Whose Promised Land? : The Continuing Crisis Over Israel and Palestine

Preface 9(2) Acknowledgments 11(2) Introduction 13(6) PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY 19(92) The Land in History: Basic Facts and Their Interpretation 21(22) The patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (c. 2000--1700 BC) 21(1) The exodus and the conquest of the land under Joshua (c. 1280--1050 BC) 22(1) The kingdom under Saul, David and Solomon (1050--931 BC) 23(1) The kingdoms of Israel and Judah (931--587 BC) 23(1) The Babylonian exile (597--539 BC) 24(1) Palestine under the Babylonians, Persians and Greeks (597--63 BC) 24(1) Palestine under the Romans (63 BC--AD 330) 25(1) Palestine under the Byzantine empire (AD 330--634) 25(1) Palestine under the Arabs and Seljuk Turks (634--1096) 26(1) Palestine under the Crusaders and the Mamluks (1096--1517) 26(1) Palestine under the Ottoman Turks (1517--1918) 27(1) Palestine under the Mandate (1922--48) 27(2) The UN Partition Plan (1947) 29(1) The founding of the State of Israel (1948) 30(1) Conflicts since 1948 31(4) The peace process since Madrid (1991) and Oslo (1993) 35(2) Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967 37(2) Different interpretations of the facts 39(4) The Seeds of Conflict: Call the Next Witness 43(68) Anti-Semitism 44(5) Zionism 49(9) Jewish settlement in the land 58(3) Arab reactions to Jewish settlement 61(3) The role of Britain 64(5) The role of the United Nations 69(4) Partition and war (1948--49) 73(7) The voice of Israel 80(6) Other Jewish/Israeli voices 86(6) The different voices of the Palestinians 92(14) Conclusions 106(5) PART 2: INTERPRETING THE BIBLE 111(128) The Land Before Christ: `A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey' 113(28) The promise of the land 113(4) The boundaries of the land 117(2) The conquest of the land 119(6) The land and the temple 125(2) Exile from the land 127(3) The return to the land 130(4) The land and the hopes of Israel 134(4) Conclusions 138(3) The Land After Christ: `The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth' 141(38) The birth of Jesus the Messiah 142(3) Jesus and the land 145(6) Jesus and Jerusalem 151(8) The redemption of Israel 159(2) The land in the teaching of the apostles 161(7) John's vision of the final fulfilment of the covenant 168(4) The land and the millennium 172(3) Conclusions 175(4) Other Biblical Themes: `Is There Any Word from the Lord?' 179(60) A passion for truth 180(6) The problem of prejudice 186(3) The demands of the law 189(5) The prophetic concern for justice 194(6) God's judgment in history 200(6) Suffering injustice 206(4) Rethinking and repentance through disaster 210(6) Jew and Gentile in the Old Testament 216(5) Jew and Gentile after Jesus the Messiah 221(6) The condemnation of anti-Semitism 227(4) The possibility of reconciliation 231(5) Conclusions 236(3) PART 3: APPRECIATING THE ISSUES TODAY 239(40) Realities Today: Is There Any Nope of Resolving the Conflict? 241(38) A crisis for Zionism 242(6) The power equation in the world today 248(6) Christian Zionism and Dispensationalism 254(12) Zionism and Islam 266(8) Conclusions: The options for Israel and questions for the Palestinians 274(5) Conclusion: Whose Land? 279(8) Appendix 1: Principles of Christian Interpretation of Old Testament Prophecy 287(8) Appendix 2: Examples of Christian Interpretation of Old Testament Prophecy 295(12) Appendix 3: The Covenant of Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement 307(2) Notes 309(8) Index of Biblical Passages 317(4) General Index 321