Milford chronicle., 1949-07-15
Arab-Jew Hostility

HlNGION-SIOrleS dDOul
how Arabs and Jews can't write q
final peace for Palestine after
months of truce and negotiations
have an ancient ring. Those two
nations, next-door neighbors and
members Of one of the Oldest FAM
lilies on earth, have lived in a kind
of armed truce with each other all
through the ages-except when
they were actually fighting.
1t all began in the time of Abra-
ham, about 1900 years ago. The
lore for both nations relates that
Abraham was the father OF botn
Arabs and Jews. One of Abraham's
sons was Jacob, whom the Angel
named Israel, and the Jews claim
descent from him. He settled down
in his fathers country, which is
roughly the interior of the present
State of Israel.
Abraham's eldest son was Is
hmael, and he is reputed to De the
ancestor of the Arabians. He left
! his fathers land to raise his fam
lily in the desert country east Of
the Jordan River Israeps sons set
tied down in towns and cities and
took pride in scholarship and the
building of permanent structures
such as the temple of Jerusalem.
lshmae's sons just wandered,
camped by the Ioases, led their
focks hither and yon to follow the
grass where it was green.
In the Old Testament you read
repeatedly of bloody contacts be-
tween the Israelites and the 40
mads to the east. It is quite clear
that by the time of the prophet
Nehemiah 18th century B. Co. the
Israelites regarded their cousins
across the Jordan as barbarous
!, and untutored yOkels and robbers
Despite having the same blood
and a language with the same
, Semitic-rOOt, they have gone then
separate ways all through the ages
: The same enemies threatened aht
overwhelmed = them, time aftel
time, bat they never teamed up fol
? common defense. The only tim,
you read about an Arab and Jew
IIghtIng' on the same side is whel
an Arab army helps out one Jew
1sh faction which is busy beatin,
, the life out of another set Of Jews
Assyrians, Babylonians and Per
, slams picked off the Israelites an,
Arabs, one at a time. Greeks an,
+ Romans took over all of Israel an,
- seized control of the Caravan rout
es of the Arabs In one of Israel
o final. desperate battles aganis
= Rome, the attack by Titus in 81 A
; d.. an Arabian leader loaned Titu
: 1000 horse and 5000 foot soldier:
With the Mohammedan swee
y ecross most of the Mediterranea
world IN the seventh and eight Ger
, iurles Arabians became the mas
ters Of Palestine and of Jewish co
c cnles In the lands they conquere
, Under Islam the Jews didn't far
K too badly. Although the Prophet
l. pollcy was to slay all persons VIII
e dld not embrace the faith. He mad
a an exception, of which many Jew
!; became prominent statesmen. bar
l. kers and scholars under the Islam
l. ic rule. :
t, One reason the Jews and Aral
n, never Joined in a common froI
probably was that they were nev,
IN the ascendancy at the same tim
a. When Israel was relatively stron
~ IN the times of David and Solomo
I'd and later of the Hasmoneans. Il
n arabs were a nebulOus people ca
+. sDie OF no sustained military car
I'd paign.
al After the Romans razed Jeruss
y, en- in A. D. 1876, the land was az
g. ually plowed under, and only f.
ce thousand Jews remained alive
Israel.
ry Only the Mohammedans-the A
rn abs-were strong when the Crus
ia ders invaded Palestine. It was +
ry Mohammedans who finally dro
r. the Crusades out. The 10,
m were still inconsiderable in the
ter mayor invasion-but the Ma
he iuks Of Eguks of Egypt, the Nc
he gols are now more nearly equal
k strength than ever before.