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Short answer
The claim that coins inscribed “Palestine” represent a tangible symbol of Palestinian national identity is one of the most misleading Anti-Israel propaganda symbols. Because After World War I, Britain governed the Palestine Mandate, a region carved from the Ottoman Empire that included modern-day Israel, the current so called Palestinian territories, and the official state of Jordan.
To effectively administer this Mandate, Britain created the British Palestine Mandate coins. These coins, uniquely bearing the name “Palestine”—a political entity that never existed as a sovereign nation—featured trilingual inscriptions, including Hebrew, and symbols like the olive branch, connecting the currency to Jewish heritage and culture.
During the Mandate era, “Palestinian” referred to both Jews and Arabs, and Jewish institutions often used the “Palestine” designation.
Long answer
The claim that coins inscribed “Palestine” represent a tangible symbol of Palestinian national identity is misleading Anti-Israel propaganda symbol. After World War I, Britain governed the Palestine Mandate, a region carved from the Ottoman Empire that included modern-day Israel, the Current so called Palestinian territories, and the official state of Jordan. To effectively administer this Mandate, Britain created the British Palestine Mandate coins. These coins, uniquely bearing the name “Palestine”—a political entity that never existed as a sovereign nation—featured trilingual inscriptions, including Hebrew, and symbols like the olive branch, connecting the currency to Jewish heritage and culture. During the Mandate era, “Palestinian” referred to both Jews and Arabs, and Jewish institutions often used the “Palestine” designation. These design choices subtly acknowledged the land’s historical and religious importance to the Jewish people. Therefore, these coins do not provide evidence of a pre-existing Palestinian state.
Long answer
The claim that coins inscribed “Palestine” represent a tangible symbol of Palestinian national identity is misleading Anti-Israel propaganda symbol.
Following World War I, Britain gained control of the Palestine Mandate, a territory carved from the Ottoman Empire encompassing present-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan. Prior to 1927, the region relied on various foreign currencies, primarily those of Turkey and Egypt. To effectively administer the Mandate, Britain established a monetary system and minted British Palestine Mandate coins. These coins are unique because they bear the name “Palestine,” referring to a political entity that never existed as a sovereign nation. During this period, “Palestinian” referred to both Jews and Arabs, and Jewish institutions were designated “Palestine” (e.g., the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra). Even into the early 1950s, “Palestinians” in press reports often referred to Palestinian Jews.
Coin designs avoided religious symbols but featured olive branches and the name “Palestine” in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, along with the Hebrew acronym “Eretz Yisrael” (“The Land of Israel”)—represented by the two Hebrew letters, aleph and yod, in parentheses next to the Hebrew script. The trilingual inscriptions, including Hebrew—the language of the Jewish people and their religious texts—connected the currency to Jewish heritage and culture. The olive branch, a symbol of peace and prosperity in Jewish tradition (and one of the four species used during Sukkot), further reinforced this connection. These design choices subtly acknowledged the historical and religious significance of the land to the Jewish people. Therefore, the existence of these coins does not support the narrative of a prior period of Palestinian self-determination and nationhood, nor does it constitute proof of a “Palestine” currency in the context of a sovereign Palestinian state.
