ISRAELI ATTITUDES ARE NOT NECESSARILY SCULPTURED BY THE HEBREW BIBLE, FOR MANY JEWS FOCUS ON THE TALMUD. What Was Decreed According To The Laws Of Moses Does Not Seem To Be Affecting The Modern Israelite In The Same Way It Did Those Who Obeyed In The Days The Law Of God Was Given. Modern Israel is not only distant from the Sinai account historically but also culturally.

Does the Hebrew Bible play a role in Israeli attitudes toward the Palestinians?

The Hebrew God demanded that the Hebrews extinguish the Canaanite populations from the Holy Land. How does this image play out in the context of Israel relations with the Arab populations?

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What was decreed during the days of Moses, in respect to claiming the inheritance that was given to the Israelites by the Creator, has long gone. As for the Arab populations today, the Palestinians could well have Israeli genes residing within them. When the Assyrians and the Babylonians conquered the region, they would have impregnated women also, and their children (called Samaritans) could have descendants among the Palestinians.

The Torah teaches that the Israelites were to be a witness of God’s glory to the nations of the world. If they were not willing to be a witness to God’s glory, they would be scattered among the nations.

• But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. (Deuteronomy 28:15)

• The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and frustration, in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your doings, because you have forsaken me. (Deuteronomy 28:20)

• All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you, till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. (Deuteronomy 28:45)

• And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other; and there you shall serve other gods, of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. (Deuteronomy 28:64)

When people consider the curses, these appear to be what happened to the Israelites who are found among the Africans. There is evidence that points to the slaves that were transported from West Africa to the Americas were actually Israelites. The groups that promote this call themselves real Israelites, because what has happened to them is more in line with what we read concerning the curses.

As for the people who are called Israelites today, if they follow the Torah, they will be a blessed people who excel in all that they do. This is because we can expect the Lord God to honor what amounts to His inspired written witness to His purpose for humankind.

The idea that the Palestinians are descendants of the Canaanites is questionable. The number of times (what was) the ancient land of Canaan has been conquered by other nations such as Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Egyptians would suggest that there were no original Canaanites left in the days of the Roman occupation. They would have been mixed bloods of many nations.

That the people of Israel are a different race of individuals to other human beings is difficult to establish genetically, for genetic studies continually indicate that those who are tested have links to other peoples. For instance, Ashkenazi Jews Are Genetically European.

Since the Torah teaches that Israelites were to be a witness to God’s loving kindness and His blessings upon those who do His will (practice justice, mercy, faith, loving-kindness), this should be evident in the personal behavior and the national actions towards the Palestinians. If not, then there are major questions which need to be raised.

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