Just when we all thought during the last 14 months,
due to the Covid pandemic, that things were at last quietening down between
Israel and Palestine but then suddenly it has all flared up again. I’m talking from
May 9th and centering on the Al Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. There
have also been exchanges of rocket fire between both sides around the Gaza
strip which has led to 26 reported deaths. The Israelis returned rocket fire
against what is believed to be Hamas ‘terrorists’. Let’s take a quick look back
on recent times.
The history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict began
with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. This conflict came from
the intercommunal violence in Mandatory Palestine between Israelis and Arabs
from 1920 and erupted into full-scale hostilities in the 1947–48 civil war.
Between 1949 and 1953, there were 99 complaints made
by Israel about the infiltration of armed groups or individuals and 30
complaints of armed Jordanian units crossing into Israeli territory. Between
1949 and 1956, 286 Israeli civilians were killed. During the same period,
excluding the Suez War, 258 Israeli soldiers were killed. And so it went on. Of
course there was the Six-Day War in 1967 and two years later one, Yasser Arafat,
was appointed chairman of what would become the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Throughout the 70s and 80s, there were all sorts of terrorist raids in and
around the Gaza Strip which led to other attacks in Europe and beyond. I could
write a book about the history of the conflicts between Arabs and Jews . . . it
could take a while! Of course, tensions have come and gone since the 80s but
now?
What do I think? Well, this whole sordid mess can be
traced all the way back to the creation, if that is the right word, of two
religions that would, as the years passed by, be known as Judaism and Islam.
Judaism developed as three essential and related
elements: study of the written Torah (the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the recognition of Israel (defined as the
descendants of Abraham through his grandson Jacob) as a people elected by God
as recipients of the law at Mount Sinai, his chosen people, and the requirement
that Israel lives in accordance with God's laws as given in the Torah.
On the other hand, there is Islam. The origin of Islam
can be traced back to the 7th century in Saudi Arabia. Islam is the youngest of
the great world religions. The prophet Muhammad (circa 570 - 632 A.D.)
introduced Islam in 610 A.D. after experiencing what he claimed to be an
angelic visitation. Muhammad dictated to his followers the Qur'an, the holy
book of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the pre-existent, perfect words of
Allah (God).
Basically, you have two strong religions that
originated and evolved in the Middle East. Many of the followers of these
religions can be classified as zealots. They have the Talmud as their 'Bible'.
And then one only has to observe the sombre-clad Jews praying and nodding at
the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem to get appreciate their devotion to
Judaism.
On the other side of the fence, we have the Muslims.
Of course, they have Mecca. Mecca is the birthplace of the Islamic Prophet
Muhammad. The Hira cave atop the Jabal al-Nur (Mountain of Light) is just
outside the city and is where Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to
Muhammad. Visiting Mecca for the Hajj is an obligation upon all able Muslims.
The Great Mosque of Mecca, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is home to the Ka'bah,
believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael, is one of
Islam's holiest sites and the direction of prayer for all Muslims (qibla),
cementing Mecca's significance in Islam.
For me, the followers of these two religions will never
embrace each other’s beliefs and finally declare inter-religious unity. According
to today’s news - Thursday 13th May, a full-blown war is potentially imminent.
Watch this space!
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