Middle East Crisis Part 4

HOW DID WE GET HERE

MIDDLE EAST CRISIS part 4

Israel

Any discussion about the Middle East would not be complete without a discussion of Israel. My goal in these short topics is to give an overview so we can all get a sense of the political and cultural complexities of this ancient area. My hope is to convey important and relevant facts without getting into overlong treatise on these subjects. There is no end to how much could be written about the Middle East.

Abraham and Sarah were both from Ur which was in modern day southern Iraq. Sarah was barren and allowed Abraham to have children through her Egyptian maid Hagar. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Later Sarah bore a son Isaac and according to the Scriptures there was constant contention between Sarah and Hagar. Finally Sarah convinced Abraham to put out Hagar and Ishmael. According to Scripture, Ishmael was to become the father of many tribes and many descendants. This is the tradition that is accepted by the Arab tribes... that they are all descended from Abraham. This is a piece of the long standing enmity between Jews and other Middle East populations.

Now we all know the story of Egypt and the exodus, and eventually the nation of Israel.  The nation had disputes and eventually split into two parts, the northern 10 tribes remained Israel while the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as Judah. The northern nation was conquered by the Babylonians and most of the population was taken captive and lost their identity. The southern nation of Judah lasted some additional years until it also was conquered and most of the population taken off to Babylon, which is present day Iraq. The word "Jew" was short for the tribe of Judah, which was able to keep its identity and had populations around the world. Eventually Assyria was conquered by Persia, which is present day Iran, and some of the remaining Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem  and rebuild a temple. The whole Middle East was conquered by the Greek, Alexander the Great, then later the area was controlled by Rome. Many small tribes and groups were killed, dispersed or incorporated into other groups. With the advent of Mohammed around 700 AD, there was a succession of Caliphs -  some ruled small areas, some ruled much larger areas of the Middle East.  Persia, which is present day Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, was able to keep its boundaries, which while not exact, are still somewhat what they were in ancient times. It is interesting that if you read about the interactions of these countries in the Middle East they all had a sort of personality that has endured. There was a period of Crusader rule in Judea in the Middle Ages. The last Caliphate was the Ottoman Empire ruled by Turkey. It was dissolved after WW1 and the whole area became part of the British Mandate established by the League of Nations.

The first Zionist convention was held in Zurich in 1897. Its premise was to establish a homeland for Jews somewhere in the Judea or Palestine area.  There were many periods of anti-Semitism in Europe off and on for centuries.  This was partly due to the Jewish people keeping their identity as a separate people within other cultures. Interestingly, the Scriptures say that due to their stubborn and rebellious relationship with God they would be wanderers in foreign lands; it has certainly been the case. The climax of this anti-Semitism was Nazi Germany's persecution of the Jews in an unprecedented way. While the Jewish population in the Palestine area was increasing for some time, it increased significantly during and after WWII. On March 17, 1948 the Jews of the area declared independence and the creation of the state of Israel. It was recognized by the British and the United Nations. It was immediately attacked by its neighbors, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. Israel was able to prevail in the 1948 war. There were wars in 1967 and 1973, and Israel was again able to prevail; finally a peace was signed with Egypt in 1978. Without Egypt, the chances of defeating Israel in war was very unlikely. There was also a peaceful co-existence with Jordon. The aftermath of the last 2 wars resulted in a large numbers of refugees and Israel held certain territory like Gaza and the Golan Heights which created a security buffer zone for the state, that is less than the size of New Jersey. This has resulted in 40 + years of disputes. Whether things might have been different without the wars and a co-existence could have been created it is all speculation now. This is the situation that the world has no easy way of resolving. 

There have been continuous threats of annihilation by Iran, Iraq under Saddam, and most terrorist entities, with no resolution in sight. While Israel is not the only problem in the Middle East, it is certainly a major part of the ongoing crisis. At present, Israel has a reasonably sound and peaceful relationship with Egypt and Jordon. Lebanon is mostly controlled by Hezbollah which is a ally of Iran and has perpetrated terrorist acts against Israel. Syria has been an adversary to Israel, but now is fighting for its own existence. The Palestinian entity has refused to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, wants a separate territory as its own, and also wants the right to emigrate into Israel. Israel would cease to exist as a safe haven for Jews, if it allowed unlimited immigration into the country. This is the situation that the world has no easy way of resolving. There again is an interesting Scripture, that states that "Israel would become a weight too heavy for the nations to lift".

PART 5 TO FOLLOW