Does the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict have anything to do with the Bible?

Answer 1

Matt 24:7 says that there would be conflicts as part of the sign of the last days. Certainly this is a noteworthy conflict that shows the spirit of the world today. The other parts of the sign are clearly seen also. In fact the problems now faced are so severe only God can fix them. As far as who is participating in the conflict could you say they represent a god you would want to serve?

Answer 2

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is an ethnic/nationalist war that is ultimately about land, not religion. Many of the Jewish settlers on the West Bank are avowedly secular and settle there because the land is free to take, under Israeli standards, even if already occupied by local residents.

During the early part of the twentieth century, Jewish immigrants were relatively uninterested in settling in Jerusalem, preferring instead the rich coastal lands that had once belonged to the Philistines and Dorians. If their interest had been biblical, one would expect the early Jewish immigrants to flock to Jerusalem and the surrounding area of ancient Judah.

Answer 3

There are differing opinions on the matter and you should expect different answers.

Conflict Has Nothing to With the Bible
My personal view is that it does not. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is an ethnic/nationalist war. It is being fought by two parties that each wish to establish a state with certain conditions that the other party will not abide. This is no different than, for example, the Sudan-South Sudan Wars or the Mali-Azawad Wars (that were fought and "resolved" in 2012). None of those conflicts are mentioned in The Bible either.

Views that the Conflict is Related to the Bible
Those who advocate a Biblical view tend to point to either the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael or Armageddon/Apocalyptic prophecies.

In the Isaac-Ishmael case, the argument is that Isaac (the progenitor of the Jewish people among others) and Ishmael (the progenitor of the Arab people among others) were brothers in conflict. Both sought to earn their father Abraham's favor and become the elect chosen son. Judaism claims that Abraham chose Isaac and was prepared to sacrifice him to God. Islam disagrees and claims the Abraham chose Ishmael and prepared to sacrifice him to God. It would seem that this would be a good place to start a rivalry. However, the Bible makes it clear that Isaac reconciled with Ishmael. The two even buried Abraham together in Machpelah, which would show that they died as friends, not opponents. More to the point, none of the major instigators in the conflict brings up the sibling rivalry as a serious argument to legitimize their claims.

In the Armageddon/Apocalyptic prophecies, there are several prophecies about a battle to take place at the end of days in northern Israel. As a result, the current conflict is seen to be a fulfillment of this prophecy.