Whose Promised Land?

Preface to the 2024 Revision 9
Introduction 13
Part 1 Understanding the History 17
Chapter 1 The Land in History: Basic Facts and Their Interpretation 19
1.1 The patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (c. 2000-1700 BC) 19
1.2 The exodus and the conquest of the land under Joshua (c. 1280-1050 BC) 20
1.3 The kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon (1050-931 BC) 21
1.4 The kingdoms of Israel and Judah (931-587 BC) 22
1.5 The Babylonian exile (597-539 BC) 23
1.6 Palestine under the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks (597-63 BC) 23
1.7 Palestine under the Romans (63 BC - AD 330) 24
1.8 Palestine under the Byzantine empire (AD 330-634) 25
1.9 Palestine under the Arabs and Seljuk Turks (634-1099) 26
1.10 Palestine under the Crusaders and the Mamluks (1099-1516) 26
1.11 Palestine under the Ottoman Turks (1516-1918) and the birth of Zionism 27
1.12 Palestine under the British Mandate (1922-48) 28
1.13 The UN Partition Plan (1947) 31
1.14 The founding of the State of Israel (1948) 32
1.15 Confl icts between 1948 and 1991 33
1.16 The peace process from 1991 to 2001 39
1.17 Developments since 2002 43
1.18 Different interpretations of the facts 49
Chapter 2 The Seeds of Confl ict: Call the Next Witness 57
2.1 Anti-Semitism 59
2.2 Zionism 64
2.3 Jewish settlement in the land 77
2.4 Arab reactions to Jewish settlement 85
2.5 The role of Britain 90
2.6 The role of the United Nations 98
2.7 Partition and war (1948-49) 104
2.8 Israel's self-perception 114
2.9 Other Jewish/Israeli voices 123
2.10 Fatah and Hamas 132
2.11 Different Palestinian voices 140
2.12 Conclusions 155
Chapter 3 Crucial Issues Today: Asking the Right Questions 161
3.1 What about the occupation? 162
3.2 What have been the main subjects of dispute? 166
3.3 What happened to the peace process? 169
3.4 Zionism or Zionisms? 172
3.5 Can Israel be both a Jewish state and democratic? 175
3.6 How important is Islam in the conflict? 176
3.7 Is anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel always anti-Semitic? 180
3.8 What is the background to the events of 7 October 2023? 185
3.9 Why do Christians have such different responses to Zionism and Israel? 193
Part 2 Interpreting the Bible 197
Chapter 4 The Land Before Christ: 'A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey' 199
4.1 The promise of the land 200
4.2 The boundaries of the land 204
4.3 The conquest of the land 207
4.4 The land and the temple 216
4.5 Exile from the land 218
4.6 The return to the land 222
4.7 The land and the hopes of Israel 227
4.8 Conclusions 233
Chapter 5 The Land After Christ: 'The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth' 235
5.1 The birth of Jesus the Messiah 236
5.2 Jesus and the land 240
5.3 Jesus and Jerusalem 248
5.4 The redemption of Israel, the kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom of God 258
5.5 The land in the teaching of the apostles 262
5.6 John's vision of the fi nal fulfi lment of the covenant 271
5.7 The land and the millennium 277
5.8 Conclusions 281
Chapter 6 Other Biblical Themes: 'Is There Any Word from the Lord?' 285
6.1 A passion for truth 286
6.2 The problem of prejudice 295
6.3 The demands of the law 299
6.4 The prophetic concern for justice 306
6.5 God's judgment in history 315
6.6 Suffering injustice 322
6.7 Rethinking and repentance through disaster 328
6.8 Jew and Gentile in the Old Testament 338
6.9 Jew and Gentile after Jesus the Messiah 345
6.10 The condemnation of anti Semitism 352
6.11 The possibility of reconciliation 357
6.12 Conclusions 366
Part 3 Finding Ways Forward 371
Chapter 7 Realities and Possibilities Today: 'The Things That Make for Peace' 373
7.1 Zionism 375
7.2 Christian Zionism 391
7.3 Zionism and Islam 407
7.4 What's the future for Hamas and Israel? 420
7.5 International law: How does it relate to this confl ict? How is it interpreted and how can it be enforced? 427
7.6 Israel, Palestine and global politics 436
7.7 Two states or one state? 446
Conclusion: Whose Land? 453
Notes 469
Index of Biblical Passages 487
General Index 490