Those People in Gaza: Where Do They Come From, And Why Are They So Mad?

 

"We tend to believe abroad that Palestine is nowadays almost completely deserted,

Jaffa, Palestine: Palestinians gather at the Grand Serai (local government offices) in July 1908, to celebrate the al-Hurriyah Revolution (i.e. the Young Turks Revolution) against Sultan Abdul Hamid and in favor of the restoration of the constitution and the holding of Parliamentary elections. (via Walid Khalidi, Before Their Diaspora).

a noncultivated wilderness, 

Jaffa, Palestine: General view of the city from the sea looking east, pre-1914. (Matson Collection, 1898-1914).

and anyone can come there and buy as much land as his heart desires.

Jaffa, Palestine: Street scene in the old city next to the Jaffa's famous Clock tower, pre-1914 (Matson Collection). 

But in reality this is not the case.

Jaffa, Palestine: The bazaar in 1896.