The Multiethnic Twelve Tribes of Israel 

PalestineIsraelConflict ResolutionPeace BuildingAbrahamic Faith
Written By Ashley Heacock

I have been a conflict resolution researcher since undergraduate school at The George Washington University while studying International Affairs and Economics. My concentration was on the Middle East. I studied the history, the economics, terrorism, ethnic tribalism, the culture, Arabic, Islam, etc. I lived in the Middle East twice. I studied abroad in Jordan, and I also worked for a business consulting firm. I went to Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, Egypt, Dubai, and Turkey. This was back in around 2008, before the Arab Spring. 

I traveled solo to these places at the age of 20. I felt at peace, like family. I wasn’t worried about hitchhiking. I am extremely intuitive, and could sense people were Good. Therefore, I went on a lot of different adventures and met a lot of wonderful people. 

I have understood that there is a question about who was in the Promised Land, Palestine/Israel first. 

“Around 7000 BCE, the region of Palestine was in the early Neolithic period, characterized by the emergence of the world's first permanent settlements and villages, most famously at Jerico, a "cradle of civilization" with continuous habitation from 9000 BCE, where people developed farming and settled life, laying foundations for later Canaanite cultures and complex societies in the Levant. (Modern Palestinians are genetically descended to a significant degree from the ancient Canaanites, but culturally and linguistically, they are Arabs.)

Key Developments Around 7000 BCE (Neolithic Era):

  • First Towns: Jericho's earliest layers show permanent settlements with stone walls and towers, marking a shift from nomadic life to village living.

  • Agriculture: The discovery of plant life cycles allowed for settled farming, a cornerstone of civilization.

  • Early Culture: People lived in clustered houses, farmed the hillsides with terraces, and engaged in early forms of trade and craft specialization.”–Google AI 

While doing more research on this important topic, I discovered that the first known mention of the city of Jerusalem was in 2000 BC in the Middle Kingdom Egyptian execration texts. It was recorded as named Rusalimum. 

This is very interesting. As a speaker of Arabic the root of Rusalimum is S-L-M, which in Arabic would be Salam, or Peace. In Hebrew, it would be Shalom, or Peace, as well. How beautiful! 

At the time of 2000 BC Jerusalem was ruled by Melchizedek, a Canaanite king. 

“The “Land of Canaan” refers to an ancient region in the southern Levant, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, western Jordan, and parts of Syria. It holds significance in the Bible as the “Promised Land” of milk and honey, designated for Abraham and his descendants. Historically, Canaan was a crossroads of cultures and trade routes, situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.” — Google AI 

The Abrahamic Tribes crossed the Red Sea around 2,000 BC, and includes what  today we call Jews, Christians, and Muslims. There was mass migration. The Abrahamic Tradition includes all Three Religions. Prophet Mohammed was the last prophet of these Ancient Sacred 12 Tribes. 

  • Qur’anic Surah 2:136 “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them.” 

While researching more on Google AI I found that it was also an important stop for caravans with its fresh water spring. 

So this land was obviously Holy to the Abrahamic people, which God had promised to them. 

Keep in mind that migration was occurring all throughout thousands of years. Therefore, who were these Palestinians? I wondered…

There were tons of wars over this land, you can look them all up on Google AI or Wikipedia. 

One that is interesting is about King Jehoram. In the written Scripture of The Bible, it states, “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, though not like his father and mother…” (2 Kings 3:2 excerpt). Supposedly he was under the influence of idolatry and oppression. 

The Bible records that shortly after this battle, Jerusalem was taken by Philistines, Arabs, and Ethiopians, who looted King Jehoram’s house and carried off all of his family except for his youngest son Jehoahaz. 

So the Palestinians, Arabs, and Ethiopians were fighting for the Land of God. 

The descendants of Abraham were multiethnic. There was tons of trading going on. Even, as I mention above, Ethiopians were part of this family. 

“While there isn’t a direct historical link of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) to all twelve tribes of Israel, they are believed to be connected to the tribe of Dan and have a strong historical and cultural link to the broader Israelite tradition, particularly through the legend of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.” 

Remember also that the names of territories changed overtime. Here is an ancient map of Palestine (they call it Palaestina): 

The Abrahamic people who are promised this Holy land of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria by GOd could be from all over the place. They could even be from Ethiopia, which at the time was called Nubia. 

“The term “Ethiopian” in ancient texts, particularly Greek, often referred to people from Nubia, which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt, and not the modern-day nation of Ethiopia. Ancient writers used “Ethiopia” to describe people south of Egypt, primarily in the Nile Valley, not the highlands of the modern nation. Therefore, the ancient “Ethiopians” were, in many cases, the people of what is now Sudan, not the modern-day country of Ethiopia.” — Google AI

The people also could have been from the Land of Arabia, Persia, Nubia, Terra Sancta (latin for the Holy Land). People were migrating for millions of years. Just consider how much migration would have happened from 9,000 BC (Jericho) to 2,000 BC (before Christ, called Ivrim in Hebrew) to 0AC (Christ’s birth), to 500AD (Prophet Mohammed, the final prophet of the Abrahamic Faith). Therefore, The Twelve Tribes of Israel obviously were multiethnic. 

Here is an ancient map of the region: 

I wondered about this term “Jewish,” and when it began. Here is what I found on Google AI: 

“The "Abrahamic people" began to call themselves "Jews" (from the Hebrew Yehudi) after their return from the Babylonian Exile in the late 6th century BCE. Before this, they were generally known as "Hebrews" and then "Israelites". 

Terminology Timeline

  • Abrahamic Era (approx. 2000 BCE): The patriarch Abraham and his early descendants were referred to as "Hebrews" (Ivrim in Hebrew), a term possibly meaning "those from the other side (of the river)".

  • Post-Exodus/Kingdom Era: After the twelve tribes united under the figure of Jacob (who was renamed "Israel"), his descendants were consistently called the "Children of Israel" or "Israelites" (B'nei Yisrael). This term was widely used until the division of the united kingdom.

  • Divided Kingdom to Babylonian Exile: After King Solomon's reign, the nation split into two kingdoms: the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. The inhabitants of the southern kingdom were called "Judahites" or "Judeans" (from the Hebrew Yehudi).

  • After the Babylonian Exile (late 6th century BCE onward): Following the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians and the subsequent Babylonian captivity of the southern kingdom, the majority of the remaining people of Israel were descendants of the Kingdom of Judah. Consequently, the term Yehudi (which evolved into the English word "Jew") became the common ethnonym for all the descendants of Jacob, regardless of their specific tribal lineage. 

In the Hebrew Bible, the term "Jew" is used in the Book of Esther to describe Mordecai, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, indicating that by the time of its writing (4th century BCE), the term was used broadly for any Israelite. 

In religious and historical contexts, while Abraham is considered the spiritual forefather and the first to enter a covenant with God, he was not "Jewish" in the later, formal sense of the term.” –Google AI  

It is also interesting that the Jewish people migrated to Europe. So now, the people who call themselves Jews in Israel also have European blood in them too. 

“The region known as Palestine began to be called Israel with the establishment of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948” by European Powers.” 

They forced indigenous Palestinians (Christians and Muslims),  into a terrible divide and conquer situation, creating separate territories, forcing them into two tiny little lands, and obviously creating fertile grounds for war. What was really needed was a peaceful solution for the Jews to heal themselves after the Holocaust, and for the Indigenous Palestinians to be respected. Instead, this UN-led enforced statehood, which the Arabs did NOT agree to because it obviously was not fair, has led to massive wars and genocide in the region for decades. It’s a massive lesson in what NOT to do if you are interested in peaceful diplomacy. You can read about in my section on Solutions for Palestine and Israel to Be at Peace in this book, which I hope can help diplomats working on a peaceful solution for this region. 

As you can see in this map, the UN created the tiny little Gaza Strip and the West Bank, separated from each other. These were indigenous peoples living together as families on this sacred land for thousands of years as part of the Abrahamic Faith. That is really cruel to separate them. Hence, the Arabs disagreed with such a decision (and Arabs include Christians and Muslims, remember). My solution is to create Palestine into the highlighted yellow region, connecting families, and creating a barrier for the Jewish people to feel safe. Again, you can read more about this in this book in the chapters Solutions for Palestine and Israel to Be at Peace.

When I look up the difference between Israelis and Palestinians, and why they started fighting, it only comes up in the 1900s. Interesting? Did the Europeans or Americans who were interested in this region cause unnecessary conflict? 

This Holy Land obviously belongs to the Children of Abraham, Promised by God in The Bible, which is an extremely multiethnic grouping of people, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. 

Jerusalem was fought over by many spiritual conquests. The Muslims hold Jerusalem to be Holy because that is where the Last Prophet of the Abrahamic Faith, Prophet Mohammed, ascended at the Dome of the Rock, which they call the Night Journey (Isra and Miraj). 

The Christians also had Crusades in The Holy Land, for hundreds of years, which actually led to failure. 

Would it be possible to find peace in this Holy Land for all of these multiethnic groups? Who should be the neutral, caring, and spiritual diplomatic corps?  

Could we then as a world focus our attention more on poverty, pollution, and saving the earth from devastating toxicity?

If you are not up-to-date on what is happening in the region, there is a genocide taking place against the Christians and Muslims of Palestine. It is egregious. I caution you as I post the truth of what these European-Jewish-Pharisees people are doing to these indigenous people of the region. 

“Israel’s warfare in the Gaza Strip is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, a United Nations committee has said, accusing the country of “using starvation as a method of war”. It is so hypocritical, because they went through genocide and starvation during the Holocaust. Are they aware of what they are doing? 

Read my 5-Part Series on Circumcision. Are they extremely insensitive because they have experienced male genital mutilation for thousands of years? Are they a different type of human species that is extremely uncaring of their neighbor? Evolution is real. Genetics is real. If you cut off your most sensitive part of your penis, you may lose your sense of love. 

In a report published, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices accused the country of “using starvation as a method of war”, resulting in “mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions” for Palestinians.” — Al Jazeera English 

If you would like to see what is happening on-the-ground, you can view the videohere of what is happening to these children, or look at the photos below:

Written by

Ashley Heacock, Researcher, Writer, Mentor, Guide 
MIT Sloan School of Management, MBA
Harvard Kennedy School of Government, MPA
The George Washington University, BA Economics, BA International Affairs
Contact: ashleyheacock@gmail.com
Website: awakeningconsciousness.community

Ashley Heacock
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