I was too upset to write about the abuse of Gaza by the Israeli nation’s military forces. The differing worlds and worldviews also seemed to be frozen by shock, or was complete connivance vide the United Nation general assembly and the Security Council about these attacks by both sides?

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But, would that not be a repeat of the David and Goliath narrative within the history of Israel from the biblical account?

When I was a student at George Washington University (GWU), and active in the Doctoral Student Association, we organised what we called “Middle East Puzzle: Finding the Missing Piece (pun intended)”.

We were able to get two doctoral students, one from Georgetown University and the other from George Mason, each of them Palestinian and Israeli to argue their cases from their perspectives.

As the organiser, I left richer convicted that “peace in the Middle East is possible if there is good political will and excellent global leadership which seeks a clear, clean, and a fair process for a resolution”.

Excellent leadership and political will

These conditions appear to be present in the Middle East and globally, now, for the first time in the last 50 years. There appears to be goodwill on the part of Israel, and all their allies; including all the culprits who set up the original resolution as post-war colonial powers.

Positively, one former prime minister of Israel has emerged as the biggest proponent of the two-state resolution. Even the rest of the world voted Palestine in as a non-voting member.  The Gaza atrocities and potential invasion was stopped by a peace, brokered by Egypt.

The reasons for such progress are simple pragmatism.  No one can really economically afford another major Israeli-Palestinian war; not Europe, not United States and not the Middle East.

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Maybe also for the first time, the Arabs nations have both the financial strength and potent will power for some kind of retaliation of similar scale. And, all this without Iran even factored in such calculations.

Personally, I am delighted that Egypt is today well positioned to behave like a democratic and not an autocratic government.

Their reign of military dictatorship appears over and their military appears reined in by President Mohamed Morsi ( left ).

As long as Egypt can continue to lead the negotiations for the Palestinian state and the Israelis remain accountable to the US; I think there is a foreseeable solution in sight. The Egypt-US bridge appears strong enough to carry through this weighty conversation in peaceful ways.

But, the nation-state of Israel must also review their scriptures and understand their God’s views about big bullies. David and Goliath is a narrative from the Old Testament; and included in all three scriptures, I believe.

David and Goliath narrative in scriptures

The David and Goliath story is studied, sung about, and quite well appreciated, I think, by all Jews, Christians and Muslims. Even those from non-Abrahamic traditions but those who had the privilege of attending mission schools within the British Commonwealth countries may have inevitably heard this storyline before.

The simple story is about a big bully called Goliath who challenged the people of the Israel of old to send one representative to fight him (he was a 9-foot tall giant), with a winner take all deal.

Most of Israel was frightened and frozen into fear only because of the giant-sized challenge.  But, there was David, the shepherd-boy, who had come to bring food for his older brothers.

When he heard the curses being addressed by Goliath against the God of Israel, or of Isaac and Ishmael, David volunteered to fight Goliath, but please allow me to quote his logic and words:

“For who is the uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?… The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear; He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine”.

By the end of the story, Goliath was dead.

The bible is, to my mind and heart, also a book about the politics about faith and faithlessness. Last week, I wrote a column about the ‘politics of faith’ in Kelantan.

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In the history of the bible, the people of Israel did not take time to understand the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. Instead they believed in power and might like that of Goliath.

But, the bible is replete with stories of how the holy God will protect and preserve the faithful regardless of how weak the person is; the weaker they are, the stronger the will of God.

Will not God intervene?

My prayer and hope is that the nation-state of Israel will understand both; the will of God and those of the victors from the last world war, in demonstrating compassion which the Jews may not even deserve.

But, based on biblical and worldly history, the victors decided to intervene and create space for a nation-state of Israel. Palestine was left as a bystander. It now time for the Palestinian state.

Those who obviously lost out were the people of Palestine. Now, the rest of the world has voted to recognise the move by Palestinians for statehood; to regain their dignity regardless of however maligned the 1967 boundaries are.

The world agrees with this thesis, even if currently opposed by a very miniscule minority in the UN.

My caution to the nation of Israel is that they should not continue with the attitude of Goliath; but instead understand the love and care of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. He is a loving and long-suffering God but whose patience also has some limits; especially related to the history of the nation-state of Israel and her lack of faithfulness.

Countries representing about 95 percent of the world have voted for the Palestinian state to be fully recognised.

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But, if the minority in the world still think they can use the veto mentality of the post-world war scenario, let me caution that the age of authority and power of veto are over; today the Berlin Wall has collapsed, the Twin Towers have also collapsed; and surely we do not need a nuclear war to find out that there are different kinds of bullies in the world; some for good and others for evil.

The bible says that the dividing walls of hostility have been abolished and that the bridge of love has been established.

I hope and pray that all sides in this discourse and dialogue will understand the full meaning of this kind of other-focused love.  May God bless Palestinians to find their “missing puzzle piece of peace?” It is now also the season for the Prince of Peace.

Praise God.