Solution for the Arab Israeli Conflict
by Donald E. Hester
on Feb 22
in Current Events
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Donald E. Hester
Husband, father, and adventurer. A computer science instructor who dabbles in t
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Why can't Muslims, Jews and Christians get along? For thousands of years there has been the unresolved conflict between the Arabs and the Jews. The Arab Israeli conflict defies a simple solution. Come to think of it; it defies a complex solution. The problem seems to be the control of the holy land. Now to look at this we need to get some context.
The Arabs descended from Abraham through Ishmael and Esau. The Jews descended from Abraham through Jacob. Now most people are aware the Jewish and Christian holy scriptures say that God gave the land to the decedents of Israel (Jacob). However, those very same scriptures also indicate that land is set aside for the descendants of Ishmael and Esau. The way I read this, both people groups are entitled to land.
Why don't they get along then? There is also a prophecy that the descendants of Ishmael would be at odds with the descendants of Jacob. Wow, a prophecy in the Bible predating Islam that says there would not be peace and there isn't.
Whatever solution is offered needs to include a place for everyone. Everyone will need to accept that there needs to be a place for everyone.
How should the Arabs treat the Israelis and how should the Israelis treat the Arabs? They need to treat each other with kindness and realize God loves them both. The God of Abraham says:
"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt."1"He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. "2
גֵּר alien, stranger, foreigner, i.e., one who is of a different geographical or cultural group, often with less rights than the reference group.3
I specifically said the God of Abraham because the Jews, Christians and Muslims all call Him God. This is what He has commanded us to do. How can you claim to support the God of Abraham, by violating His commands? Is God is a man that He should change His mind?
People take the principle of justice of an 'eye for an eye' out of context and use it to retaliate to a point that no one knows what started it all. If we claim to faithfully follow the prophets how can we claim that God hates one or the other?
1. The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Dt 10:17-19
2. Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Dt 10:18-19
3. Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. DBLH 1731
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