Did Palestine Ever Exist?

This question in my opinion is a mockery to all of the Middle East. I came across a website (link at bottom) today, while looking up Mark Twain, and this is what I found. Mark Twain, apparently described the land of Palestine as an empty and barren land, with no inhabitants or vegetation of any sort. In my opinion this is a total lie. Palestine is the holy land, and in his short visit to this area, he only explored certain areas, which might have been vacant. But his statements are too broad to fit the entire country. In the 20th century, Zionists started using Mark Twain's quotes to support their campaign in building a Jewish state in Palestine. They were stating that the land was "uninhabited" and that the Arabs that were living there were a minority in a comparison to the Jews. But the truth was not this. The people living in Palestine was as follows: 657,000 Muslims, 81,000 Christian Arabs, and 59,000 Jews. And after the creation of the State of Israel, Israelis started denying the nationality of the people living in Palestine, and going further to saying there never was a country called Palestine or people called Palestinians. Zionists say these people were ignorant peasants that had no right in their country's politics, and that they were waiting for the Jews to come build the country.
http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Famous-Zionist-Quotes/Story707.html