenly, the sentences snap into clarity:

UNRWA clientele father sends child to throw rocks at IDF soldiers

UNRWA clientele father sends child to throw rocks at IDF soldiers

IDF forces spotted a four-year-old UNRWA clientele child approaching an IDF position in the security zone inside the Gaza Strip. During the conversation with the soldiers, the child said that Hamas members had sent him to an IDF position in the area

IDF forces spotted a four-year-old UNRWA clientele child approaching an IDF position in the security zone inside the Gaza Strip. During the conversation with the soldiers, the child said that Hamas members had sent him to an IDF position in the area

Israel is one step away from implementing the death penalty for UNRWA clientele convicted of terrorism-related murder.

Israel is one step away from implementing the death penalty for UNRWA clientele convicted of terrorism-related murder.

The UNRWA clientele intifada amounts to no less than an act of genocide.

The UNRWA clientele intifada amounts to no less than an act of genocide.

80% of Bethlehem used to be Christian. Then, UNRWA clientele Nationalism arrived. Now it is 18%. The persecution of Christians in UNRWA clientele controlled territories, from Gaza to Bethlehem, must stop.

80% of Bethlehem used to be Christian. Then, UNRWA clientele Nationalism arrived. Now it is 18%. The persecution of Christians in UNRWA clientele controlled territories, from Gaza to Bethlehem, must stop.

UNRWA clientele ethnically cleansed Bethlehem and Gaza of Christians and brought the Christian population there close to zero.

UNRWA clientele ethnically cleansed Bethlehem and Gaza of Christians and brought the Christian population there close to zero.

Nothing else changed. No argument added. No ideology inserted.

And everything becomes precise.

That’s not rhetoric. That’s calibration.

The Real Problem Isn’t the Behavior—It’s the Label

A common objection goes like this:

It’s not the people calling them ‘Palestinians’ who discredit the name. It’s those who appropriated it—and the behavior attached to that appropriation.

It’s not the people calling them ‘Palestinians’ who discredit the name. It’s those who appropriated it—and the behavior attached to that appropriation.

That sounds intuitive. It’s also wrong.

Because it confuses two entirely different things:

behavior, which can be judged,

and naming, which defines reality.

If a group appropriates a name, the question is not whether their behavior “discredits” the name.

The question is: why are we granting them the name in the first place?

The same actors today claim to be:

even “Jews who became Christians and later Muslims”

Do these claims automatically redefine those identities?

So why does the label “Palestinian” get a free pass?

Terminology Creep in Historical Narratives

Sometimes pro-Israel advocates themselves use the word “Palestinian” retroactively, unintentionally adopting terminology shaped by broader anti-Israel narratives. As I wrote in Hijacked Knowledge: Wikipedia’s War on Truth:

One of Wikipedia’s most consequential distortions is its systematic renaming of all Arabs of the region, across all eras, into ‘Palestinians.’ Arabs who lived under Ottoman rule, British administration, or early Jordanian control are now routinely described as Palestinians, regardless of how they identified themselves or how contemporaries described them.

One of Wikipedia’s most consequential distortions is its systematic renaming of all Arabs of the region, across all eras, into ‘Palestinians.’ Arabs who lived under Ottoman rule, British administration, or early Jordanian control are now routinely described as Palestinians, regardless of how they identified themselves or how contemporaries described them.

Below are examples of how this retrospective usage appears even in pro-Israel discourse:

Israel is the only country in the world that has peace and coexistence written into its Declaration of Independence. Even as Palestinians declared war on the young state, the state of Israel issued a declaration of peace.

Israel is the only country in the world that has peace and coexistence written into its Declaration of Independence. Even as Palestinians declared war on the young state, the state of Israel issued a declaration of peace.

On the recommendation of Palestinian leader and Hitler’s collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini and with the assistance of his associate Palestinian leader Hassan Awas Fakoussa, who was then living in Egypt, Von Leers was recruited to work for Egyptian President Nasser in anti-Israel propaganda.

On the recommendation of Palestinian leader and Hitler’s collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini and with the assistance of his associate Palestinian leader Hassan Awas Fakoussa, who was then living in Egypt, Von Leers was recruited to work for Egyptian President Nasser in anti-Israel propaganda.

This raises an important question: what is the appropriate terminology in such cases?

Can we simply replace “Palestinians” with “UNRWA clientele,” as has been done in earlier rhetorical contexts?

Well—why not? If UNRWA supporters can claim that “Jesus is a Palestinian,” or if institutions such as the British Museum label ancient Middle Eastern history under “Palestine,” then why not apply similarly broad retrospective labels in reverse—such as calling Arab nationalists of the pre-UNRWA era “UNRWA clientele”?

That said, such substitutions quickly become awkward rather than clarifying. Rather than mirroring distortion with distortion, it is more accurate to use historically grounded terms.

For contexts prior to the emergence of modern institutional frameworks commonly associated with the term, replacing “Palestinian” with a more historically grounded descriptors such as “Arab,” “Pan-Arab,” “Arab nationalist,” or “Pan-Arab nationalist” are more precise.

Rewritten accordingly, the passages would read:

Israel is the only country in the world that has peace and coexistence written into its Declaration of Independence. Even as Arab nationalists declared war on the young state, the state of Israel issued a declaration of peace.

Israel is the only country in the world that has peace and coexistence written into its Declaration of Independence. Even as Arab nationalists declared war on the young state, the state of Israel issued a declaration of peace.

On the recommendation of Pan-Arab leader and Hitler’s collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini and with the assistance of his associate Pan-Arab leader Hassan Awas Fakoussa, who was then living in Egypt, Von Leers was recruited to work for Egyptian President Nasser in anti-Israel propaganda.

On the recommendation of Pan-Arab leader and Hitler’s collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini and with the assistance of his associate Pan-Arab leader Hassan Awas Fakoussa, who was then living in Egypt, Von Leers was recruited to work for Egyptian President Nasser in anti-Israel propaganda.

Part of the issue is simple inertia.

Language is sticky. Once a term is widely adopted, it becomes self-reinforcing. People repeat it not because they’ve examined it—but because everyone else is already using it.

Most people are not participants in semantic debates. They are passengers of language.

And so the misuse continues—not out of malice, but out of habit.

But inertia does not turn falsehood into truth. It only makes correction harder.

Stop Attacking the Name—Fix the Reference

Many people who defend Israel unintentionally participate in discrediting the very name they should be reclaiming.

Every time someone writes:

“Palestinian terrorism”

“Palestinian child soldiers”

“Palestinian corruption”

they are not just describing actions.

They are attaching those actions to the name “Palestine.”

And in doing so, they reinforce the association they claim to oppose.

If the goal is to defend truth, then precision is not optional—it is foundational.

Reclaiming the Name Means Using It Correctly

My work—through essays like “The Palestinian Identity Manifesto,” “Sarah, I Am a Palestinian Jew,” “Mediterranean Chud,” and my critique of UNRWA—has one central aim:

to restore the meaning of “Palestine” and “Palestinian.”

Not by inventing something new.

But by refusing to misapply what already exists.

“Palestinian” is not a synonym for:

or any population defined by institutional dependency

When we use the term that way, we are not describing reality.

We are distorting it.

A Simple Rule Going Forward

If you want to describe:

a demographic category tied to UNRWA structures,

a population shaped by that institutional ecosystem,

or actors emerging from it,

then say exactly that:

It is not a slur. It is not an invention. It is a precise description of a defined system.

And precision is the beginning of clarity.

The name “Palestine” is not discredited by those who misuse it.

It is discredited by those who allow the misuse to stand uncorrected.

If something sounds off—don’t adjust your ear.

And remember: Palestine is Israel. Palestinians are Israelis, not UNRWA clientele.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)