An Israeli historian, professor Shlomo Sand ( Tel Aviv University), has claimed in his book titled "Matai ve'ech humtza ha'am hayehudi?" ("When and How the Jewish Peolple was invented?"), that the present-day Jews are not descents of the Hebrew tribes of Israeeel, exiled from the kingdoms of Judia or Israel by the Babylonians - but ancient pagans, mainly Berbers from North Africa, Arabs from South of Arabia and Turks from Khazar empire in Asia - who converted to Judaism between the fourth and eighth century CE. According to professor Sand the Palestinians are probably the descended from Hebrews who embraced Islam or Christianity.
Israel born writer and musician, Gilad Atzmon, in his article: The wandering Who? elaborate further the myth of Jewishness as the community of the "people of the book".
It is an established fact that not a single Jewish history text has been written between the first century and early 19th century. The fact that Judaism is based on a religious historical myth may have something to do with it.
An adequate scrutiny of the Jewish past was never a primary concern within the Rabbinical tradition.