A History Lesson, Part II
So whose land is it anyway?
The Israelis claim historical rights to the land and a divine mandate given to Abraham to possess it (Genesis 12 & 17). They claim that the Canaanites consisted of various people groups who happen to dwell in the land, but were not really organized occupants. So, the Jews say they possessed the land first. Palestinians claim more recent possession of the land and Palestinian Muslims add a divine mandate of their own saying they have the latest and greatest revelation from God. In their view Mohammed is greater than Moses and Jesus, so their claim trumps Israel’s.
Religiously, the Muslims have no basis to claim they were there first, because Islam wasn't founded until after the Holy Lands had been occupied by both Jews and Christians. Unable to make a religious claim to the land, some Palestinian leaders have attempted to draw an ethnic or racial connection between themselves and the Canaanites. However, it would be difficult, if not impossible; to prove which Arabs are directly connected to the Canaanites.
Nevertheless, the Palestinians make a strong argument on the point of most recent possession. Can another people group return to their ancestral land centuries after losing it and succeed in establishing its rightful claim? How would you feel if descendants of the early settlers of Salem came into town and claimed your property, saying they were here first? Chances are you would fight them (in the courts, of course).
That’s what Israel did in 1948 and in the process displaced 700,000 Palestinians to make room for the new state. And now we see the Palestinians trying to do the same to Israel. The word “displaced” may not be the best word to use because both Jews and Palestinians have been in the land all along – no one really leaves. One is in power – the other lives under “enemy” occupation.
The balance of power boils down to numbers and external support. Currently, the Jews have the numbers. Within Israel's borders, 80 percent (5.64 million) of the population is Jewish, 19 percent (1.39 million) is Muslim and roughly 1 percent is Christian. In Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), largely controlled by Palestinians, the population is 75 percent Muslim and 17 percent Jewish. Israel slightly has the upper hand, but the number of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is growing rapidly.
It’s obvious that the balance of power in the Middle East is extremely unstable. Woodrow Wilson said, “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together. There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized peace.”
(to be continued)
So whose land is it anyway?
The Israelis claim historical rights to the land and a divine mandate given to Abraham to possess it (Genesis 12 & 17). They claim that the Canaanites consisted of various people groups who happen to dwell in the land, but were not really organized occupants. So, the Jews say they possessed the land first. Palestinians claim more recent possession of the land and Palestinian Muslims add a divine mandate of their own saying they have the latest and greatest revelation from God. In their view Mohammed is greater than Moses and Jesus, so their claim trumps Israel’s.
Religiously, the Muslims have no basis to claim they were there first, because Islam wasn't founded until after the Holy Lands had been occupied by both Jews and Christians. Unable to make a religious claim to the land, some Palestinian leaders have attempted to draw an ethnic or racial connection between themselves and the Canaanites. However, it would be difficult, if not impossible; to prove which Arabs are directly connected to the Canaanites.
Nevertheless, the Palestinians make a strong argument on the point of most recent possession. Can another people group return to their ancestral land centuries after losing it and succeed in establishing its rightful claim? How would you feel if descendants of the early settlers of Salem came into town and claimed your property, saying they were here first? Chances are you would fight them (in the courts, of course).
That’s what Israel did in 1948 and in the process displaced 700,000 Palestinians to make room for the new state. And now we see the Palestinians trying to do the same to Israel. The word “displaced” may not be the best word to use because both Jews and Palestinians have been in the land all along – no one really leaves. One is in power – the other lives under “enemy” occupation.
The balance of power boils down to numbers and external support. Currently, the Jews have the numbers. Within Israel's borders, 80 percent (5.64 million) of the population is Jewish, 19 percent (1.39 million) is Muslim and roughly 1 percent is Christian. In Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), largely controlled by Palestinians, the population is 75 percent Muslim and 17 percent Jewish. Israel slightly has the upper hand, but the number of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is growing rapidly.
It’s obvious that the balance of power in the Middle East is extremely unstable. Woodrow Wilson said, “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together. There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized peace.”
(to be continued)
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