Jerusalem: Archaeological and historical evidence contradicts the Zionist narrative of a 'greater Jewish kingdom' and 'promised land' in historical Palestine - key claims used to justify Israeli sovereignty over the territory, according to a scholar and expert on the period.

According to Anadolu Agency, Abdulrezzak Matani, a scholar of Palestinian heritage and archaeology, stated that no credible archaeological data confirms the existence of a united Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon in Jerusalem or its surrounding areas, as depicted in The Torah, the Hebrew bible. Matani noted that the Torah account has often been used to legitimize settler-colonial policies and assert control over land, leading to the frequent ignoring or deliberate erasure of Arab and Islamic heritage.

Matani explained that the biblical claim of a powerful and united Israelite kingdom ruled by David and Solomon, said to stretch from the Nile to the Euphrates, is a central pillar of Zionist ideology. However, more than a century of excavations in Jerusalem and surrounding areas have failed to uncover evidence, such as monumental architecture or inscriptions, to confirm the existence of such a kingdom. He emphasized that most archaeological finds in the area belong to later periods or other civilizations, including the Canaanites, Romans, Byzantines, and Islamic dynasties.

In the 10th century BCE, the period in which the biblical kingdom is said to have existed, Jerusalem was merely a small, walled settlement, far from being the capital city of a vast empire. Even in the 'City of David' area, no structures linked to David or Solomon have been found. Many Israeli and Western archaeologists have questioned the dating of findings and the assumption that they relate to biblical figures, arguing that such claims often rest on ideological interpretations rather than evidence.

Matani further remarked that even if a kingdom existed, it was likely a small tribal entity rather than a regional power. Scientific and impartial archaeological assessments do not provide strong or conclusive evidence for the existence of a unified Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon.

He also discussed how the biblical kingdom narrative likely emerged during or after the Babylonian exile, shaped to preserve a scattered community's identity. The narrative took on a political function with the emergence of the Zionist movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, presenting Palestine as the 'promised land' and the 'land of the ancestors' to construct a shared national identity among diaspora Jews.

Matani emphasized that religious belief deserves respect, but using biblical stories to justify territorial claims, settlements, or statehood raises serious concerns. He concluded that the claim of a united Israelite kingdom in ancient Palestine blends religious myth with modern political goals, and the lack of archaeological evidence only strengthens the argument for separating belief from historical fact.