The first episode of "The West Wing" after the September 11th attacks was called "Isaac and Ishamel" and it focused on a group of touring high school students who discussed terrorism with the White House senior staff. In one scene, the students and some of the president's men sit in the basement cafeteria, where the story of Isaac and Ishamel, the two sons of Abraham, is told. As the First Lady tells the students, "And so it began: the Jews, the sons of Isaac. The Arabs, the sons of Ishmael. But what most people find important to remember is that, in the end, the two sons came together to bury their father."
The situation in the country known as Israel is nothing new. Since biblical times, the Jews have lost and regained, and lost and regained, their claim over a plot of sand in a highly volatile region. The problems have been going on since the Jews were given this land by God. Then, in the 7th century, the Arab Muslims came and reigned. And after the Holocaust a thoroughly downtrodden people returned once again, this time triumphant. They created their own state and forced the Muslim population (49% of the country's total population) into settlements.
When it comes to resolving this issue, one will find it difficult to take land from people who believe their Creator bestowed it upon them. And one will find it equally challenging to take land that one man's family has been living on for over a thousand years. It is undoubtedly an issue between right and right. But if the Israelis and the Palestinians don't work it out soon, the only thing they will have to bury is their country.
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