Palestine is an old region. It was called Palestine since ancient times. The name comes from the Philistines. Later Romans called it Syria Palaestina. Arabs lived there for centuries. In 636 Muslims conquered the area. It became part of Islamic caliphates. Arab culture and language spread. In Ottoman times, Palestine was a recognized region. It had Arab majority. People there called themselves Palestinians.

In 1917 British issued Balfour Declaration. It promised a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Arabs opposed this. In 1920s and 1930s, Palestinian Arab national movement grew. Leaders like Haj Amin al-Husayni led the struggle. The term Palestinian was used for Arabs of the region. British Mandate period saw clashes between Arabs and Jews.

In 1947 UN proposed partition. Arabs rejected it. In 1948 Israel declared independence, war followed. About 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled. This is called Nakba. But Palestinian identity did not disappear. It grew stronger.

In 1964 PLO was founded. It represented Palestinian national aspirations. In 1967 Israel occupied West Bank and Gaza. But Palestinian identity was already there. It was not created in 1967. It has roots in long history.

So saying Palestinian identity suddenly appeared in 1967 is wrong. It existed for generations. The history of Palestine shows a people with deep ties to the land. They have been there for centuries.