Phantom Nation Obliterates the ‘Free Palestine’ Hoax

What the report says

American Thinker on July 21, 2026, published an opinion essay by Bruce W. Davidson reviewing Shai ben-Tekoa’s book, “Phantom Nation: Inventing the ‘Palestinians’ as the Obstacle to Peace.” Davidson, identified by the outlet as a professor emeritus at Hokusei Gakuen University in Japan who studied in Jerusalem in 1976 and later taught a course on the Arab-Israeli conflict, presents the book as a rebuttal to claims of “Palestinian genocide” and to the idea of a historically rooted Palestinian national identity.

According to Davidson’s account, ben-Tekoa argues that the modern Palestinian liberation narrative emerged through propaganda strategies influenced by anti-colonial movements, including Algeria’s struggle against French rule, and was later adopted by Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The essay says the book traces how journalists, diplomats and left-leaning political figures allegedly helped popularize terms such as “Palestinian liberation,” replacing earlier descriptions of the conflict as broader Arab-Israeli hostility.

The article also highlights the book’s criticism of Israeli and Western leaders involved in peace efforts, including the Oslo process, arguing that they misunderstood or minimized religious motivations behind opposition to Israel. Davidson contrasts the PLO with Hamas, saying the latter is more explicit about its aims, while portraying both as violent movements hostile to Israel’s existence.

For context beyond the publisher’s report, Palestinian identity, statehood and the history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict are subjects of intense international dispute. The American Thinker piece is a commentary and book review, not a news report, and its claims should be read as the author’s interpretation of a highly contested historical and political debate.