Well I may not be knowledgeable on the history of Israel but I can look it up and the word Palestine has been used to describe that region on and off since at least Medieval times around the year 390 AD or before so that hardly constitures the late 19th century. It derives from the word "Phillistine".
As for the book you recommended I am going to guess Katz is a jew therefor a little biased and not impartial. But anyways history books are not always "accurate fact" if they cannot be corraborated independently.
About the only facts in the Bible are the names of nations and cities. All else is fiction. I think one of the board members has in their signature as it being the Greatest Fiction book ever written.
Yes a nation is more then a religion but your nation is based & founded on religion. Three of them in fact.
