David and Goliath

David ~ by Michelangelo

On January 9, Palestinians will hold a crucial election. Accordingly, this might be a good time (and place) to outline a brief history of our world's only 3,000 year-old war, the unending conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. What will it take to end it? Does even God know - or care?

Historians declare that the present day Palestinians, earlier known as Philistines, derived from a race of highly civilized people who emigrated eastward from Crete during the 12 century B.C. They settled in a region of the Mediterranean coast, southwest of Judea, in the locality now known as Gaza and the West Bank. They had to conquer the natives who originally populated that territory in order to establish themselves securely, in their new homeland.

Less definitely known is the origin of the Israelites. Some scholars believe they came from the Habiru, an ancient group of tribes of Semitic stock that emigrated westward out of Mesopotamia (Iraq?) during the 2nd millennium B.C. En route, they were captured and held in bondage by the Egyptians. Eventually, according to Genesis, Moses was directed by God to liberate them and guide them across the wilderness and into Canaan. It was during that long journey that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

The Philistines and the Israelites, unable to occupy the same land peaceably, resorted to war. In their most memorable early battle, David, the son of a local Shepherd, slew Goliath, a Philistine giant who had issued a challenge to the Israelites to send a champion against him, so that the war between them, could be settled by a single hand to hand combat. And yet, although Goliath was slain, the hostilities between Palestinians and Jews did not abate. It is noteworthy that the Kingdom of Israel, which David later ruled, included Israel, Lebanon, southern Syria and parts of Jordan.

Ariel Sharon, Israel's current David will soon have a vis-a-vis confrontation with Mahmoud Abbas, Palestine's about to be designated Goliath. Will this 2005 rematch initiate peace? Not likely! And if indeed, nothing comes of this latest scheduled effort, perhaps the UN Security Council should pass a veto-free resolution ordering the Palestinians back to Crete and the Israelis back to Iraq. And as an addendum, the disputed territory they now occupy should then be turned into an internationally operated wild refuge park, to simulate the ancient Garden of Eden.