I wonder how many

@ChipmunkErnie which makes Israel a glorified theocracy at best.

@basilfawlty89 Possibly -- kind of like the GOP dream of America.

@ChipmunkErnie point is, Israelis claim to be the direct descendents of the ancient Hebrews. While it's true they do possess ancient Canaanite and Levantine DNA, it varies. Ashkenazi (European Jews) have the least Near Eastern DNA clustering with Southern Europeans. Mizrachi Jews have the most and are genetically most similar to...modern Palestinians.

@basilfawlty89 Some do, others don't. And "being Jewish" is a complex combination of factors including religious belief, cultural background, genetics, etc. The actual reality is: IF you identify as Jewish you are Jewish. Just the same with the Palestinians, who claim to descend from a nation that never existed.

@ChipmunkErnie and yet the Israeli claim of Palestinians being "Arabs from Saudi Arabia" is equally fallacious. Arabic is a language family. It's like saying "Hispanic", it's an umbrella term. Many Palestinians are descendants of populations that occurred before the Islamic era, especially Palestinian Christians.

It should also be noted that Hebrews were one of the Canaanite peoole. Not the only ones. And the Kingdoms of Israel, Judah and Samaria were never ethnically homogeneous.

@basilfawlty89 Yup. All of which is essentially myth-making -- but people so often base their beliefs on myths that does it really make a difference?