When I say "Simplified", I mean EXTREMELY Simplified.
The conflict in the Middle East has been going on all the way back to Abraham in the Bible who is the common ancestor of both the Jews and the Arabs.
The Jewish people are the descendants of Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.
The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Sarah's slave, Hagar.
This conflict between these two groups will continue to rage for quite some time and I thought I would set down for you the basics of who everybody is so that, when you watch the news, you'll know who the major players are.
We have ISRAEL vs IRAN
The current Prime Minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu, sometimes referred to by the nickname, Bibi.
(Israel also has a President, but he's not the person in charge)
The current leader of Iran is Ali Khamenei. He is referred to as "The Supreme Leader". He is both a political AND a religious leader.
ISRAEL is a Democracy. They vote for their leaders.
IRAN is a Theocracy.
According to the dictionary, "A Theocracy is a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god."
Israel's military is the IDF (Israeli Defense Force)
Iran has several groups they control scattered throughout the Middle East. The groups listed are defined Internationally as "Terrorist" groups.
The main ones are
🔴 HAMAS - located in Palestinian territories within Israel. These two main territories are GAZA & the West Bank.
🔴 HEZBOLLAH - located in IRAQ, SYRIA & LEBANON.
🔴 HOUTHIS (pronounced "Hooties") are in Yemen.
There is a place in North Eastern Israel known as The Golan Heights. For many years this has been a buffer zone between Israel and Syria. Recently Israeli forces have moved into this area.
The Iron Dome is an ISRAELI defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometres (2–43 mi) away.
The main religion in Israel is the Jewish religion, but being Jewish is also an ethnic group, so someone can be ethnically Jewish by birth, but not practice the Jewish religion.
The main gathering site for Jewish people in JERUSALEM is the "Wailing Wall" which is a small portion of their previous Temple.
The main religion for Arabs is Islam and it is not an ethnic group. A person is a Muslim when they practice Islam. (The leader of Iran is a religious leader of the Islamic religion.)
Their main gathering site in Jerusalem is the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The phrase “From the River to the Sea,” refers to the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The phrase currently used, "From the River to the sea Palestine will be free" is just a recent version of the saying which was originally coined by Yasser Arafat the original leader of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). The PLO, under Arafat, did not believe Israel had a right to exist at all, but he switched this stance many years later in order to seek a "Two Territory Solution", which is the idea that Palestinian Territories and Israel each become a Territory in what is now Israel.)
NOTE: Currently both sides of the conflict reject this as a feasible solution.
It should be noted that there are several Arabs (who have been democratically elected) as members of the the Knesset (pronounced Kin-nes-it, at least as best as we English people can say it).
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister, approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government, among other things.
I hope I have been helpful as I continue to strive to bring you....
The Truth with Love,
Always Laura-Lee
Biblical account of Abraham, Sarah & Hagar (Genesis 16)
