Why is There Conflict in the Middle East?
Dennis Prager's column today gives you a concise history lesson about the conflict between the State of Israel and its Arab neighbors during the past sixty years.
His opening statements get to the heart of the issue:
The Middle East conflict is difficult to solve, but it is among the simplest conflicts in history to understand.
The Arab and other Muslim enemies of Israel (for the easily confused, this does not mean every Arab or every Muslim) want Israel destroyed. That is why there is a Middle East conflict. Everything else is commentary.
I would correct one point. The "why" of the conflict goes deeper than what we see today. The conflict originates with the skewed relations between the Biblical patriarch Abraham's sons, Ishamel and Isaac.
To Hagar, pregnant with Ishmael God said, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count ... You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael ['God hears'], for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (verses 10-12, New International Version).
In this verse we see the beginnigng of the conflict between the two branches of Abraham's family, the same conflict we see played out today in the Middle East. You can read the story in our booklet, "The Middle East in Bible Prophecy" here.
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Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely is a retired elder in the United Church of God. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 53 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris continues teaching at Ambassador Bible Center and is a member of the Council of Elders. Darris and Debbie continue to travel and keep up with the many friends and relationships around the world.
