The Origin of Israel.

ORIGIN OF ISRAEL.

The origin of Israel is rooted in ancient history and has complex historical, religious, and political dimensions. It's important to understand that the topic is multifaceted, but I can provide a brief overview:

1. Ancient History: The region that is now Israel has a long history dating back thousands of years, with various indigenous peoples and empires controlling the area. In ancient times, the land was inhabited by Hebrews, Canaanites, Philistines, and others.

2. Biblical History: The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) contains accounts of the Israelites' conquest of the land under figures like Moses and Joshua. It describes the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel.

3. Roman Conquest: In 63 BCE, the Roman Empire conquered the region, leading to the dispersion of Jews and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

4. Modern Israel: After centuries of Jewish diaspora, the Zionist movement emerged in the late 19th century, advocating for the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland in the historic land of Israel. This movement gained momentum during the early 20th century.

5. British Mandate: After World War I, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate to govern the territory. Jewish immigration increased during this period, leading to tensions with the Arab population.

6. State of Israel: In 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution recommending the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, and neighboring Arab states immediately initiated conflicts.

7. Ongoing Conflicts: Israel has since been involved in several conflicts with its Arab neighbors, including the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and other regional issues.

The establishment and history of Israel remain a contentious and complex topic with differing perspectives, and the situation continues to evolve.

WHO ARE THE PALESTINIANS?

The area contained the five cities (the Pentapolis) of the Philistine confederacy (Gaza, Ashkelon [Ascalon], Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron) and was known as Philistia, or the Land of the Philistines. 

It was from this designation that the whole of the country was later called Palestine by the Greeks.

The word Palestine derives from Philistia, the name given by Greek writers to the land of the Philistines, who in the 12th century bce occupied a small pocket of land on the southern coast, between modern Tel Aviv–Yafo and Gaza.

Who Owned Palestine Before?

During the Iron Age, two related Israelite kingdoms, Israel and Judah, controlled much of Palestine, while the Philistines occupied its southern coast. The Assyrians conquered the region in the 8th century BCE, then the Babylonians in c. 601 BCE, followed by the Persians who conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 BCE.

Was Palestine a Country Before Israel?

While the State of Israel was established on 15 May 1948 and admitted to the United Nations, a Palestinian State was not established. The remaining territories of pre-1948 Palestine, the West Bank - including East Jerusalem- and Gaza Strip, were administered from 1948 till 1967 by Jordan and Egypt, respectively.

Is Jerusalem in Israel or Palestine?

Jerusalem, Hebrew Yerushalayim, Arabic Bayt al-Muqaddas or Al-Quds, ancient city of the Middle East that since 1967 has been wholly under the rule of the State of Israel.

What Was The Land of Palestine Called in Jesus Time?

This country received the name of Palestine, from the Philistines, who dwelt on the sea coast: it was called Judea, from Judah: and is termed the Holy Land, being the country where Jesus Christ was born, preached his holy doctrines, confirmed them by miracles, and laid down his life for mankind.

Who Ruled Palestine in The Bible?

The Romans.

When Jesus was born, Palestine was ruled by the Romans. The Romans knew that whoever controlled Palestine had control of all the roads in and out of those areas. The Romans invaded the land of Palestine in 63BC. The Roman army marched into Jerusalem and took over the city.

Israel-Hamas War in Gaza: What is The History of The Conflict?

Oct 30, 2023- The war between Israel and Hamas militants who stormed Israeli towns and kibbutzes from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, is the latest in seven decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has destabilised the wider Middle East.

In Hamas' rampage, some 1,400 Israelis, mainly civilians, were killed and 229 were taken hostage.

In response, Israel carried out airstrikes before troops and tanks poured into Gaza in a ground assault, all with the declared aim of wiping out the Islamist militant group.

Medical authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday that 8,306 people - including 3,457 minors - had been killed in the enclave.

WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF THE CONFLICT?

The conflict pits Israeli demands for security in what it has long regarded as a hostile Middle East against Palestinians' aspirations for a state of their own. Hamas rejects the two-state solution and is sworn to Israel's destruction.

On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly agreed a plan to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states and for international rule over Jerusalem. Jewish leaders accepted the plan giving them 56 percent of Palestine land. The Arab League rejected the proposal.

Israeli founding father David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the modern state of Israel on May 14, 1948, establishing a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution and seeking a national home on land to which they cite deep ties dating to antiquity.

A day later, troops from five Arab states attacked Israel and Israeli forces operating in areas the U.N. had proposed for Arab rule.

Palestinians lament Israel's creation as the Nakba, or catastrophe, asserting it resulted in their mass dispossession and blocked their dreams of statehood. Israel contests the assertion that it drove Palestinians from their homes.

In the war that followed, some 700,000 Palestinians, half the Arab population of what was British-ruled Palestine, fled or were driven from their homes, ending up in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Armistice agreements halted the fighting in 1949 but there was no formal peace. Palestinians who stayed put in the war and their descendants today make up about 20% of Israel's population.

WHAT MAJOR WARS HAVE BEEN FOUGHT SINCE THEN?

In 1967, Israel made a pre-emptive strike against Egypt and Syria, launching the Six-Day War. Israel captured the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria and the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

An Israeli census that year put Gaza's population at 394,000, at least 60% of them Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli positions along the Suez Canal and Golan Heights, touching off the Yom Kippur War. Israel pushed both armies back within three weeks.

In 2005 Israel unilaterally withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza. But Gaza saw major flare-ups of fighting in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021.

Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 and thousands of Palestinian fighters under Yasser Arafat were evacuated by sea after a 10-week siege. Israeli troops pulled out of Lebanon in 2000.

In 2006, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers in the volatile border region and Israel launched military action, triggering a six-week war.

Besides wars, there have been two Palestinian intifadas, or uprisings, in 1987 to 1993 and 2000 to 2005. During the second, Hamas carried out suicide bombings against Israelis, and Israel waged tank and air strikes on Palestinian cities.

WHAT ATTEMPTS HAVE THERE BEEN TO MAKE PEACE?

In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty. In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization leader, shook hands on the Oslo Accords on limited Palestinian autonomy. In 1994, Israel signed a peace treaty with Jordan.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat took part in the Camp David summit in 2000, but failed to reach a final peace deal.

In 2002, an Arab League plan offered Israel normal relations with all Arab countries in return for a full withdrawal from the lands it took in the 1967 Middle East war, the creation of a Palestinian state and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees. The presentation of the plan was overshadowed by Hamas, which blew up an Israeli hotel full of Holocaust survivors during a Passover seder meal.

Further peace efforts have been stalled since 2014, when talks failed between Israelis and Palestinians in Washington.

Palestinians boycotted dealings with the 2017-21 administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after it reversed decades of U.S. policy by refusing to endorse the two-state solution - the peace formula that envisages a Palestinian state established in territory that Israel captured in 1967.

WHERE DO PEACE EFFORTS STAND NOW?

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has focused on trying to secure a "grand bargain" in the Middle East that includes normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, custodian of Islam's two holiest shrines.

The latest war is diplomatically awkward for Riyadh as well as for other Arab states, including some Gulf Arab states next to Saudi Arabia, that have signed peace deals with Israel.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ISSUES?

A two-state solution, Israeli settlements on occupied land, the status of Jerusalem, agreed borders, and the fate of Palestinian refugees are at the core of the dispute.

Two-state solution: An agreement that would create a state for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip alongside Israel. Israel has said a Palestinian state must be demilitarized so as not to threaten its security.

Settlements: Most countries deem Jewish settlements built on land Israel occupied in 1967 as illegal. Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land. Continued settlement expansion is among the most contentious issues between Israel, the Palestinians and international community.

Jerusalem: Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which includes the walled Old City's sites sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike, to be the capital of their state. Israel says Jerusalem should remain its "indivisible and eternal" capital.

Israel's claim to Jerusalem's eastern part is not recognised internationally. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, without specifying the extent of its jurisdiction in the disputed city, and moved the U.S. embassy there in 2018.

Refugees: Today about 5.6 million Palestinian refugees - mainly descendants of those who fled in 1948 - live in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. About half of registered refugees remain stateless, according to the Palestinian foreign ministry, many living in crowded camps.

Palestinians have long demanded that refugees should be allowed to return, along with millions of their descendants. Israel says any resettlement of Palestinian refugees must occur outside its borders.

What To Learn From This Narration About Israel, and Her Neighbors.

Most of us are not fascinated with Old Testament history. Sometimes we would rather take a beating than have to decipher all of those old, long Hebrew names. Old Testament history is very repetitive and that could be a reason why some of the lessons that it contains are often over-looked. There are many important things that we can learn from the Old Testament. Remember what was said in Romans 15:4, "the things that were written afore time for our learning... "

Let us for a few moments go back to the book of Judges. Consider what was going on in the first few chapters of the book. Israel did not fully drive out the inhabitants of the land. This was a direct violation of what God wanted them to do. Chapter 2:2-3 says: "And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you."

Israel did not heed the commandment of God. As a result, they paid the consequences of it for many years to come. The people of the lands around them were a constant problem, as the evil influence of the Canaanites caused Israel to fall into disobedience. Idol worship became a problem that would haunt Israel for the rest of its existence. During the time of the judges, the nation of Israel went through many disobedient periods. They would fall away and God would punish them after he couldn't take anymore. The children would cry out, and God would raise a deliverer to relieve them of the oppression that they were suffering. After reading Judges, it seems that the only time that they wanted to do what God wanted was when they were being oppressed. This cycle happened over and over again.

This story is a sad one. It is the story of God's chosen people who in Deuteronomy made a covenant with the Lord and then ignored it. It must have hurt God more than we will ever know. Yet today, we could be guilty of the same things if we are not careful. When we become a Christian, we put off the old man of sin to walk in newness of life (i.e., the Christian life). Have we gotten rid of the snares of sin in our life so that we won't be tripped up?

The Christian is engaged in a constant battle with the devil and sin. Paul mentioned this battle in Romans 7:14-25. This battle is ultimately important because the outcome determines where we will make our spiritual home, either in heaven or in hell. It is be-cause of these eternal implications that the stakes are much higher.

We know that Satan is the most cunning being around. He can make the most horrible thing seem good, just so we will do it. As Christians, we have to be on guard for the snares that the devil puts out there. The things of the world have to be done away with so that they won't hinder us in our battle with sin. Satan appeals to man through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Read 1 John 2:15-16. The lust of the flesh refers to the worldly attitudes and passions that we may have. Have we tried to get rid of these? John mentions the pride of life ... .

As a young person, I am familiar with this. I have been caught up in it a few times myself. The pride of life is trying to seek after the finer things in life. It is doing all that you can to get everything while you are here on the earth. Many young people are getting caught up in this today. They are putting education before the Lord. They are putting career advancement before the Lord. The Lord is taking a back seat to everything these days. John also mentions the lust of the eyes .. .

The lust of the eyes is seeking the material things in this life. An example is found in Luke 4:1-13. Satan showed Christ the kingdoms of the world, which was an appeal to the lust of the eyes. One can also use the same reference to Luke in the lust of the flesh. In this context, Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. He was hungry and weak from this ordeal. Satan tempts him to turn stones into bread. There is nothing wrong with obtaining food, as long as it is done in a way pleasing unto the Lord, but for Jesus to give in to Satan would have been a victory for the evil one.

Another example of Satan tempting man in all three ways is mentioned in Genesis 3:1-6. Satan appealed to Eve by telling her that she would not surely die if she partook of the forbidden fruit. Then he lead her on by saying that she would be like God. And then, just think of it, he said that she would know good and evil. As one goes on in verse 6, one can see Eve is really thinking about it. She knows it is wrong to do so, but she is trying to make it sound good in her mind, so that she will feel justified to partake. The Bible says that the fruit was good for food (lust of the flesh), pleasant to the eyes (it looked so good, lust of the eyes), and it was a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life). Here Satan tempted Eve and she succumbed to him.

Satan tempts us today, in the same ways and we need to be on guard for this. Here is a very important thought for us to consider. We have the Israelites as an example for us not to follow. Now take a moment to look at your life. Where does it stand? Are we like Israel in that we allow people around us to lead us into questionable practices and questionable places? Do we associate with people of like precious faith? We should want to be around other Christians. They share the same goals and values that we do. When one associates with people who do not share the same values, then it is easy for their attitudes to rub off on us. The things that they do won't be questioned very deeply, because our conscience will be seared. If we do not get rid of the habits of the world after we become a Christian, then they will become as traps. These things quickly became traps to the Israelites. I'm not trying to say that we should be an isolationist, but we always need to be careful.

Other important lessons to learn from Israel might have to do with our timing in prayer. Do you only pray to the Lord when something is wrong? For example, a crisis occurs and then you start to pray. Sometimes a crisis occurs and it causes people to start attending services again.

After the crisis subsides, prayer subsides also, and they stop attending services. That is the way of following in the steps of the Israelites. Israel only seemed to worship or care about God in times of crisis.

Let us go back to Judges 2:2-3. Have we let the things of the world today become a snare to us? Have we really turned our life around. Until we remove the snare, then we cannot be fully pleasing to God. We all know examples of this today, and probably know people who are like this, but let us guard ourselves against doing the very same thing. We need to always examine our lives and make sure that we don't follow in the steps of Israel. Their history is one of the saddest known to man. They could have done so much for the Lord, but they forsook him. God also has judged the nation of Israel, He found them guilty, and He left their house desolate, read Matthew 21: 33-46; 23:37-39. Since this pronouncements by Jesus Christ, God began to make a new Kingdom of God, out of the New Creation. Those who have willingly obeyed His Gospel of New Birth, according to the Law of Faith in Christ Jesus. Please guard against the snares in your life so that you will be able to do much for the Lord. (Matt Allen, Guardian of Truth XL: No. 20, p. 12-13 October 17, 1996).

Generally compiled by Reuters journalists; editing by Edmund Blair, Benson Omole, Stephen Farrell and Mark Heinrich.

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