Abraham and Moses to blame for Gaza war
by Neal CruzThe current war between Israeli and Palestinian forces in Gaza is but the latest flare-up in a conflict in that dates back to biblical days. In fact, it goes back to the patriarchs, to Abraham and Moses. It can be said that these two started all the trouble. Isn’t it ironic that the most troubled part of the world is the cradle of the world’s three great religions: Christianity, Islam, and the Jewish religion? Here is a tongue-in-cheek retelling of what happened:
If you remember Cecil B. de Mille’s opus (many people have seen the movie but have not read the Bible), Charlton Heston, or rather, Moses, led the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt, parted the sea and crossed it, wandered in the Sinai desert where he got sidetracked when God called him to the summit of Mt. Sinai and gave him the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. (That was the “Exodus.”)
Here, old Mr. Moses was probably already footsore from all the walking and preferred to stay behind. It was left to his lieutenant, Joshua, to lead the Israelites in search of the Promised Land. Even then promises were not being kept and the Israelites wandered for 400 years in the wilderness looking for that Promised Land.
Finally, the Jews got tired of wandering (hence, the term “wandering Jew”) and settled in Palestine. This would have been all right, except for one thing: the place was already settled by nomadic tribes now known as the Palestinians. If that were the Philippines, the Palestinians would be the originalsettlers, or owners, of the land, and the Israelites, the squatters. So there was constant warfare between the original settlers and the squatters, and this continues to this day. But then as now, the Israelites were better in warfare and soon subdued the scattered tribes.
They soon founded a kingdom, Israel, and had kings like Solomon who became legendary. Their vaunted savvy in war was no match for those of neighboring kingdoms, however. Worse, the Israelites could not get along with one another and soon the kingdom split into two. Thus weakened, they were soon easy prey for their neighbors. Israel was conquered and occupied by a succession of empires, and the Jews were dispersed all over the world, especially in Europe and New York in the United States where they call the shots in business and finance. All the time, the Jews longed to go back to their homeland, Israel.
In Europe, the Jews were so shrewd (remember Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice”?) that Hitler, in World War II, decided to eliminate their race by gathering them in concentration camps and making soaps, candles and lampshades of them. That was what is called “The Holocaust.”
After World War II, the clamor for the Jews to go back to their homeland became intense. The Jews resorted to terrorism to force Britain, which then occupied the Holy Land, to give back to them their homeland. Yes, the first terrorists were the Jews and among the first Israeli leaders were former terrorists. The present Palestinian terrorists learned the ropes from Israelis.
Finally, the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations, carved an area in Palestine as the homeland of the Jews. This is the present Israel.
Jews from all over the world immigrated to Israel. Naturally, the surrounding Islamic nations didn’t like this. As soon as Israel was inaugurated, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, etc. attacked the new nation but the Israelis proved once more that they were better in warfare and defeated the attackers in air and tank battles. That was the Six Day War.
There were other sporadic wars which the Israelis also won with their superior forces. The present war in Gaza is just the latest of these sporadic clashes.
So you see, Moses can be blamed for all the trouble now. If Moses and Joshua had not led the Israelites to Palestine and grabbed the land from the tribes already there (the Israelites were also the first land-grabbers and squatters), there would not have been any war now.
Let me go back farther to the first patriarch, Abraham, who is also to blame.
Abraham was married to Sarah, who could not beget him a child. So Sarah gave her maid, Hagar, to Abraham. Hagar bore him a son. But as usually happens, as soon as Abraham had a child by Hagar, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to her own son. And again as usually happens, the legal wife became jealous of Hagar and she demanded that Abraham cast Hagar and her son into the desert. Then as now, wives always had their way with their husbands, even if the husband happened to be a patriarch. So Abraham was forced to shoo Hagar and her son into the desert.
As mother and son wandered in the desert, dying of thirst, Hagar prayed to God to save the boy. God took pity on them. When the boy fell in exhaustion on the sand, a spring welled from under him. This saved mother and son from dying of thirst.
It is said that the Jews and the Muslims descended from the two sons of Abraham. The descendants of the two half-brothers have been fighting ever since.”
First of all, we should blame our very own Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, who cast the last and only vote to break the tie to approved a British sponsored resolution to create the state of Israel at he occupied Arab land of Palesttine at the League of Nation or was it already UN Assembly in 1949, when Gen. Rumlo was elected as the President of the Security Council.
The two half-brothers begotten by Prophet Abraham were Ismael and Isaac. Moses and Jesus Christ descended from the tribe of Isaac while Prophet Mohammed (PBUH-founder of Islam) descended from Ismael. Hence, siblings rivalry started even before the state of Israel came into existence.
In my readings,It is also Biblical that as per the interpretation of the Book of Revelations by most scholars, End of Times or the Second Coming of Christ or the Judgement Day will be near when all the governements of the world will rally together to defeat Israel and Jesus Christ will descend/appears in Syria to reign for 40 years of world peace before the world ends.
thanks for the lead. googled it and found this:
“The late President Manuel Acuña Roxas played a very crucial role in making Israel an independent state 60 years ago, a ranking Israeli diplomat said.
“In his speech during the commemoration of the 60th death anniversary of Roxas on Tuesday, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Zvi Vapni said President Roxas became part of the history book of Israel when he decided to recognize the country as an independent state.
“Vapni said that Roxas instructed then Secretary Carlos P. Romulo, the Philippines’ representative to the United Nation, to vote in favor of the independence of Israel. The vote of Romulo broke the tie between those for and those against Israel’s independence, he added.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080418-131105/Envoy-pays-homage-to-Roxas-role-in-Israel-independence
If Carlos Romulo did cast the last vote, wow, at least there is something great that we can look back to in our diplomatic history! I think that was a good and great act.
In the case of Hagar (mother of Ismael)and Sarai (Mother of Isac)– I think it’s pretty obvious WHO is the more civilized among Abraham’s sons.
Sure I am prejudiced but I do not see any rationality in some creed that cannot admit that women can be better Colonels and Majors than men. I rest my case!
hey bugsey ;) i agree, but on the other hand, the jews of israel surely could have taken / could be taking a less belligerent and violent path towards peace. it’s horrible what the nazis did to them but it’s horrible too what they’re doing to the palestinians…
Check your study in history.
Don’t be one-sided.
Don’t blame the past, you can’t change it.
If you are blaming Abraham, Moses and Joshua then you are blaming the God of the Bible, because these people were just obeying the command of God to them (The present Nation of Israel was the Promised Land to them)[fyi: read Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, & Joshua from the Bible]. And to jojie of riyahd who commented here, It’s an honor for us Filipinos that we are the part of the fulfillment of a prophecy in the Bible that says “did you hear a nation being born in one day?” If you want to know the verse contact me : mark_regi66@yahoo.com.ph
As a filipino and a christian I am proud that the Philippines became an integral part of the fulfillment of the prophecy.
I have encountered a number of articles such as one posted by NY Times, “In Syrian Villages, the Language of Jesus Lives”, and this one. I believe such articles are not good because younger generations seem to believe such articles to be factual. “Re-writing history”, as how Elliot Green termed it from thi blog, seem to be applied through out history due to the biases that exist in every writer I believe.
Looking at the factual side, historical records show evidences that there was a specific tribe in the Fertile Crescent that was monotheistic which was unique among all the tribes that existed. Cutting the entire story short, that specific tribe’s accounts matches the accounts of many people mentioned in the Bible’s Genesis.
This is the only online source I can give from wikipidea.org. For the rest, please read historic facts before believing if what an article states is true or not.
— man will always need to worship someone or something. for me, i focus it to God. ;)
i believe that everything written in the bible is FACT! because every words, every promises written there changed a lot of people and experienced a lot of miracles., Moses and Abraham, i considered them as heroes because they allow themselves to be used by God even their lives are at risk just to follow God’s plan., i suggest that the author of this blog must first believe that God exists! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9 it is God’s plan so we don’t have the right to question that! I am proud to be a Filipino and i am proud what Secretary Carlos P. Romulo did!
to jojie of riyadh I would like to correct it’s not 40 years but it’s thousand years reign of Jesus Christ over the whole Earth with its kingdom’s center in present day Israel, as written in Revelation. Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.