Does the Bible provide any insight into the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict?
Yes actually. Quite a bit. It’s an age-old problem which the Bible has a lot of info about.
What is the origin of this problem according to biblical history?
The origin of the conflict goes back more than 4000 years to the time of Abraham talked about in the first book of the Bible. Both Arabs and Jews claim Abraham as their “father” and their rights to the Land they both now claim come through him. The story according to Genesis is that God promised Abraham a son and made an irrevocable covenant with him that included the promise to give him and his descendants ownership of all the land that is now Israel—and even more—the land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates. (Genesis 15:18-21. Gen 17:7-8. 1 Chronicles 16:15-17). But Abraham and his wife Sarai grew old without producing a son. The couple then decided to take things into their own hands and Abraham had relations with Sarai’s handmaiden named Hagar to ensure an heir. That union produced a son who they named Ishmael (Gen. 16:1-4, 15). But then Sarai, who was well past the time she could normally conceive, got pregnant, and another son was born who was named Isaac. (Gen. 21:1-8). Can you say “sibling rivalry”?
So the conflict dates to these two sons of Abraham thousands of years ago?
Yes. Ishmael was Abraham’s first born and is the father of most of the Arab nations, including those who identify as Palestinians. Isaac was the miracle child born in their old age, and from him and his son Jacob (who God renamed “Israel”) the Jewish nation descended. DNA bears out that these two peoples are closely related genetically. The problem is, over the centuries the Land promised by God to Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 17:8) through his son Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4) and grandson Jacob (Gen. 28:13) has been occupied by both Arabs and Jews at different times. The Jews were the primary inhabitants of the Land from the time of King David, around 1000 BC, until around 600 BC when they were conquered successively by the Assyrian and then Babylonian empires and largely driven out of the Land. According to the Bible, this was God’s judgment for breaking the terms of the Mosaic covenant. (See Deuteronomy 28. Notice esp. vs. 36-37 and vs. 64-65). After this occurred, other people from the region we might collectively call “Palestinians” were relocated or settled in the Land in their absence. But around 540 BC, during the era when the Persian Empire dominated the region, Jews were allowed to return and many did (see OT books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and once again they became the dominant ethnic group in the Land up until the generation of Jesus in the first century CE. But in 70 AD the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and once again drove most of the Jews out of the Land which allowed people from the surrounding Arab nations to reoccupy the land as Jews went into their “Diaspora”, literally dispersed throughout the nations of the earth. After the Roman Empire’s demise, the Land was politically under the control of the Turkish “Ottoman Empire” for a long time, clear up till the end of WW1 when the British took control. It’s fair to say that most of the people living in the Land during that long period from AD 70 to the end of WW2 were Arab “Palestinians”.
So how and why has the conflict flared up so hotly again in recent years?
After the horrific Holocaust and the defeat of Fascism in WW2, a movement to restore the Land as a homeland for the Jewish people gained momentum. In 1947 the United Nations approved a plan to partition the Land to provide a place for Jews to return and rebuild a state, as well as a place for the Arabs who lived there to continue in their own state. A “two state solution” seemed like a good plan on paper, but of course there has been nothing but trouble since. The Palestinian Arabs attacked the infant state of Israel in 1948 but were defeated. They did so again in June 1967 with the backing of a large coalition of Arab and Muslim nations, and again were soundly defeated in only 6 days. They tried again in 1972 and were defeated again. Even though Israel won all of these conflicts decisively against great odds, in the interests of trying to gain peace, under international pressure they have given back land to the Arabs. They ceded back control of much of the West Bank in central Israel, a section of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount, as well as Gaza in the south. Most people do not realize how tiny the current nation of Israel is. It’s roughly the size of New Jersey. It takes up far less than 1% of the landmass of the Middle East! It’s surrounded by 22 Arab and Muslim nations. And although they have won all of these wars which the Arabs brought on them, and have given back land after their victories in the interest of trying to gain peace, it’s never enough. As you no doubt have heard, on October 7th, 2023, Palestinian Hamas terrorists attacked Israel with the backing of other Muslim nations like Iran, slaughtering 850 civilians and kidnapping 240 hostages, many of them children. As I write this Israel and the Palestinian Hamas terrorists are in a state of war. It’s not only the Palestinians by the way, but also other Arab and Muslim states which surround Israel remain their sworn enemies and vow to drive Israel out of the Land once and for all. That’s what empty “Intifada” means.
Does biblical prophecy indicate how all of this will finally play out?
Yes. Why all this is so significant for Bible believers is that while the Land was promised by God to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob, i.e. the Jews, it’s true that they were driven from the Land as a penalty for breaking the Mosaic covenant. (Deuteronomy 28). Several Old Testament era prophets repeatedly warned that that would happen if they did not repent and return to God. (See 2 Kings 17:13). BUT, and this is crucial to understand, the original Abrahamic Covenant was irrevocable and unconditional. The promises in it are repeated at least a dozen times throughout the Old Testament and confirmed by the Apostle Paul in the New.Testament, (e.g. Genesis 17:8. Romans 11:25-29), meaning God’s promise of the Land in question to the people of Israel is unchangeable and eternal. In fact, the same prophets who foretold ancient Israel’s demise also clearly promised that after their period of punishment for breaking the Mosaic covenant ran its course, God would draw His chosen people back from their world-wide dispersion and restore them to their Land. (See Ezekiel 34: 11-13. Jeremiah 29:14. Isaiah 11:11-12). Furthermore, the promise is that once they returned, they would never be driven from it again. (Amos 9:14-15)
Realize, the return of Jews to the Land after thousands of years of their world-wide diaspora is absolutely unique in all history. Anthropologists know that any nation group whose people are dispersed will become amalgamated into their new surroundings within 2-3 generations. That’s just human nature. When my ancestors came to America 3 generations ago from Germany and Ireland they may have considered themselves German and Irish. But a couple generations later? I’ve never considered myself anything but American! Most Americans do not even know where their ancestors came from. Yet somehow, the Jewish people, driven from their homeland, scattered among all the nations of the earth century after century, for 70-80 generations, never lost their national identity. How do you explain that? Then that very specific prophecy was fulfilled which said the nation of Israel would be reborn “in one day” (Ezekiel 37: 21-22) which happened pursuant to a UN decree on Nov. 29th, 1947. Nothing like this has ever happened before. You have to be kind of willfully blind not to acknowledge this has been a “God thing”: a long dead nation, a race of people persecuted and mistreated for centuries, scattered among many, many nations over every continent, suddenly re-emerging on the world stage to re-form the nation of Israel in their ancient homeland? Only God could do that! This is graphically pictured as a miraculous resuscitation of old, dry bones scattered across a valley in Israel by God Himself in a vision found in the prophecy of Ezekiel, chapter 37. (vs.1-14). This phenomenon of Israel’s rebirth in their ancient homeland fulfilling biblical prophecies looks to be a clear sign indicating God’s plans for this world are very likely now moving toward their conclusion.
Since 1948 Jews have been returning to Israel from all over the globe. In fact, just in 2022, for the first time since 70 AD, the majority of Jews now live in their ancient homeland once again. Over the last several decades, regardless of the danger, they’ve left homes, and businesses, friends and family to return to Israel. Why? Because God is calling them back. (Jeremiah 31. Also Jeremiah 16:14-15). Why is He? Because they must in fact be in their Land in order for the rest of the “Last Days” prophecies in the Bible to be fulfilled. The Palestinian Arabs who continue to insist on retaking the Land, along with their supporters (“From the River to the Sea!”), are likely going to continue to be frustrated and defeated as they have been every time since 1948. The USA and other nations who support Israel are very wise to do so because part of that irrevocable Abrahamic covenant is that God will “bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them”. (Genesis 12:1-3). Those who take the side of Israel’s enemies are fighting against God’s stated sovereign purposes. Keep these things in mind as you see satanically inspired anti-Semitism once again tragically on the rise.
It seems like every American administration says they will make it a priority to solve this problem. Can it be resolved peacefully?
Israel’s enemies would be wise to make a peace with them and stick to it, but like many family conflicts, the bitterness runs very deep. In this case it has caused this one to rage for thousands of years now. Don’t count on any Middle East peace plan contrived by politicians to change that. In fact, since what the Bible predicted about the remarkable return of Israel to their land came true exactly as prophesied, it’d be wise to expect events to continue to play out as the Bible says they will. As I read it, that means we should expect this conflict to continue until a point arrives when Israel is seriously threatened once again with annihilation. (Zechariah 12:1-3. Ezekiel 38:17-23). That’s when Jesus the Christ (i.e. the Messiah) will return to protect and save His people, and install His long promised Kingdom of God on earth. (Revelation 19:11—20:6). Christians call it “The 2nd Coming”. Considering the way things are going, that could be soon. Are you ready? — PRN
