By your logic, what different are Arabs? Do you think they even extend beyond the Gulf region? Destroying ancient Egyptian, Persian and Iraqi civilizations.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, heck even southeast and Indonesia should be ours because we were there long before these people came. Do you see us shouting for discrimination and bull against Arabs who used their religion to spread their imperialism? No you don't. Why? Because that's how empires form.
See, I am not arguing which people came "first", because such arguments are generally pointless due to dubious ancient history. It was you who was arguing that Jews were there "first" and thus have the right to the land; I am refuting that point.
If you admit that your original point was flawed then I will end this discussion.
Judaism originated in Jerusalem.
No, Judaism originated with the Jews. Jerusalem became the spiritual center of Judaism only after the Kingdom of Israel had completed its conquest of Palestine, and King Solomon established Jersualem as the heart of this unified state.
The number of people you say that inhabited Philistines accounts for the same part of history where Iranians and Greeks were mingled with our culture once. But does that mean that this land belongs to them?
Now you are comparing apples and oranges. First, the history of the Jews and their arrival in Palestine took place several centuries before the Persians and Greeks had contact with India. Second, neither the Persians nor the Greeks were able to subjugate India like the Jews subjugated Palestine.
The key point I am trying to say is that when the first Jews arrived in Palestine, there were already established city-states and kingdoms. These entities were later assimilated in a process of military and cultural imperialism. Again, there is nothing wrong with this; as you say, that is how empires form. But claiming 3,000 years later that the territory belongs to you because you were there "first" when you really weren't is factually and ethically wrong.
Yet do you see mainstream Hindus demanding the expulsion of Muslims? No because this is called co-existence. Have you seen the number of accords that have been committed to by both the Jews and the Arabs? The Arabs want to eliminate Jews from that region totally rather than prefer a two state option. Oman was the country that had favoured 2 state option like UAE initially but under pressure from Saudi and other more hardline nations, they severed ties and totally demanded the elimination of Jews.
The Muslim hatred towards Jews in general only began in earnest
after the formation of Israel. Muslims and Jews co-existed peacefully in Palestine for hundreds of years, especially under the supervision of religously-tolerant empires like the Ottomans.
I know that a lot of empires existed there. But tell me one thing; did Judaism originate there or not? In Jerusalem and land around them. It did.Can you refute that? No.
Christianity also originated in the land of Palestine. Hence why the Crusaders believed it was their God-given right to conquer the land and slaughter Jews and Muslims as they saw fit.
Making claims based on ancient history in the context of modern-day geopolitics is a flawed approach.
Listen; I am not saying that Jews were innocent angels. But neither are their rivals in today's context.
Indeed, the Jews are not our rivals. I fully support Indo-Israeli relations. We should milk every bit of high-end technology from Israel while we have the chance!