Who occupied the southern coastal plain of modern Israel for most of the Old Testament period?

A:The coastal strip north of Israel was occupied by the Phoenicians, a West Semitic people. Further south, west of Israel, the coastal strip was occupied by Canaanites, another West Semitic people, closely related to the Hebrews. Even further south, west of Judah and sourthern Israel, were the Philistines.

After the Assyrian conquest of Israel and much of the Levant, Phoenicia became one Assyrian province, Megiddo became the capital of the Assyrian province of Galilee, and the coastal area around the city of Dor appears to have become the province of Duru. Israel itself became the province of Samaria.