There are many people who want to define Israel by its conflict with the Palestinians. They say that in order to “save” Israel, we must “save” the Palestinians — that by giving the Palestinians a state, we will guarantee Israel’s future.

Because of this misguided worldview, they try to force Israel into concessions and bad deals that would actually undermine its future.

The truth is that Israel is not defined by the Palestinians.

Israel and the Jews are defined by ourselves — by our history, culture and heritage — our past and our future. This is not a history written on paper and UN resolutions, but one etched in the very dust beneath our feet. It’s a history that is found in mountaintops and valleys — in desert bushes and stones that have seen hundreds of generations pass by. It is carried by the wind that blows through every corner of this small and ancient country.

We don’t just read about Israel’s history; we live it.

And the Palestinians, as much as they want to force themselves into that past, are simply not part of it. They’re not even a footnote. Abbas and his minions want to tell you about the glorious history of Palestine that existed thousands of years ago, yet there has never been a single stone uncovered, or a single brick unearthed to back up those claims.

The Palestinians, throughout their very short history, have always tried to make the conflict about them and their “historical grievances” — when the history of the Holy Land never knew of such a people.

The Arab world has always been a tribal world, and Arab nationalism never existed prior to forces of the British and French exerting their power in the area, drawing lines — and borders — in the sand. Israel does not need to create a 23rd Arab state.

The Palestinians are not part of our history. We should stop giving them prominence by making them think they are.

And if their claims are so strong and indisputable, then why did the UN have to create a separate refugee category that exists solely for Palestinians and no one else?

Prime Minister Netanyahu wants Abbas and the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state — something that Abbas has flatly refused to do. Why, then, should Israel recognize the Palestinians as anything more than just another Arab people living in the Middle East?

The future of Israel and the Jewish people is dependent on us. It is not dependent on the United Nations, and certainly not on the Palestinians. We should start acting accordingly.

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