This whole article is an attempt at plausibility, using fiction as its illusory base.
The major cause of war over centuries is RELIGION, and the concept of GOD is just wishful fantasy.
It leads to the age old vitriolic cry of: "My god's better than your god!"
Using the bible as evidence just compounds this delusion.
The bible is a massive work of fiction, albeit a best seller, but to place one's entire justification for argument and moral living on the writings of fallible beings is crazy.
Just as crazy as one deluded religion fighting another for possession of land, based on flawed "truths".
In life, people are answerable only to themselves for their behaviour, not to some imaginary being.

"In life, people are answerable only to themselves for their behaviour, not to some imaginary being"

One day one of us will be proven right. Pray it's you.

No, Ponder. I disagree. Zionism emerged in the 19th Century, the era of nationalist movements. Zionism was more concerned with forming a Jewish identity and using that identity to create a nationalist movement as opposed to a religious movement. In much the same way that Italian nationalists in the mid-19th Century sought to create an Italian identity rather than a Catholic one. Arab and Palestinian nationalism in the Middle-East in the 20th Century were not primarily religious - although that has changed with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Nonetheless, Palestinians who are Christians or non-religious are also historically opposed to Israel's existence. Nationalism in the Middle-East is the primary problem - more so than religion. Religious differences may make the problems in the Middle-East worse but they are secondary.

As long you have Israel wanting to maintain its existence as Jewish state and as long as Arab states persecute non-Arabs (and refuse to become democratic) you will have violence.

Fascinating. No doubt our resident theologians and Zionist sympathisers will have a ball with this one.

However, what does it really matter whether the current Zionist occupation of Palestine is prophesied in the Bible or not? Even if it were, that is in itself no moral justification for the expropriation of the Palestinians - unless, of course, you're a Christian or a Jew.

And there's the rub.

Reply to 'ponder' - well put and very true!. That well known random collection of garbled history and hebrew myths collectively known as 'The Bible' is by and large the main cause of most of the misery in the world today - misery that for the most part is totally unnecessary. Zionism is simply nonsense heaped on nonsense, and the on-going brutality meeted out to the rightful occupiers of Palestine - ie the Palestinian people - is a shameful disgrace to all the sects and governments (including the Australian government) that support this pernicious travesty of human rights. Zionism is the curse of the modern day world, and the right-wing christian factional fanaticism that drives zionism and provides financial succour to the bastard parasite state of Israel is equally (if not more) to blame. Christ is not coming back. Get used to it. We are on our own.

So funny that so many people have to spend so much time trying to discredit something they claim not to believe in. There were plenty of people prior to 1948 denying that Israel would ever become a nation again. It must be horrible for those deniers to see Scripture again fulfilled.