What Makes People Tick?

 About 11 years ago, I penned " A Two-State Solution with a Twist - My approach to the problems facing Israel and Palestine today "  full of hope and idealism. Af ter October 7th 2023 and the long, drawn-out war in Gaza that followed those horrific attacks, a peaceful so lution seems further away than ever. Ever the optimist, I find myself revisiting my thoughts on the topic. Today, I'm finishing the post from 2014 with some edits and some newer thoughts mixed in. M any years have passed since 1948 and whether one likes it or not (I'm looking at you, Hamas !), the State of Israel is an established fact. The only way to remove the State of Israel is to wipe every last bit of it off the map entirely, which would equate to the mass genocide of millions of innocent people. Seeing the world already tried that 'solution' some seventy-odd years ago, let's try building bridges this time instead of fences. Just as the State of Israel is an established fact , so...

Source : Getty Images Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The world's three main monotheistic religions. First came monotheistic Judaism in a polytheistic world. Then came the Jewish Jesus whose teachings inspired Christianity. Then came Islam which accepts all the Jewish prophets and Jesus' virgin birth and teachings. These three religions are connected not only through acceptance of the same prophets and basic teachings but also through locations that matter to them and many very similar rituals, prayers and aspirations. When one examines the similarities between these three religious groups, the differences between them somehow seem to fade away into nothing. The Jewish Torah consists of the Biblical books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Together with several other books by or about prophets and some containing wisdom or songs or teachings, these books together make up the Tanakh - the full "Jewish Bible". Christians rearrange the books and ...

Efraim Inbar of the Middle East Forum writes about the latest hiccups in the Israeli-Palestinian Authority (peace?) talks. He raises a number of interesting points that got me thinking, which is exactly why I'm sharing his article with you. http://www.meforum.org/3804/israel-palestinians-diplomacy

The Kingdom of Israel. Established over 3000 years ago. Capital city: Jerusalem. The State of Israel. Established over 60 years ago. Capital city: Jerusalem. In the book of Genesis - the very first book in both the Jewish and Christian scriptures - the story of Abraham is told. The One God makes a covenant with Abraham, the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God promises Abraham, before he has any children, that his son by Sarah whose name will be Isaac, will be the beginning of a chosen people special to God. Isaac's grandson Judah is the person the Jewish people are 'named for'.  It is my personal opinion that both Israelis/Jews and Palestinians/Muslims should make more concessions when it comes to negotiating a peaceful two-state solution. It is also my personal opinion that both sides have very valid interests and concerns that need to be heard, respected and addressed. There are a great deal of issues that stand in the way of a two-state solution. According to a recent Mi...