Simon Smelt

“This is a pocket sized edition of my book: Israel's land and people in history and prophecy: from the 1st to the 20th century

"Moving quickly through the centuries with ease, Simon Smelt has penned a succinct yet very helpful and accessible book for the general reader."
Dr Sheree Trotter, Director, Indigenous Embassy , Jerusalem.

Cut through falsehoods and fashions and the narratives woven around them. See the sweeping historical backdrop to current events and learn of the land and its peoples. Building on in-depth research, this handy overview will deliver surprises to even the well-informed.

Who exploited who, who came when and who clung on, who sold the land, and who developed it? Our inquiry applies the evidence and maps the patterns of settlement and identity down the generations to clear much of the confusion.

From the 1st to the 20th century, we look at the Land and its peoples under many empires - the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Umayyads, Abbasids, Crusaders, Saladin, Mamluks, Ottomans, and the British - and through revolts and anarchy, leading finally to the State of Israel.

We explore the movement of peoples, the changes in agriculture, the abandonment of much of the coastal strip, and the toll of incessant warfare and Bedouin raiding. We follow the Ottoman Empire's decline and its 19th century crisis. The study looks at the impact of waves of Moslem and Jewish immigrants, and the strong economic growth and rising tensions under the British Mandate. Then, we turn to the manoeuvres of Arab and colonial powers, Zionists and local leaders. Our quest leads to sixteen specific and well researched conclusions – supported by over 350 footnotes from diverse sources. Just one of our conclusions matches the mainstream account.

In Part II the history of the Land is aligned with the pattern of Biblical prophecy concerning the Land and its people. Thus, we can grasp where we are today and the choices that we face.”
― Simon Smelt