Why did the Romans call Israel Palestine? The Romans referred to the region now known as Israel as “Palestine” after the Bar Kokhba revolt in the 2nd century CE. The term “Palestine” is derived from the Philistines, an ancient people who lived in the coastal areas of the region. After suppressing the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE, the Roman Emperor Hadrian sought to erase Jewish national identity and connection to the land.

Hadrian decided to rename the province of Judea (which had been the Roman designation for the region) to “Syria Palaestina” in an attempt to sever the historical ties between the Jews and their homeland. The name Palestine was a way of associating the area with the historical enemies of the Jews, the Philistines, rather than the Jewish people. The term persisted over the centuries, even as the demographics and political control of the region changed.

It’s important to note that the use of the term “Palestine” to refer to the entire region continued through various empires, including the Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman periods. In the modern era, the term has been used to refer to the geographical area encompassing Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The political and historical context has made the term “Palestine” complex and politically charged.