Nassar, Jack Nassar, and I on Twitter

It all started here at Twitter/X..

Jack Nassar | جاك نصار, self-described "Global citizen | Peacemaker | Opinion contributor | Christian values | Hope, justice & the audacity of staying |" and a "a Semitic Palestinian Christian".

He claims that:

"My Christian family lived in Jerusalem continuously since the time of Jesus, and our family tree that we have today can trace our roots back to around 1400 in Palestine, though it goes much further than we can track. Until 1948, when Zionist terrorists ethnically cleansed them from their city, stole their home, personal belongings, clothes, documents, books, money, and properties… and turned them into refugees overnight. Today, NONE of my family lives in Jerusalem. ZERO. Not a single one. And that is because of Israel, not Muslims."

He's based in Ramallah and holds a master of arts degree in political communications from Goldsmiths, University of London. Some of Nassar's articles are here, including one entitled "How Zionism poisoned Western Christianity" among others. An academic contribution is here, on "Rawabi, The Palestinian City for the Future" (anyone seen or heard of Rawabi lately?).

He posted this to his 3,500+ followers on May 4, 2026, at 9:03:

In 1947, before the creation of Israel, Jerusalem had over 31,000 Palestinian Christians, about 20% of the population. Today, only around 9,000 remain, less than 1%. But sure, let’s pretend Christians are thriving in “the Middle East’s only democracy.” Just not in real life.

I, among others, responded and I wrote:

Jerusalem existed as the capital of the Jewish national homeland, Eretz-Yisrael or Judea, for 2000 years prior to the creation of the Arab peoples, who in 638 CE invaded Judea, called "Palestine" by the Romans, and then recreated themselves as Palestinians.

Nassar replied:

So you agree that Palestine is almost 2,000 years old?

And I countered:

The name "Palestine" was awarded by the Roman occupiers to Judea in 135 CE using an older term that geographically indicate a region along the coast from Lebanon to Gaza, but it was never a country. The name existed for almost 2000 years. Not a real country nor a people.

Nassar, continuing the back-and-forth, posted:

That argument oversimplifies both history and terminology. No political state has existed continuously for 2,000 years, borders, names, and systems of governance have always changed. Most modern nation-states took their current form in the 19th and 20th centuries, but they also weren’t “countries” in the modern sense before that either.

It’s true that the Romans used the name Syria Palaestina after 135 CE, but that was drawing on earlier geographic terms. But from that point on, “Palestine” remained a widely used name for the region across different periods and administrations, including Byzantine and later eras.

Even within Jewish tradition, the term appears in a geographic sense. The Jerusalem Talmud is often historically referred to as the “Palestinian Talmud” because it was compiled in Palestine.

As for the idea that it was “never a country” or “not a real people,” that applies broadly across history. Many peoples existed long before modern nation-states formalized identities and borders. Names and identities evolve over time, but that doesn’t make them any less real.

I clarified that:

The "Palestine Talmud" is called in Hebrew, the original language of the time as "The Jerusalem Talmud" 🤦‍♀️ (see pic) See how ignorant some people can be. "Palestine" didn't exist for the Jews until the Ottoman period.

 Nassar was a bit incensed:

You shall NOT lie! Shame on you!

And I added:

And since we're on words, can you explain to me why Arabs chose to call this land "Palestine" when there is no "P" in Arabic and therefore, its pronunciation is actually "Filastin"?

And therefore, according to your logic contra me, "Palestine" doesn't exist you must admit.

Nassar came back with:

Arabic doesn’t have a “P” sound, so it naturally shifts it to “F.” That’s basic linguistics—not a political statement. By that logic, “Paris” (Barīs) or “Plato” (Aflāṭūn) wouldn’t exist either, which is obviously nonsense.

“Filastin” (فلسطين) is simply the Arabic form of “Palestine,” used continuously for over a thousand years—long before modern politics. The name itself goes back even further to Greek and Roman usage. So this isn’t evidence of anything. It’s just a weak attempt to twist normal language differences into denial.

I really feel sorry for someone your age who uses such childish and stupid argument!

I retorted in kind:

You seem not to grasp my point.

Can you name for me one other "national people" who call their "national homeland", supposedly, by a name they cannot pronounce correctly in their own "national language"? Could it be it's all false? Or that you're just propagandizing?

His next post to me again illustrated a lack of an ability to read someone whose opinion he rejects:

You’re building your whole argument on the idea that “Filastin” is a mispronunciation. It isn’t, it’s how Arabic works. Languages adapt sounds all the time. By your logic, Germans aren’t real because they say “Deutschland,” and Greeks aren’t real because they say “Hellas.” So no, this doesn’t prove anything is “false”, it just shows you’re confusing pronunciation with identity… and using evil manipulation for political reasons.

Which is what I wrote back to him:

Just the opposite.

My oh my. You really lack a grasp of English. Okay, my English. Reread my points and try to answer my question.

His comeback:

You clearly don’t grasp how language works. “Filastin” is not a mispronunciation, it’s the natural Arabic form because the letter “p” simply doesn’t exist in Arabic. This is basic linguistics, not some grand mystery. Plenty of nations call their homeland by a different name than in English. People say Misr, not Egypt. They say Deutschland, not Germany. That doesn’t make those countries fake, it just shows languages adapt names differently.

So your entire argument is built on a misunderstanding of pronunciation versus identity. I’m honestly surprised you’re still pushing it.

And to be frank, I’m curious how someone your age is wasting my time on such a shallow claim. Are you seriously this limited in understanding, or just trying anything to push a false narrative and demonize Palestinians?

I don't think he adequately dealt with my points.

But for those wondering, my point is why Arabic-speaking pro-Palestine people insist on "Palestine"?

And for those suggesting that even "Israel" is not properly Hebrew, I would say (a) it's close enough; (b) it's the Hebrew name. "Palestine" has no cultural, religious or linguistic connection to Arabic. It's Latin and was 'absorbed' by a foreign people who came to the territory from the Arabian Peninsula.

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